It's been surreal or unreal in many ways. I have not gotten used to preaching in front of the multimedia crew and cameras. But I preach I shall do in the foreseeable future as the Covid-19 infections have not decreased and it will take several more weeks, or even months before things become better. Early in the MCO I told my congregation not to expect to celebrate Christmas in church. So this year we have missed all the Christian feasts, Passover in April, Pentecost at the end of May (first MCO) and now most likely we will miss Christmas in December. I will press on with my job at hand, recording and preaching online sermons to my congregation. Technology is a two-edged sword. Much good comes out of it as we can learn much, hold business meetings, listen to lectures but online services are not the assembly of the saints as where there is no gathering, then there is no church (ekklesia).
Perhaps, the invisible church is united in the Spirit, as we worship the Lord at home in these times of pandemic, only kept in virtual fellowship which is better than nothing. Nevertheless, technology blinds us to think that the imitation is the original. I was much saddened that when opportunities allowed before the latest lockdown, pastors and church leaders refused to come together and even for fellowship some have preferred zoom and google meet instead. It lulls us into complacency, being slack and not exercising faith which is what pleases the Lord for without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrew 11:6). I sense a great urgency as today I have been waiting on the Lord sensing in my spirit the importance of the message that I shall be preaching tomorrow. I have laid the groundwork a fortnight ago and as one church leader had pulled out of his turn in preaching, I might get some continuity as I preach through Ephesians 3 in the next several weeks.
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