A Real Sadness: Church Entry and No Entry

I woke up with joy perhaps an overflow from last night when I worshipped in my study singing along a song I recorded last September. I was overjoyed that I said I might enter the church today incognito (curi curi masuk) but this morning when I turned on my former church’s online service, a real sadness descended upon me and I could not watch any longer but mourned silently before the Lord. How incredulous the church found itself to be in, subject to the rule of men, bound by fear of Covid19 rather than the fear of God and His commandments. Prove to me that Jesus would exclude someone from worship in the assembly of the saints based on vaccination status. Show me your theology and Scripture and I will prove you wrong by the word of the Lord.

How ironic. The church used to pray for the sick, and those sick are brought to the front of the stage to be prayed for, but now even the heathy cannot get in. What has happened to the church? Is it still the Lord’s church? Or an apostate body of people who may honour the name of God with the lips but God is far from their hearts? God knows our hearts and whether we have love for Him or is it that our main concern for the honour and glory of men? How come we seek what pleases men rather than what pleases the Lord? Twice Paul said if I were still pleasing men I should not be a servant of Christ (Gal 1; Thes). If we seek to please God we will not exclude anyone. We will attempt to serve everyone and find ways that no one is excluded. Now they boast in their vaccination status, just like the opponents of the Gospel boasted in circumcision. Why did they boast in circumcision because they would not want to be persecuted for Christ?  Is it not the same now? They insist on vaccination not that it is good for everyone but they fear men’s displeasure and persecution for the sake of the truth. The truth is this: circumcision and uncircumcision matters not, like now vaccination or non-vaccination matters not in terms of church entry in the sight of God but they can’t and they refuse to obey God because they believe in a God who is powerless, not the living God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, healed the sick and protect those who trust in Him.