I don't attend services myself, but I do respect all religions and expecially all churches/temples/mosques that strive to grow the soul and help those in need.

I came across this in support of worship at home today. For those who aren't familiar with the "Temptations of Christ", these are believed to have occurred at the end of Jesus's 40 day fast.

I don't necessarily agree with the author about "governments" and "rulers", but I like the rest of it, and others can make up their own minds (we don't have to all think the same! Sheeple are not a good thing, whether they all agree with someone else or whether they all agree with ourselves):

[www.churchofchrist1830.org]

A Special Statement From the Apostles About the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Challenging and difficult circumstances often require tough decisions. With what is before us in the United States and the possible effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we must consider several things.

As a church we have been faithful in preaching and teaching the need for faith, especially in challenging times. The Lord left us with an abundance of promises about our well-being in the scriptures and He is able to deliver, if we will have faith. God has not called us to fear any situation, armed with our faith and His promises. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).

While both messages are needed and powerful, they are incomplete. Jesus, who had faith in the promises of His Father and did not give in to fear, was tempted by the devil to place confidence in only those two things.

"Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, 'If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.' Jesus said unto him, 'It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.'" (Matthew 4:5-7)

Satan used a promise of God, tempting Christ to take it to an extreme, just to prove the truth of the promise. Satan dared Him to prove God would keep His promise to protect Him, no matter what!

There are at least two temptations that can be easily identified in this scripture. The first is pride, one of Satan’s most effective tools. The other is to ignore wisdom and in pride make God prove His promises. Christ responded we should not tempt the Lord. Christians can put themselves outside of wisdom and cling to God’s promises to show the world He is real and faithful but miss the fact that pride in their faith has blinded them to the wisdom of God. The following scriptures remind us that placing wisdom and humility with our faith and trust in God is life and blessing.

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud. He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the LORD, happy is he. The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning. Understanding is a wellspring of life unto him that hath it: but the instruction of fools is folly. There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 16:18-22, 25)



"Wherefore, brethren, seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know, that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works;" (Jacob 3:14-15)



Another principle to consider in these times is in Matthew 5:45: “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust”. All the children of men have blessings and trials in their lives and Christians are not exempt from sickness and death because of their faith. Helaman writes about four years of peace and rejoicing in the church, yet we must consider what it says about those years.

And Helaman and the high priests did also maintain order in the church; yea, even for the space of four years, did they have much peace and rejoicing in the church. And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing. And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year was very frequent in the land; But not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared, to remove the cause of diseases to which man was subject by the nature of the climate. But there were many who died with old age; and those who died in the faith of Christ, are happy in him, as we must needs suppose. (Alma 21:73-77)

Remember, we live in a fallen world. While our God can heal and do mighty miracles by our faith, He has told us we will experience the same as others for good and bad, for life and death, and we overcome all things through Christ. As we apply this principle to the current situation of COVID-19, we must understand we are not free from suffering as others, simply because we are members of the Church of Christ. Consider what is wise and prudent in protecting our most vulnerable members from exposure and leave ourselves in the hands of our faithful God.

Lastly, we have heard many differing thoughts expressed about our government’s handling of this challenge and we may have many opinions regarding restrictions that are recommended or enforced. God placed governments on the earth and gave them responsibility and authority to protect their people by whatever means they see fit. If a government is doing what God has ordained them to do in order protect its people, we should not fight against it. In doing so, we are fighting against the ordinance of God Himself. In being asked to limit the amount of people to meet with to prevent the spread of this virus, we are not being told we cannot worship God. Our government officials are trying to slow down this outbreak to allow the best outcome for our fellow citizens. We should give heed. Consider the strong language of the Lord on this matter:

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. (Romans 13:1-5)

With these thoughts, we encourage our pastors and leaders of missions in the Church of Christ to use the blessing of technology to the advantage of God’s people. We can provide live stream sermons from several locations, using only a few people on-site to limit contact. We also can use the phone to meet for prayer and testimony services. The Telecongregation effectively uses this on Sacrament Sunday: use this to support the spiritual needs of our people and continue to worship our God. We encourage you to set times for fasting and prayer for our world, nation, communities and families: we are all in this together! Invite your congregations and friends to join you using technology.

It is wise we protect the weaker ones among us and consider using elders who are in good health to administer to the sick when you are asked to send someone. Consider doing it outdoors, lowering the risk-exposure to yourself and your family. Brother Shawn Sprague reminded us that hospitals are not allowing ministers in and we should inform our members that if they want administration, it should be done before they go to the hospital or in the parking lot. Hence, our elders need to be ready to go at a moment’s notice, as time may be of the essence. We ask you to consider these thoughts; pray about our effectiveness in serving. We do believe God has called the people to faith in Him to heal and God gave the ordinance of administration as one means of healing and blessing the sick. Also, remember prayer is a powerful tool to those who do not have the opportunity to receive administration and we have many testimonies to the power of united prayer. We encourage you to be quick to share your needs for prayer, quick to lift them up when you hear and quick to testify of your blessings.

Some of the resources for live streaming services are currently found on the AVA website www.cocsermons.net. Telecongregation dial-in: 605-475-6150, passcode: 552571 (long distance charges may apply). Also check out FreeConferenceCall.com.

We encourage every member to work with your ministry and support their efforts to serve you, even when we want things to go back to normal. If you have needs, communicate them with the ministry who have your care in whatever manner works best for you. Not meeting in person does not mean we cannot be meeting together. Remember, normal will come again. We know this shall pass, although we do not know how long we may face this challenge. Let us stand together in faith and wisdom, being filled with love for our God and others in this time, knowing our God is able to deliver us according to His will. May our God be glorified in this time by a faithful people who trust Him to keep us in His hand without fear.



In Gospel Bonds,

The Council of Apostles



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2020 06:52PM by suncloud.

These are the complete "Temptations of Christ" (Matthew 4, 1-11), which I think are very beautiful, especially as they may pertain to the spiritual potential of a fast:

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple.
6 And saith unto him, If you be the Son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get the hence, Satan; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11 Then the devil leaveth him, and behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God: Matthew 4:7

Do not put the Lord your God to the test as you did at Massah: Deuteronomy 6:16


Thank you for the biblical quote. It is so relevant to what is happening now.
The quote is mostly misunderstood with the tendency to equate it to faith alone.
Have faith and you are saved. It is more than that.

This was written more than 2000 years ago when everything was explained through reference to God, the Creator.

It is still true but we can in modern times even remove God and say Nature and the laws of Nature, the Universe.

The universe is governed by strict laws. The billions of stars and galaxies, life, the cells in our body, everything.

What the verse is saying in modern time interpretation is that you cannot keep breaking the laws of nature and survive. The plage as in the world of the French writer Camus will come and take you away.

There is the plague in all of us, the tendency to self destruct through continuous bad behavior when nature will give up and not help us heal.

"The meaning is, thou shalt not try him; or, thou shalt not, by throwing thyself into voluntary and uncommanded dangers, appeal to God for protection, or trifle with the promises made to those who are thrown into danger by his providence"


Those who make mistakes and we all do but who work to change their behavior and work with nature will heal but those who continuously and purposefully break the laws will be taken by the plague or its new incarnation the coronavirus.

And that what we are doing in this forum, we had previously suffered through a poor understanding of the proper way to feed the body. And we came here to exchange with others and learn the correct laws of nutrition.

[www.theschooloflife.com]

Because the ultimate purpose of life is the mastery of life itself, to be perfect as nature itself

"Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. Leviticus 19:2




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2020 02:13AM by RawPracticalist.

It's funny Suncloud because I was thinking of that quote this morning in response to Nunativs' thread. The religious zealots and wolves in sheep clothing always give the genuine followers a bad reputation because they get lumped all into one category of "believers."

Thanks for posting that.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 04/13/2020 02:16AM by Tai.

Thank you for your responses Rawpracticalist and Tai. I'm so glad we are safe and healthy today!