The Covid -19 pandemic over the last 2 1/2 years has caused much stress in the American evangelical church. People in churches deal with anxiety, depression, financial stress, isolation, the loss of loved ones and friends, etc..  The government shut down churches for a period of time causing even further isolation and the loss of hope. Under these conditions, the church had to ask God the best way to glorify Him under these circumstances. So the leadership and I decided to use Facebook, our pod casts on out website, and a low powered radio transmitter for our parking lot to continue our worship services. However, this was not an ideal situation. There is no good substitute for gather to worship in person as God intended.

As a result, a great many churches still have not regain their pre-covid attendance. Some churches were not able to reopen, many incurred financial stress, and too many people became complacent about coming back to church and the Great Commission. Plus, we live in a post Christian culture. In today’s letter to the church in Philadelphia, Jesus wrote to them to encourage them. They were a small church and a faithful church, but they felt had little of their own strength to continue pursuing the Great Commission. The main point of this letter from Jesus is to tell the church in Philadelphia was simple. Hang in there, church! It is always too soon to quit.