BARS VS CHURCHES – MY HUMBLE ADVICE TO CHURCHES
My views below are submitted in utmost humility and cognizance of the fact that many on these platforms are senior to me in life and ministry and thus I am subject to correction. Especially if I may be missing some spiritual wisdom somewhere but I humbly submit my thoughts as a son in the land.
My views are summarized below :
1. Government has so far demonstrated a clear intent to save lives. This should be centre of our focus and it deserves our support.
2. With or without bars we must think of what we should be doing to keep our members safe. For a well developed church, members include newly born agains(those new to the faith) , the mature, infants, children and youths.
We must not allow the case of how bars are being treated to have us lose focus of what we should be doing. The bars issue should follow after we have done what we need to do to keep our members safe. We are not people of fear but not everyone is developed enough to observe rules of hygiene or to apply the spiritual authority and wisdom some may have. Eg little children. The same reason schools have closed is the reason we should handle them with caution even at church and this includes even cancelation of some meetings including Sunday service where need be.
3. Our voice towards bars being closed must be driven with a passion to save lives not a quest for fair treatment between bars and churches.
We are too high an institution as the church of Jesus Christ to ask for equal treatment with bars. The church right now should have even made the work of government easy by suggesting temporary suspension of all gatherings, churches and bars inclusive AT LEAST FOR THIS WEEKEND then we resume updates from authorities next week Monday or so with fresh guidelines.
As it is we are pushing in a direction that will just make our government authorities now focus on how to appease the church especially that we can be very emotional about such things.
I appeal that we make things easy for them to help save lives in the country by being clear that we are not starting a bars vs churches noise but merely encouraging them to remain as bold as they have been in shutting schools, markets are closed this weekend, reducing hours for churches etc and extend the same to shutting bars. If need be they can even ask all of us not to meet this weekend. THEIR DRIVE TO SAVE LIVES MUST NOT BE WATERED DOWN BY ANYONE WHETHER BARS OR CHURCHES.
As things are with the noise churches are making we risk having them compromise and increase hours for churches for appeasement even when it may be against health rules. I know it will sound like a victory for churches if we heard an increase in the number of hours to meet but maybe an IMMORAL victory if we got it purely for appeasing this big group called the church yet IN COMPROMISE OF HEALTH RULES.
Let us encourage them to do what is right whether it affects churches or bars and this is where we must voice out against bars being open.
4. Like the Bible shows in Romans 14:1-3 those who choose to meet for church and those who choose not to must not treat either side badly. Both do so after careful prayerful consideration and please do so with a clear conscience as being the watchman on duty AT YOUR DUTY POST. God did not put any of us to decide for everyone.
I humbly submit.
I am a young man by the name of Pastor Choolwe.
President and Founder of Gospel Envoys Church. I heal the sick, I have authority over demons and sickness in the name of Jesus. I also believe that Christ has not only been made the power of God unto us but also WISDOM. There is time to manifest him as power and time to manifest him as wisdom.
#peaceforZambia