In the middle of the #COVID19 "Corona Virus" outbreak, Anthony Delaney, the leader of Ivy Manchester, has something to say to 21st Century Christians and Churches based on the first Christians in 1st Century Palestine, in his latest blog piece. This something resonates loudly with our situation in Lockdown, when "business as usual" is suspended for the Church:

Anthony is very clear that he is not saying "God sent #COVID19". But he has an important question for his fellow Christians, and for the church at large: "Are you ready?"

Anthony plots some of the opportunities that are emerging for the church and dares us to seize the moment and make the most of every opportunity.

Since the Corona Virus has forced the closure of churches and other gatherings for the foreseeable future, and since vaccines and other treatments are proving elusive, almost everything we know as "normal" just doesn't apply to our current state of play.

Given the widespread limits to social contact between people, Christians as well as everyone else is having to choose between

(a) almost total isolation and waiting until "things can go back to normal" or

(b) adapting to the new situation forced upon us by Lockdown.

So Anthony reflects on this and believes God has spoken something:

Anthony continues by daring Christians and Churches to consider the new context we are in, to consider carefully who we are talking with (not to) and to connect deeply with people in new ways, drawing on 1 Thessalonians 2:8.

1) Could it be that God takes the Pressure and Pain of this terrible Virus to push the Church out into new territories?

2) Could it be that He would have us bring new methods to communicate the unchanging message of the Gospel?

For the full article - and it's well worth a read - please click on the link below to go straight to Anthony's website.

I wonder whether 

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