Covid -19
Should Christians see the world in a different perspective?
The recent outbreak of Corona virus has shaken the world to her very foundation, what exactly is in it for Christians to take away?
1. Our commitment to Eternity
“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away”
– James 4:14(KJV)
The human race have a strong vision for trade, technology and war but our vision for health is far lagging behind but above all we have no vision for emergency and that is why the virus has quickly brought the world to her knees. Looking at the lifestyle of the world you might as well conclude that the world has forgotten about the Bible how much more eternity which is life after death.
The pace of development in the last two centuries have been unprecedented in the history of mankind, we now live in a soft world some call it the sophisticated world. since the end of the second world war and the cold war modern thinkers believe the world is stable, progressive and predictable but it seems the covid 19 as come to proof such thinking wrong, somehow our lives have been structured towards the family, community, trade, technology,education, religion and we cant see beyond this, the new life style that man has adopted is a kind of life that shreds away the fundamental principles of Christianity directly and indirectly.
The world is too fragile! regardless of the gains we have made in the last 200 years the world is still what it is, the world can only be healed when we make spiritual gains and this we have not been doing rather we have focused too much on material gain. This virus that have closed our shops, close the doors of our churches, empty our streets, isolate us, crippled our economy and kill our people, must make us see the world in a different light. Billions have been spent on armament, education, exploration, trade and others. Here comes a virus that we cant even see that has now put us on our knees. Those who think they can predict the world should think differently.
God has created us with a lot of capacities but we are still a breath from him and for all that we might have become or achieved what we know is far less than what we do not know, life is too volatile and it will always be, we Christians can never find strength in the world, our strength is in God through our lord Jesus Christ.
A Christian should focus on life after death, we should be conscious that life is only a borrowed time and this idea in itself is the pillar of christianity but we Christians have carried the world on our shoulder, we do not see the big picture; instead we focus on the small picture which is the world. No matter how logical, engaging, sophisticated, prosperous and realistic the world is , she still remains vanity and shall crumble and give way to the word of God.
2. Jesus Christ and Health
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by E-saias the prophet, saying, himself took our infirmities and bare our sickness”
– Mathew 8 :11
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick”
– Mathew 14:14
What marks out Jesus Christ is the purity, plainness, simplicity and selflessness of his messages and actions; he raised no army, he conquered no land, he ruled no body, he never used force to convert anyone, and he displayed extreme compassions and human empathy.
While Jesus christ was on earth he concentrated on two things and they are teaching and healing. The missionaries that spread the gospel around the globe seem to also have this understanding because immediately they arrive at fallow grounds they preach and build hospitals, pre independent Africa most of the best health centers were built by Christian missionaries.
Talking about the preset is a different thing entirely, it is not uncommon to see Pastors having private jets, expensive schools and other ventures but not a hospital, if Churches, Pastors and Prophets cannot perform healing miracles at least they should be concerned about the health of the people. Healing people is a Christian mandate.
“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples he gave them power against unclean spirits to cast them out and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease”
– Mathew 10:1
It is part of our calling as Christians to be active in the well being of our community, friends and family, healing is a legacy of Jesus Christ, therefore we must invest in health to fulfill the Christian mandate, we must invest spiritually and materially, it is the Christian destiny to heal our friends, enemies, families and others. This responsibility is not a charge for the church alone but to each and every Christian, it is in the direct fulfillment of our calling to take care of the sick at the individual level, church and community. It is time to invest in health research and hospitals ever than before, it is our destiny.
3. What we eat matters a lot
“The house of Israel named it manna and it was like coriander seed, white, and its taste was like wafers with honey”
-Exodus 16:31
“The Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook”
– 1 King 17:6
According to research the molecular structure of the covid-19 virus closely resembles viruses found in bats and pangolins(March 17 Nature Medicine Journal) that have been little studied, having this kind of information with the knowledge of the wild orgy of animal eating in China where the virus originated from means we should be more careful with what we eat. God is very conscious of what we humans eat, so many people often wonder why God only fed the Israelites with manna for 40years, the same thing happened when God fed Elijah bread and meat alone through out the day for a number of days. Why is it that when God wants to feed man he does not expose man to too much options or variables? Because the kind of food we eat is directly related to our spiritual and physical existence, when people eat everything available it has consequences that are far reaching. We need to watch what we eat or else a lot of infection and disease hosted by animals will easily be transferred to us human beings.
4. The urgent need for Christian leadership
“But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many”
Mathew 20:25-28
Their is no human-being ever on the face of the earth that embodies and exemplify leadership like Jesus Christ. Jesus is the definition of leadership and purpose, most importantly he articulated a concept of leadership that no philosopher or erudite can ever match up with, till today the world is yet to catch up with his ideal of leadership.
All over the world genuine Christian must rise up to a life of leadership, the world is bruised and wounded by man only the message of christ can heal her, in the community, the cities, the republic and organizations christians must stand up to lead and give the world a direction. When Christians do not rise up to the responsibility of leadership we deny the world the opportunity of benefiting from the philosophy of christ which is very priceless.
We live in a world that is driving herself to the edge of destruction because of material inclination and self interest, the world is no longer a community of man but a jungle of interest, we need to play an active role in shaping the world and living a befitting legacy for our children and the new generation. This word needs leadership, Covid 19 has shown how vulnerable, ignorant and short sighted the leadership of the world is, now is the time for the true followers of christ to shape the world despite all her weakness and confusion.
Conclusion
It is not about churches or pastors which we have been locked away from at the moment but about letting the Bible play an insightful role in our lives. we have a lot of good Christians but few great christians. We need to move close to the Bible. There is a clarity of purpose and spiritual confidence that no church, pastor or teaching can give; it only comes when we get used to reading the Bible.
Prayer moves mountain, we will continue to devote ourselves to prayers, our God is abundantly merciful, my sincere prayer is that God almighty will keep us safe, heal the sick and console 
the family of the dead.
Abidemi Adebola