2 April 2020
Romans 10:13-15 “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
Soon after Covid-19 began to impact the West, Christian responses to the virus began to flood the internet. I myself have been grateful for this as many of them have helped me to think more Biblically about the pandemic. With anxiety-inducing news about sickness, death, children’s education, and financial crisis only a click away, the abundance of Christian articles, podcasts, and Bible studies help to counter my worries and stir up my faith.
Every day there are new and excellent Biblically-based resources published on The Gospel Coalition (www.thegospelcoalition.org) and Desiring God (www.desiringgod.org), not to mention many other great ministries’ sites. As English-speakers, we are blessed to have so many Christian resources to help us face this challenging time. In fact, there are so many good English Christian resources on the coronavirus, I can’t possibly read them all!
To be clear – this is a good problem to have. Each helpful resource is written by a brother or sister with a unique Biblical perspective on these events and can be used by God to meet others’ needs. We must not forget, however, that there are many parts of the world and many languages for which there are absolutely no Christian resources on how to think about this pandemic. No Christian websites or podcasts. Often not even access to God’s Word.
Covid-19 knows no boundaries. It does not regard borders or religion. It is making its way into every nation and is striking down thousands. Just as in Hong Kong, people all over the world are increasingly filled with anxiety and panic. We all know there is and will be suffering and death. But sadly, the virus is able to go into many places where the Gospel has not yet arrived. The people in these places will be ravaged by Covid-19 yet have no way to understand the fallen condition of this world, the cause of human suffering, or the hope of a resurrected body and new creation that awaits those who trust in Christ. For them, there will be no truth that comforts, only the hopelessness and fear that come from living in spiritual darkness.
As Christians, we ought to care deeply about the physical suffering caused by this pandemic. The virus will take its toll on the entire world, and we should help meet needs and relieve suffering in any way we can. But equally as real as the physical suffering of the virus’ victims is the reality that those who die among the unreached will be immediately catapulted into a Christless eternity. As John Piper has said, “Christians care about all suffering, especially eternal suffering.” We must care about the thousands who are suffering and dying around the world. And we must care about the billions who are cut off from Christ, living among people groups where there is no knowledge of the God who gives eternal life. According to the Joshua Project (www.joshuaproject.net), there are still 7,410 unreached people groups with an estimated population of 3.19 billion people. The reality is that many from these ethnic groups will be taken by the virus into an eternal hell without ever having a chance to call upon the name of the Lord (Romans 10:13). This is a tragedy.
So what should we as Christians do? Now more than ever, we need to be people of prayer. Ask God to relent and limit the physical suffering and deaths caused by the virus. Pray that God would use this time of global distress to cause the nations to call upon the Lord. Pray that through this trial more missionaries will be sent out. Pray that areas of the world that have been closed to the gospel will be opened. Ask God to raise up more people to go. How beautiful are the feet of the messengers of the gospel to those who are living in spiritual darkness and ravished by disease and death! How amazing would it be to see Christians, who lose their jobs because of this pandemic, freed up to be mobilized and sent by the Church and, in doing so, unleash one of the greatest missionary movements that the Church has ever seen. Let us at Ambassador be a church that is burdened for the spiritual condition of the world, and let us prayerfully look for opportunities the Lord might give us to send people out with the good news to those who have never heard.
Adam McCulloch
