The situation we currently face, not being able to assemble as a church, is unusual for us. Never before in my life have we a faced a situation where assembling for public worship is not possible. But while we have not faced this situation before, many Christians have faced it. In the Soviet Union from 1919 to the 1980s, and in China from 1947 even unto today, the inability to openly gather for worship has been a reality. Other historical examples could be named - going back to the early days of the church. So what we currently face is not really new, although it is new to us.
We are, or should be, better equipped to deal with this situation than our brothers and sisters in other places and in ages past. We have, or ought to have, Bibles and hymnals in our homes. Many of us also have recorded hymn singing available in one form or another. These are all blessings that were not enjoyed by those who resisted Nero, or Stalin, or Mao.
Many of us have extra time available as a result of the current health crisis. How are we using that time? While we cannot assemble for worship, we can worship. While we cannot assemble for Bible study, we actually ought to be able to study the Bible more than ever.
Who knows? Perhaps through this crisis some will learn the joy of household worship and personal Bible study.
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