One COVID-19 death, 6 souls secured for an eternity with God. 

“Christians are not buried, they are planted”.  Anonymous

Oh, how we need to recalibrate our understanding of a redeeming Christ who came to save us from sin, and not exempt us from hardships and diseases. We need to realise anew that even though we are IN this world, we are not FROM this world. This simply means that as Christians we are exposed to, and will suffer, the same consequences of a fallen world – BUT we need to respond differently.

Our uniqueness, as believers, is not found in our immunity to global pandemics, but in our acceleration when it happens. We are distinguished by how we respond, not by how we react. We respond by being light and salt in a very dark time, not reacting by cursing the darkness.   We need to seek goodness and proclaim it, not evil and its angels of fear and suspicion. We need to discover the source of light in the midst of the fiercest darkness

We just returned from Lebanon and witnessed the glorious presence of a Redeeming Saviour in the midst of extreme difficulties.

We met the family of Aisha*, a young mother of two beautiful children and the wife of an ISIS fighter in Syria.  Aisha had no option but to leave her family behind and together with her young son and daughter fled to Lebanon as a refugee.  She had nothing, and no one, when she arrived in Beirut – she was destitute and alone.  But GOD…

Aisha was discovered by one of the local believers and quickly found refuge in the loving presence of a local Church.  She came to know Christ as her Saviour and immersed herself into her new relationship with a loving God and a caring fellowship.  All in a matter of days after her arrival.

Enter COVID-19.

Only a few weeks after her arrival in Lebanon, Aisha contracted COVID-19 and sadly passed away within a few days.  The family of believers was devastated but knew that a Sovereign God had a greater purpose.  They notified the family in Syria and Aisha’s mother, brother, sister-in-law and their young daughter came to Lebanon for the funeral – not knowing that their beloved Aisha has found Christ before she died.  Hakim*, Aisha’s brother, was the first family member to receive the fulness of the Holy Spirit which led to a wonderful encounter with the redeeming Christ.  Another divine encounter led his mother to faith and only Hakim’s wife remained untouched.  But the church in Lebanon has an unsaturated desire to see souls come into the Kingdom.  They kept loving the family, renting an apartment and providing for their essential needs.  “Belonging before believing” is a way of life for those who proclaim Christ in the Middle East

“If Jesus is like them, I want to know this Jesus,”  said Fatima* as she eventually decided to join her family to Church.   She finally had her own personal encounter with a loving Redeemer and the family now all serve Jesus as their Lord and saviour.  The brother (informally) adopted Aisha’s two beautiful children and are now pursuing legal status at the UN to be a family.

All this happened in the past three months.  One COVID-19 death, 6 souls secured for an eternity with God.  Yes, COVID-19 will never have the final say.  We should therefore not fight it, but use it.  This is indeed a season of Kairos opportunities