Does something seem a little off to you? Does it appear that there is an extreme form of hypocrisy evident in some of the decisions being made by politicians? Does it seem strange that some activities are curtailed while others are given free reign? Why is it that churches are singled out while protestors are allowed freedom to roam the streets of our cities without any form of restriction? Why is it that NFL players are being banned from attending worship services, but are free to go to other public places without any restriction?

I don’t mean to come across as a conspiracy theorist, but it seems to me that there is something extremely sinister going on behind the scenes. Something that is aimed at doing great harm to those who would faithfully worship God through the local church. What are Christians to do? How are we to respond? What action are we to take in light of these government restrictions being imposed on us?

Before I share my views on these extremely important questions, let me state as strongly as possible that I do believe the Covid-19 virus is real. My daughter and I have both tested positive for the virus, and have shown symptoms which would validate that test result. Thankfully, we are both over the virus at this time. I also know that many have suffered, and a large number have died, as a result of this disease. So what I am about to write is with that understanding in mind.

It seems to me that there are those who are striving diligently to use the virus as a means of forcing their personal agendas on the general public. A current example of this hypocrisy is the debate going on right now in congress concerning a stimulus package to give more assistance to struggling Americans. This debate seems to center around certain politicians attempt to force their desire to have mail-in ballots for the upcoming presidential election. Mail-in ballots, in my opinion, would create a logistical nightmare. The potential for voter fraud would be inestimable.

And please understand: Americans stand in line every day at department stores, restaurants, banks, businesses, etc. Crowds gather for protests and demonstrations. If we can safely stand in line in day-to-day situations, why would it be so difficult to stand in line to cast a ballot on election day?

So again, what are Christians to do in light of this shift in the political process? What are we to do in light of the changes being forced upon us? There is an incident recorded in Acts 5:17-32, that would set a precedent for Christians striving to follow the directives of Scripture. This is a lengthy passage, but for the sake of clarity I will quote it here:

“Then the high priest rose up. He and all who were with him, who belonged to the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. So they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said, ‘Go and stand in the temple, and tell the people all about this life.’ Hearing this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. When the high priest and those who were with him arrived, they convened the Sanhedrin – the full council of the Israelites – and sent orders to the jail to have them brought. But when the servants got there, they did not find them in the jail; so they returned and reported, ‘We found the jail securely locked, with guards standing in front of the doors, but when we opened them, we found no one inside.’ As the captain of the temple police and the chief priests heard these things, they were baffled about them, wondering what would come of this. Someone came and reported to them, ‘Look! The men you put in jail are standing in the temple and teaching the people.’ Then the commander went with the servants and brought them in without force, because they were afraid the people might stone them. After they brought them in, they had them stand before the Sanhedrin, and the high priest asked, ‘Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.’ Peter and the apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than people. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had murdered by hanging Him on a tree. God exalted this Man to His right hand as ruler and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him.”

Acts 5:17-32

“We must obey God rather than people.” When we are told we can stand in line at Walmart, but can’t worship together while maintaining safe social distancing, then we must stand for God and against man. When NFL players are told they cannot attend church but can continue to frequent other places where people are gathered together, those who are Christian should obey God rather than man. When we are told we can stand in line at other venues, but cannot stand in line to cast a ballot, we must stand against this blatant hypocrisy. When we are told we can’t go to church due to social distancing restrictions, but throngs of people can protest and demonstrate in the streets, we must, again, stand against the hypocrisy.

Let’s not allow ourselves to be duped by the sinister undercurrent of social activism being forced upon us. Let us, who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ, obey God rather than man.

And please allow me to close with an extremely important word. I am not suggesting that Christians demonstrate with violence as we are seeing others do in the streets of major cities across our land. I am simply suggesting that we stand for what is right: that we don’t allow ourselves to be duped by those who would force us to back down from our Christian convictions. And, that as we stand, we stand first and foremost as representatives of Jesus Christ, as did the apostles in the passage quoted above. This would be a powerful witness of His love and grace in the midst of our present state of national turmoil.