Cancelling Worship Gatherings--Are We Obeying Men Rather Than God?

            It’s one of the most dramatic scenes in Scripture—Peter and John, disciples of Jesus, had been arrested for preaching in His name. They stood before the highest court in their country—the very same men who had put their master to death just months earlier—and they were told “not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:18-20).’” After continuing to preach, they were arrested again and asked why they had defied the court order. Their answer was straightforward and memorable: “We must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29).”

            The conviction summed up in those words has lived on in the soul of the body of Christ ever since. Untold numbers of Christians have given their lives for violating prohibitions against preaching the message of Jesus Christ. This decision of the apostles has formed part of the bedrock of Christian ethics—if a human authority commands us to disobey God, we must instead disobey the human authority.

            These days in the United States, our churches are shutting the doors of our buildings due to recommendations (or in some places, mandates) from human authorities against gathering in groups. Perhaps these steps have forced you to ask the question, “Are we obeying men rather than God?” Could it be that we are being disobedient to God by cancelling church gatherings to comply with the dictates of human authorities? I believe the answer is “no,” and here’s why:

We are not being asked to change our message, only our methods—and even that is only temporary!

            Take a close look again at what the apostles were commanded in Acts 4:18—do not speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. Our churches in the US have not been given any such order by the government. No restrictions have been placed on us regarding what we teach; the restrictions simply effect one method of how we teach—namely, by gathering in large groups. I don’t think we’re being unfaithful to God by making this temporary change to our teaching methods.

            In fact, the changes required right now may end up with churches expanding the reach of their teaching ministry! Churches that have never given much thought to how they use technology are being forced to now, and I’ll bet our churches will find ways to leverage the good aspects of technology for the glory of Christ. Many churches will probably make some changes that they’ll decide to keep once we are again “free to move about the country” (apologies to Southwest Airlines!).

            So don’t worry about the faithfulness of your church leaders right now. Do pray for them often, as we are all facing some bewildering situations right now. May God lead us and guide us for His glory and for our good.