Psalm 116: 12-14 (The Message) What can I give back to God for the blessings he’s poured out on me?
I’ll lift high the cup of salvation—a toast to God! I’ll pray in the name of God; I’ll complete what I promised God I’d do, and I’ll do it together with his people.
Since last March, so many of us have attended church on Sunday mornings via Zoom or Facebook Live. It isn’t the same as being present with our church families, but it affords us the opportunity to hear the sermons, see faces, shout out to each other, and feel that sense of belonging that prevents us feeling alone in the world.
But, just because we are no longer within the four walls that often separated the people of God from others, the goal of offering salvation to a lost world is still the meat and bread of our Christian lives. We simply have to look for ways to attract people to the goodness of God and our messages of hope in new ways.
My former pastor in California tells me that they are witnessing to more people now over Zoom than before in a face-to-face situation. People from as far away as Texas, Georgia, New York, and, even, Europe are connecting with the church across various time zones. The music and sermons of God’s words resonate among peoples, and the salvation message is being heard even louder and more frequently than ever before.
In Matthew 4:19, it states, “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” We don’t have to be isolated to fish for others, to tell of God’s wondrous mercy and grace, and to play music and speak words that soothe souls and allow people to know that God loves them and will never leave them or forsake them.
As followers of Christ Jesus, we seek to bring salvation to a lost and suffering world, offering the Good News that our Redeemer lives and is still available to all peoples. Whether we fish between the four walls of a building or through social media or through our face-to-face communications with others (with masks), we are still required to keep our promises to “take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Jesus.”
Salvation is so needed today! People need a Savior who truly hears their faintest cries and answers by and by. We are still the Church, the Body of Christ, and salvation is still the product we offer to the world. No one knows of God’s goodness, mercy, and grace, and of His soul-affirming unfailing love like us, the people who were fished out of the world through the wonderful efforts of others.
Help from Heaven 
For the first time, I actually went inside church rather than streaming. My husband will not until after he has his vaccines. I went because we are back in Missouri and my grandson and his college roommate came with me. I never miss an opportunity if that happens. But the church is following all the restrictions so every other row is empty and people are spaced in the row. The church holds about 2,000 in the sanctuary, now maybe 25% of that. But — it was awesome to experience the music and message live, which was from the same verses you quoted! Back in Arizona we will stream their service until we feel safe enough to find a local congregation.
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