California’s Rock Church went solely online for its Sunday worship services due to the coronavirus scare, and the megachurch’s pastor, Miles McPherson, said in his sermon that carefulness was needed, but with faith and not fear. He also interviewed a health official and two mayors about the pandemic.
We have to be careful in the wake of the novel coronavirus crisis, which is “serious and real,” McPherson stressed in his sermon.
In California alone, there are so far 335 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and six deaths.
But “God doesn’t want you to be filled with fear,” he said. “He wants you to be filled with faith.”
He cited 2 Timothy 1:7, which reads, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” and explained each key term.
“Fear” means having “a heart filled with dread and panic.” Power means “the ability to exert the spiritual force necessary for change.” Love means “affection towards God and others.” And having a sound mind means making “sensible, intelligent and reasonable decisions.”
We need to walk around with the faith that God can not only keep us safe but also help us to help others, the pastor said.
We don’t need to pray for the coronavirus to go away, but for God’s presence, he added.
He asked one of the special guests, Dr. Wilma Wooten from San Diego County Health and Human Services, about the symptoms of COVID-19.
Wooten said the symptoms include fever, cough and an acute respiratory syndrome that could include pneumonia. Additionally, doctors would also ask if the person showing these symptoms has been to one of the affected regions like Wuhan in China or Italy or Iran, or has been in contact with someone who has the disease.
If you do not have symptoms, please do not go to the doctor, you could get the virus from others that are already infected, Dr. Wooten said.
Published on 2020-03-19 15:15:37
