In his book, “Why Christians Sin”, J. Kirk Johnston tells about a young Russian woman, who before the collapse of the Iron Curtain, was allowed to visit her relatives in Canada. She was a devout Christian, and her friends assumed that she would defect and seek asylum in Canada or the US because of religious oppression in the USSR. But they were wrong. She wanted to go back to her homeland.
The Russian woman said that people in the West were too busy acquiring material things and not concerned enough about their relationships. In her homeland, Christian fellowship was essential to their faith because it provided the support and encouragement they so desperately needed.
Genuine Christian fellowship involves much more than visiting over a cup of coffee in the church kitchen. It is loving one another, caring for one another, bearing one another’s burdens.”
So many people have been expressing their faith in practical ways during this pandemic. They have been visiting where possible, shopping for others and telephoning to keep in contact with friends and family.
Support and encouragement are so important and essential to spiritual growth.
Thanks be to God for keeping our faith alive and working so that we can show His love to others