Join Greg Morikone and Elder Ted Wilson, President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, as he shares about the church’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

<p>Join Greg Morikone and Elder Ted Wilson, President of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, as he shares about the church’s response to the COVID-19 coronavirus.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN)

Greg Morikone

Ted N.C. Wilson

Church Leadership’s Perspective on Coronavirus


Coronavirus, this is the topic of most conversations recently. It's affecting the world. It's affecting world economies. I know Jill and I were traveling recently and it's being talked about in airports. We were traveling on a bus.

It's being talked about there in different parts of the world. It's definitely making lots of people afraid, wondering what's going to happen to them, to their loved ones. And right now we have Elder Ted Wilson with us. He's the president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Elder Wilson, thank you so much for taking the time.

I know you have a very busy schedule, but I know you've heard this talked about It's being talked about in churches in conferences unions divisions at the GC. What should we a Seventh-day Adventist? How should we be approaching the coronavirus situation? Well, first of all Greg it is a serious situation. It is an illness.

It is something which people need to be prudent about, careful. Obviously, simple public health practices need to be observed. You need to be careful about keeping your hands washed, not putting your hands to your face. Yes. This is 1 of the ways in which it is transmitted easily, touching your eyes or your mouth, your nose, this kind of thing.

But you also need to perhaps stay a little distance from especially people who may be coughing a lot or that kind of thing. So use good judgment and follow good health practices that are being advocated by those who are informed about these things. But far beyond that, Seventh-day Adventists ought to be anchors of stability. They ought to be pillars of hope. You know, when people are panicking and they're rushing to the store and buying this and they're not sure what's gonna happen and they're gonna stockpile things, yeah, that's okay, be prudent about making sure that you have what you need.

But There needs to be a calmness, an understanding that my connection with the Lord transcends the immediate confusion and chaos that I'm seeing around. And these are concepts that have to be grounded in your own personal relationship with the Lord. Very true. Through Bible study, through prayer, through an understanding that God has a plan for His people. He's not going to abandon them.

Matthew 28 says He'll be with us to the end of time. We are promised 3 times in Revelation chapter 22 that, behold, I come quickly. So the Lord is coming. He's not going to leave us destitute. So don't allow some of these crises that you may go through, whether it's the coronavirus or a tornado or earthquake or eruption of a volcano or wildfires or whatever it is you're facing, don't allow that to destabilize your trust in the Lord and to then be a witness.

Oh, wow. Seventh-day Adventists ought to be a witness to people of stability and of hope, of encouragement. We find these, There are many beautiful texts, but I mean 1 is in Isaiah 26, verse 3, that thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee. So we have to keep our focus on the Lord, and He is the 1 who will bring us the kind of stability and peace because he trusteth in thee. When you trust in the Lord, you're going to have a calmness about your demeanor and you're not going to be totally frazzled by whatever you're facing.

That way you can be a real witness. You can be a help in real need. Where people are having difficulties, you can step in and help. In the New Testament, now that was from the Old Testament, Seventh-day Adventists believe in the Old and New Testament. Amen.

All 1 beautiful Bible. That's right. 66 books, all inspired by God. In 2 Timothy, in the first chapter, it says here, and Paul is saying, for God has not given us the spirit of fear. And in the coronavirus situation now, people's hearts are failing them for fear.

Yeah, they're afraid. The stock market is in flux. Every day, economic situations. What about supplies, you know, that are coming, the supply chain? But you know what?

Don't allow those things to rattle you because you've got to have a grounded conviction that God is in charge ultimately, that we're in this great controversy, but the great controversy is going to end beautifully with Christ as the victor. And it says God's not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. He's given us heavenly power. He's given us heavenly love and he's given us a sound mind that is in connection with heaven. So this is a beautiful understanding that God can work through us in a crisis situation to truly be a witness and a stability for others, using this opportunity to tell people There is a great hope in God.

And even in a very practical way, let me help you, as Jesus did, physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually. What a wonderful opportunity Seventh-day Adventists have in times of crisis to be anchors of stability and pillars of hope. Yeah, well said, Elder Wilson. I appreciate that very much because we need to be a light on a hill, right? Absolutely.

Not running all over the place in a panic trying to figure out what to do because we have the instructions in the Word of God. We know who's won. Christ has won. He has this all in control and like you were saying, let's be prudent, let's be careful, wash our hands, practice good hygiene, be very careful if people are sick and that sort of thing. But I believe that God wants us to be a witness.

Thank you for mentioning the stability because if people are afraid and many people are afraid, they're looking for stability in something. So we have the opportunity, Seventh-day Adventist Christians, to say you can find the stability in Christ and in His Word. And Let me thank 3ABN for providing that biblical stability. And for prayer, for the emphasis on God's Word, on prophetic understanding, on Christ Himself as not only our Savior and coming King, but as the solid foundation. And thank you for what 3ABN is doing to try and help bring that stability to people's lives.

Praise the Lord, and we're praying for you as the head of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, as the General Conference President. We're praying for you. God has you there for such a time as this. We're praying for you and all the responsibilities that you have. But thank you for taking the time here to talk today.

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Church Leadership’s Perspective on Coronavirus

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