Confusion reigns and fear abounds! And suddenly life for most of us is not very like what it was a few weeks ago.

Last week I came in from my morning walk and discovered a little hand-written note in my letter box, accompanying a small brochure. The note read “Hello. Out of respect for the current situation we are not calling at people’s doors, but we would like to direct your attention to our website and its positive message.”

The brochure was entitled: What is the Kingdom of God? I may not agree with their theology but their diligence can’t be questioned. They are seeking to address people’s fears by directing them towards Jehovah and the kingdom that will come one day.

We are largely confined to our homes but now is a good time to be alert to the needs of those around us and to be ready to engage people as we navigate our current range of daily activities. Not that life feels quite normal. People in our neck of the woods have been stockpiling goods and emptying supermarket shelves which is a gross over-reaction to the current situation. But people lack hope and are easily governed by fear. They fear being confined to their homes with insufficient supplies to keep them going. So, depending on the gifts the Holy Spirit has given us, we need to turn outward not inward and wrestle with connecting in our current situation.

Jesus said “my kingdom is not of this world” and “my kingdom is within you”. This is a wonderful kingdom where the King, while exercising His universal reign, lives within us by His Holy Spirit. Doesn’t that just cause you to wonder? This kingdom is governed by faith, hope and love not by fear, self-interest and panic. So let’s stay peaceful and pray and be aware of those we come into contact with whether in person or via phone or social media.

As I went to prayer the other night, God prompted me to pray for my city, Redlands Coast. I had been focusing my prayer on our Prime Minister and his National Cabinet as day after day they are faced with difficult decisions that affect all of us. But now God was saying: Focus on your City. I didn’t find that hard to do as I love geographic praying. So I dug out my map of Redland City and suburb by suburb, island by island, I cried out for the ordinary folks, the health workers, the indigenous people, the decision makers…that God would protect, move, advise, watch over and come to our aid. The Holy Spirit was powerfully present as He lovingly woos the inhabitants of our city, drawing them to Himself.

“As you go, make disciples”. Not by knocking on the doors of strangers or seeking to convince people by clever arguments. And, at the moment, not by human contact in the way we are used to. But by paying attention to the needs and concerns of people and listening to the prompts of the Holy Spirit as He seeks to link us with those whose hearts He has been preparing. They are still all around us as we go through our round of restricted daily activities. But we are connected in other ways and God’s Spirit is as powerfully active as He ever was and ever will be.

We’d invite you to respond on our blog site by sharing stories that come out of your experience of “as you go” disciple-making, even in these unusual times.