Francis Chan Encouragement to the Church: ‘Coronavirus Is One of the Greatest Opportunities to Reach Out to the Lost World’

In a video message on the Crazy Love YouTube channel on March 20, Francis Chan, a best-selling author, and pastor saw the coronavirus pandemic as "one of the greatest opportunities to approach the world that has lost God" and encouraged them to show that they have not lost our love, joy and peace in fear and anxiety.

"We can do everything through Christ and this applies to this period as well," Chan said. "I think that's what the world shows inside the church."

Chan urged Christians over the last seven years to prepare to live a life of faith and stressed that we should "walk with God" regardless of circumstances around us. 

"Even at this moment, the enemy cannot take away from us the love and joy and peace that the God has given us," he said. 

"We love the Lord Jesus Christ, and his church is alive." 

The coronavirus pandemic originating in Wuhan, China, infected more than 60,653 people in the United States as of Tuesday, killing 819 people, the CDC reported. Health authorities said "social distance is the key to slowing the spread of the virus," prompting many churches across the country to stop worshipping. Many states have also imposed a ban on gatherings deemed "non-essential."

In February, Chan and his family moved to Hong Kong to become international missionaries. 

Encouraging Christians not to lose their love for others during the outbreak of the coronavirus, he urged Christians to "remember that hundreds of people are dying every day and many are heading for eternity apart from Christ."

"First, always have love and look around and ask seriously, 'What does God want me to do?'" Because this is one of the greatest opportunities we have as a church."

Second, the pastor encouraged Christians to "rejoice in the Lord" despite the difficult circumstances, saying, "don't stop rejoicing over the fact that you can be alone in your room, even if you're isolated, and be in the presence of Almighty God," and the third said to the congregation, "Don't lose peace or succumb to fear."

Finally, he stressed, "The key to everything we believe in is that I don't have to fear death." 

"The resurrection of Christ took all that fear," he said, concluding that "this time is when we thank God and nothing can separate us from your love and nothing can separate us from this disease, death, life, angel doctrine, anything from God's love."