Apostle Ché Ahn of Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena, California, and Harvest Rock International Ministry has come to the forefront of the fight for religious freedom in the past year in the fight against California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s oppressive lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. After victory in the lawsuit, which went all the way to the Supreme Court, Ahn speaks with Jeff Struss of Charisma News about the great things God has done—and shares about the revival he believes God is calling forth in America.
“We were not being just flippant or irresponsible; we mitigated; we encouraged all those who were high risk or had underlying conditions to stay home,” Ahn says. After explaining the various precautions the church took, he reveals that HRock did not have even one case of COVID-19 traceable to its worship services, despite continuing to meet.
“I think we could have done this with businesses, restaurants,” he said. “I think restaurant owners are adults; they know how to mitigate. … But unfortunately, the lockdown was so egregious, it was so total that 18,000 businesses had to declare bankruptcy in California, which was such a tragedy. You’re talking about lives lost through suicide, drug overdose; domestic violence escalating; child abuse—the problems that we had to deal with as a pastor beyond the pandemic—it was unbelievable.
Ahn points to the importance of using wisdom, which comes from God, in contrast with mere knowledge, or data, in dealing with issues such as the ones his church faced. “We also knew that our First Amendment rights were being violated. … It was so extreme; 49 states opened in-person worship except for California. We would have been locked down if we didn’t sue the governor and won it in the Supreme Court. It was a long battle, but it was worth the battle.”
Ahn stresses the need to submit to governing authorities “when they’re doing good,” emphasizing the need to take a stand and be a light amid the darkness as we prepare for what he says is “the greatest revival in the history of the church.
For more from Ahn on what God is doing through him and his expanding ministry, watch the entire video here.
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