Change

We live in an ever expanding world that is changing at as fast a rate as it ever has.  We seem to get news even before the news has happened; then we get the news how the news first reported was inaccurate.  We are socially connected through Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus+, and Instagram, just to name a few.  People are able to Google just about anything they can think of and find a response in a matter of seconds.  These technologies have changed the way we interact and have proven to be helpful, but can be hurtful if used in an inappropriate manner.

Some people fight against change and refuse to succumb to the technologies of today and desire to keep things the way they were in the good old days.  I wonder how good the good old days really were though.  I remember growing up having a party line phone with my grandparents and our phone had the old rotary dialer.  The military relied on postcards and letters through the mail to stay in touch with the family when today we have Skype and Facetime to see and talk in real time.

Often times we, especially as church people, are comfortable with the way things have been and resist any change.  We quote Hebrews 13:8 (Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.) as our reason to dig in to keep things the same way.  However, we no longer offer animal sacrifices because Jesus changed it.  We no longer are left in the outer courts to worship, but are now in the holy of holies as the veil of the temple was torn at the crucifixion of Jesus.  We no longer find grace through the laws of the Old Testament, but find grace through the Good News of Jesus of the New Testament.  Consistently, we see things do change even when looking through the Bible.  Not all accept the changes though, just look at the Pharisees in the Gospels.

I look forward to leading our church through some exciting changes over the upcoming years.  Pray that God will help us to embrace the changes that will help us to better fulfill the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34; Luke 10:25-28) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18; Luke 24:44-48) in our current context.  Let’s be a God-glorifying gathering of Acts 1:8 people living in the 21^st century.

In Christ Alone and continuing in prayer,

Chad