The speaker in the video was addressing change in the Church, speaking about leadership somewhat critically. About 10 minutes in I turned the presentation off, surprised at my reaction. I felt defensive, even angry. The why of that response would not leave my thoughts for the rest of the evening. In my reflection I began to understand that part of what was going in somewhere deep inside of me was a resistance to changes in the world that were beyond my control.
Keeping up with change is hard for many people and perhaps even more difficult for those of us who are in the last quarter of life! Intellectually I know that everything must change or die, that each generation questions the previous generation, sorting through values, methods, ideas – discarding some, building on others, cherishing a few!
So what does that have to do with our walk with Jesus? Much in every way, my friend.
Jesus faced intense opposition when He spoke of His Kingdom to
come! The Jews cherished their traditions and knew that His message would bring
an end to the world they knew. They went beyond rejecting His message. They
hated Him, seeking His death. He explained His work with this
parable. “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the
patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men
pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine
will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new
wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:16-17, NIV) What did it mean?
Over several centuries Judaism had built an elaborate ritual
structure, a way of life that was defined by 613 rules that interpreted the Law
of Moses for the Jewish people with the aim of making them acceptable to
God. Jesus declared that He had come to
fulfill that aim of making a holy people, but in a new way, built on the
old patterns of holy lives but in a new structure.
The ‘new wine’ of the Gospel
and Spirit would not fit inside the rules, nor even within the Jewish people. God’s
invitation was to be offered to the whole world. It was a radical message! God
would build the Church to declare His praise and to be the messenger of His
desire to reconcile humanity to Himself. The moment of change was decisive; at
the crucifixion when the Temple veil ripped in two; sealed by the Resurrected
Lord’s appearance on that first Easter morning! But, conflict dogged the church
for nearly a century when the ritual laws of the Jews were replaced with the
glorious Gospel of the Crucified Lamb of God, Savior of the World.
I am praying for the renewal of God’s Church. Question is, am I ready to follow the Spirit’s lead into the future? It is a question for each one of who seriously wants to know the Lord. Will we allow God to pour out His Spirit into our hearts made new, or will we try to force Him to use old ways and forms with which we are comfortable? Will we adapt gladly and readily to new methods, allowing structures and forms created over many years to be changed?
The Gospel does not change. Christ’s gift of
salvation is fixed in His gift of grace purchased at the expense of His death.
The hope of eternal life has been, is, and will always be guaranteed by the
Resurrection. But, how we know Jesus, the ways in which we worship and serve
Him will surely change, again, as they have through the centuries since He
walked on this earth. Each of us will grow, adapt, and learn to love and follow
Him in different ways throughout our lives. We must let go of the past that
holds us captive to regret, celebrate former glories without trying to
recapture them, and anticipate, with great faith, that our eternal God will refresh
our relationship with Jesus Christ, "the same yesterday and today and
forever." (Hebrews 13:8, NIV)
Here is a word from the Word. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." (Isaiah 43:18-19, NIV) O Lord, settle our hearts in You, lead us by Your Spirit to make Your Name glorious.
_______________
I was buried beneath my shame
Who could carry that kind of weight
It was my tomb 'til I met You
I was breathing but not alive
All my failures I tried to hide
It was my tomb 'til I met You
You called my name (and)
I ran out of that grave
Out of the darkness into Your glorious day
(repeat)
Now Your mercy has saved my soul
Now Your freedom is all that I know
The old made new
Jesus when I met You
You called my name (and)
I ran out of that grave
Out of the darkness into Your glorious day(repeat)
I needed rescue my sin was heavy
But chains break at the weight of Your glory
I needed shelter I was an orphan
Now You call me a citizen of Heaven
When I was broken You were my healing
Now Your love is the air that I'm breathing
I have a future my eyes are open
Jason Ingram | Jonathan Smith | Kristian Stanfill | Sean Curran © 2017 Kristian Stanfill Publishing Designee (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
sixsteps Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)
CCLI License # 810055
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