It’s been said, there are 2 things that you can count on for sure – death and taxes. Well, obviously, there are more things than this that are inevitable. The love of God, the power of the cross, and eternity are for sure. The Bible says, “Heaven and earth may pass away but the Word of the Lord remains.” I would like to humbly add one more thing to this list: CHANGE. Regardless of whether or not we like it, change always comes. There is no denying it, avoiding it, or outsmarting it. Change happens.
Some change is bad. Deteriorating morals, new definitions of right and wrong, and adding to or taking away from the Bible are most certainly destructive. What is socially acceptable, which is subject to change, is not the standard for believers. We must hold tightly to the standards of God’s Word and His expectations of holiness are never to be compromised.
We must never consider changing the meaning of the Scriptures. But not everything in our church is sacred. Not every method of our worship is holy. The Bible doesn’t indicate if chairs or pews are better, if the Holy Spirit prefers a particular version of the Bible, or what color the carpet in the sanctuary should be. The Message never changes but at times, the method of the delivery of the message must be adjusted. A good example may be music. Music in the church looks and sounds completely different today than it did 100 years ago. A few very large churches back then had pipe organs. The smaller churches had few instruments, but those that did featured primitive acoustic guitars, banjos, and an occasional out-of-tune piano. The fact that there were no sound systems changed the approach to worship, at least how we are familiar with it today. Crowds were generally smaller. People sang loudly because there were no microphones. No electricity or air conditioning created challenges we no longer have. Now, some people prefer things the way they were back then. But guess what? Things changed. Good or bad, times brought about advancements in technology and innovations that resulted in more people being presented with the opportunity to hear the preaching and engage in worship. Some changes are bad, but some changes are good. We must know the difference.
Those who refuse to change really have no choice, change comes to us all, like it or not. Digging one’s heels in only results in being left behind. And even worse, when we refuse to adjust our methods, our voice to the culture gets silenced because we lose touch with the people in the culture.
I encourage you, stay true to your convictions. Never compromise on the integrity of the Bible. Don’t sugarcoat the truth. But let’s not get stuck fighting for an opinion that is merely an opinion. If the Bible says that a particular behavior is sin, it is. But if there is room for interpretation, please respect others and their ability to make decisions as the Lord leads them. One of our fathers in the faith, Augustine of Hippo said, “In the essentials unity, in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” I interpret this to mean that we must stay together in the unquestionable issues – like the basic doctrines of our faith. But in areas where the Bible is not black and white (like preaching styles, types of worship music, or the design of our church buildings), we should allow people to choose their preference. And regardless of what other people think and do, we must love them. Let’s not go to war with one another over tastes, opinions and preferences.
I believe we have a responsibility to know how to apply the Bible to every generation. If I weaken the effectiveness of the Gospel by the way I present it (if no one ever gets saved or discipled), I am wrong if I don’t adjust. If what I am doing no longer works, I must seek God for the changes He wants me to make. My excuses of stubbornness or inflexibility will not stand on judgment day.
Once we die, things will finally quit changing. But until then, brace yourself for change, and lots of it. Don’t allow the pace of change in this world to leave you behind. The world needs us to share the eternal truth of God’s Word in new, creative and innovative ways.
The world is changing rapidly but the Truth of Jesus is eternally effective. Let’s do whatever we can to reach as many as we can for Christ!
Thoughts on Life and Leading 