I always chuckle a bit when I hear people, particularly clergy, speak of the ‘new ways’ the Spirit is moving and what new trends we need to adhere to, if we are to be relevant to the culture. I can remember being a young minister and almost succumbing to the hype – the constant pressure to create something innovative, to keep the Gospel fresh, to make sure that our faith ‘looks cool’ to the young people and to those on the fringes of commitment to Christ.
As I’ve gotten older as both a minister and a tech professional, I’ve come to realize that everything that is new becomes old and while advances in technology do occur, much of what is new is the result of someone reconsidering some old principle or practice and then tweaking it a little bit… It’s a remix – nothing really new under the sun, huh?
Remember when cell phones got super small and that was the thing? See how now all of us are walking around with flat screen televisions pressed to our faces? In many ways we have the same basic functionality the either way, but the presentation has changed… Same stuff, repackaged, rebranded, but no less the same!
At this point, I probably sound like a grumpy old man, so let me get to the point.
When it comes to the work of the Holy Spirit and the relevance of the Gospel, we need to tread lightly. When you go to chasing trends and fads, we would do well to take care, because while we like to imagine that God is ‘doing a new thing,’ the ’new thing’ that the prophet was speaking of is Jesus!
I am about to do a new thing;
now it springs forth; do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:19
So, then, be careful of listening to those who claim that God ‘told them to tell you…’ or that ‘God is doing a new thing…’ We must not be enamored by innovation, this is a means to an end, but in these times we need inspiration and revelation from God’s word declared and rightly divided by the power of the Holy Spirit!
Good Morning, I love you all!
Ihs,
just adam
pastorpoet 