What if we don’t know the way?
What do we do if the questions we face don’t have immediate answers? What do we do if the things we’ve done before no longer work? What do we do when everything used to be straight forward, but now it’s more complex?
I’m currently reading a book called Quiet Courage: Leading the Church in a Changing World by Gil Rendle. He discusses how 60-70 years ago, there was general consensus on many moral things. The church was that staple institution in most communities: A trusted pillar of truth. Then times changed: The church is no longer that place. Society now questions and regards the church with suspicion.
In the church there’s also change. Questions abound: “What type of music we should play?” “How should the preacher dress?” “What does a church service look like?” “How should our church buildings look?” Many of the ideas surrounding these and other issues are now complex, and there’s disagreement on things that used to be held in common. How do we navigate changing cultural values inside and outside of the church? How do we be a light and witness for the truth of God’s Word in communities that don’t consider the church “vital?” How do we navigate these changes? A good place to begin is God’s Word:
23Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. – Ps 73:23-26, NIV.
God has not forgotten His people. Instead, He is with us. He holds us and leads us. He pours out the Spirit to empower us (Acts 1:8, 2:4)! As this psalm points out, afterwards – when the race is run – He takes us into glory. We must turn to God for help and guidance in change. Only He can navigate these challenging times and show us how He is shaping and growing His church.
Our message does not change, but the presentation of it can. We’ve seen changes in our church and communities, and I believe that more is on the horizon. Together we must remember our God is the one who went to the cross for us. He rose again conquering sin and death. Now He has poured His Spirit out on us. It is this God that Ps 73 reminds us goes with us. It is this God that I believe is doing new things in our church and communities, and it is our God who has and will empower His people and bring opportunities for people to be saved and made part of God’s kingdom. So in May, can I encourage you to be ready? Ready to hear, ready to do, ready even to make mistakes, and to wait for God’s voice in the chaos? He does and will speak, and He will guide us. The question we must ask is: are we ready to follow Him?