Welcome to Change – The New Normal
Welcome to Change – The New Normal
By Craig Gilbert
In 1986, NBC aired a special TV movie, “Return to Mayberry.” It was of course based on the very popular, “Andy Griffith Show.” This return movie was an instant hit and became the most popular movie of the year! There are two things this movie makes very clear. First, we all want Mayberry. The idealistic dream of a Norman Rockwell main street, well-kept neighborhoods with nicely manicured lawns with kids playing in the sprinklers, families grilling together and baseball games in the streets, kinda puts a smile on your face, don’t it?. The second thing that a stroll back to Mayberry makes very clear, is that you can’t return to Mayberry, because Mayberry has forever changed. Opie grew up and took a job in Birmingham;, Otis, the town drunk now drives the ice cream truck;, and Aunt Bee is in the grave. It’s clear….things change!
A few years ago, I visited the town where I grew up. The pond where I used to go fishing is now a Best Buy, and the hills where I used to ride my dirt bike is now littered with tractk homes. Many of you reading this can relate. Things change. People change, communities change, weather patterns change, and this change is inevitable in our lives. And some things change faster than others. Who would have thought that we could go from a slide rule (google it, GenXer) to the computers and AI processors (ask a GenXer, Boomer) we have today. From a rotary phone to the sophisticated high- tech smart phones we all carry. And all this change and more, in a relatively short period of time. Cultures change as well, and as much as we want status quo, the world around us is changing and it is doing so quickly. What used to be normal isn’t so anymore. The norm we could count on is slipping away, and we used to know what tomorrow would bring, but now we are afraid to watch the news or read the newspaper (if you can even get one of those now).
But….one thing!
But one thing hasn’t changed and never will….we know who brings us tomorrow, and the next day, and the next. We know who created our world and everything in it. We know who holds it all together and we know…that He doesn’t change! In reading Malachi 3:6; Numbers 23:19; James 1:7; Heb.13:8 and others, we see the unchanging nature of God. He doesn’t change because all He does and thinks comes from his nature which is unchanging from generation to generation, “but the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purpose of his heart through all generations.” (Ps.33:11)
Are you surprised?
So, things are changing all around us, even we are changing, but this shouldn’t take us by surprise, the world has always changed. And because of that the church has always had to adapt to that change. The message should never change, but how it is delivered must. Let’s say this again. God doesn’t change, his Word doesn’t change, his plan for us and the world doesn’t change, and how he has revealed himself hasn’t changed. But, our culture has, so we need to change how we are delivering God’s incredible, life- changing message to the world. The days of having an “open” sign in the church and expecting people to come are gone. The Field of Dreams mentality of “build it and they will come” is a myth. We must go out and engage our culture with the truth and not wait for our culture to come to us…because they are not. 2022 was the first year in our nation’s history that people of faith were in the minority. Even if you don’t believe the pollsters, they should at least get your attention.
So, what do we do?
The answer to this in a nutshell is engage in God’s plan A, because He doesn’t have a plan B. From the beginning of redemptive history God has always used His people to tell the world about Him and hHis plan for redemption. God has made this clear to his people in 2Co. 5:17-6:10. Read these verses and ponder the following questions:
What does being a new creation mean?
What old has gone and new has come?
What is the message of reconciliation?
What does it mean that we are Christ’s ambassadors?
What country do we represent and where is He sending us?
4 important things!
Plan A is: at conversion God has commissioned us as his ambassador and as such we must have 4 important things:
1. We must understand the country or person we represent. We are being sent out on behalf of God’s Kingdom and represent God. Therefore, we need to have a worldview that directly corresponds to God and his Kingdom. As a quick reminder a biblical world view includes:
The correct view of God and creation.
The correct view of sin and its consequences.
The correct view of Jesus and salvation.
The correct view of Heaven and Hell and eternity.
2. We must understand the country we are going to. Every ambassador who goes to a foreign country becomes an expert on that country and its people. This is why we need to understand how our culture has changed and what we have become. We need to better understand this so we can better reach people with the Gospel. The dominant worldview today is not biblical but secular and it is fundamentally at odds with our biblical worldview.
3. Wisdom to know how to speak and act. An ambassador must have the ability to be a good listener and to genuinely show concern and care. They must know when to speak and know what to say. A good word to describe this is “decorum,” meaning “having behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety.”
“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.” (Pr.3:13-18)
4. Godly character to be the right example. We are representing God so it is only right that we should try to exhibit Christ like character. Paul said in 1Co.11:1,” follow me as I follow the example of Christ.” Everywhere Paul went he tried to be an example of Christ likeness so people could see Christ in him. Godly character is needed in our culture today, and it will stand out now more than ever.
Let’s be the ambassadors for God that He has called, gifted, and empowered us to be. A Christ like ambassador is a compelling force for someone to want to enter the Kingdom of God.