Flexibility: Key To Successful Spirituality

 

I have become all things to all men, that I may be all means save some. Paul

 

The world is changing rapidly. People are under tremendous stress to keep up with the rapid rate of change. The  challenge for the Christ Following worship community is to give anxious people the timeless message of Christ and present it in a contemporary way that relates to a changing culture/world, as well as continue providing spiritual care for those who are more traditionally minded.

 

Many of the older and mature saints who rightfully constitute the boards and committees in our traditional churches resist change. They are comfortable with the form of worship, style of music, and methods of teaching that brought them to Christ and helped them mature. And this is wonderful for them and the old Christendom Paradigm for ministry; yet, they get uncomfortable when  younger people come in with new ideas for reaching generation next.

 

Jesus said you can't put "new wine into old wineskins" (Luke 5:37). The wineskins don't represent the substance of our faith; they represent the package our faith comes in. Christian practices wear out their purposes. For the next generation doesn't relate to them. So conflict can arise because each believes the other might just be wrong.  Please consider the idea that different does NOT mean wrong.  Different may simply mean only that something is just different. European and United Kingdom Churches/ Cathedrals are empty today partially because it seems this wineskin concept was rarely ever addressed in a healthy way. The faith was not passed along. The packaging of the faith had little meaning to the next generation.

 

Jesus not only came to fulfill the law, but He also came to usher in The New Eternal Covenant. The Jewish community was locked in tradition. Most of the opposition didn't come when He presented the truth, but when He confronted their traditions. When one doesn't conform to the customs and practices of the status quo, the establishment may be offended. The new wine often comes under the scrutiny, and sometimes the wrath, of the old wineskins. Yet I hope we adopt the philosophy of "both and" so as to reach everyone. Like Paul let us become "all things" that we might reach "all people."

 

I had the privilege of helping an established church through  major changes, and we were successful. Yes there was some conflict in the midst of our growing pains.  Still we grew from a few people to hundreds of people, and we grew in our faith.  When I arrived, the church was dying. Only a handful were in attendance.  Buildings were in disrepair, and I was even told there was not enough money to pain my small salary; therefore, we prayed, adapted our worship,  our service, our outreach and ministry to the community in which we were located. And we did so according to the Holy Spirit's leadership that was/is founded upon Bible principles. There were some traditions included in the "package." 

 

 Today I am retired and worship at a church that is visionary: Leadership knows God cannot be put in a traditional box; yet they do not exclude traditions.  Traditions inform us, but they do not dictate direction.  And our leadership  knows  that God is the God of multiple generations. The Pastors are clearly leading us into the future  as we consider our "audience."... those whom we are attempting to reach in our local community and around the world.  

 

What about your community of faith? God is indeed leading Christ-Followers, and the entire Christian community of faith, into the twenty-first century. We will succeed when we  learn how to adapt our ministry to a changing culture and world. How flexible is your community in leading people through "the narrow gate" of salvation, life  and freedom that is only found in Christ? Remember this kind of flexibility is the key to successful spirituality and ministry.

 

           Go on out and be blessed 2day... Especially Today.

 

SoJourner