NEW, NEW, NEW, NEW, NEW - ad nauseam
By: Pastor Chuck Morley
It never ceases to amaze me how one little word can draw
such a large crowd of curiosity seekers within the body of Christ. As I surf
many church and evangelistic websites, it is impossible not to notice those
who lay claim to having discovered a New Way to do church and a New Way to
do evangelism, or to having a New Word from God. All possessing some
super-natural (pseudo-spiritual) power to usher their devotees into a New
Level in Christ. I am sure anyone who has ever spent time viewing the
telethons on the "church channels" is familiar with the phrase, "God is
going to do a new thing!"
The
Emergent movement (or conversation, as they prefer to be
called) invites us to "imagine and pursue the development of new
ways of being followers of Jesus... new ways of doing
theology and living biblically, new understandings of
mission, new ways of expressing compassion and seeking
justice, new kinds of faith communities, new
approaches to worship and service, new integrations and
conversations and convergences and dreams (emphasis added)."
Is the creator of the universe, our omnipotent, omniscient,
omnipresent, holy and righteous God, sitting alone somewhere in the corner
of glory? Is He nervously wringing His hands, hoping that someone, someway,
somewhere, somehow can imagine some new way to goad Him into performing some
new thing? I think not!
If possible, I ask you to entertain these questions.
Could it be that many of those who today are seeking some new way, have never known the old way, the only way, according to John 14:6?
Could it be
that some who are seeking some kind of new experience, may never have
experienced old time salvation, through the soul piercing conviction of sin,
accompanied by a broken heart and a contrite spirit, lovingly drawn to Godly
repentance?
Could it be that the Truth (again John14:6), the old truth,
the only truth that brings freedom (John 8:32) has been tried and then
imagined to be too rigid, too confining or too legalistic?
Could it be we have opted for a new truth, a half-truth (a lie), one that leads us to believe that Jesus' primary purpose for donning a robe of flesh was to enable us to secure a happy life, one of temporal comfort and prosperity?
Perhaps we have been seduced into believing a truth that barters obedience, service and self-sacrifice, for self-indulgence, self-centeredness and self-aggrandizement.
Then there are those of us who unknowingly follow for only one reason; it is new.
To all of
these I would have to respond in the affirmative.
"Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see,
and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein...
(Jeremiah 6:16).
These old paths are not the inventions of man. They are the only God ordained blueprint to build, restore and reestablish the Church of Jesus Christ. If we ever expect to see a move of God (to some "a new thing"), we must dig up the footings of man's inventions. We must replace the unstable building blocks of political correctness, secular marketing and seeker friendliness with the Rock of Offense; the Chief Cornerstone. After all, if the Lord (the Masterbuilder) doesn't build the house, "they that labor, labor in vain. "