Change

I never cease to be amazed at the way things are constantly in a state of change. It does not take a lot of effort to look back and on the last ten years and see the blur like change in so many areas! To many these changes fall into the context of progress or an improvement in the quality of life, and no doubt that would be true. In areas such as medicine and health care we have advanced to the point of finding remedies for so many things that were considered fatal only a few years ago.

Some of the greatest changes have been in the area of electronics. I can still remember the black and white television we had growing up. The turn dial on it went to 13 channels and if you wanted to watch a different channel you had to actually get up, walk over to the TV and change the channel! Today we have HDTV's in 3-D with theater quality sound systems with over 200 channels, blu-ray disc players and of course the 3 remotes it takes to control them all! Many call these advantages great progress but I see us progressing more and more to becoming lazy couch potatoes!

Where will all of this change take us? How much further can we advance in medicine, electronics and numerous other areas of constant change? In the midst of this culture of constant change, the church as we know it is also changing, and that is not all bad! Many churches have embraced the digital revolution and become effective at using the technology to communicate and minister to highly connected but busy audience. I believe that we as the church should use every tool within our ability to reach the lost!

But in some ways, change has invaded the church in areas that God never intended! There are many churches that are abandoning the power of the gospel and compromising the message to foster acceptance in a more liberal society. The end result is a church that really looks more like the world than a place of spiritual refuge. But in spite of this changing face of the church, we must remember that not all things change. Malachi 3:6 the Lord reminds us that He does not change!

God is the same yesterday, today and forever will be! In a world that changes its wants, desires and direction more times that a preteen girl changes clothes in a day, I am thankful to know that my God remains the same. No matter how much my world changes, no matter how much this society changes, no matter how much everything else changes... God remains ever faithful, ever present, ever loving, every merciful.

Love, Honor, Service,
Pastor Eugene