Chapter
17 : Secure in Change
“
Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose
very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an
oath ”
(Hebrews
6:17 )
In the previous chapter we considered our eternal destiny, yet
before we fully enter into that we have yet time to live out on this
earth. In this final chapter I want us to consider again the question
of the changing world in which we find ourselves, a world which so often
seems so insecure, a world that seems to force itself and its values
upon us. Can we, as Christians, be secure in this constantly changing
world? There are various matters we need to consider before we complete
this book.
“Change is here to stay”, some wit said many years ago in what was to
become one of the most repeated comments of its time. Yet it is true
and still many of us find a deep worry when change takes place, and
it is constantly taking place, which means that many of us are constantly
worrying! It seems right, therefore, to finish this book on creating
a secure church by considering some aspects of change and how we may
remain secure in the face of them.
17.1
Coping with a Changing World
The
Fact of Change
In 1970 Alvin Toffler wrote Future Shock expounding
his theory, postulated five years earlier, about “the shattering stress
and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them
to too much change in too short a time.” In other words future
shock is our inability to cope with tomorrow arriving today!
In the late 1990s Patrick Dixon wrote Future Wise with
the opening words, “Either we take hold of the future or the future
will take hold of us.” In other words if we don't take control of what
is happening, the speed of change will overwhelm us and leave us behind.
These two men pointed out the incredible changes that have
taken place in our society in the past century, more than in the whole
of previous human history put together, and then the changes that are
taking place and will take place in the immediate future. Never before,
they maintain, has mankind been put under such stress in having to cope
with change.
A
Decaying Society
Those of us who have witnessed the last fifty years, have
witnessed a moral downward spiral in the West, a moral downward spiral
that has had practical effects at every level of society. In an earlier
chapter I did paint a general picture of this under the heading, “An
Insecure World” and so I won't repeat that here. The ensuing problems
of our society are enormous. The health services and social services
are under siege and cannot cope with the deluge of health and social
problems we find in our society.
Why is this? I would suggest the principle behind this
is found in Paul's letter to the Romans where he declared, after having
said how mankind turns away from God, “Therefore God gave them over
in the sinful desires of their hearts”. When mankind pushes God
away, God simply steps back and removes His hand of restraint to allow
the ‘natural' consequences of a sinful world to follow. In the latter
half of the twentieth century we have watched the ‘natural' consequences
of an unrestrained sinful world unfold.
Thus we now consider acceptable, behaviour and practices
that fifty years ago would not even have been spoken about - and we
have all the negative effects that go with them, and foolishly wonder
why. I often think that a characteristic of ‘Sin' is ‘stupidity', for
in no other way can you understand the stupidity of decisions made by
government and society in this period of time - and the church has largely
remained silent.
Changes
in the Christian World
Over this period of time we have observed a number of changes
in the Christian world:
•
In the sixties and seventies the charismatic
renewal movement came into
being.
•
In the seventies in some parts was the
flowering of the faith movement.
•
In the eighties came the prophetic movement.
•
In the nineties came to so-called ‘Toronto
Blessing', the Alpha movement
and the birthing of Christian TV in the U.K.
Yet despite all these bursts of life in the Christian church,
the moral standards of the Western world have continued to fall and
it would appear that the church has failed to be salt and light to the
surrounding society. In the U.K. traditional denominations have continued
to decline with only the new streams and occasional denominational church
seeing growth.
The
Effect of Change on Christians
The effect of this on the Christian community, I would
suggest, is varied and the following are some of the feelings generated
in many:
•
Life is out of control (That God is out
of control?)
•
Such big forces are at work that we
now no longer have any
say in life, in society, in our world.
•
The result for many is that they
have withdrawn from the arena and left the high ground to the
pluralistic, materialistic and
humanistic thinkers
and communicators of the day.
•
A sense of chaos and confusion.
•
In the work place, flexible
working has meant that many Christians
are now required to work hours that do not allow
them to be around on Sundays or at midweek meeting times. For
many this has meant an undermining of their faith which was
built more
on
•
A sense of being marginalised and impotent.
•
As Christianity has ceased to be
the main religious plank in the nation's
life, Christians increasingly feel they are just one player
in a market place of religion
•
A sense of disillusionment that stems
from:
a)
Church disappointment
• failure
of long hoped for revival to occur
• cessation
of the ‘Toronto manifestations' for many without apparent long term
effect
• failure
of much organisational evangelism to produce large scale and lasting
fruit
b)
Church impotence to stem
the tide of
•
moral decline in the nation
•
social disintegration
•
occult growth of dynamic proportions
•
‘other religions' growth and acceptance
in the West
Hope
is maintained by some
•
in the relatively few large flourishing
churches
•
in organisational ‘project' evangelicalism
•
in large Christian conventions,
yet
still as the Church we fail to have national impact.
Where
is God?
For many, in their disillusionment, the heart cry is:
“Where
is God? Why hasn't He come with revival? Why, when there have been
such waves of prayer for revival, or prophetic outpourings declaring
‘It is coming', hasn't it happened? Why, despite our praying and all
our efforts, have we made so little impact in our nation?”
The tendency for many has been to give up. For some it has been
to abandon church. For others it has been to try new forms of church.
In what follows may I suggest three scriptural pictures that may be
relevant to our position today?
17.2
Three Scriptural Pictures
1.
Daniel
Does the picture of Daniel represent where we are today?
There do seem a number of things in the life of Daniel that apply to
us today:
Carried
into Exile
The first thing we know about Daniel was that he was carried
off into exile and put into an alien environment that was out of his
control (Dan 1:1-7). In a very real sense, those of us that lived as
Christians through the latter half of the twentieth century have indeed
found that our environment has changed, we no longer feel in control
and it is definitely an alien environment.
A
Decision to Remain Different
The ruler of Babylon and his followers did everything they
could to make Daniel and his friends conform to the ways of Babylon.
However Daniel, by the grace of God, determined to remain true to the
standards God had given him (Dan 1:8-21) and in fact stood out as healthier
and wiser than all those his same age.
The call for us as Christians is not to take on board
the pluralistic, humanistic, godless, amoral thinking of the age but
to remain true to the truth that has been conveyed to us by God through
the Bible. If we will do that, we will stand out as a healthier, wiser
group of people who will be seen as a refuge from the chaos all around
us.
Impossible
Demands Requiring Supernatural Help
Very soon afterwards Daniel is placed in a place of great
threat as the ruler makes demands that cannot be met by mere human beings.
When he is threatened with death he turns to God and receives revelation.
We live in a world of great expectations. Governments increasingly place
demands on public services, health and education, demands that seem
impossible to meet. Demands will be put on the church, demands that
will conflict with our moral standards, demands that would compromise
our righteousness, demands that may produce persecution. In the face
of that the church will have to become again a truly supernatural body,
receiving revelation and power and grace from God, to survive and to
triumph.
2.
Jeremiah
The latter days of Jeremiah's life have also been suggested
as similarly conveying truth about our position as Christians today.
Jeremiah
Carried Away
Jeremiah had been God's man on the spot in Jerusalem
through the last days of that city while it was under siege. When the
city was taken, Jeremiah was released by the invading conqueror (Jer
39:11-40-6). After a period of civil strife the remaining remnant asked
Jeremiah to seek the Lord's will for them. They disregarded his counsel
to remain where they were and instead took Jeremiah with them to Egypt
(Jer 43:4-7). Despite this Jeremiah continued to bring the word of the
Lord to them, even though they continued to reject it. The last we see
of Jeremiah, this faithful prophet of God, is him still bringing the
word of the Lord to these unfaithful people now in Egypt.
Our
Call Today
There is, likewise, in many today in the U.K. and
the U.S.A. , a sense that we are part of a nation that has lost its
inheritance and is now far from what it was. There is a sense that we
have been carried away into a completely different alien environment
from that which many of us once knew. Yet even in this alien environment
we are still to be a light to the people whatever the eventual outcome
of the nation. There are those who are prophesying revival, there are
those who are prophesying God's total judgement. Whatever the outcome,
we are still to be God's witness, His voice to this people. Within this
there is a call to perseverance, to remain true to the One who called
us from the beginning, a willingness to be a witness and a voice from
God to the ungodly.
3.
Elijah
The final picture is of Elijah after he has had his conflict
on Mount Carmel
I
Hear Rain
The prophets of Baal had been dealt with and Elijah
turns to Ahab and says, “Go, eat and drink, for there is the sound
of heavy rain.” (1 Kings 18:41 ). Now we have to remember that
there had been three years of drought and there had been no rain. The
land was in a terrible state. The sky is blue and there is not a cloud
in sight, and the prophet says, “I hear the sound of heavy rain”! Ahab
might have paused and thought, “Well I don't. There's not a cloud in
sight. There can't be rain. We haven't had rain for three years. He's
flipped!” But prophets hear things ahead of everyone else! Elijah hears
it, it is as good as here.
Go
and Look
As soon as Ahab has left, Elijah
prays. His servant stands nearby wondering what to do. Elijah looks
up and says, “Go and look toward the sea.” The servant goes
and there is nothing. It is still a bright sunny day with not a cloud
in the sky. He reports back to Elijah but the prophet just says, “Go
back”. Seven times he told him to go back and the last time the
servant sees a tiny cloud on the horizon. Soon the clouds fill the sky
and a heavy rain pours down.
And
Us?
For the past fifty years or
more we have had people praying and prophesying about revival. In the
last decade of the twentieth century in particular there were lots of
prophesies that revival was soon coming…. and yet…..
But the prophets heard the rain. Why is it that so many
have had this very real sense that revival is virtually upon us. What
happens when we prophesy about a future event, for us who are prophesying
it? It is almost as if we are actually in the thing so it seems so real
and so present. We simply have to understand that the thing is still
yet a way in the future.
We are in the days of the seven times. The prophets HAVE
heard the rain, it IS coming. We have just got to be faithful in looking
for it. While we are waiting we are to remain true to Him, we are not
to loose heart, we are not to become cynical and unbelieving, we are
to make ready, and keep on making ready for when He comes in sovereign
revival power. There is a call to perseverance, a call to remain true
in the face of a declining nation.
17.3
And So?
Closing
Examples
Whatever the outcome can we, the Lord's people, remain
true, secure in our God. May Shadrach and his two friends be an example
to us (Dan 3:17 ,18) “If we are thrown into the furnace, the God
we serve is able to save us from it and he will rescue us… But even
if he does not, we… will not serve your gods.”
Similarly while we wait on the Lord can we hold true like
Habakkuk who was also secure in his knowledge of the Lord when he said,
“Though the fig tree does not bud and there be no grapes on the
vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though
there be no sheep in the pen, and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will
rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Saviour.” (Hab
3:17,18).
Here were men who were totally secure in their God. They
knew that whatever the outward circumstances of change that were there,
in the end they would triumph with God.
And
Us?
And
so as we press on into the twenty-first century, how will we go?
•
Will it be fearfully as aliens in a strange
land, unsure of their position,
unsure of their role, unsure of their destiny,
or
•
Will it be as aliens in a strange land
yet with the confidence of being
children of God, secure in His love, regardless of what
the future holds,
because we know Him?
As
we live in this hostile world,
•
Will we retreat into ghettos, holding
a defensive position, fearful of every
aspect of ‘worldliness' of this rapidly changing
culture, or
•
Can we stand with heads held high, not
afraid of the culture in which we
live but purposefully impacting it as children of God,
recognising what is
good and applauding it, identifying what is bad and denouncing
it, speaking
truth with love, being salt and light to bring change
where we are?
Generally
in life,
•
Will we focus on our own healing and
personal comfort, our own needs,
•
Will we reach out, secure in His love,
to the hurting and alienated of our
society, to the fearful, shamed and abused, to
the violent and the abuser,
to bring them the healing love of Jesus?
These
are the key questions that face us in the early years of the twenty
first century.
Our answers will depend
on how much we have allowed God to speak to us and make us a secure
people. Can we become a secure church, secure in our God?
THE
END ... OR... THE BEGINNING