09/02/2026
Hey Church!
How has the world changed over the course of your life? Has technology changed enough to feel like magic? Have things gotten easier and more convenient in some ways, but trickier with a learning curve in others?
I think it's fair to say that the world today isn't the same as the one we were born into. That comes with its own fair share of good and bad qualities that we all have a responsibility to navigate. However, one thing is certain as we continue to move further into the future: There is no going back.
For some, that sentiment carries a sense of excitement, while for others it carries a sense of loss. Newer is not always better, but it always seems to ask us to change our ways. All around us, churches are closing their doors while we wrestle with the question, "What does faithful ministry look like today?"
Foundationally, one thing is always true no matter how technology, culture, or the world changes, the gospel always stays the same. We're reminded of this truth in Revelation 14 where John reveals:
"6 Then I saw another angel flying high overhead, with the eternal gospel to announce to the inhabitants of the earth—to every nation, tribe, language, and people." (CSB)
The gospel is eternal, no matter the time and no matter the place, but does that mean that our strategies to engage the culture with this truth never change? Should a church today look and feel exactly like it did in the early 1900s? Did the church in Corinth look and feel like the church in Jerusalem?
The apostle Paul addressed this very issue in his first letter to the Corinthians, where he wrote:
"22 To the weak I became weak, in order to win the weak. I have become all things to all people, so that I may by every possible means save some. 23 Now I do all this because of the gospel, so that I may share in the blessings." (CSB)
I think churches everywhere need to ask themselves, "In what ways are we willing to 'become all things to all people'?" In what ways are we willing to change to better reach the lost around us today? We have freedom to be who we are, yes, but in what ways will we lay down our freedom to reach a potential brother or sister?
The gospel never changes, just like Jesus never changes. Christ's church holds onto Him as we travel across this world and throughout all time, bearing His message. So as we find our stability in Him, are we willing to lay down our own preferences to reach the culture around us today?
- Pastor Michael
