New Ways for New Days
Have you ever heard a reoccurring theme for several days and you realize that God is trying to get your attention? I believe God is calling us out of the old and into something new.
New ways for new days. - Rachel Hickson
It started at the Way Conference when Rachel Hickson preached about New Ways for New Days, times of transition and God calling us into something new as a church. In these uncertain times God often forges new paths and shakes us out of our comfort zones to get us where He wants us to be positioned for His purposes.
Revival is not out with the old and in with the new, it’s out with the old and in with the even older, the Bible. We are going back to apostolic foundations. - Corey Russell paraphrasing R.T. Kendall
Then as our conference progressed Corey Russell shares this nugget of wisdom about the old and the older. There is something about revival and awakening that calls us into something that feels new but is often a recovery of something that is ancient and that has been missing in our experience from God’s full intention. I believe that the early church experienced this convergence of new and old on the day of Pentecost. Acts 2 is a really new experience for the early church but it was prophesied about hundreds of years before making it a convergence of old and new.
“Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.” Ecclesiastes 7:10 NIV
As I talked with Pastor Craig Gorc about transitions after the way conference was over he referenced this Scripture and I was seeing a pattern emerge of God trying to get my attention. Why do we romanticize the past in such a way? Why is it so hard to embrace change?
Then I ended up this morning on a Zoom call with Bishop Joseph Mattera, with pastors and with apostolic leaders from around the nation. The words that people shared had to do with how do we navigate the changes in the church of the post covid world. One leadership group that helps various churches around the nation stated that 90% of the churches they work with have experienced a 25-40% drop in giving. Leaders were sharing that whatever seemed to work pre-Covid is not bearing fruit post-Covid. But many of the people in their churches want things to go back to the old ways. The consensus was we can’t go back to the old ways for new days. We can’t put new wine into old wineskins.
I was amazed at this message jumping out at me in the past week. And it has me praying as well as inviting you into prayer. What things could we hold on to from the past that God is wanting to move us beyond? I don’t want to change everything in church or life. I certainly don’t want to change God’s Word or God’s ways. But God often has us examine our priorities, our methods, our forms and our styles at times like this.
The gospel doesn’t change from generation to generation. We will always be a worshipping people, a fellowship people, an outreach people, a praying people, a giving people, a Bible people and a supernatural people. But the way we do these things will change from generation to generation and from culture to culture. Let us not get stuck in old ways, but let us embrace God’s new ways for these new days. Sometimes these new ways are really something old, but they are new in focus, power and effectiveness.
God is awakening His church to awaken our nation. He is on the move and He is looking for people who aren’t stuck in old ways, but joining Him in the renewal of all things. It’s time for new ways for new days.