Word for Today, Mon, 10 Nov 2003: Adapting Ourselves

#1 · November 9, 2003, 10:16 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on November 9, 2003, 10:16 pm
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

For a while I apparently lost my subscription to Neil Anderson's
Daily in Christ devotional series. Those of you who have read
this series know that I use materials from several different
authors and weave devotional message themes, then I occasionally
write my own material. Neil Anderson is one whose teaching I
generally respect and I use his work often. This particular
message is a good one because it strikes near and dear to my
heart.

You see, I have been a faithful member of various churches
throughout my lifetime. I've seen some of the churches that
I've attended remain flat in attendance and participation for
many years, others head into a free fall decline, and a few of
them grow and prosper.

On one hand, I never believe in change just for the sake of
change. I believe in the absolute truth of God's Word, and
sugar coating it, denying it, or altering it in any way is
something that will never ever interest me. At the same time,
the manner in which we approach people must be fresh and
relevant to the culture.

Neil Anderson sites Jesus Himself in his argument for adapting
our thinking and approach toward tradition - particularly
traditions of the faith.

The apostle Paul says it differently, but comes to the same
conclusion as the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says that he will
become all things to all people. Read this passage:

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave
to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I
became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I
became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the
law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having
the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not
free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win
those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win
the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all
possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake
of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians
9:19-23, NIV).

Do carefully note that even though Paul changes his audience and
the style of his presentation, at no time does he ever change the
truth of the Gospel, no, in fact, he does it all for the sake of
the Gospel - the truth of God's Word, so that the things that
inhibit people from hearing and experiencing God's Word may be
cast aside.

As we share with others, whether in church, at home, in our
communities, or on the road, let us do so faithfully. Let us
make friends with people of all kinds, from all places. Let us
hold fast to that which is good, lest the things of this world
pervert us. Let us be prayerful, caring, loving people, desiring
only to see a lost world saved. We cannot save the world
ourselves, but God can (and does) use people to make a difference
in lives every day.

Are you prepared, first, to set your own life straight, then to
reach out to others? That's what will be motivating me this
week.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

AD| Help Operation Blessing Bring Comfort to the Poor This
Christmas l.salemweb.net/operationbless1103m/devos/
____________________________

NEIL ANDERSON'S DAILY IN CHRIST
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

November 9

ADAPTING MINISTRY

I have become all things to all men, that I may be all means
save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).

The world at the end of the twentieth century is changing at an
alarming rate. People are under tremendous stress to keep up
with the rapid rate of change. The ecclesiastical challenge is
to give anxious people the timeless message of Christ and
present it in a contemporary way that relates to a changing
culture.

Many of the older and mature saints who rightfully constitute
the boards and committees in our traditional evangelical
churches resist change. They are comfortable with the form of
worship, style of music, and methods of teaching that brought
them to Christ and helped them mature. They get uncomfortable
when a young pastor comes in with new ideas.

Jesus said you can't put new wine into old wineskins (Luke
5:37). The wineskins don't represent the substance of our faith;
they represent the package our faith comes in. Christian
practices wear out their purposes and the next generation
doesn't relate to them.

Jesus not only came to fulfill the law, but He also came to
usher in a new age. The Jewish community was locked in
tradition. Most of the opposition didn't come when He presented
the truth, but when He confronted their traditions. When one
doesn't conform to the customs and practices of the status quo,
the establishment will be offended. The new wine often comes
under the scrutiny, and sometimes the wrath, of the old
wineskins.

I had the privilege of helping an established church through an
organizational change. The pastor had been there for 30 years
and had led the church from its beginnings to more than 1000
attenders. The organization had evolved with little planning or
purpose, so we reorganized 26 committees into seven. Although
the organizational change was significant, it took place without
any dissension. The major key in this case was the vision and
credibility of the pastor, who realized the need for new
wineskins.

God is leading us into the twenty-first century, and we must
learn how to adapt our ministry to a changing culture.

Lord, enable me to establish my life on the substance of faith,
not the package of traditions and customs it comes in.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.15913.1.293748.

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.15913.2.293748.
-----------
To read current World news stories, National news stories, and
commentaries, visit
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.15913.3.293748
-----------
For Copyright Terms visit
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.15913.4.293748

____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________

* Copyright C 2002 Crosswalk.com, Inc. and its Content
Providers. All rights reserved.

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Christian websites. Looking for a Church, businesses you can
trust, or just family friendly websites? Whatever you are
searching for on the Internet, www.Crossguide.com will help you
cut through the clutter to the Christian results that you want.

Search today! www.Crossguide.com

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: www.geocities.com/masinick/

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Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>

Dear friends,

For a while I apparently lost my subscription to Neil Anderson's
Daily in Christ devotional series. Those of you who have read
this series know that I use materials from several different
authors and weave devotional message themes, then I occasionally
write my own material. Neil Anderson is one whose teaching I
generally respect and I use his work often. This particular
message is a good one because it strikes near and dear to my
heart.

You see, I have been a faithful member of various churches
throughout my lifetime. I've seen some of the churches that
I've attended remain flat in attendance and participation for
many years, others head into a free fall decline, and a few of
them grow and prosper.

On one hand, I never believe in change just for the sake of
change. I believe in the absolute truth of God's Word, and
sugar coating it, denying it, or altering it in any way is
something that will never ever interest me. At the same time,
the manner in which we approach people must be fresh and
relevant to the culture.

Neil Anderson sites Jesus Himself in his argument for adapting
our thinking and approach toward tradition - particularly
traditions of the faith.

The apostle Paul says it differently, but comes to the same
conclusion as the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul says that he will
become all things to all people. Read this passage:

19 Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave
to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I
became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I
became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the
law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having
the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not
free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win
those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win
the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all
possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake
of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (1 Corinthians
9:19-23, NIV).

Do carefully note that even though Paul changes his audience and
the style of his presentation, at no time does he ever change the
truth of the Gospel, no, in fact, he does it all for the sake of
the Gospel - the truth of God's Word, so that the things that
inhibit people from hearing and experiencing God's Word may be
cast aside.

As we share with others, whether in church, at home, in our
communities, or on the road, let us do so faithfully. Let us
make friends with people of all kinds, from all places. Let us
hold fast to that which is good, lest the things of this world
pervert us. Let us be prayerful, caring, loving people, desiring
only to see a lost world saved. We cannot save the world
ourselves, but God can (and does) use people to make a difference
in lives every day.

Are you prepared, first, to set your own life straight, then to
reach out to others? That's what will be motivating me this
week.

Yours in Christ,
Brian

AD| Help Operation Blessing Bring Comfort to the Poor This
Christmas l.salemweb.net/operationbless1103m/devos/
____________________________

NEIL ANDERSON'S DAILY IN CHRIST
from Freedom in Christ Ministries

November 9

ADAPTING MINISTRY

I have become all things to all men, that I may be all means
save some (1 Corinthians 9:22).

The world at the end of the twentieth century is changing at an
alarming rate. People are under tremendous stress to keep up
with the rapid rate of change. The ecclesiastical challenge is
to give anxious people the timeless message of Christ and
present it in a contemporary way that relates to a changing
culture.

Many of the older and mature saints who rightfully constitute
the boards and committees in our traditional evangelical
churches resist change. They are comfortable with the form of
worship, style of music, and methods of teaching that brought
them to Christ and helped them mature. They get uncomfortable
when a young pastor comes in with new ideas.

Jesus said you can't put new wine into old wineskins (Luke
5:37). The wineskins don't represent the substance of our faith;
they represent the package our faith comes in. Christian
practices wear out their purposes and the next generation
doesn't relate to them.

Jesus not only came to fulfill the law, but He also came to
usher in a new age. The Jewish community was locked in
tradition. Most of the opposition didn't come when He presented
the truth, but when He confronted their traditions. When one
doesn't conform to the customs and practices of the status quo,
the establishment will be offended. The new wine often comes
under the scrutiny, and sometimes the wrath, of the old
wineskins.

I had the privilege of helping an established church through an
organizational change. The pastor had been there for 30 years
and had led the church from its beginnings to more than 1000
attenders. The organization had evolved with little planning or
purpose, so we reorganized 26 committees into seven. Although
the organizational change was significant, it took place without
any dissension. The major key in this case was the vision and
credibility of the pastor, who realized the need for new
wineskins.

God is leading us into the twenty-first century, and we must
learn how to adapt our ministry to a changing culture.

Lord, enable me to establish my life on the substance of faith,
not the package of traditions and customs it comes in.

-----------
This daily devotional is published and distributed by
Crosswalk.com. It is written by Neil Anderson at
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.15913.1.293748.

Additional devotionals are available from Crosswalk.com:
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.15913.2.293748.
-----------
To read current World news stories, National news stories, and
commentaries, visit
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.15913.3.293748
-----------
For Copyright Terms visit
link.crosswalk.com/UM/T.asp?A1.14.15913.4.293748

____________________SUBSCRIPTION INFO_______________________

Introducing http://www.Crossguide.com
Where Christians find Products, Services & Ministries.

Crossguide is the newest and most comprehensive directory of
Christian websites. Looking for a Church, businesses you can
trust, or just family friendly websites? Whatever you are
searching for on the Internet, http://www.Crossguide.com will help you
cut through the clutter to the Christian results that you want.

Search today! http://www.Crossguide.com

=====
--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Protect your identity with Yahoo! Mail AddressGuard
antispam.yahoo.com/whatsnewfree