Oct. 24 | Application

What’s New? (And Why Should You Care?)

By David Faust

I got a new cell phone the other day—under protest. My old phone worked fine. It just didn’t have enough capacity. When I tried to add another photo, a stern warning appeared: “You are DANGEROUSLY short on space.” That message seemed a little over-the-top, as if the device was ready to explode.

Grudgingly I drove to the phone store where an employee the age of my grandkids asked, “How old is this phone?”

“About five years,” I said.

“That’s really old,” he replied, shaking his head. “It’s definitely time to replace it.”

“But I’m used to it,” I protested. “Just when I finally learn how to use a computer program or a cell phone, why is it always time for an upgrade and everything changes?”

The young man looked perplexed. I continued, “My old phone has the same fantasy football app I’ve used for five seasons, and I don’t want to lose my stats. Plus, I’m familiar with this phone’s quirks, like when I’m driving and the GPS suddenly starts giving directions in Spanish. That’s funny!”

The sales rep didn’t laugh, but he answered my questions politely. As we finished, he handed me a new phone and said, “Take this home and play with it for a while. You’ll get used to it.”

I thanked him for his help, but in my heart I grumbled, I don’t want to play with a new phone. I just want one that works!

ADAPTING TO CHANGE

Do you welcome change or resist it? Change isn’t always an upgrade. Some things never change, like the Lord himself, and the Scriptures, and basic human needs. But today we face a dizzying array of cultural changes—with shifts occurring not only in technology and style, but in substantive matters like worldviews, ethics, and how to understand the Bible.

When I coach younger leaders, I encourage them to consider several factors when implementing change:

• The purpose of change. What is the “why”? Is the proposed change biblical and missional? Does it have the support of wise, trusted advisers and influencers?
• The price of change. Are you prepared for what it will cost in time, work, and money to implement this change?
• The patience change requires. Don’t expect others to immediately embrace a new idea you have been considering for months. Take time to answer questions, think through the pros and cons, and explain the rationale behind proposed changes.
• The people who change. Spiritual growth and healthy relationships matter more than flashy programs. Impulsive, herky-jerky leaders make church members feel like carsick passengers in the back seat speeding down a winding road. If God has trusted you with the steering wheel, care well for the passengers traveling with you.

Followers of Christ must embrace positive change because, although God himself doesn’t change, he excels at making things new. When the old Mosaic covenant became “obsolete and outdated,” the Lord replaced it with a New Covenant of grace and truth “established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6, 13). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). We’re headed for a new heaven and a new earth, where God will say, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:5).

I don’t think we will need cell phones in heaven, but if we do, I’m sure they will have plenty of capacity.

Personal Challenge: What is your personal attitude toward change? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (“I hate change and resist it stubbornly”) to 10 (“I love change and adapt to it quickly”). What changes do you sense the Lord nudging you to embrace? How can you be a force for positive change in your church? What cultural changes ought to be resisted?