"Change is good." Have you heard that before? Do you ever try to convince yourself of that when you are going through a big change? "Change is inevitable." Another popular thing to hear, and basically it is true. "Things change", some for the good and some for the not so good, depending on how you look at it. Some people love change. Some people detest it. I am in the middle I suppose. I am comfortable when I get in a routine, but I know there will always be a wrench thrown in the plan that I wasn't expecting. How do we handle change?
I was just having a discussion today with a friend regarding changes in churches. From traditional to contemporary, and even the combination of the two, churches are changing. I, myself, am a very old fashioned girl. I still read and quote the KJV. I do study other versions, but the KJV is what I grew up with; it is what I know! I love old hymns. I sing them all day long in my head or hum them to calm myself down. They are comforting and speak to my heart; there again, it is what I know.
I used to never think about looking at another version of the Bible until I joined a Bible study in college. I was the only girl with a KJV. So, my mother, very surprisingly, went and bought me a NKJV! My dad was not happy, but He made sure the word "virgin" was still used and then he wasn't as upset (No offense to the NIV users, he just wasn't keen on them switching to "young woman" for Mary). We now do have an NIV and ESV in our collection of study materials, but one change I cannot make is always referring back to my KJV.
I used to not be a fan of contemporary Christian music, but that did change, and I do love a lot of it now. Francesca Battistelli's "This is the Stuff" is my theme song and can make me smile in the worst of situations. So even though I love my hymns, I have learned to absolutely love a lot of Christian bands and singers that my parents or my in-laws probably would not like to change to.
A lot of churches do have 2 services these days. One focused on the older generation and traditional, and one for the younger more contemporary group. I never really thought the idea of that appealed to me, but lately I have felt the Lord reminding me that He loves all of us. It was a huge change when Jesus started His ministry. He basically told the Jewish community to throw everything out the window that they had grown up with. He was the New Way and the Only Way. Some chose to believe and accept the change, while others refused to acknowledge who He was. He was the Ultimate Change and One that without we would not have a mansion to look forward to.
Today's Verse
Deut 5:33 "Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you,..."
Are you in a church where you feel comfortable? Are they a Bible teaching, nothing added and nothing taken away, church. My meaning, there is no extra things to follow or do besides what the Bible tells us to do, what God has "commanded" us to "walk in all the ways". And nothing is left out of the Bible teachings. Like there is nothing omitted from the Bible with the example of Hell. Some churches today refuse to acknowledge the place exists, but it does! That is not a change that is acceptable! Nothing is to be added or taken away - Rev 22:18-19!
Do you need a change? Do you need to be a little more open minded or maybe a little more conservative?
There is so much more to get into with the topic of change and especially change in the church, I think we will finish our thought and discussion tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment