This reminds me of an old saying which states, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. What’s important is knowing “WHY” something works, so when it’s broken, you know how to fix it. Many commentators, scholars, and influencers are proudly proclaiming that Christianity is broken, and it’s not worth taking time to fix. Church, if we don’t learn to adapt, the Church’s influence in America will continue to die. But now is not the time to rebrand and reinvent ourselves. It’s time to restore the core of the heart of the Gospel and what it means to be the Church.

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ADAPT OR DIE

For too many, our unbelievable Gospel is simply un-believable

“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” John Piper

The world is a different place today in 2019 then I remembered even in 1999.  I don’t rent movies, do research, or access my music the same way today compared to then, just to name a few.  As we enter a new year, this old truth remains.  Having to deal with change in this world is something that will never change.  Companies must do this daily in order not to lose any relevance in the eyes of their customers or lose any market share to their competitors.  Parents must change because their kids change at astronomical rates.  Right when you think you have your child figured out, they enter a new phase, causing parents to go back to the drawing board.

Technology has always led the charge of change when it comes to who we are as human beings and how we interact and act.  Companies then adapt to stay in business, and parents adapt to help raise the next generation.  Likewise, the Church has always learned to make the necessary adjustments in whatever society because we have the most important commodity that exists; the truth that salvation is possible through Jesus.  Every time the Church changes, the world changes for the better.

There is a trend since the time I’m writing this (2019) that has been consistent over the years.  Fewer people are going to Church and more people are leaving the faith that they grew up in.  This reality has forced many Churches and denominations to respond with cooler lights, modern expressions in music, and skinnier jeans.  Others have compromised the Lord’s standards on sin to appear compassionate.  People and entities like organizations, companies, and political parties choose to rebrand or reinvent themselves, in order to remove themselves from any bad press or negative stigmas so they can remain relevant.  Some say that the Church must rebrand if we are to survive in this post-Christian America.

This reminds me of an old saying which states, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.  What’s important is knowing “WHY” something works, so when it’s broken, you know how to fix it.  Many commentators, scholars, and influencers are proudly proclaiming that Christianity is broken, and it’s not worth taking time to fix.  Church, if we don’t learn to adapt, the Church’s influence in America will continue to die.  But now is not the time to rebrand and reinvent ourselves.  It’s time to restore the core of the heart of the Gospel and what it means to be the Church.

Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”  Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls…..And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.  Acts 2:36-41, 6:7 (ESV)

Fifty days following the death and resurrection of Jesus, we see Peter give his famous impromptu sermon during the Jewish worship festival called Pentecost.  The message that he shared was inspired by the Holy Spirit, caused over 3,000 people to come to faith in Christ in one afternoon!  Some Churches consistently rebrand over the years in order to reach even 10% of those numbers in one calendar year.  One way they’ve done so is by adopting a “seeker sensitive” approach.  Church insiders began to ask questions to put themselves in the outsider’s shoes, so they could better know if they are meeting their needs or communicating in an effective way.  Those are great ideas, but some Churches took that to the extreme and have watered down the Gospel and downplayed sin, so outsiders wouldn’t feel condemned or judged.  I do believe that we should be sensitive to what seekers and returns feel, think, and need, but we cannot neglect the foundational need to be Holy Spirit sensitive.

Look at how Peter didn’t water down the Gospel one bit.  In fact, he used personal pronouns to intentionally judge and condemn people, begging them to save themselves from their “crooked generation”.  He was unapologetic in telling them what they had to do, and he did so with great love for those listening, so they too could find what he had found in Jesus.  The response of the 3,000 was a result of the power of the Holy Spirit that was riding the wind that carried each word from Peter’s mouth to his listener’s hearts.

That method was meant for that moment.  We cannot copy and paste it to every circumstance because Peter, Paul, and the other apostles never did that.  The early church at times leveraged the power of preparation, while at other times responded with spiritual improvisation.  They adjusted their methods according to their audience and their surroundings, according to the Holy Spirit’s leading, both strategically and spontaneously.  In Acts 6:7, the author Luke gives us the first of five progress reports of the Church that is recorded in the book of Acts, each spanning 5 years.  Each report revealed great results because the early church never once changed or compromised their mission, all while adjusting how they communicated their message, according to their circumstances.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.  Matthew 16:13-18 (ESV)

Jesus took his disciples to Caesarea Philippi for an incredible object lesson.  Rather than teach them something, He wanted to show them something.  This city was important for many people.  It was the source of the Jordan River, which ran through the entire nation of Israel and it meant a lot to the Jews.  It was located at the foot of Mount Herman, and at the base of the cliff was a worship center for many pagan gods, as well as a place to worship Caesar.  With the chaotic sounds of people, animals, and music emanating from the base of the rocky cliff, Jesus possess His question, “Who do you believe that I am?”.  Peter, being his very vocal self, makes a declaration of faith in that they believed that Jesus was the true Messiah and God Himself.  Peter didn’t figure this out himself.  The Father, through the Holy Spirit, revealed this to him.  What a scene, as Jesus’ disciples are worshiping God and rejoicing in the truth, others not far away were throwing their lives away by worshiping a lie.

Jesus’ response to Peter is recorded as an eternal reminder of what the Church must understand as she is surrounded by many lost and misguided souls.  Jesus, not Peter or any other man or woman, is what the Church is built on, and it is the Holy Spirit, not human beings, who builds it.  Jesus used the word “petra”, which translate to Peter, which means a small movable stone to address Peter.  But then Jesus used the word “petros” to talk about the rock in which the Church will be built.  Petros is an immovable foundation stone.  Peter was merely a pebble that the Lord would use to build His church.  The Apostle Peter years later would write in his first letter that all believers are “living stones” , or “petras” too (1 Peter 2:4-6) which God wants to use to expand His family, not just construct more buildings.  It’s the Lord’s handiwork, and the devil himself can’t stop Him or ever claim victory over His sons and daughters.

There are way too many people who are lost, seeking and worshiping false gods that are robbing them of time to discover Jesus.  They cannot escape this crooked generation without knowledge of a Savior or their spiritual condition.  When viewing the men and women who make up our neighbors, classmates, co-workers, friends, and family, we must consider the following.  People are doing what they are doing because they are looking for ways to be happy.  They are not looking for what is true, right, or wrong.  That doesn’t mean that we abandon truth and only champion happiness, because every Jesus follower knows that nothing makes us happier than knowing God and walking in His ways.  Our mission should never change, but our methods on how we communicate and live out our message should change if we want to see sinners saved, Christ’ church awakened, and Christians persevering in their faith.  If people are on a happiness quest, then we must model the joy of the Lord as we follow Christ and walk in His ways.  We can’t simply sit and do nothing.  Something must change if we want to see different results.

Here is what needs to change inside of the Church.  Christians must stop being “cool” and start being “warm”.  Being popular, relevant, and trendy is never a good strategy because our tastes as a society constantly change. But something that never goes out of style is love.  Being “warm” is communicating that people can belong even before they believe.  It means to truly put others first before ourselves.  It means to truly love someone on a personal level, not a superficial one.  It means to strive to connect with someone before you correct them.  Being warms means learning to care for others while we share our very lives with them.  Being “warm” means to live out the Gospel that we speak about, by loving others as Jesus has loved us.  This form of living is fueled by our worship towards a God who loves us immensely.

Warm Worship must be at the heart of all that we do as Christians.  If our worship only lasts as long as our songs do, then we have reduced our most powerful spiritual weapon to nothing more than sound waves.  Before the events in Acts 2, Peter and the other 119 disciplines of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they worshipped the Lord in the upper room where Jesus held the Last Supper.  But then they stepped out through the front door, went outside to where people were wasting their worship, and reflected the love of God in word and deed.  The warmth of our worship towards God is a response to His great love for us, which compels every believer to reflect the nature of God in how we interact with others.  Now is the time to adapt or die.  Church, now more than ever, we must learn to adapt to this world by adopting the practice of worship expressed in love so that more people will live and fewer others will die in their sins.  It’s not cool to be cool anymore.  Instead, be warm, and let the love of Christ save souls and change the world through you.