Daily Reading for Monday, Jan. 28: Change

Core Value: Change

We embrace innovation and creativity!

Life is always changing. God’s word and nature never changes, but like the seasons of the year, human culture and society is ever changing. Sometimes that change is slow in occurring; other times it is as fast as lightning. Methods will constantly change, but the message of Christ stays the same! How we do church must change with the culture in order to reveal the relevance of God’s Word. We must always be growing in ministry excellence to be effective in the real world. A culture of excellence creates an attitude of never being satisfied with being satisfied. We will strive to be the best at what God leads us to do.

~Lighthouse Fellowship Core Value #3

Introduction

We live in an era of rapid change. Cultural and societal trends and traditions change as frequently as the weather changes. What was once considered dependable and reliable can no longer have that consideration. The challenge for the church has been and will always be thus: how do we take the timeless truths of the gospel and communicate them in the culture and society that God placed us in? That is the challenge of the day, and the impetus of this core value. We have determined, as a church, that we will not become a relic of yesteryear, something that has nostalgic value and nothing more. We are convinced that the message of Christ has as much relevance in our world as it ever has, and we are determined to do whatever it takes to proclaim that message to those who are needing it. This does not mean, however, that we embrace every “new thing” that the wind blows in. The only direction we seek is the Lord’s; the only true compass is His word. Therefore, we will not shrink from changing methods; we will seek to be creative, relevant, and current in our communication of the gospel while holding fast to the firm, eternal foundation of the Word of God.

Daily Reading for Monday, Jan. 28
“For I am the LORD, I change not…” Malachi 3:6 KJV

One of the seemingly greatest paradoxes of our faith is that we are a people in a constant mode of change who serve an unchanging God. Consider the fact that our bodies age, our opinions shift, and our characters mature. These all point to the effect of change in our lives, and the growing process that God has put into effect. When we seek to know God and His plans for us, we first find a God whose character is cemented in timeless and eternal dominions that are not touched by the changeableness of this fallen world. God must be unchangeable in character because his character is perfect, his persona complete. We, on the other hand, will never achieve such perfection in and of ourselves; hence the sweet sacrifice of Christ on our behalf, so that we may enter into that eternal realm of living. We enter in but we have not yet attained the full perfection of Christ (Philippians 3:12). The door is opened to us for the transformational process of God to take place in us through the blood of Christ, and we walk through that door through the power of the Holy Spirit walking beside us as comforter, counselor, and guide. And this is not only for us to be transformed, but for others to see our transformation and be drawn to Christ by it. And so we embrace change—for its perfecting work in us, and for its drawing work through us. And we allow our lives and methods to change, so that as many as will can come to the unchangeable, unshakable, immovable Christ—the rock of our salvation.