Somethings Never Change

“No individual experience is of the remotest value unless it is up to the standard of the Word of God. The Bible not only tests experience, it tests truth. The Bible tests all experience, all truth, all authority by our Lord Himself and our relationship to Him personally." Oswald Chambers

The music played softly while I read and wrote, enjoying a quiet morning at a local coffee shop. Most of the music was unfamiliar, but then I recognized a song from my youth. Same words, different arrangement, new singer.

The next few songs were beautiful new arrangements of classics by the heroes of my youth. The words were unchanged, but the style modified significantly. The message uncompromised, but the presentation was tuned to a new generation's ear.

I liked the cover bands’ versions, but personally, I loved the originals.

The same type of challenge faces each generation: how do we honor the eternal truth of God, yet contextualize it to address the unique needs of an ever-changing world? Too often we fight to retain our preferred generational expressions while alienating or undermining the work of those who will go where we cannot. In our struggle to protect old methods, we risk abandoning and contradicting the essential message.

Peter reminds us that our influence is short, but God’s Word is eternal. “ All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25)