The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same

When I hear any discussion of social media, I have two distinctly different reactions. I believe social media have contributed significantly to the pervasive negativity and anxiety of our times, as well as a seeming groundswell of narcissism. However, social media serve a significant communications role and introduce us to a wide range of useful information we might not encounter in any other way. The trick is being able to distinguish between what’s useful and what’s unproductive.

 

William Booth
(Wikipedia photo)

Recently I came across one of the former, an intriguing quote by William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, that he made in the early 1900s: “The chief danger of the 20^th century will be religion without the Holy Spirit, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, and heaven without hell.”

What I find most interesting about this is not just Booth’s specific points, but that this seems equally true in the 21^st century. Increasingly we hear people talking in terms of the God they want, rather than the God who is. Rather than regarding the Bible as the authoritative Word of God, many feel they have the license to treat biblical teachings as suggestions to be interpreted, redefined and applied according to their preferences and the prevailing winds of culture.

 

Times do change, no doubt. Styles of fashion, social customs, even vocabulary. Technology has become a major factor in our ever-shifting approach to everyday living. And yet, as we read in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Times may change, but our Creator God is unchanging. The same is true of His Word.

 

Even in biblical times there were those eager to distort and manipulate the Scriptures to accomplish their purposes. We see the apostle Paul warning two of his proteges, Timothy and Titus, to avoid the seduction of false teaching.

 

He cautioned Timothy, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron” (1 Timothy 4:1). Do such stern words have a familiar ring for today?

 

I’ve previously referred to Paul’s prophetic words that, “the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine…they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear…” (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

 

For this reason, he later exhorted young pastor Tim to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). I like how another translation phrases it: “rightly dividing the word of truth.” It evokes the image of a farmer plowing a field in straight furrows, rather than frequently glancing behind him and creating an uneven path.

 

The apostle expressed similar concerns to Titus, who was ministering to believers in Crete. Paul wrote of the qualifications for spiritual leadership, including faithfulness to godly teaching: “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it” (Titus 1:9).

 

About the dangers of listening to false teachers, Paul declared, “They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach – and that for the sake of dishonest gain” (Titus 1:11). To counter this, he offered Titus this challenge: “You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1). 

 

Two thousand years later we find ourselves in similar circumstances. On TV, radio and from many pulpits, messages are given that seem straight out of the books of 1 and 2 Opinions. (They’re not in the Bible.) Seeking to be “woke,” or perhaps thinking that by diluting the message of the Gospel they can make Jesus more palatable, they’re promoting exactly what Booth warned against: a religion lacking the presence and power of the Holy Spirit; a Christ-less Christianity; forgiveness that requires no repentance; a salvation absent of becoming a new creation in Christ; a godless government, and no fear of eternal punishment for rejecting God’s gift of redemption.

 

We must never forget that we receive salvation and eternal life on God’s terms, not ours. As Jesus admonished, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). To state it another way, ‘Don’t follow the crowd. Follow Jesus.’

Challenges of Change

Like the relentless, always changing waves of the sea,
everyday life and work are subject to constant change.

How do you react to change? Does it make you excited, eager to tackle the new and unfamiliar? Does it fill you with dread, terrified by what lies ahead? Or do you respond, “Well, it depends – what kind of change are we talking about?”

In Leaders Legacy, the organization I work with, we use a motivational assessment tool, the Birkman Method, a great help with leaders we are coaching and mentoring. One of the key components the Birkman identifies is how much change people want and can manage effectively.

Some people have a strong need for change. They find repetitive routines despiriting and energy draining. From their standpoint, the more change the better. Other people, however, aren’t fond of change. In fact, some resist it in all forms. Slight alterations to their work environment, a store closing at their local mall, or even moving the furniture around at home, can be disconcerting.

Most of us probably fit somewhere in the middle. Variety is the spice of life – as long as it’s not too spicy, right? And in reality, change is a lot more palatable when it’s on our terms, or at least we feel we’ve had input into what changes are made, and how.

But love it, like it or hate it, change is here to stay. The saying used to be that there are two certainties in life – death and taxes. Now there’s a third – change. Whether it’s technology, the economy, political trends, the weather, sports, or society in general, change is the only constant.

Ecclesiastes 3 starts with the declaration, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. A time to be born, and a time to die…a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance…” (verses 1-4). If those words sound familiar, most were part of a rock song in the ‘60s, “Turn! Turn!” by The Byrds.

Time’s relentless march ages our bodies, turns babies into children and then adults, wears out our clothes, and brings decay to our cherished machines. As soon as we grow accustomed to anything, it changes. It seems like spring was just yesterday, and today we’re in the midst of autumn. Before you blink your eyes, winter will be here.

Don’t you sometimes wish we could slow down change? Wouldn’t it be nice if some things never changed? We’re hard-pressed to find much in the natural world that doesn’t change, but in the spiritual realm we’re assured we can trust in a faithful, unchanging God.

“I the Lord do not change,” He declares in Malachi 3:6, and Hebrews 13: 8 promises, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

What does this mean for us? When we read God’s promises to His people, we can trust those promises will be fulfilled for us – just as they have for believers through the centuries. He offers us grace, love and mercy, and won’t withhold them because He’s changed His mind.

And as we look beyond this life toward the life to come, we can anticipate what Jesus assured His followers 2,000 years ago: “Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:1-3).

If you were on a boat in the midst of a storm, it would be very reassuring to know the vessel was securely anchored. With Christ – in the midst of change, turmoil, even distressing circumstances – we have that anchor, unaffected by the howling winds and crashing waves we might be forced to confront.