1 Corinthians 15:58

We are living in an extraordinary time as well as the end of an era. The 21st century will involve an extraordinary degree of spiritual opposition. It will involve extraordinary and complex problems. It will involve extraordinary financial pressure, family dynamics, and a demand for change and assimilation. Because of the nature of the times we live in, ministry must be extraordinary, worship must be extraordinary, organization must be extraordinary, and everything we do must pass the muster of the moment.

150 years ago people were born, lived and died in the same community. But consider this; in the 1920’s cars become popular modes of transportation, in the 1930’s we saw the expansion of commercial air travel, in 1969, the Advanced Research Projects Agency, a part of the U.S. government's Department of Defense, set up the first parts of the network that would eventually become the Internet, and in 1994 the internet become globally accessible with the launch of Windows 95 which included Netscape. In 75 years we went from horse and buggy to the World Wide Web. Whether we understand it or not, what happens in Washington, Sacramento, Chicago, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Iraq affects and will continue to increasingly affects our lives.

If we are going to abound in the work of the Lord today, we are going to have a dichotomous vision. We must be able to look forward without losing sight of what is behind us. It is clearly time to look ahead. David’s sling worked and became, in some sense, a romantic tool, heavily associated with faith. But, it would prove woefully inadequate where David was going. The key to 21st century ministry will be expanding our knowledge base and skill sets. We innovate and adapt or die.

Conversely, there are elements of our experience we cannot afford to lose. We cannot remain apostolic, with the distinct blessings of God on our lives, without crystal clear convictions. We still need an illuminated fortress of truth serving as a point of reference as we navigate this constantly changing world. Likewise, we can never forget the power of the simple spiritual things we do. Much of what we do still comes back to simple, spiritual, persistent prayer and praise. There is the basic demand for searching, seeking, and knocking. We forget how to do that at our own peril.

I for one am excited about the future. I think I am ready for change. I think I have disposed of all my sacred cows. Of course time will tell, but I am thrilled about where we can be if we decide to be there and take the necessary steps towards abounding.