Everything New is Old in Ten Minutes

I graduated from Lipscomb University with a degree in Marketing. One bit of information I learned from my major studies was, according to federal regulations, a product could only be advertised or promoted as new for a period of six months. I can remember thinking that six months seemed quite a long time for something to still be considered new but who was I to question federal regulators. My how things have changed! In todays age of instant information and constant reformation six months seems like ages.

Today information flows as fast as one's fingers can tap the keyboard. People don't need to wait until the nightly news at five or six to get information, you simply log on to the internet and google it, twitter it, facebook it. . . well you get the idea. I love technology and I love being able to get the information I want any time day or night. However, there is a downside to this fast and furious flow of information. Anyone can set up a blog in about ten minutes and begin to "report" the news. In a perfect world this is great but in our world it has created a group of people desperate to stand out from the crowd. As a result, information is reported with no regard to the facts. Some blogs in cyberspace make the National Enquirer seem as reputable as the Washington Post. This doesn't mean that you should discount all blogs it just means that the old adage we learned as children rings even more true today, "You can't believe everything you read."

This mindset of constant updates and continually evolving products is good for the consumer in the marketplace but what is it doing for the mindset of the individual who is seeking information regarding Jesus Christ? How receptive will a person be to the gospel of Christ, which does not change, if they have grown up in a world where they expect the latest and the best at their fingertips? This is the challenge we face in proclaiming the gospel in a post-modern world. How do we spread the gospel message laid down over 2,000 years ago to the person who believes that everything new is old in ten minutes?

One thing we cannot do is change the message. The gospel is set in stone, unchangeable, with dire consequences for anyone who tampers with what God has done. While we cannot change the message, we absolutely must change the way we communicate the message. The message is timeless but the conveyance of the message is not bound by time. On of the apostle Paul's more famous statements is "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." (1 Corinthians 9:22) I think we at the Waynesboro church of Christ are using technology in a pretty advanced way. Not that there aren't others that do a better job but, all in all, we are above the curve. The use of PowerPoint in worship is an absolute must in today's culture and if you aren't using it yet you should be. This, in my opinion, is the one thing no congregation should be without if you want to be able to communicate the gospel to our new culture. Blogs are another form of communication that multitudes of people are taking advantage of today. Matthew and I both use blogs and they have been a huge success (Matthew is much better with his than I am, you should check his out). Facebook is huge! Again, Matthew and I both have facebook pages and it is amazing how today's generation likes to communicate through this medium. We have also set up a facebook page for the church, while this is new for us I believe it will become one of the major forms of communication for the church. (Waynesboro church Facebook Page, Mitchell's Facebook, Matthew's Facebook)

Our times are changing fast and we must change with them. If we don't change the way we communicate the message of the gospel will be lost.