The World Seems to be Possessed by a Wild Dynamism and is Changing at Ever Increasing Speed!
There is a well-known quote that says, “No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” This quote is attributed to Heraclitus of Ephesus, c.535BC to c.475 BC.
To paraphrase, in a gender-neutral manner, one might say, No person ever wakes up to the same world two days in a row; it’s not the same world and they’re not the same person! While that is a very true statement, the reality of that fact is difficult to apply to our lives each day!
The idea is that nothing stays the same, everything is changing. Today we are living in a world where change is occurring with ever greater speed. This has been observed by many, including Alvin Toffler, the author of “Future Shock,” who have commented and written on the subject of the speed at which things are changing.
A typical dictionary definition of dynamic I found online is “constant change or motion;” which seems to be a reasonable description of society today; the world is changing at political, social, moral, and technological levels with startling rapidity. While the technological advances are producing some significant improvements to the quality of life, the social and moral changes seem to be doing just the opposite.
It appears the organized church is not exempt from change; the majority of church services we’ve observed today bear very little resemblance to past church services which have been a source of great blessing. A spirit of reverence and awe has been replaced by darkened rooms, smoke, flashing lights, and music performance featuring the performer.
Is the Lord Sending Christians a Message?
Could it be the Lord is sending his children a message? I’m reminded of Jeremiah 17:5 where it is written:
“Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.”
It appears all of the usual crutches for Christians, the organized church, the various levels of government, social institutions and the economy are showing increasing inability to cope with the problems and challenges they’re being forced to confront today.
As the Lord steadily removes these crutches, the Christian is required to seek alternatives; the obvious alternative is to return to the Lord as the source of stability and strength! I’m reminded of the Lord’s words in John 4:23-24 where it is written:
23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
The Samaritan tradition had established the top of Mount Gerizim as the place for worship whereas the Jews identified the temple mount in Jerusalem as the true place of worship. Our Lord was establishing the New Covenant where no geographic location would be the place of worship. Under the New Covenant, each individual became a temple of God, the Holy Spirit and could worship in spirit and truth wherever they might be!
I have heard it said, in some contemporary services, that the Christian must come to church to find and be blessed by the Holy Spirit; the fact of the matter is, the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit and brings, in a manner of speaking, the Holy Spirit to the building called the church. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 it is written:
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The Biblical truth of the matter is the temples of the Holy Spirit assemble in a building as a matter of personal choice but the Holy Spirit is within each temple forever!
The New Testament Christians assembled in private homes; the Lord had told the Apostles in Matthew 18:19-20,
19 “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Today, Christians all over the world are once again meeting in private homes; a return to New Testament Christianity!
Where Can a Christian find Stability?
This world is inherently unstable; at virtually all levels of existence, this world is not a refuge from the storms of change. Natural and man-made disasters have threatened life all over the world since the Genesis flood.
I have been fascinated for years by the structure of the earth; the nature and action of the tectonic plates which cover the earth is both fearful and intriguing. The Pacific, “Ring of Fire” is an awesome example of the power of the movement of those plates.
While I don’t live in a seismically active zone, my area, the Gulf Coast region of Texas, experiences hurricanes and flooding which can threaten lives and property. There is no place on earth that is totally free of risk; looking to locations and circumstances for safety and peace is an exercise in futility; after all there is always the possibility of an asteroid falling from outer space!
For a Christian, true wisdom is to look to God for our stability and peace; we are told the God of peace will be with us if we are obedient to God’s commands. This is a part of living a life of faith and not a life of sight. Uncertainty has been a part of the lives of everyone that has ever lived; it should come as no surprise to any of us that we too are faced with uncertainty.
There is one hymn that has always touched me deeply; I share the words with you here:
When Peace, Like a River
1 When peace like a river attendeth my way,
when sorrows like sea billows roll;
whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say,
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
2 Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
let this blest assurance control:
that Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
and has shed his own blood for my soul.
3 My sin oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
my sin, not in part, but the whole,
is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more;
praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
4 O Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
the clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend;
even so, it is well with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well with my soul;
it is well, it is well with my soul.
I encourage you to let those words be your guide and let the promises of God fill you with rejoicing and peace in the Lord! “9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9
davidbowerkingwood 
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