The Good Old Way Makes New

The ceiling in our garage has slowly degraded over the years, largely a result of failed adhesive and lack of nails to hold it.  Thankfully shoring up the sides with blocks of wood has kept the sagging Gyprock from falling down on top of our car and property.  It isn't only my garage where I have seen this same method of hanging plasterboard fail, but in other homes.  Had I been the one who installed the ceiling using that adhesive and nailing technique, without a doubt I would have changed my approach going forward.  Obviously the adhesive was not suitable for Australian conditions, and to continue to use the failed technique would court future disaster.

The thought occurred to me how this circumspect approach to building could be wrongly applied to Christian ministry.  As builders use quality products for a predictably durable finish, so Christian ministers seek to teach sound biblical doctrine and make disciples of Jesus Christ.  The challenge comes when scriptural approaches seem to be ineffective at producing desired results or fail.  One might think, "This isn't working.  What seems to be working for other people?  What is a new method or program I can employ which will guarantee quick and good results?"  But building the church isn't at all like building a house.  People are not at all like structures nailed and secured into place without a will of their own.  And let us not forget the enemy Satan is a liar, thief, and destroyer, a saboteur who tirelessly works to undermine the truth of God's truth.

Perhaps it is better to look at Christian ministry as physical therapy for those who bodies are broken, in a spiritual sense doctors and dietitians for those who struggle with addictions, gluttony, and physical conditions.  Whilst on earth we dwell in these bodies of flesh, and some of us deal with arthritis, diabetes, and depression which can have a genetic origin.  Others continue to be confronted with decisions of their past like complications of alcoholism or troublesome relationships.  We come to Christ broken, and though He heals us spiritually we continue to live in a broken world with failing bodies.  It is not that Jesus is powerless to save, but sometimes we do not trust or obey Him.  The problem is not that the Bible is flawed:  we are.  The spiritual reality of the new birth transcends our old life and ageing bodies, but we are still living down here on earth in them when an enemy who seeks to destroy us.

Satan would love for us to be discouraged and give up in the face of our struggles.  He wants us to turn from God and His Word in bitter disappointment because only the almighty God is the source of true hope and salvation.  Only God can deliver us from the power of Satan and redeem us for God's glory, and Satan has seen this too many times for his liking.  But there are many more fish in the sea, many more wavering Christians who, in light of their own failings, could be duped into thinking the problem is in God.  Chicken Little thought the sky was falling because a small apple dropped onto her head, and we can run around in a panic trying to fix the world, people, or ourselves when God has said, "Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD.  Be strong and courageous:  have I not commanded you?  I will never leave you or forsake you."  Will we trust Him when we are afraid, fearful, weak and alone?  Will we go to His Word for nourishment rather than the equivalent of an alcoholic drinking away his sorrows, a glutton finding solace in food, or a diabetic gorging on sugar?  God and His Word and even the devil often isn't the issue, but it's us.

What refreshment, salvation, and hope is in our God and in the truth of His Word!  Don't let your feelings, physical conditions, past failures, or the devil tell you any different.  Let us praise the name of the LORD on high who heals us, sees us, and provides abundant, eternal life through Jesus Christ.  The God who created the earth says, "I make all things new."  New techniques or approaches are not needed by the God who provides the good old path to salvation through faith in God.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."