Culture in Transition Pt. 6

The year 2020 has come to an end. I believe we would all agree that 2020 was a unique year. There was not a nation that was exempt from the challenges of the year. COVID-19 has made its presence known. Every country in the world felt the wrath of this pandemic. Life, as we know it, has been changed. People everywhere have adjusted to the best of their ability. This year has been painful and heartbreaking for most. For others, there are still economic challenges involving housing worries and emotional upheaval. The level of emotional stress has been unprecedented. Even our educational institutions are not immune to the new normal levied on every family.

The year 2020 has impacted every sphere of influence familiar to man. In this new year, every government must find ways to lead. Entertainment has pivoted in light of the limitations required to curve the devastation resulting from continuing infection. Medical professionals have accepted the challenge to find vaccines to slow the spread of this disease. Amid all these challenges, there have been natural disasters adding to the difficulties of coping. The transportation industry has also suffered losses during this time. Every system, whether economic, scientific, or social, has had to re-invent itself.

And then there is the church! The church is no exception to the rule. What is the role of the church amid confusion and mayhem? What message of hope can the church proclaim during this chaos? God sent His only begotten Son into the world so that the Kingdom of Heaven could be realized in the earth. Jesus revealed the Father’s will when He taught His disciples how to pray:

“This then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, (10) your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Matthew 6:9, 10

God’s plan from the beginning was that the church would represent heaven on the earth. There is no more important time for this desire to become a reality than during 2020, and now 2021. Truly the culture of our world is in transition.

I want to be sure that the church (RRTEC specifically) is aware the Father’s heart for the church both globally and locally. God has never changed His mind concerning the purpose for the church. No one understood this better than Jesus, who paid the ultimate price for our redemption. John 17 confirms that Jesus understood the plan of God all along. The bigger reality is whether the church understands the plan of God in this moment. Please take note of the Lord’s words:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message. (21) that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (22) I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: (23) I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

John 17:20-23

Jesus reveals the heart of the Father concerning unity! God has always wanted men and women to know that His will for all humanity is that they might be one. Jesus highlights this point by noting that that mankind becoming one would be evidence of the truth that the Father sent him because of His great love for every human being. The will of God for the church is that we would exemplify Christlikeness to the point that those who don’t know our God would come to believe in Him. One thing that is evident in this season of life is division. Our world is divided on almost every front. The church is called to bring unity in this season. This is the will of God concerning His church!