21^st Century Church: Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

This new blog is designed to stimulate our thought on being the kind of people Christ so needs us to be in the world today! For us to be the effective people of God in a rapidly changing world! To recognize that being a 21^st Century Church is not a model of church but is what the church is constantly being called to be!

I am challenged by what I hear about Hillsong Church London – they meet in the Dominion Theatre – one of London’s most prominent stages. They are on the Broadway of London in the show district of Soho filling the Dominion four times on a Sunday! Accomplishing something that is quite unthinkable on a Sunday – and they are doing church! They are doing it “Main Stage” – they are right where the church should be – highlighting Jesus Christ – lifting Him up in the Centre of one of Europe’s greatest cities!

The Message of Jesus rings in my ears – “Let me tell you why you’re! You’re here to shine like a city on a Hill!” Paul writing to the Ephesians church said this, “The church you see is not peripheral to the world but the world is peripheral to the church."

The church is the central, pivotal, strategic and most dynamic plan of God for all the ages! It is the church where Jesus both acts and speaks!” It is the church; we are the people of God who attract people to Christ. Every one of us should have that Heavenly quality that attracts people – it’s Jesus that calls us to be “fishers of men”

The message of Jesus Christ has never changed! In fact Jesus has never changed. He is still the good news of God coming to earth like a man and living and dying as the ultimate sacrifice for all mankind! This message is still the message of transformation, forgiveness and salvation! It is a story about the grace and mercy of God being poured out upon a people so undeserving.

Paul put it this way, Romans 1:16, says “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” This message remains constant – it is the same message the early church preached 2,000 years ago and every day 1,000’s are still being transformed by its power! It is the power of God!

Though this message has never changed – the packaging this message comes in has got to change for each successive generation, for every culture and people group! The way we package this timeless message needs to be memorable, vital and powerful; it needs to be unpredictable, surprising, and fresh. It must be fast paced recruiting the language of the day! It needs to have resonance and personal significance as it interacts with today.

This world needs a 21st Century church.