An Increasing Share Of A Diminishing Market

All I'm doing with this writing is paraphrasing, editorializing, expanding, and passing on a portion of a message given by Mark Rutland (President of Southeastern University) a few years ago. The message was entitled, "Prophetic Ministry In A Materialistic Age", and it's still fresh. Thanks Mark.

Years ago, early in the 20th century, about a hundred years past, Henry Ford and the horseless carriage, the automobile, began to make its advent into American society. Up until that time, the horse-drawn wagon was one of the prime means of transportation--at least for more than one person and light cargo anyway. As in all markets of a capitalistic society, there were probably many makers of wood wheels for these wagons. However, with the increasing success of the auto, on rubber wheels, Goodyear and others began to make their names known and the need for wood wagon wheels began to lessen and decline with each passing year. So too did the manufacturers of the wagon wheel. Why wouldn't they?---there was less demand to sustain them! However, any one wood wagon wheel maker/distributor who held on, let's say the Acme Wood Wagon Wheel Company, began to find it was getting a greater percentage of the sales of this product as its' competitors fell out of the business one by one. Although the Acme Wood Wagon Wheel Co. was boasting in its capture of this 'wheeling' retail, their days were marked and numbered, their doom sealed, and they would soon fold too, simply because they had fallen into the mold of merchandising mortality---an increasing share of a diminishing market---one that simply would not continue to perpetuate either growth or livelihood.

God has always dealt with His people on a personal basis. The Bible is full of names, not statistics. In the Old Testament, we read that His thoughts toward us would outnumber the sand. In the New Testament, we read that the very hairs of our head are known and numbered. God has been and will always be a personal God---not some distant creator on the backside of the universe or some non-relative entity that wound up the world and let it go to see what would happen. Throughout the history of His people and the church, He has regarded, responded, and related to them as individuals dealing with them (us) on a generation to generation basis. God has always been faithful to lead His people according to the light that each generation has had. God is still leading and guiding today---if we let Him. If we follow. To follow, we must hear and see Him. Spiritually speaking of course. Even as the children of Israel in the wilderness were guided by a cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night, we must be faithful to look for and follow Him.....and flexible to change when He moves right or left, even when He moves differently than that to which we are accustomed.
Two nights ago, I was going through some cassette tapes looking for an old musical recording I hadn't heard in years. I ran across one of my own messages to a group from about two or three years ago. Strangely enough, it was stopped on this very same point I am emphasizing now; that is, God has dealt faithfully with every generation individually as He wills and sees best. I don't think that was a coincidence. The other side of the coin is this: It is incumbent on the church to reach the world, to change the world, to bring restoration to a world that is more lost, more dying and more aberrent each day---just watch the news---not just the local and national, but also the world news. One of the worst things that can happen to the church of this generation (any generation) is for it to not have effect on their community and world. However, if we rely on yesterdays' experience and motivation to reach our world, we will (and are) find(ing) ourselves with an increasing share of a diminishing market. We must be open and flexible to change---for growth and progress. (Now, let's make this perfectly clear. This is not to say that the nature and attributes of God change. In other words, God will always be omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and a God who is and personifies truth, righteous judgement, mercy and grace---always).

Many people today enjoy their 'church experience' the way it is. Many people today are encouraged with the apparent success of the purpose-driven life quest, and the apparent growth of the community church. Conversely, there are those that question the overall state of 'church life' and impact of this current 'movement' as it relates to the 'realtime' advancement of the kingdom of heaven. In other words, is it really doing any good for, making an impression, and having a positive lasting effect on the world we live in? In more other words, are we having an effect or just perpetuating our own private social clubs (wood wagon wheel makers)?
As I visit different churches, both denominational and nondenominational, I see many people, (if I can be so bold, direct and colloquial), who are simply bored with their religion........and, frankly speaking, need relationship. Relationship, true fulfilling heart-relationship, is the only experience that will cause one's spirit to be enlightened, lightened, rejuvenated and effectual to even become evident to the world, and whereby, we will get a greater share of the market ( forgive the analogy--it seems to fail here as human life should never be considered a market--but you know what I mean).
God is calling His people, right now, to stop, look, and listen...to be flexible for change as He sees it. God is calling for change in His church, that is , in the hearts of individuals first and in the corporate church. Not initially or necessarily by more fevered service or legwork, brighter ideas, bigger buildings or more programs and busyness, but by getting in touch with the changemaker. Truly productive, worthwhile, lasting changes only come via the heart authored by the Changemaker. We cannot afford our wheels to stay rutted in the old 'method'. Paul said, "...my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." Remember, new wine cannot be put in old wineskins. We, as the church, the body of Christ, are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world---not hidden---but seen readily---as leaders. Light, in darkness, shows the way!

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