Remind or rethink?
Recall or reimagine?
Remember or reinvent?
The Bible uses some very specific phrases. Words like Remind, or Remember, or Recall. These words, or variations of them occur hundreds of times in scripture. All these words convey the idea of bringing back to mind the things of the past.
The Bible expressly tells us to remember the commandments God has given us, we are told to remember the covenants God has made with us. We are told to remember the experiences of our forefathers so we learn from their mistakes and from their obedience. We are told to remember the miracles, and the signs and wonders that God has done. We are told to remember His words. We are told to remember His love.
The primary reasons the Bible gives for this is because the things that have happened in the past are to be examples, lessons, and foundations for us.
We can learn from what has happened in the past, and we can build on the foundation that has already been established. We can have faith for the future because we remember God’s faithfulness in the past. We can trust in His promises now because He was faithful to keep His promises in the past.
There is a current trend which I find quite alarming and that is the trend toward either ignoring the past, or redefining the past. I hear people often say things like reimagine, reinvent, rethink, or redefine. The current term is "woke”. People who are woke are people, who in their mind, are enlightened, they see things that the rest of us don’t, they understand things that the rest of us can’t, they comprehend things that the rest of us won’t. Woke people place no value on the past. In fact, for woke people the past must be dismantled and a new future re-imagined.
Do a study on these three words; Re-imagine, Re-invent, and Re-think. You will see that in the last 25 years the usage of those three words has grown exponentially. The common element in each of these words is change.
Politicians and cultural leaders are falling over themselves trying to reimagine and redefine our world. To fundamentally change the way the world thinks, acts, and believes. In stark contrast the Bible emphasizes words like Remember, Remind, and Recall. God wants to raise up His church who will remember the foundation that this world is built upon.
It is true there are many things in our world that must be addressed, there are many attitudes and practices that must be corrected, there are historical failures across the board. But, the answer is NOT in human wisdom and understanding. Humanity is NOT capable of reimagining or reinventing a better world. If it could then the Tower of Babel would have been completed, Noah's flood would never have happened, Jesus' death would not have been necessary. The Bible is clear - We are POWERLESS to help ourselves. The answer is not to reimagine a better way, but to bring back to mind those things that were given to us for examples and instruction.
In Isaiah 46 God says to His people:
… Remember the former things of old,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like Me,
Every generation is tempted to believe they know better than their predecessors. every generation is quick to dimiss their parents as old fashioned fuddy duddies. And it's true. I lack the fashion sense of my children, but I am not talking about fashion, which comes and goes... and then comes back again. I'm talking about foundational truth, I'm talking about principle, I'm talking about an unchanging God and the values He gave us. Values which by the way, include loving and serving each other.
The world does need answers, but those answers aren't in the wisdom of politicians or future generations, they are in the Ancient of Days. It is a great irony that in trying to make a world without God we are proving how much the world needs God!
C3 Newberg is a community church located in Newberg, Oregon. We exist to impact our City and help individuals find and know Christ. We are a Church for the City and a City for Christ.
If you would like to know more about C3 Newberg follow us on Instagram @c3newberg or text 'INFO' to 833 757-0432