Our theme for this month: “Wisdom”
Our Bible verse for today: “Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen. For our ancestors won God’s approval by it.” Hebrews 11:1-2 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “A wise person learns from history.”
I’m concerned that today we’re becoming entirely too modern for our own good. The Christian church has become contemporary in the extreme, almost to the point of disdaining everything from the past. “If it’s new it’s good, if it’s old it’s bad.” That mind set, when applied to church life, results in a pretty thin practice of the faith, one that has sacrificed the rich heritage that is ours.
There’s a lot we can learn from history of the church. The Holy Spirit didn’t suddenly show up on earth in 2014. There was plenty of good Christian music long before the advent of Maranatha Music; we used to get along just fine without PowerPoint presentations; preachers with spiked hair were considered strange much longer than they’re been considered cool; and Joel Osteen is not the Apostle Paul (how’s that for an understatement?!) The point is that there is much from the past that is good and helpful and worth hanging onto.
The Christian church has a long and rich history of deep insights, profound teaching, beautiful music, inspiring art, and revival movements that have changed the course of nations. We ignore that history at our own peril. In his book “The Sacred Romance” author John Eldredge writes:
“One of the reasons modern evangelicalism feels so thin is because it is merely modern; there is no connection with the thousands of years of saints who have gone before. Our community of memory must include not only saints from down the street, but also those from down the ages. Let us hear the stories of John and Teresa from last week, but also those of St. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila, to name only two. Let us draw from that “great cloud of witnesses” and learn from their journeys, so that our memory may span the story of God’s relationship with his people.”
We can and must learn from those of previous generations in our church, as well as from those of previous ages down through the centuries of Christian history. The ancient is good in oh so many ways. We miss much by trying so hard to be ultra-contemporary. The truly wise person knows there is much to be learned from the history of the Church.
For an expanded teaching on this subject you can go to my website at http://www.JimMersereauBooks.com and download the free article “Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times.”
God Bless,
Oak Hill Baptist Church 