Adapting to Changing Realities
Staying true to our purpose, being ready for the challenges of a changing world.
“From the tribe of Issachar, there were 200 leaders of the tribe with their relatives. All these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take” (1 Chronicles 12:32 NLT).
Let me give you some context. Israel was in a major transition. Saul had taken his own life, and David had been declared king over Israel, as promised through Samuel years earlier. Part of preparing for the future involved having men who “understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.”
What are the implications? Primarily, it is that decisions about what direction or course is taken depend on understanding the signs of the times. Forms, policies and practices that have served well in the past may not always be effective now. Knowing when and what changes must be made seems to be a part of how God works. Some are skilled at understanding these things while others may not be. It also means knowing what must not change, as David Hesselgrave once expressed: “Although changes must and will be made, the future of Christian missions will depend more on changes that are not made than on changes that are made.”
First Chronicles chapter 13 describes the return of the Ark. While this was a change, it was actually because of a change that should not have been made. Verse 3 says, “[L]et us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.”
All the ministry partners that make up Global Partners seek to function according to principles founded on God’s character and His purposes as discovered through His Word. Principles like God’s heart for the nations lead us to pursue unreached people groups wherever they are found. Equal to our commitment to remain faithful in the task until the Body of Christ is completed is our commitment to work as part of that Body, His Church. These are examples of what must not change!
What must change, however, is how we will pursue these principles as we see contexts and attitudes toward full-time workers change. This is understanding the signs of the times.
Policies and forms are needed to help a partnership like Global Partners express the principles from God’s Word that guide us at any given time and in the various contexts in which we find ourselves. But these policies and forms must be assessed and evaluated as times and contexts change.
This process of change can be difficult for a number of reasons. Some of us are not gifted in this way. I confess that I am not among those who “understand the signs of the times,” but I have had the privilege of serving alongside those who do. I praise the Lord for gifting Global Partners with this kind of people! If you’re like me, sometimes it is hard to accept changes when we might not be convinced that they are necessary. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it” can be an obstacle for people like me.
It takes work to research and process what is happening around the world. Sometimes it’s simply easier just to keep doing what we have been doing for so long. How many times have I come to realize that God “has turned a corner” way back in the past? I hadn’t realized it because I wasn’t making the effort to discern what He was doing and how He was changing realities.
Finally, I realize that sometimes the forms and policies that were simply intended to serve as an effective way to pursue a principle have taken the place of that principle. In other words, doing things a certain way has become more important to me than the purpose they originally served. Adapting means having to define a new way to pursue the same principle. This can either leave us unable to predict outcomes or threaten our sense of security or comfort.
For me this has been a rather uncomfortable yet most rewarding process. As a practical example, one area that has most significantly impacted me has been my identity as a missionary. As I face the reality that more and more contexts are resistant to having missionaries in their communities, my first response was to consider that place to be a restricted access context or a closed community. In reality, what needed to happen was for me to reassess a form or identity that has been convenient for us for centuries. I have had to come back to my primary identity, a child of God or a disciple/servant of Christ. Perhaps the biggest change that had to take place was for me to realize that my identity as a missionary was simply a secondary identity that still serves well in many contexts but not in others. And like any other secondary identity (teacher, father, son, coach, soccer player), wisdom is needed to know when it is not appropriate or how it should be managed. Recognizing what has not changed (my primary identity as a child of God) allows me to let go of my default as a missionary and to embrace other strategic and more effective secondary identities. This is considerably different from simply covering up my identity as missionary and pretending to be someone else. My goal is not to deceive. Rather it is to live out my true identity authentically through a different and relevant secondary identity for the sake of the Good News!
Have you ever considered that God might be moving in a new direction while you continue in familiar routines, simply because you haven’t been paying close attention? Like me, could a desire for comfort or hesitation to engage with significant change cause you to miss what God is doing? Change is hard, and adapting in deep ways can be painful! But if it is for the sake of staying useful and effective instruments in God’s hands, it always ends up being so worth it and far more rewarding than the alternative.
God, help us to be those who understand the signs of the times and know what to do or to benefit from those who do!
