First Baptist Church

It is no surprise that our world is changing rapidly right before our eyes. Many, if not most of the changes are not good, except for the sake of convenience. Choices are supposed to be good but too many are overwhelming us. Going to a restaurant, grocery store, or shopping for a new car has become overwhelming!

Along with all the other changes, our world is becoming much more global. It was not that long ago that many people basically lived their whole life in one small area and perhaps only traveled a few times outside that area. I once talked with a man who told me he had never been outside his state until after he had graduated from high school. Another told me he had only been outside the state about 3 times in his 5 decades of life! This may sound a bit strange for our day, but this was completely the norm not so long ago.

In my lifetime I have been to about 2 dozen states (I have lived in 4) and have been to 3 other countries, but by no means feel that I have necessarily done a lot of travel because nearly everyone I talk to can top me! We live in an incredibly shrinking world! It is when you are walking through the Chicago airport and you hear your name being called by someone coming up behind you who knows you. It is when you are standing at a bus stop in London, England and start talking with a man whose sister lives in Joplin, MO near where you grew up, It is when a visitor to your church on Sunday morning shares that his dad was the former pastor of the church you performed your first wedding ceremony in about 13 years earlier. It is when a visitor to your church knows one of your former high school teachers/coaches and their son and his son were best friends in high school. It is when the person sitting next to you on a flight from Denver to Louisville completed the same degree you are currently working on from the same institution 2 years earlier. Yes indeed, these are just a few of the things which have happened to me over the past few years! The size of this world just keeps getting smaller!

In a book I recently read by former Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca entitled Where have all the Leaders Gone? He poses this scenario which is quite telling:

Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization?

Answer: Princes Diana’s death.

Question: How come?

Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scotch whiskey, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles, treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines. This is posted by an American, using Bill Gates’ technology, and your’re probably reading this on a computer that uses Taiwanese chips and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Indian lorry-drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked to you by Mexican illegals. That, my friend is Golobalization! (pg. 112)

Some consider this “globalization” as a gift while others see it as a cure. There have been great opportunities open up, where missions is concerned, but there are many drawbacks as well. The world is what it is! Christians need to take advantage of every opportunity handed to them recognizing that other generations of the past have not had what we have. As the world changes rapidly we should celebrate the new ways we can do ministry while possessing the timeless truth of the Gospel. I am so glad we have air conditioning, padded seats, PowerPoint, musical instruments, indoor plumbing, changeable message signs, carpeting, running water, electricity, telephone, internet access, word processors, sound systems, etc. Just think of all the generations of believers who lived and died with none of the things mentioned above. Yet, many of them were more sincere than many are today.

A day is an opportunity. It has been said, we miss 100% of the shots we never take. May we take advantage of the good things about the changing world and try and correct the things which are not so great. May we never forget, the Gospel is powerful enough to change our world, no matter how different it is now than it used to be!

In Christ,

Pastor Allen Raynor