DAY 128 - HONOR THE PAST, BUILD THE FUTURE
DOUG WEKENMAN, RED ROCKS AUSTIN LEAD PASTOR
Not so long ago, we said goodbye to one of the greatest leaders in Christian history. Billy Graham made a permanent impact on this planet and shifted the way we present Christianity to a world that so desperately needs it. The Church is better because of the life he so faithfully lived. He ran his race well. He’s crossed the finish line and today he’s doing just fine. Just read his quote!
“Someday you will read or hear that Billy Graham is dead. Don’t you believe a word of it. I shall be more alive than I am now. I will just have changed my address. I will have gone into the presence of God.” Billy Graham
The older I get the more I understand how important and necessary it is to pay homage to the great men and women who have run their race before us. Remembering the history of the Church is what gets us ready to continue building it.
Billy Graham understood what God was up to during his particular time on earth. He was forward-thinking. He adapted to the era he was born into. He understood the language of his generation. He spoke it masterfully, and millions of lives were changed because of it.
I want to copy Billy Graham. But I don’t want to copy his language. I want to copy his strategy, which was to learn the language of the era that God has placed me in. I hope and pray that I can live and lead with the same character, conviction and faith as Dr. Graham. But I also understand that I’m part of a different generation that speaks a different language. The gospel will always be the gospel, but the way we present it changes with the cultural tide.
“To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all means possible, I might save some.” 1 Corinthians 9:22
And our calling is to do whatever we need to do to introduce people to Jesus. He is timeless. The message is sacred. Our methods and languages are simply tools.
“Marry the message. Date the method.”Andy Stanley
Tradition is incredibly important. We have to know where we came from to know where we’re going. The problem arises when traditions keep us facing backwards. People think we honor the past by copying the ways of the past. But that’s a slow and painful death. Forbes Magazine recently commented on why Kodak, who seemed to have a monopoly on the photography business, failed.
“Kodak did not fail because it missed the digital age. It actually invented the first digital camera in 1975. However, instead of marketing the new technology, the company held back for fear of hurting its lucrative film business, even after digital products were reshaping the market.” Forbes Magazine
The greatest threat to the company’s future was the traditions of the past. I would argue the same is true for the Church. We honor the past by remembering and celebrating our history, but more importantly, we honor the past by facing forward and building on the foundations that were set for us.
How is our generation different than our parents’ generation? Everybody needs the gospel, but what are the felt needs of Millennials and Generation Z? What are some traditions in your life that you would like to practice today? What are some traditions that you should celebrate and leave in the past?
I think Dr. Graham would be saddened if, from his seat in Heaven, he watched the Church try and mimic exactly what he did. Billy picked up the ball and moved it down the field, and now it’s time for us to pick up where he left off.