The New Kingdom doesn't use floppy disks.

We live in a time of great change and transition. In the future, historians will look back on this time and see it as the end of one era and the beginning of another. In many ways it is an exciting time to be alive, so many new things, but it is also a challenging time for those of us trying to bridge the gap. One of the most obvious ways to mark this gap in eras is with computers. I can easily tell how old a person is just by looking at their computer. Someone who started using computers when they first came out in the early 1980's (so, people 40 and older) will nearly always have a ton of icons on their desktop, in fact, it is very common for them to cover the entire desktop. Why? Because people raised on DOS, before the use of graphics interface (ie Windows), have never been able to fully trust that they will be able to find their stuff again if they don’t have a shortcut for it on their desktop. Younger people, raised on graphics interface computers, nearly always have a nice and neat desktop, with just a few important icons on it. They trust the operating system to keep track of their stuff and so let them hide in the Programs tree.

Mark 12:35-44 “While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, he asked, "How is it that the teachers of the law say that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet." '  37 David himself calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?" The large crowd listened to him with delight. 38 As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39 and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40 They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely."  41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.   43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on."  

God is always doing new things, its just that most of us miss out on them because we are too busy looking at our feet. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day failed to recognize the new thing God was doing, and they missed the boat by a mile. The new Kingdom was running on a completely different operating system, and it was time to recognize that the old Commodore 64 wasn’t going to be able to run Windows 7. In fact, the priorities of the new Kingdom were so radically different, they render the old system obsolete.

Every Christian should develop the ability to upgrade his or her operating system every time the culture shifts and God opens new opportunities. The biggest challenge for American churches right now is that most of them are still in the 1950's and 1960's. The majority of these churches will eventually die out, because they will be unable or unwilling to make the missional changes necessary to reach the culture. The good news is that new churches are forming out of their ashes, most of the church growth right now in the country is due to church planting. These plants by their very nature are missional in approach, reading the culture and finding ways to connect and build bridges with non-Christians. Established churches are doing this as well, but it requires a continuous drive toward change. The more established the church, the more effort it takes to help it evolve, but with God on our side, it can be done!