It is obvious that the views of each generation on God and what it means to be employed in His service differ, most times with very conflicting views. Each generation has its own revelation of God, different from that of the preceding generation. God is a trans-generational God-the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I believe there is a unique manifestation of God that is tied to every generation for the benefit of the world (Romans 8:19-22).
My point is that God would not reach each generation in the same way, so why should we think we can get results using the same methods that were used for us?
Have you observed that sharing tracts does not have the effect it had in the early 80s? Young people are not keen to listen to 2 hour messages. If a movie is not interesting, they'll dump it in seconds, even if you're teaching them important values. I would like to submit that anyone who doesn't change his style of "ministry" in this 21st Century would find that his impact is greatly diminished. Pastor Poju Oyemade recently said that any pastor using Bishop Oyedepo's style of leadership in ministry today will not make much progress. Incidentally, Bishop Oyedepo's is pastor Poju's mentor. I would like to submit to you that for any person to effectively evangelize this generation, your style MUST change!
The devil understands this truth so well and he tailors his evangelical efforts to ensure that he catches the youth. For him (the devil), it doesn't matter if you fully understand what you are getting into. Just get in first. He uses what someone (my pastor and friend, Pastor Niyi) calls the mass market approach. Effectiveness in any dispensation is directly proportional to your understanding of the dynamics of that dispensation with emphasis on the technology and the people in that era.
Evangelism is a lot like marketing and for it to be successful we must understand the terrain and understand the market. We must understand that
- Definitions have changed (gay no longer means happy)
- Indices of wealth have changed (Physical wealth vs Intellectual property Apple quoted as 2nd most expensive company globally).
- Technology has changed
- Perspectives have changed (How business is done, Social interactions powered by Social media networks, fashion trends i.e. lower waist-lines, lower neck-lines, etc)
AS PEOPLE CAUGHT IN THE MIDST OF THESECHANGING LANDSCAPES,
WE MUST UNDERSTAND AND BE ESTABLISHED IN THE TIMELESS
FUNDAMENTAL TRUTHS OF GOD AND LOCATE INNOVATIVE
& CREATIVE WAYS TO PRESENT THEM TO THE WORLD.
Some of today's post is an excerpt from a presentation at a monthly programme focused on empowering Christians to actively participate in media. Download the file here.
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