The End of the World as We Know It

The world is changing every day. I just read that several businesses I thought could never fail are going down fast. Landline telephone and newspapers are losing business in enormous numbers each day. It shouldn't be too long before any form you complete will be void of "home phone."

Things have changed so much even in my lifetime. I no longer wait for a tv program to come on. I watch it when I like with a DVR. I read the paper on my laptop. I order from the internet. I don't even watch the movies I get from Netflix anymore. I just put them back in the mail. Instead, I watch streaming movies. I really don't know why one is more appealing than the other but it is certainly my pattern.

I text just about as much as I call on my cell phone. I am able to receive several news reports on the same topic daily. I blog to reach a larger number of people than I would my merely preaching. I stay connected with people through email. (I still have trouble with Facebook. I just don't see the point yet.)

I am writing this blog and publishing to the internet at about 30,000 feet right now. Who would have thought I could have this connection  to the world as I flew just a few years ago.

Can you imagine someone in a coma for the past ten years suddenly awakening to the world we have today? I suspect he would say the world he knew has ended.

I wonder what will happen to the way we worship and share the gospel. Will people soon gather in clusters around their internet enabled tv's singing and worshiping together. The house church would certainly take a new meaning. The large church buildings would be gone. Even normal worship times would disappear since people could choose when they would meet. I suspect there will be a limited number of people who will be employed in the ministry. Nearly everyone will be a volunteer. They will get their education online. They will do their ministry in the same way.

If this happens, it will make the ministry as flat as other businesses. It will no longer be that a person must have great oratory skills to preach. He or she will be just as spirit-led but more gifted in technology to get the message out. I suspect that "preaching check" will be just as available as spellcheck is now. It will automatically correct a person's bad preaching. Now, this is something I can't wait for!

Yet, it will still take dedicated people to get the message out. It will take people who are willing to preach Christ. It will not change the scripture but the applications will surely change.

Of course, I could be wrong about everything I mentioned. I know one thing though. The determination of the gospel must not wane. The Paul shared with the Corinthians will go forward or the gospel will end. And that would really be the end of the world as we know it.

1 Corinthians 2:2 (NIV) 2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.