Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Something Old, Something New

“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matthew 9:16-17)

One thing I’ve learned (and continue to learn) is that there is no one-size-fits-all ministry for different churches. Take, for instance, the ministry of music. In some churches, the blending of contemporary praise songs with traditional hymns is possible. Other churches required that a separate service be created. Still other churches do just fine with only traditional hymns.

The key is discovering what is both right and what is fitting in any given situation. At times, the best way to do things is the way they’ve always been done. Other times, the best way is a new way. Part of spiritual discernment is discovering what to do, in what way and at what time.

I like what a man named Dean Inge says -

“There are two kinds of fools: One says, ‘This is old therefore it is good.' The other one says, ''This is new therefore it is better.'”

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