When the New Thing Looks Like the Old Thing
“Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future” -John F. Kennedy
One of the great difficulties prophetic churches face is the actual implementation of the vision they proclaim. Within our social media universe, there is a tendency to quickly latch on to the trending buzzwords of popular movements to ensure we are relevant or advancing. Although we may sincerely desire change, we are often oblivious to the kind of legitimate challenges that arise when attempting to break out of old mindsets and systems. We end up engaging in what I call “prophetic parroting”, the rehearsal of revelation with little strategy of application.
In the mid-1980’s Wendys launched its memorable marketing campaign designed to rebuff the criticism made by its competitors that their new “single burger” was too small. Wendys brilliantly landed a counter punch, pointing to the size of their competitors burgers, asking “Where’s the Beef?” insinuating that competing burgers were basically all bread.
The slogan “Where’s the Beef?” evolved into a cultural catch-phrase when questioning the substance of claims made about one’s products or ideas. It strikes me as the perfect question we need to periodically ask ourselves. Is what wesay we are, truly what we are in practice?
Prophetic vision inherently begs for change. It proclaims a new day marked by the working of Holy Spirit inaugurating a fresh new thing in a new way. Even if gradual, there should be signs that the invisible which has apprehended us is being made visible though our obedience.
Are we really apostolic churches? Are we truly prophetic? Is our church really in revival? These questions must have candid answers. If we continue to just talk about a new church era without embracing the necessary changes to advance into it, then maybe what we are serving up is all bread and no beef. Trust me, this generation can taste the difference.