WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY IDEAS
From CEO Julie Friedman Steele’s intro speech
Pillars of the future, but awesome for discipleship
1. Have Empathy, see others from their perspective in life
2. Be a Life Long Learner, always learning new things
3. Be a Life Long Unlearner, abandoned what no longer works
4. Be a Dreamer, constantly thinking about what could be
5. Be comfortable feeling uncomfortable, the world keeps changing
6. Be a Collaborator, we all need each other, work with others
7. Be a Visionary Doer, put new things into action, practice etc.
If as people of faith want to make a difference for our world and help usher in the kingdom, we ought to be into this too. Empathy, genuinely getting connected to our brothers and sisters, not only from a spiritual stand point, but for our communities, our nation and our world. Here is where Scripture admonishes us to be welcoming the stranger, and especially mindful of accepting the immigrants. There are multiple references to reminders from God that we were aliens too in our faith history. Love one another, helps to fulfill the second great commandment. Empathy is applying our awareness of what people are going through, so that we can relate to them in positive ways.
Empathy, we must care for others, it will motivate us to do something about what’s wrong.
A disciple of Jesus is a life long learner. Jesus said teach each other all that he taught us, we will constantly be learning about ourselves and God and others. Seek wisdom, our scripture admonishes us to do. Each day can reveal something new about God and our world, so that we can respond and connect and make it better. Learning doesn't ever have to stop. That's what will keep us young, fresh ideas will inspire us to make a positive step forward.
The old has gone, the new has come. Be ready for behold God does a new thing, can’t you see it? We have to put away permanently that the old way was so good. It's never been perfect. Because we were used to it, made it feel good. Our political challenges right now are that we have a different impression of our past, and some want to go back to it. But our past if full of not quite reaching our great potential, falling short of our great ideas that started us as a nation and as people of faith. Our past is littered with short comings and miss treatment of people who are different than we are. Our current millennial group of non participants in church, blame our hypocrisy for why they aren't eager to work with the church to bring in the kingdom. We have to leave Egypt behind and move toward an unfamiliar promised land, and stop forming a back to Egypt committee as they did in the desert before Moses could get them to move forward.
Be like Joseph and dream dreams, image what God could do, seek first the kingdom and work toward it. It seems God keeps calling us to be better at who we are and how we follow Jesus. It may appear awkward at first, these big dreams. But without a "what if", nothing would have been invented, nothing would have been tried. I so relate to the agony of the pilgrims when they were still in Holland thinking about going to the new world and getting the chance to live out their faith. They came up with many reasons why not to go to the new land. They were afraid of natives, animals, lack of food, harsh environments, dangers at sea. But the faithful in their midst, reminded them that in the midst of the fears, God spoke a word of trust. Not all the bad things would happen, some of the bad things could be prepared for, and the rest would be a miracle because God was with them. Dream dreams that help us move toward the kingdom of God.
Jesus said we must lead by serving others. We become used to being put aside for thee, a John Wesley idea too. Uncomfortable with the weird just pushes us toward trusting in God some more. Every challenge has it's getting used to. If we are prepared to accept that God will never put us where he cannot help us, that he will be with us where ever we go, we can last through the uncomfortable as we wait for the sea to be calmed and see what the next adventure Jesus leads us to, will be.
We are the body of Christ, and we need each other, collaborate, co-labor to grow the kingdom. It seems that Jesus was sending out the disciples on missions teams not solo, but with a companion. If we trust that others can help us far more than we can possible figure out on our own, we will be much better off and accomplish far more than we could have imagined. So put aside that it's all about you, and learn it's all about us. One leg on a stool, not so good, one strand in a rope, easily broken, but three legs on a stool, or three strands in a rope, and the power begins to grow. Be a Collaborator.
With God’s help we are able to do far more than we can even imagine (Eph 3:20) Be a visionary, thinking ahead, looking for ways that God can make a new beginning. Don't just sit there and think, get up and do. Get up and worship with others, where ever two or three are gathered... Get up and go, to a Bible Study, to a mission project, do something to help neighbors, make a real difference. Even the simplest effort can change someone's world.
I want to thank Julie Friedman Steele, the new CEO of the world future society, of which I've been a member a long time, for her remarks. I thank God that they are so closely aligned with mission purposes we have been given, by the Great Commission ( Matt. 28:16-20)
Blessings on your responses
Pastor Jeff
