Have you ever listened to commercials when they are releasing a new product? From cell phones to cars, they use words like, “new and improved,” or “all new Ford Escape”, or the “iPhone X, or “our best iPhone ever.” I find them humorous, because when it comes to new products, especially cars, cell phones and the like, do we ever expect the new version to not be better than the previous one? Who would want to purchase a cell phone that was not more advanced, had a better screen, and gave a better performance than the previous model. When it comes to consumer products it is understood that there needs to be an improvement, or the consumer will lose interest and turn to the competition.

The drive to always be better than last year, to continuously strive to improve, is the centre piece to successful product sales. If you’re not improving you are falling behind, that is the ruthless truth in our consumer conscious culture.

Now let’s look at the church. Too often, as a church, we lose sight of the truth that we are communicating our timeless message to a continuously changing culture. We hold to traditions, at the expense of cultural relevance. Worst of all, we forget that we are living in a consumer conscious culture, which is conditioned to seeing improvement in the products and services they access every day. We want to stay the same because we mistake sameness for sanctification. The church has routinely failed to see that the drive to be better, should be the first foundation of the church, before it is the foundation of the consumer corporate world. Why? Because the drive for improvement was behind the biggest investment ever.

The Father sent His Son to redeem His people. Not just to redeem us for heaven (though that is our great retirement hope), but to redeem us to shine like stars in the darkness. He redeemed us to partner with him, to restore His Kingdom, to bring the love, the values, and the glory of heaven, to earth.

Of all the places, and all the services offered to the consumer today – the church should be the institution leading the charge of “new and improved.” Why? Because we are the sons and daughters of the creator of the universe. We are the recipients of His mercies which are “new every morning”, because we are being “renewed day by day.” Because every day we are being made more and more like Him.

Don’t let the condition of Christ’s church remain the same year after year. Partner with the King of Kings, bring heaven to earth, and make sure the words, “new and improved,” “all new,” and “best ever,” are as easily applied to the church as they are to your next cell phone.

Have you ever listened to commercials when they are releasing a new product? From cell phones to cars, they use words like, “new and improved,” or “all new Ford Escape”, or the “iPhone X, or “our best iPhone ever.” I find them humorous, because when it comes to new products, especially cars, cell phones and the like, do we ever expect the new version to not be better than the previous one? Who would want to purchase a cell phone that was not more advanced, had a better screen, and gave a better performance than the previous model. When it comes to consumer products it is understood that there needs to be an improvement, or the consumer will lose interest and turn to the competition.

The drive to always be better than last year, to continuously strive to improve, is the centre piece to successful product sales. If you’re not improving you are falling behind, that is the ruthless truth in our consumer conscious culture.

Now let’s look at the church. Too often, as a church, we lose sight of the truth that we are communicating our timeless message to a continuously changing culture. We hold to traditions, at the expense of cultural relevance. Worst of all, we forget that we are living in a consumer conscious culture, which is conditioned to seeing improvement in the products and services they access every day. We want to stay the same because we mistake sameness for sanctification. The church has routinely failed to see that the drive to be better, should be the first foundation of the church, before it is the foundation of the consumer corporate world. Why? Because the drive for improvement was behind the biggest investment ever.

The Father sent His Son to redeem His people. Not just to redeem us for heaven (though that is our great retirement hope), but to redeem us to shine like stars in the darkness. He redeemed us to partner with him, to restore His Kingdom, to bring the love, the values, and the glory of heaven, to earth.

Of all the places, and all the services offered to the consumer today – the church should be the institution leading the charge of “new and improved.” Why? Because we are the sons and daughters of the creator of the universe. We are the recipients of His mercies which are “new every morning”, because we are being “renewed day by day.” Because every day we are being made more and more like Him.

Don’t let the condition of Christ’s church remain the same year after year. Partner with the King of Kings, bring heaven to earth, and make sure the words, “new and improved,” “all new,” and “best ever,” are as easily applied to the church as they are to your next cell phone.