I recently have been caught up in the HBO TV series "Game of Thrones" which follows a complex and interweaving storyline of various royal household seeking to ascend to the iron throne and rule the seven kingdoms. One of the main characters is "King slayer" Jaime Lannister who is the eldest son of the richest man in all the seven kingdoms. Jaime Lannister is blond, good looking, rich and one of the best soldiers in all the kingdoms. From a very young age Jaime was taught how to fight and he understands that his mission in life is to fight for his family and for his kingdom (the two are closely linked). Since he is one, if not the best, swordsman in the land, he accomplishes his mission with relative ease and only the fool hardy dare to challenge him in open battle. Then he was captured by one of the competing ruling families and used as a ransom to secure the safe return of the sisters of his captor. While on their way to Kings Landing, Jaime's home, Jaime and his guard are apprehended and Jaime has his right hand, his sword hand, cut off. Now Game of Thrones fans (at least those who never read the books) have to wait and see how Jaime will fulfill his mission without being able to use the one thing that he was known for.
This is the same situation that faces churches today. How do we fulfill our mission for the Kingdom of God without being able to use the tactics that brought us success in the past? How do we accomplish our mission if what worked for us in 1882, 1982 and 2012 is taken from us? The answer: We learn new ways to accomplish what we are called to do.
Some believe that if we just keep doing the same things we used to do we will get the same results. That is not true if you are using methods that are outdated. Those ways of doing things have been cut off by the new age that we live in so don't think it is possible to just pick them up and they will work like they used to. We need to remember that God is a God of the new thing. Look at what God told Jeremiah to say to the Israelites,
“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the Lord, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. Jeremiah 3: 16-17 (New Living Translation)
I have no idea how Jaime Lannister is going to cope without his right hand. I do know that churches that fail to find new ways to accomplish their mission after their "right hand" is gone will eventually die. Sadly they will not have accomplished their kingdom objectives and ultimately disappointed the King who sits upon the throne.
Blessings.
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