Prophetic Untimeliness

"To always be relevant you have to say things that are eternal."

Although a very short book, 119 pages, Prophetic Untimeliness packs a very powerful punch. Os Guinness calls the Church to bear the offense of the Gospels and walk out of step with the temporary trends of our times. Although he dosen't name names, Guinness appears to have the seeker sensitive Church in mind. It's one thing to follow the example of the Word who became flesh in order to make known (relevant) the invisible God. Its quite another thing to lose ones distinctivness in order to fill pews. It appears that the later is becoming more and more that state of the Church. I believe it has impart become the mantra of my own. This saying is certainly true, "He who marries the spirit of the age makes himself a widower."

Guinness provides three ways in which we can learn to be untimely (untrendy).

Develop an awareness of the unfashionable.

Its easy to preach the "good news" it quite another to preach the bad. The heart of the Gospel is hostel to our carnal nature. Yes there are doctrines and beliefs that we are comfortable with but there are also doctrines and beliefs which offend us. We must seek balance messages of condemenation/confrontation with comfort/consolation.

Cultivate an appreciation for the historical.

Nothing can confront our modern perspectives like a healthy dose of history. For our American Church living a life of luxuary in this modern age it has become a popular belief that God will not allow the righteous to suffer (i.e. the name-it-claim it crowd). By cultivating an appreciation the historical we are confronted by this mordern distortion. A good way to gain an historical perspective is by reading old books.

Pay constant attention to the eternal.

This may seem as difficult as asking a fish to think of a world outside the water, but its not. We as Christians recognize that God's word is eternal. The same word that spoke the worlds into existance is the same word that sustains the world today. That same Word has been given to us in the Bible. I can hear my audience groaning even now. "The bible is old news, we want something new." But let us remember that today's new is tommorrow's old. Only by enteracting with God's word can we enteract with the eternally relevant.