by Pastor Carey Clow

Surely it is the churches role to be fresh, full of life, and to standout amongst a generation and it's thoughts!

Zeitgeist (n) - lit. "spirit of the age" or "spirit of the time". The general moral, intellectual, and cultural climate of an era.

• Presently we worry about climate change and energy issues.
• We used to worry about Genetic Engineering in the 90's and global nuclear holocaust in the 80's
• DIY & Sports remain part of NZ's present global identity/psyche

Contemporary - Current, present and modern in relation to desired targets or outcomes.

Salt & Light

We must standout! We can't be bland and dull...

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:13-16 NIV

[Listen to this message via MP3. 43min, 4.8MB]

A Relevant People - Unlocking humanity by removing apathy

The last thing the world needs is a timeless message presented by people stuck in a time warp!

Relevant faith

Relevant hope

• For strong marriages & restorations
• For respectful and successful children
• For prosperous and productive living
• For healthy souls

Relevant religion

• Looks after the poor & down and out
• Looks after it's elderly
• Honours it's elders & leaders

Relevant citizens

• Attentive to social needs
• Cooperative with authorities
• productive as participants within a community

Resurrection & Tongues

Acts breaks open the new era of Church history with people speaking in other languages. Our role is to be filled with the Spirit so we can speak the language of every hurting person, and thus communicate to them the message good news found in Jesus Christ.

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. - Acts 2:22-24 NIV

In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." - Acts 17:30-32 NIV

Apathy

• an absence of emotion or enthusiasm
• the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally
  wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• Apathy is a state of indifference -- where an individual has an absence of interest or concern to certain aspects of emotional, social, or physical life.
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apathy
• Chad Bromley (born March 8, 1979), better known by the name of Apathy (formerly Apathy the Alien Tongue) is an underground rapper and producer from Willimantic, Connecticut, Connecticut) formerly signed to Atlantic Records. He attended high school at various schools in Connecticut. ...
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apathy (rapper)
• Complete lack of emotion or motivation about a person, activity, or object; depression; lack of interest or enthusiasm; disinterest
  en.wiktionary.org/wiki/apathy

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. - Revelation 3:15-17 NIV

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. - Romans 12:11 NIV

How can we be apathetic with the message of the resurrection? We can't!

Kill apathy! Reach out in relevance to this generation who needs the timeless message of Jesus' resurrection present in contemporary fashion against the present Zietgeist.