The Future Of Our Faith

By Brian Houston

We live in a time where the divide between a faith in God and secularism seems to be ever increasing, what is the future of faith and what role does the Church play in ensuring that this future is secure?

As a leader of what is a dynamic and growing church, and a friend to many who pastor similar churches around the world, it is clear to me that the Kingdom of God is advancing on the planet today!

There are many local churches that are confounding the perception of the 21st century Church as old, empty and extraneous, and there are those who struggle to understand it. They find it difficult to accept, that this growth might in fact be attributed to people having a life-changing encounter with a real and living God.

The truth is the message of Jesus Christ is timeless, and it is as relevant today as it was some 2000 years ago. However, the challenge for all of us is how do we ensure that this generation hears this message in the midst of the thousands of other voices vying for their attention?

I believe, like the Sons of Issachar (1 Chronicles 12:32), we need to understand our times, and know what we ought to do if we are going to effectively reach this and future generations. In other words, we need to stay relevant and in touch with a dramatically changing world without compromising the integrity and power of the message of Christ.

To be relevant requires us to be ‘in the world, but not of it’. Connected to the world we live in but positioned in a way that brings hope, love and answers to people of all walks of life and experiences. Church should be enjoyed, not endured! People are not looking for stale religion; they want to know that God can make a difference in their lives, their families, their relationships and workplace today - and HE can.
 

WHAT KIND OF CHURCH WOULD I COME TO?
My wife Bobbie and I have been privileged to pastor Hillsong Church since it started some 23 years ago. From the very beginning, I asked myself the question (and regularly re-ask it), “If I wasn’t a pastor, what kind of church would I want to come to?” These are some of the things I, and our amazing team, have endeavoured to build.

As a leader, I want to preach to people’s Mondays, not just their Sundays. To give people Bible principles and tools that can be applied to every area of their life - their marriage, in raising their children, at work, in their finances, spiritually and as they respond to the needs of others in our community and world. I want to help empower and release people of all ages into all God has destined them to be, whether that be in entertainment, medicine, education, politics or any other sphere.

When people walk in the doors of our church my prayer is that they would encounter a God who loves them, and they meet a church family that rejoices in their coming home. I want people to come to the House of God with an expectation that, as well as being fed, inspired and challenged spiritually through the worship and the Word, our services will be full of life, energy and fun.

I want ours to be a church that is full of authentic and genuine people, as I believe the world is crying out for authenticity. People whose ‘yes’ is yes and ‘no’ is no. People who aren’t afraid to stand for something and admit they too face challenges and struggles.

I want ours to be a church defined by a spirit of generosity - both individual and corporate, as people recognise that they are saved and blessed for a much greater purpose than themselves. A church that is outward focused and reaches into our community and offers help - no strings attached.

But most of all, I want ours to be the kind of church that is committed to empowering the generations and releasing them to do even greater exploits in God’s name than those of my generation or those that have gone before. If we have a generational focus in all that we do, the faith will continue to surge forward and countless lives will continue to be indelibly changed.

I was recently thinking about this in relation to Psalm 44. Here the Sons of Korah reflect on the ‘good old days’, the days of their forefathers when God was with them in contrast to the days they were living in where they felt God had forsaken them.

In this Psalm they exclaim: “We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish.” (Psalm 44:1-2)

What will the coming generations say when they look back in history to the 21st century? Will they, like the Sons of Korah, marvel at the move of God, the progress of the Church and the advancement of the Kingdom. I certainly hope so. I believe we have a responsibility to the legend and legacy we will leave the coming generations.

We have no control over how the future generations will steward what is given to them, but we can set them up to win by teaching them how to, ‘Love God, Love People & Love Life’.

If our earnest commitment as individual believers and leaders is fulfilling this, and all that this simple statement encapsulates, and then teaching others to do likewise, I believe the Church will never fade into insignificance.
 

© 2007 Brian Houston. Permission required to reproduce this article in any form.
For Brian Houston’s teaching on purpose, seasons and God’s timing, listen to “Time Is On Your Side” available here.