Teaching Series
The New Humanity
Tuesday—Innovators

Series: The New Humanity
Message: Innovators
Preacher: J. Murdock
Reflection: Tim Gillespie
Live Wonder: Verity Were
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Beyond: Moe Stiles
Live Purpose: Vanessa Rivera
Editor: Becky De Oliveira

Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.

Read: Isaiah 43:1-7,18-19 in The Message (MSG). Note 1–3 insights or questions. 

Reflect: The new humanity innovates because that is the image of God. If we are made in the image of God, then we are innovators looking for new ways to partner with the innovative God.

When was the last time you went to Blockbuster Video? It has probably been a while, or you can’t remember because there just aren’t any around anymore (the exception being the last one standing, in Bend, Oregon). The guys who would ultimately become Netflix worked at Blockbuster and pitched their ideas for a few years to the leadership team at Blockbuster. The Blockbuster folks were not interested, because the Netflix idea didn’t make any sense to them. They thought they were in the DVD business, not the content business.

The Netflix folks knew that they were in the content delivery business, and so they were able to change their business model, and then change it again when streaming content became a reality. Blockbuster Video used to be ubiquitous—now there is only one left in the whole world with all the corporate-owned stores having closed in 2014.  So who was able to innovate and why?

The answer is obvious: Netflix—but why? They were able to survive and even pivot and thrive because they understood what business they were in. When they figured that out, they were able to change when the market or technology demanded that they change.

So the question remains; what business are you in? Are you in the church business or are you in the Gospel business? And if you are in the Gospel business, can you innovate in that space and keep the product the same?

You can, we can, our churches can—if we have the courage to really focus on Jesus (who is our business) and try new ways to deliver what we have been given. Understanding our business should give us the freedom to try new things, to fail and to understand why we have failed, and to try again!

Recalibrate: When have you tried something new? Did work? Did you learn anything for the next time you try something new? How did you deal with failure? What is your business?

Respond: Take time to talk to your pastor, elders, or friends in church about what they believe is the “business” that they are in. How can your business be expanded and your culture of innovation be innervated?

Research: Watch this TED talk to understand what business you are in.

Remember: “Behold, I am doing a new thing” (Isaiah 43:19, ESV).

Dr. Timothy Gillespie is lead pastor of Crosswalk Church in Redlands, CA. He also teaches at several universities and consults on mission integration for Adventist Health.

Set out different colored mats or areas in your backyard. Pretend the floor is lava, but constantly change the rules. For example, one minute all the blue mats are safe, then the next minute all the grass is safe. After a short game, ask your child if it easy to play when the rules change constantly. Reassure them that a though they will try new things throughout their life, God is a constant that they can always count on no matter what happens.

Play a game with your friend or family member that you like, and then play one that they like. Take time to enjoy each other’s games. Remember that how you play the game is more important than the type of game you play. Play because you love to be with people and do things together. I wonder what games Jesus played when He was your age. What do you think?

How would you describe yourself? Confident, shy, busy, energetic? Do you think you will stay the same as you age? When I was younger, before I turned ten, I lived with my family in Samoa, as I mentioned on Sunday. My immediate family and I were Seventh-day Adventists which is our current faith tradition. The rest of our families were not—they did not gather with us on Saturday for worship and family time but instead would gather with most of our village on Sundays. Every year, on our little island, they would celebrate what they call White Sunday or Children’s Sunday. So my family on my dad’s side would often invite me to come and recite a Bible verse in front of their community, and as a result I got to feast with them afterwards—and boy, when I say feast, I mean, there was a spread like no other. We could have fed the whole village. It was one of my favorite Sundays of the year! Here’s the thing: I was not a very confident stage person. In fact, I don’t think I ever got through any of the verses I memorized without bawling my eyes out! There were times my aunt would threaten me with no food if I didn’t get my Bible text right. (She was joking, of course, but you do not joke about food with me!) Without fail, every year, on White Sunday, I would memorize my Bible text and show up to my aunt’s church ready to recite it in front of everyone, and then shake and tremble and cry throughout the whole ordeal. Unbeknownst to me, this was the start of God at work in my life. Let’s be honest,  I’m still a cryer and I still show up and share a Bible text or two or three, but that was not something I thought I would every do since I couldn’t get through a single sentence without crying.

The work of God is ongoing in our lives and in the lives of our family and community members. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow—but He has a way of working with us through the changing times. I am a little older than I was as a five-year-old girl who would crumble every time she got in front of a group of people, I have also changed because God kept at work molding and shaping me. He still is, to this very day, working to dispel my fear of public speaking. When the passage says He is doing something new, this means His work is ongoing. It is new every day! Who you are right now will continually be shaped and molded by God as you allow Him to work in your life. He will continue to use your gifts and talents in ways you are not currently able to  imagine! That new thing He is doing in you is going to bless the world.

Have you ever seen celebrities with their own security guards? Their job is to protect just that one person. Depending on the fame of the given celebrity, they may go to great lengths to protect that person. Security guards tell the paparazzi to move as they try to get their client safely into the car, for instance, and do all kinds of other things to make sure the celebrity is physically safe and doesn’t feel threatened. Imagine having your own security guard. Crazy, right? If you didn’t want someone to get near you, this guard would do whatever they had to in order to protect you. That’s their job. So what if one day the security guard was feeling tired or lazy and accidentally forgot to protect you from something? Would you blame the guard? Would you fire that person? The challenge with depending on humans is that we are all . . . humans. We are imperfect beings. This text promises us how not only will God protect us but that even through fire we will be safe. No matter how overwhelming the situation or how distant you feel from God, He promises He will be there.

Verity Were is a registered nurse at the largest pediatric intensive care unit in Sydney, Australia. She attends Kellyville Adventist church with her husband and two toddlers.
Zan Long is GRC director for faith development for ages 0-17. She lives in Sydney, Australia, and serves at her local church in nearby Kellyville.
Moe Stiles is lead pastor at Oasis Church in Vancouver, WA. She is married to Adrian and is mother to Caleb and Johnny.
Vanessa Rivera is a therapist at a community mental health center in Denver, CO, and serves as the faith engagement pastor at Boulder Church.

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