INTRODUCTION
TIME FOR A
CHANGE
By Tammy Sevcov
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT THAT WE LISTEN, LEAD AND OPERATE IN A
POSITION OF READINESS FOR WHAT IS TO COME
T
he apostle Paul declared that God’s
kingdom “cannot be shaken” (Heb.
12:28, NKJV). These words call to a deep
sense of God’s unchanging nature and
reliability. And yet, the unvarying ideology
of words like these can also speak to a
religious attitude of self-righteousness,
insinuating that our Christian practices
and liturgical norms are as they should
always be.
God’s Word, however, is filled with
pictures of ministry in motion. Of
persecution sending the disciples
“everywhere” (Acts 8:4), of ministers
shipwrecked as they continued their
ministry as they went (Acts 27-28), and
even of divine translation for the sake of
evangelism (Acts 8:26-40). The calling
to ministry was never meant to be a
static endeavor.
Our founder, Aimee Semple McPherson,
understood this. Building a church wasn’t
about settling down after years on the
road as an evangelist but fulfilling the next
assignment. Foursquare from the beginning
wasn’t static—Aimee immediately sent
hundreds out, started a radio ministry that
reached the nations and developed showstopping
illustrated sermons.
Today, if the COVID-19 pandemic has
taught us anything, it’s that change is
coming. Whatever your situation is, it
will, eventually, change. You cannot
follow Jesus’ command to go and then
expect to stay. We all must be listening,
leading and operating in a position of
readiness. Of willingness to adjust for, and
to, what’s next.
It’s been said that “the methods may
change, but the message remains.” If we
are going to be a church that sees Gen Z
and those who come after them discipled
and following the call of God on their
lives, then the powerful, immutable gospel
message must remain ever clear. But the
methods and perspectives of generations
past cannot remain the same—and neither
can we.
Tammy Sevcov served as the director of
Foursquare Communications from 2015-2020; she
also serves as an associate pastor at The Rock
(Anaheim Foursquare Church) in Anaheim, Calif.
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FOURSQUARE Leader