Change. The very word strikes fear in the hearts of many Apostolic Pentecostals. Change brings with it endless questions and a plethora of unknowns. It’s much easier to remain the same rather than change for the better. Doesn’t change equate to compromise? Our comfort zone is comfortable.

 Let’s face it. We’re the Church. We trace our lineage to Acts two, the Day of Pentecost. We’ve got the truth. We’ve got the Holy Ghost power. We’ve got the name! We’re Oneness Pentecostals. We’ve got it and many don’t have it. Surely we don’t have to change with the times. Somebody wakes us up and remind us that, contrary to popular belief, it’s not compromising to adapt our methods to fit the times we are living in. It is our survival! We must change or else we die!

 Why don’t we change? Why do we fear change rather than embrace it? Why do we keep on doing the same things but expecting different results? In a word…fear! We’re afraid to change, afraid to adapt, afraid to be flexible, afraid to transition. We’re afraid of something new, something different, something unproven, something that challenges the status quo, something that challenges our normal. We fear failure.

 One of the anthems of my life has always been: “Methods are many, principles are few. Methods change often, principles never do!” Our challenge as the people of God is to change the things that need to be changed, and protect the non-negotiables that are timeless and change not! Sitting on my desk is a pewter paperweight with these words engraved: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?” What would you do for God if you weren’t afraid? Ask yourself the question… what is your answer?

 Every child (and adult too) is familiar with a Slinky. This two-inch stack of 98 coils provides great fun for adults and children alike as it twists and turns in a million directions. Slinky’s are so flexible they can go in any direction yet the core of what a Slinky is still remaining true. The Slinky debuted in 1946 and although it has undergone many changes since its inception, the basics of what a Slinky is are still very much the same. Since then over a quarter of a billion Slinky’s have been sold worldwide! (I have a Slinky on my desk right now and have played with it even while writing this article!)

 In his compelling book “Change is Like A Slinky” author Hans Finsel expresses that change is like a Slinky in the following ways, with my comments in italics:  

1. You have to get it out of the box to have fun with it. Get out of the box!

2. Somebody has to launch it on its way. Be an agent of change!

3. The course it takes once it begins is entirely unpredictable.  You can’t predict the future.

4. It routinely gets stuck halfway down the stairs and has to be relaunched, over and over again. Change must be promoted over and over again to keep it going!

5. Before it is launched, it has stored potential energy, and when launched, that energy force becomes kinetic energy. Awake the sleeping giant!

6. It rarely lands where you predict. Only God knows where it will take us!

 Jesus Christ was the greatest change agent in the history of mankind. He broke the mold, destroyed the old paradigms of religious life, and changed the fundamentals so life would never be the same again. He came to change the world and He did. His disciples continued in his steps by turning their world upside down.  Does Jesus expect any less of you and me today? I think not.

The Bible is filled with 63 “Fear Nots”. In the midst of a rapidly changing world, we must promote the changes that need to be made and protect those things which must never be changed. How flexible are you? Be the change you wish to see in the world.

As saints of the living God, we are change agents with the responsibility of bringing about change in people’s lives, our communities, our state, our world. The true measure of our success must be changed lives, transformed people!