I realized some time ago that as a pastor, shepherd, teacher I needed to be conscious of and address (speak on) current issues. I am pretty laid back by nature as many of you know. So this had to be a Holy Spirit empowered thing.

The motivation or rationale from a spiritual perspective is summarized for me in Francis Schaeffer’s statement that “It is unreasonable to expect people of the next generation in any age to continue in the historic Christian position, unless they are helped to see where arguments and connotations directed against Christianity and against them as Christians, by their generation, are fallacious. We must prepare Christian young people to face the monolithic twentieth-century culture by teaching them what the particular attack in our generation is, in contrast to the attacks of previous generations.”

“So chimp (deep) hor?”

Simply, how can they believe and in turn speak, if they do not hear?

A more practical motivation arises from one of our (the vineyard movement’s) key values of wanting to be relevant.

Look at this vineyard church website. I liked the simplicity what they want to be. Their four Rs are to be:

1) Real – We don’t pretend to be someone else with God or with each other.
2) Relevant – We are relevant to the times with our message and worship.
3) Responsive – We are striving to hear what God is saying in each service.
4) Relational – We are growing in a relationship with God and each other.

And I think that to be relevant to the times requires one to deal with what’s happening. And what’s happening for us means what’s happening globally since we are so plugged into the information grid and Singapore is being transformed into a global city.

I feel that there is a need for me to deal with what’s happening when the events or news we hear creates tension with our values or is in direct conflict with our core beliefs as disciples/followers of Christ.

There are real “heavy weights” out there, and a picture that comes to mind is a 60 kg man wrestling with a 200 kg gorilla. By this I mean my own modest abilities (in my estimation) against highly articulated and IQed proponets trying to tell you that my message and worship is irrelevant to the times. But I suppose I don’t have a choice about entering the fray!