What is Relevance

We have to be relevant to be able to reach out to people. People live in a specific context. Every person in the world  is part of a nation, a culture and a community. Every person is part of a larger context. They live a real world with a real culture.

This is true, so now we have to be relevant to be able to make God more relevant to the people of a specific culture. Wow.

My question? How do we measure relevance? How do we decide what is the most relevant in the times we live in? What is the measure we use? Shall we look at the current culture? Ask yourself how does the current culture differ from the culture your mom and dad grew up in. Look at how their culture differed from the culture your grandparents grew up in. Do you think there is a difference? Looking at culture from this angle and  it becomes clear that human culture is perhaps one of the most fleeting constructs that exist.

Being relevant in our churches lead to such things as sermon series based on specific films or television series, or having a circus or other type of performance in church. People seem to think that relevance is preaching on specific 'current' issues, such as relationships, or parenting, or sex performance, rather that preaching Scripture.

I want to suggest that we may be using the wrong measure when we discuss relevance. Why should the peculiarities of a specific culture be more relevant than age-old truths. When we preach on a film or television series, are we very sure that everyone in the congregation knows this film or series, or are we preaching only to the part of the congregation that enjoys sci-fi, or romantic comedies, or reality TV?  Is that relevant?

We do not need to rescue the Gospel, as if it will disappear for ever if the present culture cannot find a connection with it. Over 2000 years the Gospel proved that it can survive martyrdom, complacency, wars etc. for 2000 years the Gospel has done quite well on it's own, without being relevant to a specific culture, but across cultures. Why is this the case? The truths contained in Scripture, both in the Old and the New Testaments, have proven to be relevant to people's situations, whatever culture or time, or nation they lived in. 

God is relevant! Always, in all circumstances. We need not tamper with Biblical texts, or sell ourselves to the culture to make this so. God is relevant, and His Revelation for us, as contained in the inspired Word of Scripture is relevant, and has been relevant for centuries. What makes us think that in out time we suddenly need to change the truth, as if that is even possible.

If we stick to the truth, as revealed to us, the Holy Spirit applies it in a relevant way, to address people's pain and suffering, to convict people and comfort them, to bring them into the loving embrace of Christ as they receive forgiveness. A Gospel that has proved effective for 2000 years, over time, countries, cultures, definitely does not need for us to apply it differently for our little moment in time and our little space in the universe, where the culture will just continue to change.