There's a World of Difference Between News and New

[HKHaugan]

We have been diligently pursuing just what newness is all about. This concept of newness is critical for us to understand and for four basic reasons.

First, newness will be our experience in Heaven. Among the Bible’s last words were these, “ And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful (Rev.21:4-5 NIV).”

Second, newness is our inheritance. We were made for newness. “ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1Peter 1:3-5 NIV).”

Third, newness is for right now and started with our baptism. We were baptized into newness. “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Rom.6:4 KJV).”

Fourth, we are to make disciples of Jesus so that they can experience this eternal life of newness that is in Him. “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matt.28:18-20).”

Remember how we quoted Eccl.1:9, “There is nothing new under the sun.” Well we want to deal with that passage right now; ‘Under the sun’ is the world in which we live. But over the sun all existence is held in God’s will, God’s grace and God’s Heaven. In this world there is nothing new as God defines newness. Because sin has corrupted the world it has corrupted the way we think and act. The true idea of newness was lost.

The problem in the world is this; the media has hijacked the word ‘new’. What you see on TV and read in the printed media is not new. They are the same kinds of human situations that happen over and over again. Yes, they may be happening ‘new’ly in terms of the people involved, surprises that seem to be new for the kinds of people involved, unexpected events taking place, but none of them are ‘new under the sun (Eccl.1:9).’ Violence, mayhem, crime, weather, tragedy, business, war, conflicts, sports, success seeking, relational identity; they all make up ‘the same old, same old.’

Actually we need to call them ‘olds.’ All of our world experience is ‘old hat,’ what the world calls new are simply variations on old themes. Variations are the latest ‘news.’ Apply this to us. Take for instance the way we may want a new car, a new set of clothes or have new furniture, maybe remodel our house, a get new hairdo, or be drawn to buying every new electronic gadget that comes along. Notice how quickly they become old, no longer new? That’s like any thing we are drawn into, going places we’ve never been before, trying something different to see what it’s like, hearing about a place to eat that’s exceptional. Think about what happens when you buy toys for children and how abruptly their sense of new changes and ‘new’ toys end up in the closet. They spend more time with the boxes the toys came in than they do with the toys. So all the ‘new’ things mount up to never really satisfy that search for ‘newness.’ After you’ve been through all the stuff you end up saying ‘been there, done that and got the shirt.’

The entertainment industry is built on making you believe that they are presenting something new. In reality they are simply reshaping old themes in novel ways. Movies, plays, concerts, TV series, they come and go. Yes, they may be novel but they play on the same old themes. But be aware, novelty is not newness. It is an attempt to copy newness. It is an attempt to fill the newness void that only a relationship with God can fill. We were made for newness, which is God’s design. It is sin that blocks real newness.

The proof is in the fact we get tired of what we thought was new. Being on a winning team for instance. As soon as the trophy is presented, it’s all over. You have to try again and fans are only looking for that momentary feeling of victory---again and again and again. The sports industry bets its existence on the belief that we will be so wrapped up in competitive success that they spend millions upon millions every year keeping us drawn into their projects.

Ever have a new car? The moment you buy it it’s used, old, decreasing in value and eventually either traded for a ‘new’ one or sold to buy a ‘new’ one. Spurred on by an advertising industry that exists solely for making you think you have a need for something ‘new.’ This propels designers to come up with something ‘new’ which is really novelty. What doesn’t really change is the combustion engine. What does change is the packaging around the engine, the ‘new’ model. We don’t re-invent the wheel, we just change its package.

What are fads and trends really? Aren’t they just novelty dressed in the desire for newness? The change in appearance is trying to impress the world around us that we are on to something new. The whole cosmetic industry, making billions every year, plays on the inner need for looking new and having an identity that can really only come from the One who created us. All the body piercings, muscle building, tattooing and diet plans are cosmetic extensions attempting to make us look ‘new.’ After all no one wants to look like ‘their old self.’

Sentimentality, nostalgia, novelty are really spirits that lure us into the path of believing we can find newness in some external novelty. Sentimentality gets us to try and pour concrete on some past event or events that made us feel that momentary happiness, that newness. Think of the money we spend on retreaded concepts; things that we think make us new in some way. Think of the time we spend speculating on the best way to impress others. Think of the energy we spend working, no, even more emphatically, laboring, to gain the kind of control economically and personally to find that inner fulfillment.

The commandments, teachings and principles in the Bible are not ‘old hat.’ They are the means the Lord gives us to be vulnerable to His Spirit of newness bringing us into the newness He wants for each of us. Tithing isn’t a fundraiser. That’s old hat. Tithing is a principle God has given us to learn what it means to live dependently on Him so that He produces in you something new that is ongoing. All the blessings He has given in His grace are new. Grace is His allowing us to continue in spite of ourselves so that we eventually see the light of His presence that is ‘new every morning, new every morning.” Faith becomes our willingness to follow Him by letting His will replace ours. His will is that we live this new life, a life of newness, newness in and by the Holy Spirit who is the person of newness happening in our faith.

Religion is old hat. Relationship is always experiencing something new. Religion relies on the old dynamic of being in control not only of self but also of others. A relationship with God is beyond, in the unseen, in the spiritual dimension where discovery, newness, insight, inspiration and truth are always offering something new. Newness produces, oldness stagnates. Newness brings real life. Oldness guarantees death. A relationship with God takes us out of our fear and by faith into love, the new quality of life that is inherently new every next moment.

Jesus tells us what true worship is, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth (John4:23-24 NIV).” How we come together in worship is not a religious experience. It is only religious when we depend on a form or structure to feel good about ourselves. It is relational and new when we are together letting go, praising and thanking God, sharing and praying personally. In the process the Lord brings that newness that invigorates us to go out and be personal, relational, intimate and vulnerable in the world. That is the mission of newness. As they say these days it’s ‘thinking outside the box.’ As Jesus said, “The time has come. The Kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news (Mk.1:15).” He is the good news. He is the new, the constantly new for every mind, heart and spirit. Listen to Him knocking.