The Times They Are A-Changin'

Come writers and critics
 Who prophesize with your pen
 And keep your eyes wide
 The chance won’t come again
 And don’t speak too soon
 For the wheel’s still in spin 
And there’s no tellin’ who that it’s namin’
 For the loser now will be later to win
 For the times they are a-changin’

Come mothers and fathers
 Throughout the land 
And don’t criticize
 What you can’t understand
 Your sons and your daughters
 Are beyond your command
 Your old road is rapidly agin’
 Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend your hand
 For the times they are a-changin’

The line it is drawn
 The curse it is cast
 The slow one now
 Will later be fast 
As the present now
 Will later be past 
The order is rapidly fadin’
 And the first one now will later be last
 For the times they are a-changin’

These lyrics were written in 1963 by Bob Dylan and were and popular by Peter, Paul and Mary. I remember singing this song, and in fact I still listen to it. It is one of my favorite songs of all time. Today I was running and listening to worship music and Papa brought this song to my thoughts. As I thought about the lyrics I heard Him say that “These times are changing”. Now I have known this for years, but things are accelerating. The 1960’s brought change in our society that has impacted us for the last 50 years. I really believe that the 2010’s are ushering in such a change that we will not be able to even understand what we were before. The question is this: Will that change be led by the church and usher in a greater measure of the Kingdom? Or will it be like the 60’s and usher a new era of violence and anarchy? We in the church have to become active. It’s not about the church; we have to take the streets.

We as believers have shirked our responsibility for too long. And I am talking about myself here too! If the church would take up it’s call and take to the streets, releasing love in ways that people can understand, it would become a relevant force in society again. But it tends to stay in the buildings while depending on one political party or the other to take care of things. I’m all for engaging in the political system, but that is not going to be the answer in this decade. It is too polarized. It will take a major miracle from God to bring the sides together to get anything done.

No, politics is not the answer, but an activated church. We need a church that releases a body of believers into the street, meeting the needs of all those that they come in contact with. That is the answer to all the problems that we have in this country and the world. Once the believers begin to influence all the areas that they are involved in, then and only then will the Kingdom of God be released in such a manner as to effectively change this culture. Yes, these times they are a-changin’. Which way are they going to change? We are in charge of that decision. Which way will it fall?