Why "CHANGES" ?
Some have asked us why we use the word Changes on our publications. At first, it was simply because no one else used it and because it has scriptural significance, but the more we think about it, the more reasons we have for using it.
1. All the really good names like "Survivors of the One True Church Desperately Clutching the Once-Given, Often-Imitated, Never-Duplicated Absolute Truth as Understood in 1963" were already taken.
2. The word "Changes", based on the verb (to) change, is less easily confused with currency than the word change which, as a noun, can be understood as coins and could thereby be interpreted as a subtle reference to contribution, as in Send-me-all-your-tithes-and-offerings-immediately-before-God-squashes-me-like- the-cockroach-I-am approach. We have tried to avoid that, along with the How-many-times-do-we-have-to-remind-you-that-we-don't-even-mention-money-much-less-ask-you-for-it? approach. Oops! We said we weren't going to do that. ;-)
3. Some have come to understand that "minister" should be considered a verb, not a noun. In our culture that's somewhat like the scientific explanation that grass is not really green but is a combination of all the colors except green, so that its visual appearance is what we call green.
Even though that is scientifically true, everyone still says grass is green. And, despite scriptures to the contrary, many still believe that a "minister" or "priest" has "rule" over your faith and that a salary is owed to him/her. Therefore, names like "C.O.D. Ministries, (Visa Card accepted)" were out of the question.4. Our culture also considers a church as something one joins, located at some fixed location, where one can appear "before God", or go to "find God" for a few minutes when so desired. Go anywhere and ask, "Where is the church?", and people will give you directions to a building somewhere. Christ did not come to start a neighborhood "Priest-in-a-Box" building program.
Although he sometimes spoke at the Temple and in the synagogues, most of the time people had to go and search for him to hear him speak, and then it was often outside. So, names like the "Globally United Chaotic Church International" and the " Restored, Inspired Prophetic Oil Fellowship of Faith", were out. Besides, the acronyms didn't work for us.5. We considered producing audio versions of our articles, but that would resemble a tape ministry and might quickly degenerate into another high-volume, low-quality feed mill producing a milk supplement instead of whole grain food or "meat" (Gen. 1:29, 1 Cor. 3:2, Heb. 5:12-14). Of course this is not a problem if your goal is to be a veal calf, facing an early slaughter.
Christ didn't charge admission to his classes and the writers of the NT books never charged royalties for their works. Yet we see programs charging a love offering or asking to be reimbursed for their service, with the excuse that "education costs" and we wonder, as did Christ, 'where is the faith?'.We are not saying everything out there is worthless, just that it could be done with the sacrifice of many fewer trees and much less air time. There is no direct correspondence between time elapsed and value offered. As one liberal arts college of theology instructed their students, narrow your topic down to its smallest unit and then fluff it up to fill the allotted time, or column space. In this way, three or four years of Bible classes could be fluffed up to fill a 30 or 40 year career in preaching.
Therefore the "Wholly Cassette Church of the Weakly Messages (with Guilt-trip Appeal for Money, Enclosed)" was unacceptable. Besides, it's been done.
There are more reasons as to why we didn't use other names. But there's a positive side to the word change(s) as we see in the following scriptures.
"If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come." Job 14:14
". . .the earth, And the heavens . . . will perish, . . .Yes, all of them will grow old like a garment; like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed." Psa. 102:25-26, Heb. 1:10-12
"Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, . . ." Phil. 3:21
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." 1 Cor. 51:51-54
"Behold, the days come, said the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:" Jer.31:31
"And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stoney heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh: that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they will be my people, and I will be their God." Eze.11:19-20
"For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." Heb. 7:12
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." 2 Cor. 3:18
"But now you also put off all these:[evil works]. . ., seeing that you have put off the old man [your old way of life] with his deeds: And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:" Col. 3:8-10
"For finding fault with them [the people], he said, Behold the days come when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:" Heb. 8:8
"In that he said, A new covenant, he has made the first old, Now that which decays and waxes old is ready to vanish away." Heb. 8:13
"And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that . . they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance." Heb. 9:15
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, . ." Heb. 10:18-20
"You have come unto . . . the general assembly and church of the firstborn, . . And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, . . . See that you refuse not him that speaks." Heb.12:22-24
"But the day of the Lord will come . . .in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, . . . the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. . . . Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness." 2 Pet.3:10-13
"Again, a new commandment I write unto you, . . . He that says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness even until now." 1 Jn.2:8-9
". . . To him that overcomes will I give . . . a new name . . ." Rev. 2:17
"Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, . . .and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name." Rev. 3:12
"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth . . . And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem . . ." Rev. 21:1-2
"And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. . ." Rev. 21:5
"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain." Isa. 66:22
"And these signs shall follow them that believe; . . . they shall speak with new (languages);" Mk. 16:17
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." 2 Cor.5:17
"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." Gal. 6:15
"Sing unto him a new song; . . ." Psa. 33:3
"He has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord." Psa.40:3
"Remember you not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?" Isa. 43:18-19
"Therefore I will judge you, . . .every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby you have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die,. . .For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dies, says the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live.. " Eze. 18:30-32
"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." Psa.51:10
". . . but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." 2 Cor. 4:16
"That you put off concerning the former (conduct) the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: And that you put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." Eph. 4:22-24
". . . Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God." Psa. 55:19
"And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed [changed] by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Rom .12:2
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is about changes. It's not about buildings. It's not about money. It's not about religious clubs calling themselves churches. And it's not about any human being having power or authority over your faith. It is about "changes". That's what the articles on all of our websites reflect. So you see, we really couldn't call it anything else.
Writing to serve,
The authors.
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