A Creative Minority

Scripture:

I Kings 19:18 Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Reflection:

Pastor Mark Batterson, in one of his recent sermons, made this observation: 

• “From 1934 to 1961, a British historian named Arnold Toynbee published a twelve-volume history that traced the rise and fall of nineteen civilizations. He wanted to answer a question long debated by historians: Do all civilizations follow a predictable pattern, a life cycle from birth to growth to decline to death? Or is it possible for a declining civilization to experience a rebirth? Toynbee believed that a civilization could experience a rebirth—a revival, a reformation, and even a renaissance.”

• History tells us that the collapse of societies or civilizations usually don’t happen from the outside-in, but rather they fall from the inside-out. Toynbee said that the disintegration of a society was often caused by the oppression or deterioration of what he called a “creative minority.” Toynbee says that a creative minority is a group of people that see and do things differently. I think of the 7000 who had not bowed down to Baal in Israel in I Kings 19. They are people that call out the broken patterns or processes within the society, no matter how unpopular or pervasive they might be. They offer an alternative way of living in relationship to others through new ways of thinking, understanding and working; ways that may have either been lost or need radical updating to create new opportunities and advantages. 

• I think we are currently at one of those points in history where we need a new creative minority that will believe God for a fresh input of insight, wisdom and hope from the Holy Spirit. We need a creative minority that has heard from Heaven and will be willing to challenge our businesses, churches and even our ideas on family status quo and call them to a rebirth and even a renaissance. 

• My prayer for this year will be that God calls us to be a new creative minority. To see things differently, to be one of those few that stand in the gap in prayer for our businesses, churches and families, to live as peacemakers, grace givers, and tone setters. May our words be seasoned with God’s grace and be inspired with a prophetic understanding that only comes with a word from Heaven. 

• God’s Word says that if we seek, we will find, if we ask, it will be given, and if we knock the the door will be open to us.(Matt 6:33) It will be supernatural solutions given to those who are willing to hear from Heaven and stand up when everyone else bows down.  This year I pray we be the creative minority of our day! Amen!