The Decade of Disruption
A blessing in disguise!
By Bishop Wayne Malcolm
The decade of disruption is upon us now and with it; uncertainty, confusion and despair for many who are losing faith in governments, scientists and religion. The corona virus is a public health issue, but our response to it presents a political, economic and social challenge. Politicians need to balance lives with livelihoods, while society has to decide weather it believes a word coming our of a politicians mouth.
We have become uncertain about the future and have anchored our hopes to potential cures, therapeutics and vaccines that our politicians promise are around the corner. These hopes have been dashed by second-wave scenarios, predicting even more misery for society!
At the same time we are seeing unprecedented social unrest in virtually every region of the world. From the yellow vests in France to the protests in Hong Kong. The black lives matter protests and the protest against police brutality in Nigeria are among many protests taking place all over the world. Clearly, ordinary people are sick and tired of being sick and tired. They are disillusioned with political and institutional leadership as a whole.
The fact is that we have entered a decade of disruption and although it feels like a bad thing, it may in fact be a blessing in disguise. This article is about why?
1. The spotlight on injustice: Although this issue needs a series all by itself, I want to summarise my thoughts as follows. The fact that society works for some and against others is now beyond dispute. George Floyd was not the first unarmed African American to be executed by the state, but in the frustrations of the universal lock down he received media attention and started a revolution. Likewise police brutality in Nigeria and SARS abuses of power has gone on for years but this year the people said enough and the spotlight means that questions must now be answered and change made meaningful. Governments are being exposed as are the institutions that they prop up.
2. Disruption in business: Disruption in business is not all bad. It describes an innovative business model, product or service that makes obsolete its predecessor. When a new way of doing business demolishes the old way of doing business; it is called disruptive! When a new product ends the lifecycle of an older version; it is called disruptive! The truth is that it is only disruptive to those who are intellectually, emotionally and financially invested in the old way. Those who cleave to the old and resist the new are the ones who experience disruption. This global pandemic has forced every industry into the 21st century. It has made technology a pre-requisite for doing business. It has created new markets for new products and new services and new opportunities for people who can see and seize the future.
3. The context for Christianity: Christianity thrives in adversity and not in luxury. When a country is comfortable, it becomes philosophical about religion and indifferent towards faith. It doesn’t need a God and doesn’t seek one. Jesus called us lights in the world. This is not possible without an obvious darkness to contend with. Likewise he calls us ‘salt of the earth”. The salt is simply not needed without a wound to disinfect or decay that needs preservation or a sour situation that needs savour. The truth is that the first church grew exponentially against a back-drop of global tyranny, social poverty, persecution and human misery. The blessing in disguise is that now, even the most prosperous of societies are seeking God and looking for the church!
The closing of churches has likewise shifted our focus from putting on shows for Christians, to serving people at their point of need. Evangelism, discipleship and ministry to the poor is now the focus of most churches. Those churches that relied on a weekly show, have suffered loss, while those that priorities discipleship and ministry in the community have found their flame and are experiencing revival.
4. The birth-pains and new beginnings: The perils of this present time should be understood as birth-pains indicating the immanent arrival of a new day! A new economic and political era is begging for expression in every nation. This is not new. The world has evolved through several economic revolutions. From the garden of Eden till a few hundred years ago, agriculture was the engine of world economies. Nations prospered through farming and through fighting.
The industrial revolution created new opportunities for a few who owned the means of production and distribution. Subsequent industrial revolutions have created more opportunities for more people to realise the dream of financial independence and entrepreneurial success. The current industrial revolution is disruptive yet inclusive for those who are ready to re-skill, up-skill and pre-skill.
The economic earth-quakes we are experiencing were always coming. In this respect, Covid 19 has only served to accelerate the inevitable for many sectors while forcing other sectors to re-invent themselves rapidly.
Conclusion: The decade of disruption is a decade of opportunity for prophetic people. It is the decade in which God will migrate the church from the religious corner to the centre of societies. The emerging church will influence politics, business, education and the direction of nations. Vacancies will appear in every institution, industry and sphere of social influence. These vacancies will be filled by spiritual people who view their business as ministry, their careers as callings, their occupations as vocations and their work as spiritual warfare.
This ministry is dedicated to that new breed who are destined to change the world. Join us today for more….
