By Franklin Dumond

I’m older now. It seems to have happened all too rapidly, but I now show every minute of my 39+ years. I’m older now and I can look past 44 years of ministry to memories of that first summer of church camp ministry. As a teenaged college student, they trusted me with elementary school children.

I used the cutting edge tool of flannel graph technology to share the gospel. Those colorful backgrounds and the pre-printed cut outs of biblical characters did the work, and about two dozen students responded to the Good News.

I’m older now but the gospel is not old and outdated. I saw it again this summer at our National Youth Conference. More than 1,000 teens and their sponsors listened to Brandon Petty share the gospel. He used the cutting edge technology of multi-media, on-stage props, and a working microphone to share the message of who Jesus is and how everyone can be connected to Him. Hundreds of teens responded with new or renewed commitments to surrender to Jesus Christ. Nearly 50 of them made a first time profession of faith!

I’m not sure what cutting edge techniques will arrive next to advance the cause of the gospel. The printing press, religious art, Camp Meetings, bus routes, radio broadcasts, television programs and movies have all been cutting edge tools used at one time or another to advance the cause of Christ.

Now a new wave of digital communication and social media advances the cause. Despite the varieties of tools that will develop, however, the message of “one Savior crucified, risen and coming again” will always remain true. Elmer Towns says it so well:

“Methods are many, principles are few.

Methods may change but principles never do”

The message of a General Atonement—Jesus Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man—has not and will not change. Aren’t you glad that it does not become old and outdated?