Programs don’t change people; people change people.
Speaking at a TED Conference in 1998, Billy Graham pointed out, “There are many problems that technology hasn’t solved”. He described the following:
1. Human evil—Why do racism, injustice, and violence sweep our world bringing a tragic harvest of heartache and death?
2. Human suffering—We have families that self-destruct, friends that betray us, and unbearable psychological pressures that bear down on us.
3. Death—One thing we have in common . . . all of us. . . . We are all going to die.”
In the twenty years since Billy Graham shared these words, a lot of new programs, technology, and research have attempted to understand or rectify these problems, yet they persist. Then again, the Bible says, God didn’t send a program to help us; He sent a person.
Jesus offered solutions to all three of these problems. He lived a life that was truly innovative—like none before and none since. Ultimately, the most impacting innovation wasn’t His life or His death. It was His resurrection. He, Jesus, is alive, and promised to be with us always through His life-giving Spirit. His Spirit teaches us to love even those who hurt us . . . to be patient . . . to be gentle . . . to control ourselves . . . to relax . . . to use kind words . . . to forgive. Now that’s innovation!