“Every once in a while a revolutionary product comes along that changes everything.” – Steve Jobs
19 years ago, Apple CEO Steve Jobs made that statement to a crowd of adoring fans, developers, and stakeholders at Macworld in San Francisco. At first, he teased the crowd that he would be announcing THREE game changing products that day: a widescreen iPod with touch controls, a mobile phone, and a next level internet communication device. Three revolutionary products launched in one speech!? What a promise.
But soon, it became clear that Jobs was not launching three separate products, but one new product that would do all three of those functions. This new product, of course, was called the iPhone. Nearly two decades later (for better or worse) it certainly has changed the world.
Can you imagine being present for that first iPhone reveal? Would you have believed Jobs’ assertion that this device was a game changer? Would you have been skeptical?
My son was born just before the iPhone was released. Though Josh never knew Pluto as a planet (it was named a dwarf in 2006), 3 BILLION iPhones have been sold in his lifetime. The world population was between 6-7 billion people when the iPhone was invented, and they have sold 3 BILLION of them in less than 20 years.
Has this device changed our lives? Absolutely. In some ways life became easier and more connected, while in other ways it has made our lives more complicated and lonely. What a strange paradox! The full effects of this device are still being mapped out in real time, with some of the negative consequences being observed in books like Jonathan Haidt’s “Anxious Generation,” as he sees the effects of this device on a generation raised on phones instead of playing.
Speaking of revolutionary moments, I want to shift our focus from our phones to something even more life-changing. If the iPhone changed the way we spend our time, I want to talk about another announcement that changed our eternity. This launch was not made in San Francisco in 2007, but near the Jordan River in the late 20s AD.
In Luke 3:21-22 we see the baptism of Jesus Christ. This event is referred to in the New Testament as the beginning point of Jesus’ public ministry. It was His inaugural ball, His launch party, or His opening rally. Dr. Luke shares this event with economical precision, using just two verses to say so much about who Jesus is and what He came to do.
Only twice in all of the earth’s history does Someone so revolutionary come along and change everything. And, I am not referring to two different people, but the same Person who came once … and will come again.
This Sunday, we will look at the event that launched the ministry that changed the world. Has He changed yours? He can!
Join us Sunday at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 services as we continue our “Prepare the Way” sermon series with part 5, looking at the baptism of Jesus Christ. See you Sunday … and bring friends.