The Message Behind the Methods

The other day, I was chatting with a friend about churches he had visited recently. He just moved to the area and is still trying to find a church to call home. That particular week, he had visited a church that he said he really didn’t like.

“What didn’t you like about it?” I asked. “Was it more traditional than you’re used to?” I knew the church he had visited. It was an Anglican church that mixed traditional liturgy with contemporary worship.

“No, I don’t mind the traditions,” he said. “It was the worship that bothered me. I don’t agree with churches using flags and stuff in worship. It makes worship too self-centered, like it’s all about the people dancing and not about God.”

“I could understand that,” I said. Then I changed the subject.

I changed the subject because I knew my friend and I disagreed on this subject, but I didn’t think it was worth arguing over. I really could understand his perspective. He didn’t grow up in a tradition that practiced expressive, emotional worship and to see people dancing, waving flags, and shouting in church could certainly come across to him as self-centered and prideful. I, on the other hand, have grown up attending churches that used flags, and I even helped to spear-head the use of flags in worship services at my college.

Even though I see a lot of benefit in using flags and expressively worshiping God, even though I see a scriptural basis for it, I didn’t press the issue with my friend because I see a lot more scriptural basis for acting in love. I could tell by my friend’s tone that he wasn’t open to discussing the merits of flags and dancing in worship. He felt strongly that it was wrong, and arguing with him about it wouldn’t change his mind or give him a better understanding of God’s love. Instead it would cause division between us and probably leave us both with a bad taste in our mouths.

There are times when you disagree with a brother or sister in Christ about something stylistic or cultural, about matters that our salvation doesn’t depend upon. We have to have discernment in those times to know whether to press the issue or not. We shouldn’t always shy away from talking about our disagreements. We need to know that there are safe places to have those disagreements. I can’t begin to tell you how much my life has been changed for the better by debates with fellow Christians who believed things that I didn’t. Even if I didn’t come to agree with them, I walked away with more understanding of another position and more love for people who aren’t exactly like me. God grows us through disagreements when both parties are ready and willing to speak in love.

I’ve also had arguments with fellow believers that ended in bitterness and pigheadedness. We were not arguing out of love and to seek mutual understanding; we were arguing because we couldn’t stand for the other person to go on thinking they were right. We were arguing for selfish reasons, and I never came away from those arguments feeling more like Jesus.

Whether we’re talking about flags, dancing, rubbing ashes on our heads, standing, sitting, kneeling, jumping, shouting, using drums, blowing trumpets, using an organ, remaining silent, hymns, gospel music, giving up something for Lent, or any other method of worship, we have to keep in mind the message behind the methods.

I can pull out scripture that supports the application of every single method of worship I just listed. (If you’d like to see some, leave a comment, but my purpose here is not to defend styles of worship tradition.) But even being able to prove a biblical basis for how you worship doesn’t mean that all believers HAVE to engage in all of those methods all of the time. We need to recognize that different people have had different experiences, and as long as we’re all in agreement that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives, we’re called to live as one body. May we learn to live at peace in our differences (even when those differences bug us!) and build one another up in Christ.

Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 1 Peter 3:8 (NLT)

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12:18 (NIV)

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. John 17:20-1 (NKJV)

God put our bodies together in such a way that even the parts that seem the least important are valuable. He did this to make all parts of the body work together smoothly, with each part caring about the others. If one part of our body hurts, we hurt all over. If one part of our body is honored, the whole body will be happy. Together you are the body of Christ. Each one of you is part of His body. 1 Corinthians 12:24-7 (CEV)

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