What's Wrong With Church?

This is an article written by Paul Baloche, a respected worship leader, that truly speaks to what I've believed for years.  The "modern" church is simply missing it.

"What's wrong with the church? What's wrong with modern worship? What is it that would help most twentysomethings connect with God, and how would music fit in and encourage that connection?" Over the past year I have made a point of interviewing lots of twentysomethings and asking them for honest feedback regarding all things worship. I have been surprised and challenged by their responses. Following is a fictional yet common synopsis of their accounts.

Picture if you will...you walk into the Friday night college group of a prominent church. In the foyer you see about hundred college-aged students mingling about getting coffee, munching on day-old pastries, and talking. Music blares form the speakers throughout the hall and sanctuary causing everyone to shout out their hellos. These kids have the perfect haircuts, the most put-together outfits, and an air about them that says, "You couldn't possible be as good-looking as me, even if you tried." Intimidating to say the least, this group looks more like they're dressing up for a night on the town rather than coming together to worship God.

After a few songs punctuated by well-timed lights and a moody atmosphere, smoke billowing down the aisles and a virtual mosh pit in the front, the pastor walks on stage and addresses the crowd. "If it's your first time, we welcome you here. The way we see worship, if you can scream your guts out at a football game or dance around at a concert, you can do it here for God." And on he goes with anecdotes, with a spiritual bent, that have everyone snickering and cheering for various pop culture icons.

Individual expression in worship is wonderful. If these people want to raise their hands for God, dance and jump around, that's all fine. But maybe we are taking something special out of this connection with God by mimicking other areas of entertainment. Have we come together to be entertained, to take part in some godly rock show? Often times this is what it feels like. The worship band seems more in focus than God. After seeing the staff at some of those places, I begin to understand partially why everyone in the congregation looks like celebrities. They're all young, dressing even younger and acting like they're the best thing since carbonated beverages. Those who who can call the staff friends are automatically a notch cooler than the rest. Where is the focus here? Where is God here?

This type of service might please some, but I've talked with many who are less than satisfied. Rather than feeling accepted into this crowd, newcomers feel intimidated and separate. Skillful musicians and singers do the worship, but the performance and light show can be distracting. Though they are greeted at the door, it's easy to feel like the person in front of you is just playing a part, obviously not that interested in you as a person because as soon as you start to respond, they're on to the next person. What is lacking here? What makes this atmosphere so easy to play along with, but so lacking in meaning?

I've found that this generation is not looking for another show, another competition, or another place to feel inadequate. They seek authenticity. They seek people who are genuine through and through. Worship is supposed to be the heart's cry to its maker. The leaders in worship should be focused on a genuine expression of the heart, not simply a performance.

What this comes down to is a pursuit of truth. Twentysomethings don't long for a sugarcoated version of the Bible, faith and church doctrine. They seek an in-depth exploration of what it means to be Christian – Bible studies and sermons focusing on why Christians believe what they believe, not because tradition says so, but because of what Scripture claims.

A Debt We Could Not Pay

Our Devotion comes out of 1 Peter 1:18 which says, But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. Again, we see the precious blood of the Lamb by which we were redeemed.

This is an argument for holy living in light of all that God has done for us. The word, redeemed means to be ransomed.  Today that word means very little to us because slavery is, for the most part, outlawed. However, in Peter's day, slavery was an everyday thing. It is estimated that the population of Rome consisted of about sixty million slaves.

There were only two ways in which a slave could buy his freedom. A person could either save the money and purchase his own freedom or someone could do it for him. Certainly the event of redemption meant a lot more then than it does now.

Moses continually reminded the Children of Israel that they were once slaves. He said in Deut. 5:15 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Paul also reminded us in Titus in Titus 3:3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

Like the slaves of Rome, we were unable to redeem ourselves, so Christ did it for us! In response, we owe him everything.

Materialism

I would say that materialism is consuming America, but it already has.

Preparing for His Coming

Our text this morning was 1 Peter 1:13-17 which says, Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.  (14)  As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.  (15)  But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;  (16)  for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (17) Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.

In preparing for this glorious salvation that will come to every believer, Peter exhorts us to do six things.

First, prepare your minds for action

I'm sorry, but that does not sound as good as "gird up the loins of our minds."

Willmington says, "This girding calls to mind a patriarch of the Old Testament who wore a long flowing robe.  Around that robe he had a big belt called a girdle.  When the time came that he had to move swiftly, he pulled it up and lapped it over the belt.  He girded up his loins and was ready for action."

Second, be self-controlled.

To be self-controlled means to be "calm; not under the influence of passion."

Third, set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

In other words, keep your eyes on Jesus no matter how it looks around you.

Fourth, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.

(v.14).

In other words, we believers who are looking for salvation, we are to be governed by a different rule because the old rules that we lived by then, not longer apply to us.

Fifth, be holy in all you do (16) for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy. (vv.15-16).

This meaning is simple: since God is holy, and we profess to be His followers, we should be holy as well.

Sixth, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear (v.17).

Peter is also saying that we are to not lose sight of the fact that we are only going to be here for a short while.

We are pilgrims who are merely passing through (1:1; 2:11)

The Judgment Seat

Finally, notice in these verses that Peter reminds us that one day there will be a judgment when he says, Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially.

The judgment that Peter speaks of here is the Judgment Seat of Christ.

It is at this judgment that we will all give an account of how we passed our time here in this life.

Wiersbe points out that the Greek word for "judge" in this verse means "to judge in order to find something good."

In other words, in that day, God will be looking for our motives so that He may glorify Himself in our lives and ministries.

How to be an Overcomer

1 John 5:1-5 says that Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  (2)  This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.  (3)  This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,  (4)  for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  (5)  Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

These verses tell us that there are two ways that we and others can know that we are truly children of God.  First, we will obey the commandments that God has given to us in His Word.  Jesus reminded us in John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

Secondly, we will love one another.  He also said in 1 John 4:11-12 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  (12)  No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

However, I also see something else in these verses.  It says that only those who do these things (obey His commandments and love one another) have the ability to overcome the world.