| In
the light of Euro 2004, a church in Suffolk organised some special
sports services one Sunday in the summer. One church leader said, "We are
going to prove that God and David Beckham do go together by introducing
a major football theme to our church." Another declared, "This
is church as you've never seen it. The nation has gone sports mad
this summer and we are joining in with the buzz. The service will
have a computer penalty shoot-out, sports videos and even oranges
at half time. We want to look at how we can play the game of life
and come out winners."
No doubt these people meant well, and
genuinely wanted others to become interested in the Christian
gospel, but was this really the way to go about it? Lively and
exciting at one level it may have been, but it is also an example
of what can happen when once we cease to allow Scripture to regulate
all that is done in the name of worship and evangelism. Without
the objective standard of the Word of God to control our activities,
we are just left with subjective opinions about what is appropriate
in our circumstances. The more daring and innovative we are,
the more "in tune" with
the modern world we think ourselves to be.
Perhaps many evangelical churches would
not want to go as far as the one described above, but the trend
is within them nevertheless. That is why we have such things
as "worship groups",
dramatic sketches, and so on - things that are aimed at pleasing
man rather than God.
This is all so very sad when we stop to consider the riches that
are to be mined from the Scriptures. When a man proclaims these
glorious truths in the power of the Holy Spirit, why does a church
need to turn from them to rely on sport and other pursuits of this
life in its worship? Surely there is enough in the Bible to interest
hearts and minds in the things of God. Why turn from the fountain
of living water to broken cisterns that cannot satisfy?
Yet people do turn away from the preaching of the Word to things
that entertain. The church in question measures its attendance
in hundreds, whereas other churches in the region, where the Bible
is central, sometimes struggle to get into double figures. What
an indictment this is on the age we live in. Our zeal may be commendable,
but our superficiality is a cause of shame. It all speaks very
clearly of the need for a visitation of the Holy Spirit in grace
and power.
Peter Kinley
Originally published in September - October
2004 issue of Protestant Truth. |
