Lights! Camera! Action!

Que the fog machine…

Dim the lights…

Holy Spirit Activate!

When you read the Bible along with church history it becomes pretty obvious that our worship gatherings (especially in America) have become something of a dog and pony show. I suppose that’s reflective of our current cultural moment, but is all of this really necessary?

I know… I sound like a curmudgeon… But, hear me out…

Let’s turn to Scripture. The early church “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:42.). That’s so… boring. What about the razzle dazzle? What about all the programs? How about we call in Mr. Beast to crush a Ferrari (in Jesus’ name, of course)? How else will we get people in the door?

Therein lies the problem. The worship of King Jesus has been crafted and curated with the worshipper in mind. Worship has become less about Christ receiving glory and more about the worshipper having an “experience.” God has told us in the Bible how he wants us to worship him – and none of it requires a fog machine.

Here’s the simple truth: We are to worship the one, true and living God in very simple ways. Read and preach the word. Sing and praise the Lord. Pray. Baptize new believers. Gather around the Lord’s table for communion. That’s it. No pageantry involved.

Historically, we call these things the “ordinary means of grace,” and they work two ways. First, we do these things to worship Christ. These are the things that God has clearly told us to do as we gather together as his body. But they also serve a secondary purpose. These are also the means that God uses to sanctify and grow us! If we want to “experience” God, we do so through reading his Word, through prayer, and through the ordinances of the church. They are all so ordinary… yet, at the same time, extraordinary!

And really, why shouldn’t they be ordinary? Think about it, the Scripture is simply words on a page. It’s a book, a collection of books to be more precise. Yet, they are “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword” (cf. Heb 4:12). The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God to bring life to sinners. Or, think about the man Christ Jesus. Fully human, yet fully God. Deity in the form of human flesh. My point, Beloved, is that God has a way of taking ordinary things and using them in extraordinary ways.

And one last thing – the means of grace are not transactional. That is to say, reading your Bible today doesn’t necessarily mean that you will have a fabulous day or feel the presence of God. In fact, it may even feel like a chore. No, the means of grace are not transactional, they are transformational, meaning that the Lord will use these things little by little to conform you into the image of his Son, Jesus.

So, turn on the lights, unplug the amps, and send the clowns back to the circus. If you really want to meet God, brew a cup of coffee, open your Bible, read, and pray. And, no, you don’t even need to put it on your Insta. These are the ordinary… no, extraordinarily ordinary means of grace.