In every discussion about "church," we very quickly find ourselves dealing with the "Most Important Things" people. You know who I mean.
In every discussion, someone will (usually very early) tell us that the "church" needs to focus on "the most important things." Sometimes they will make it singular ("the most important thing") or they will make it sound better ("the most spiritual things") or they may make it sound really important ("the things God cares about"), but, in the end, it is still the Most Important Things.
Christian websites and blogs and magazines enjoy this as well. We see lots of articles on "the most important things" and how important it is to "focus on" the "most important things." Right.
This works on both sides of any argument, which might make people think a minute, but they don't actually think about it much at all. It is amazing to watch.
And sad.
Lately, I have heard it mostly in discussions about "contemporary services." I was speaking the other day with a dear brother who leads such a service and he repeatedly came back to saying the church needs to focus on "the most important things." When I questioned him on the topic, he kind of lost his bearings. I have heard the same thing from people who hate contemporary services. Two thoughts.
First, there are no lists of "most important things" in scripture. Paul does use the "important' construct once. "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures." 1 Cor. 15:3. But that is never what the discussions are about. No one is arguing either for or against what Christ did. We are arguing over what we do. And there is nothing in scripture that says to your church or to you: "these are the most important things." Instead, God gave us elders to run our churches and act wisely.
Second, Christ tells us that the "most important" commands are to love God and to love our neighbors. Mark 12:28-31. But this is never what people mean, is it? The most important thing for me is to love God and love my neighbor. It is not "most important" to me that the service be a particular form or that the music be a particular music. The "most important" thing is to love God (which is not about service styles) and to love my neighbor, which would drive me to accept whatever is best for my neighbor, not to demand what I want. As a preacher, it is not important that I maintain my "style" but that I love the listeners enough to preach in a way they can access.
The "most important" thing for each and every individual is to love God and love their neighbors, if Christ is correct. It is not "most important" for you to have music you like or preaching you like or an order of service you like. It is not "most important" for you to demand that everyone else go along with your preferences in anything.
And it is certainly not "love" to use your idea of "the most important things" to force others to go along with you.
Wouldn't it be interesting to hear a discussion about service styles that was based on love rather than on someone's ideas about what is "most important?"
In every discussion, someone will (usually very early) tell us that the "church" needs to focus on "the most important things." Sometimes they will make it singular ("the most important thing") or they will make it sound better ("the most spiritual things") or they may make it sound really important ("the things God cares about"), but, in the end, it is still the Most Important Things.
Christian websites and blogs and magazines enjoy this as well. We see lots of articles on "the most important things" and how important it is to "focus on" the "most important things." Right.
This works on both sides of any argument, which might make people think a minute, but they don't actually think about it much at all. It is amazing to watch.
And sad.
Lately, I have heard it mostly in discussions about "contemporary services." I was speaking the other day with a dear brother who leads such a service and he repeatedly came back to saying the church needs to focus on "the most important things." When I questioned him on the topic, he kind of lost his bearings. I have heard the same thing from people who hate contemporary services. Two thoughts.
First, there are no lists of "most important things" in scripture. Paul does use the "important' construct once. "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures." 1 Cor. 15:3. But that is never what the discussions are about. No one is arguing either for or against what Christ did. We are arguing over what we do. And there is nothing in scripture that says to your church or to you: "these are the most important things." Instead, God gave us elders to run our churches and act wisely.
Second, Christ tells us that the "most important" commands are to love God and to love our neighbors. Mark 12:28-31. But this is never what people mean, is it? The most important thing for me is to love God and love my neighbor. It is not "most important" to me that the service be a particular form or that the music be a particular music. The "most important" thing is to love God (which is not about service styles) and to love my neighbor, which would drive me to accept whatever is best for my neighbor, not to demand what I want. As a preacher, it is not important that I maintain my "style" but that I love the listeners enough to preach in a way they can access.
The "most important" thing for each and every individual is to love God and love their neighbors, if Christ is correct. It is not "most important" for you to have music you like or preaching you like or an order of service you like. It is not "most important" for you to demand that everyone else go along with your preferences in anything.
And it is certainly not "love" to use your idea of "the most important things" to force others to go along with you.
Wouldn't it be interesting to hear a discussion about service styles that was based on love rather than on someone's ideas about what is "most important?"