Over the last few years I have invited several of my Pentecostal friends to come to our little Church on the Corner.
I grew up in the denomination so I get it. I can get past the show stopper that keeps them from coming back.
I think anyone who grew up or spent much time in a traditional evangelical church can get past the show stopper. We can worship even if the atmosphere is stagnant.
For the tongue talking radical Pentecostal there's a problem. In our little church we can't offer what they want. It's not within our power to do so.
It's not about the music, although the music must be worshipful and passionate. The most radical Pentecostal services today sing exactly the same songs we sing at the Lutheran Church. They even sing hymns. It's not skill, it's anointing, passion.
It's not about the preaching. Some of the messages preached at our little church would be welcome in the Pulpits of the Holy Ghost fire baptized. It's not that.
It's not about the fellowship and warmth. People are warm and accepting at our little church. In fact very warm and accepting.
It's not the building. We have a great building. Even the flawed sound system isn't that terrible.
NO, it's none of those things. I wish it were. It would be easy to fix. This weekend as I sat in some radical Pentecostal services I did I came to realize what it is.
It's religious predictability. Religion is a really bad word that leaves a bad taste causing all kinds of indigestion. We still have lots of that at our little church. Not that we serve more than anyone else, it's just easy to become so routine and predictable, predictability equals religion.
So when friends have come, when other Pentecostals have been part of the fellowship, they eventually get up and leave. We can't keep the Pentecostal. In fact one young man who comes to our little church can't actually stand to be in the services. I understand. I think he's being narrow but maybe I'm the religious one here. I have watched several Charismatic's leave over the last few years. They just can't stomach it any more.
There is such a deep distaste for religion that it causes a spiritual indigestion. When you know exactly when you should stand, sit, recite some written words, follow an order of service, and get out in 55 minutes it can make a people sick to their stomach.
This isn't judgmental. This is a case of not wanting to be fed where it will cause indigestion. I know that feeling. When it gets too religious I have to purge myself spiritually and get in the presence of God in freedom. Only then will I feel better.
If you went to a certain restaurant and every time you came out you were sick to your stomach, you wouldn't go back again. You'd find somewhere to eat that didn't cause indigestion.
I don't know how to fix this easily. Maybe there is no hope. That's too bad because there are hundreds of unchurched Pentecostal Christians in our area and after tasting our fellowship go home unfed or sick. We can get them to come but we can't keep them.
Religion is a horrible food. I hate having to eat it.
The essence of good spiritual food is freedom and spontaneity. Yes services are planned. Music picked out. But, there are always possibilities that anything can happen. And, often anything does. That's what the Pentecostal among us is looking for.
I love being in a Church Service where anything can and will happen and often does. Where the service looks more Like 1 Corinthians 14. Where everyone participates at every level. I know that at First Assembly years ago sometimes I expected to see angels appear, Jesus to show up bodily, beams of light to fall or some Ananias to drop dead. Didn't happen, but the atmosphere was one where it could have.
When in the conference over the weekend I came to realize that people were there not for what they could get, but for what they could give. People blew the shofar, danced, ran the aisles, hopped up and down, screamed, yelled, spoke in tongues, sang, knelt, raised hands, clapped, cheered, waved flags, banners, signs and all sorts of other engagements. People were involved. Giving. Oh, and it cost ten bucks to walk in the door and an offering was taken. Even that was unusual. People held up the envelopes and waved them at God. A wave offering. Try that at church next Sunday. See if you get several thousand out as was there this weekend. With almost no promotion.
I know full well that if a free Pentecostal service was available in our area with all the anticipation that it can offer, people would come, participate and be part of it. Almost all of the sponsorship was from Churches outside the Fox Valley. There is not much of a vital Pentecostal work in our area.
Even when we had New Life in Geneva we had some who would dance, some who would give messages in Tongues, some who would prophesy, some who would blow the shofar. Some who would get up and give a testimony without prompting. It was pretty free. Still too constrained but not too bad.
That all happens and it can seem to be chaos, but it was in perfect order at all times. People were healed by the unexpected. Set free in the anointing that came in the unfamiliar.
If you are questioning the religious nature of your ministry, ask this question of yourself: How ready are you to connect with the unfamiliar. Jesus never ministered healing the same way twice. Unfamiliar. Moses was chastised for hitting the rock as he had in the past (familiar = religion) versus speaking to it as God had instructed.
When something is familiar it becomes religious. Familiar predictable singing, familiar predictable preaching, familiar predictable sacraments, familiar predictable offerings, familiar predicable everything.
If you want to break the back of religion in your church, begin the ministry of the unfamiliar. Create an anticipation of the unexpected. Then the demon of Religion will flee, people who are hungry will come and they won't leave with and such an upset stomach.
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