First

 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Matthew 6:33

What I write today may sound like criticism, but it is not meant to be. It's just something very much on my heart this morning and I feel compelled to write and share it with whoever may read this.

There is a great deal of thought, speaking, and direction in the church these days as to constructing a "welcoming" atmosphere. A place where people feel safe, loved, and comfortable. It extends beyond the emotions to the aesthetics. We want our physical surroundings to reinforce that message. 2020's decor is good. 1990's or earlier is not good. Free standing chairs are good. Pews are not good. Keyboards, drums, guitars, and other instruments are good. Upright or grand pianos and organs are not good. Coffee and donuts or bagels in the foyer is good, not having such available is not good. I think you see where I'm going with this. None of these things are bad. The majority of them were all found in the church that I pastored, but in our zeal in the pursuit of them, I fear we are missing the greater part that is Him. Even more, what kind of Christ are we "welcoming" people too? One whose main concern is our comfort and well being, or the Jesus who is willing to offend every ounce of our flesh if it will lead to the salvation of our soul?

Recently a young evangelist named Michael Perkins posted this on his FB page. "I love hot coffee and donuts, but if these are the measures of a successful church then we are lost. Jesus paid too high a price for this to be our obsession." This, or any other outer "thing" as well. How can we let ourselves become so obsessed with what appeals to our physical senses but have no such obsession with the presence of God or the desires of His heart? Why do we again and again feel we need "something more" to get people to come? Why is the fullness of His presence, the manifestation of His presence not enough? Could it be that we have grown so dull to His presence that we've had to come up with other attractions? What would be the result if a church, your church and mine, had nothing else to offer but a message that said, "Now Appearing In Our Midst; Almighty God Himself?" Would anyone even notice or care what we offered in the foyer, or what the aesthetics of the sanctuary were? 

I was 29 years old when I came to Christ. I dressed and looked like the majority of young men of that time. I began attending a church where no one else looked like me, had my  background and musical tastes, or were even single and in my age group. Everything about it screamed "traditional," and everything they did in their worship services was totally alien to me. And none of it mattered....at all. It was a church full of what I had always referred to as "squares." Again, it didn't matter. It didn't matter because the fullness of His presence was there. I heard His voice in hymns I had never heard before, and above all, in the messages that came from the man who filled the pulpit. God's man proclaiming God's heart. You couldn't keep me away. The church had little or nothing to please my flesh, but it didn't matter. I feasted on the presence of God through His Holy Spirit. It was enough. He was enough. He still is. Oh, that we would pursue Him with a tenth of the zeal we pursue a "welcoming atmosphere," or the next big thing that will draw a crowd.

I close with this. If you witnessed any part of the recent move of the Holy Spirit upon Asbury College, you will note that thousands upon thousands gathered in a chapel that would have fit perfectly into a church service of a hundred years ago. It didn't matter to anyone who was there. The surface visuals screamed "traditional." It didn't matter. What did matter was that God was there....and people, hungry not for aesthetics, or coffee and donuts, or even friendly conversation, but hungry for Him, flocked to be there with Him. May it be that our fellowships, above all else, and no matter whether we sit in pews, chairs, or on the floor, thrive in an atmosphere that offers Him. Whether we sing old hymns or the newest worship choruses. Whether we offer 5 types of coffee or nothing more than an old water fountain....may the one thing we do have to offer be Him. Almighty God in His majesty. May we, no matter what "type" of church we may be, seek Him, all of Him, until we have so much of Him that our buildings can't contain Him and our lives can't either. What a day that will be, because our Jesus we will see. Really see. May that day come now.

Blessings,
Pastor O