SUBSTANCE OR STYLE

  

 

 
 

Religious people often substitute ritual and ceremony for real relationship with the Lord Himself. People who are short on intimacy with Jesus seem to find security in the outward forms. An organization can do the same thing. It is interesting that God gave Israel a portable tabernacle long before He gave them a stone temple. In Israel’s journey across the wilderness, they had to follow the cloud of God’s presence that rested above the tabernacle. When the cloud moved, they moved; when the cloud rested, they remained still. The cloud did not rise or rest according to any rigid schedule of the clock or calendar. They could not prepare for movement by watching the clock, the sun, or the date. They had to observe and follow the cloud (Exodus 40:34-38). 

 
 In the same way, Jesus Christ desires that the church and each individual in it be genuinely led by the Spirit in real spiritual growth where they can experience the riches and depth of what God intends for the true church. Sadly, too many Christians miss this. God’s people tend to become sidetracked and fall back onto religious routine and ceremony. This also happens in churches which pride themselves on being up to date with the latest contemporary worship fashion. It is easy for the spiritual activities of any church to become boring and routine, no matter how lively they appear to be on the surface, when that church is stuck in a rut. Even if the rut is entertaining and beautiful. 

 
“Style” is a person’s or group’s distinctive manner of behavior or expression. Every church group has its own style. Christians often mistake style for anointing and substance. Quietness is often indicative of a deep respect for and recognition of God’s awesomeness. But silence does not always represent reverence. It can also indicate a lack of spiritual life. Passion and emotion can be an expression of zeal, joy, and a sincere response to the Lord’s presence, or it can be an expected style of behavior. A preacher’s emotional presentation can be a genuine expression of sincere passion. But it can also be a learned behavior or just a style expected by his group. True emotion and passion, whether in the praise and worship or in the pastor’s sermon, should flow from an inner fountain of joy, revelation, and vision. 
 
The first three chapters in the book of Revelation show that it is possible for the Lord to love and be with the church and yet be grieved over things in it. We should not lull ourselves into self-satisfaction just because the Lord is with us and blessing us. God might have a higher way than our routine. The traditions of man often choke the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit. The example set by the early Christians in the book of Acts shows us the way to experience the fullest expression of God’s presence. This is where we fall short. We are content with His presence, but without the fullest expression of it.  

 
 The Apostle Paul said that God desires to bring the church to “the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." The Lord does not want us to be stuck in routine and ritual. We are to be on a journey not a treadmill or stationary bike. Our path should carry us onward into new scenes and “new songs,” not just a NASCAR track where we see the same things every lap and try to spice things up to remove the monotony by painting the cars or going faster. Singing a little livelier or adding fog machines with a great band are no substitutes for really experiencing the Holy Spirit and all God intends for the church. We are to grow in substance like a bowling ball, not just puffed up like a balloon superficially pretty but hollow within. 

 
God is with our various churches in spite of the fact that we try to force His presence into our own traditional worship patterns. What would happen if we were to present ourselves as yielded vessels to allow the Holy Spirit freedom to operate as He wills? What would happen if we really did allow the Spirit of God freedom to interrupt our programs, patterns, ceremony, and even our style? This requires sanctified flexibility and creative obedience on the part of leadership and congregation. The problem is that most religious groups have an elaborate wall around their tradition to protect it from anything that would challenge it or suggest change. Their leaders insulate themselves so that no one can penetrate that wall with an honest discussion about serious change. 
 
I have noticed in recent years that many pastors and churches have been willing to make some major changes in their gatherings; but too often the changes, while appearing dramatic on the surface, have been primarily in style rather than in biblical substance. Style or the latest church growth fad is no substitute for the workings of the Holy Spirit.  
 
We need to be freed from our fear of change and our apathetic satisfaction with the way things are. We need to be delivered from our need to bridle the Holy Spirit. We need leadership, not prohibition. We need to realize that the anointing is what God sends down and not what we work up or generate by our skill and methods. We need to be free from the things we are using as substitutes for His awesome and precious presence. Sometimes this means we should just STOP…stop what we are doing and fall on our faces before the Lord and ask Him for sovereign visitations and to lead us and direct our path into the fullness of His purpose and way. I do not claim to have the answers; I am simply saying we as individuals and as churches should seek the Lord with sincere and hungry hearts. He just might surprise our churches with Sovereign visitations,