I spoke at a parish of a major pentecostal denomination on Monday evening, and it was a system shock for me. I must confess that it has been a very long time that I have been in such a meeting. It was all about activities lined up one after the other. Opening prayer, praise and worship, workshop, plenary sessions, special numbers, dance and choreography, etc, etc.
The result was that the word of God was choked in the midst of it all. All that line-up of activities was a big distraction to ther only needful thing. The key individuals behind the event were mostly running up and down during the meeting itself. It was more of Hollywood than church. I felt like fish out of water in there. Sadly, that scenario is pretty much what most “church” meetings are like today.
In contrast, I spoke at another church congregation about a month ago. There was no officialese. We started off straight with the Bible teaching, followed by a discussion of what was taught, a simple collection of offering without any pulls and appeals, and thereafter the meeting was dismissed. I felt at home in there.
One meeting was totally activity-driven; the other was a meeting in which people gathered to take heed to doctrine. These two scenarios remind me of Jesus’ visit to Mary’s home.
Luke 10:38-42
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”
But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Are we entertaining the people or giving them that one thing that is necesarry?
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