Do you like to fly? I have spent more time than usual on flights lately. Imagine getting on a plane and noticing that everybody else was in uniform. You have boarded a plane filled with pilots. On your left and right, across the aisle – you are surrounded. It is an informative trip, but at the end, the people on your left and right say, “Would you like to land the plane today? You have been on enough flights to know a good landing.” The group begins to cheer you toward the front: “Land the plane.” What would you say?
Remember the “seeker-sensitive” movement in churches about 25 years ago? A number of high-profile churches grew by asking the unchurched how they would do church if they went to church. Music changed and drama filled worship services in an effort to make non-Christians more comfortable. Worship was equated with evangelism. Liturgy was lost in favor of comfort. One pastor said, “I don’t want to use too much scripture when I preach because people don’t believe or understand the Bible.” In effect, the ones who knew Christ asked those who didn’t to land the plane of worship for them.
Paul articulates a very different view of worship. He envisions Christians worshiping God, speaking messages from his word. As believers do what we do, non-Christians in our midst recognize that God’s power is really manifest among us. They are convicted by the Holy Spirit, fall down and worship and say, “God is really among you.” Of course Christians should care for non-Christians and welcome them into worship. That said, their best hope of coming to Christ is not for us to water down our theology and practice to make them more comfortable. Instead, we must be who we are and watch God work.
