Church!

For Thursday, July 11, 2024:

Luke 5:3 NLT: “Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon-Peter, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.”

I hope you remember singing the contemporary song, “The Heart of Worship.” The story was that they removed everything from the sanctuary of a church, and then put back only what was necessary for worship. It was a lesson in “back to basics.” We tend to think that we need so many things for worship – but we really don’t! If you glace around your church, you’ll see many accouterments based on man-made tradition rather than inspired by the Bible. Nicky Gumbel spoke of this in his “Alpha” series.

Nowadays we need chairs or pews, some place for people to sit, although in Jesus’ situation listeners sat along the shore. I’ve seen churches in developing countries where everyone sat on the floor! Nowadays we should have Bibles so that everyone can read the truth for themselves. In Jesus’ day, HE was the Word of God. It’s good to have some kind of a raised platform so everyone can see the presenter. The boat served as Jesus’ platform. In 2024, it would be good to have a sound system so all could hear the Word! Voice travels well across open water, and Jesus took advantage of that. He used what was available and made it work!

Do we need banners, flags, statues, candles, communion railings, gold and silver utensils and fancy crosses? No! Now don’t misunderstand – none of these things are ‘bad,’ and they may inspire some and be meaningful to others. But they’re not required for worship.

In this scene described in the Bible, we needed a teacher and people willing to listen. Period. Jesus’ words will carry the presentation!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship