Several times each week an advertisement by a local First United Methodist Church aired on the local cable television. The ‘pastor’ of that church stated, “We recognize that not everyone worships the same…” He went on to say that the First United Methodist Church offers three different types of worship—Contemporary, Traditional and Casual services “where we break out the old Cokesbury Hymnal.” Then, viewers were invited to “Pick a service that meets your needs.”
This television commercial plainly sets forth the fact that this church and its pastor are in no way interested in what the Bible says about worship that is offered to God. Where and when does God in His new covenant (the New Testament) give men a choice of how they worship Him? When did He say that men should choose a way of worship that pleases them or meets their needs, rather than offer worship which pleases Him?
In His conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus stated:
Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:21-24)
Notice that Jesus talked about the time that is coming and now is when God expects His people to worship “in spirit and in truth.”
The ‘pastor’ also talked about “praise teams.” In another commercial he is pictured with a large drum set in the background. We wonder if he would take the time to try to harmonize praise teams and musical instruments with Jesus’ statement, “…in spirit and in truth?” Of course, we know that he will not, simply because he cannot. He has already laid down the premise that the worship offered should be that which pleases the worshiper regardless of whether it pleases God. If the twang of a guitar string, the beat of a drum, or the strains of an organ or piano is what pleases one, or as he states, “meets your needs,” then a person does that even though God has nowhere authorized such in the New Testament church. On the other hand, if one wants to acceptably worship God, he will forsake the doctrines of men and follow the Word of God. In Matthew 15:8-9 Jesus said, “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, And honor Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.”
The writer of Hebrews stated, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain…” (Hebrews 11:4.) The two sons of Adam and Eve offered worship to God by the sacrifices that they brought. Abel operated by faith, which came by hearing the word of God. Since we learn in Romans 10:17 that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” we know that God had instructed these sons in the kind of worship He expected. This Abel did. However, Cain evidently decided that God’s desire in the kind of worship He wanted didn’t matter. Evidently, Cain worshiped in the way that ‘met his needs,’ a way that was neither commanded nor authorized. Jude spoke in condemnation of those who “have gone in the way of Cain” (Jude 11). It would appear that the ‘pastor’ is encouraging his people to follow the way of Cain rather than the way of Christ. Jesus also had something to say about some teachers with such attitudes and those who follow them. In Matthew 15:13-14, He said, “Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.” We personally know some good people in that church. It is our hope that the ‘pastor’ will forsake his present course of leading them into the ditch and will begin to preach and to practice the truth.
