Church Charades

Through the prophet Isaiah, God describes what happens when His people become well-trained in the ways of the world (Sodom and Gomorrah) and import those ways into their worship of Him. They worship him, but in a way that suits their fancy (Isaiah 1 from v.10). They have the one festival service after the other. They have their rituals and rich traditions, but they continue to live sinful lives without remorse. They pretend that God has asked all these activities from them, but in response to this God asks, “The multitude of your sacrifices, what are they to me?” And He continues, “This trampling of my courts, who has asked this of you?”God desires obedience, more than sacrifice. God asks that we treat people right more than dedicated and ritualistic church attendance. Worship charades are an abomination to Him. He previously made this very clear through the Prophet Samuel, “To obey is better than sacrifice…” (1 Samuel 15:22). “When you come before me, whoever gave you the idea of acting like this, running here and running there, doing this and that -all this sheer commotion in the place provided for worship?” (Isaiah 1:12, The Message). God makes it clear that He never asked this “busyness” of us. He then proceeds to list exactly what it is He rejects in our worship charades:

Meaningless and ritualistic offerings are detestable to Him for they are not from the heart
Festive Services, Sabbaths and convocations (formal church meetings) He sees as evil assemblies
His soul hates the festivals and feasts. They burden Him. He is weary of them.

God presents Himself as someone who is tired of all the monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, all the special meetings -meetings for this, meetings for that. He is sick of empty religious activities that are devoid of sincerity and often has the promotion of a specific church organization on the forefront of importance while God’s commands are low on the agenda -if at all. These things keep people busy with organizing, arranging and attending services, meetings and feasts. They remind one more of social clubs and business organizations than of a body of believers whose main concern is the interests of Christ and His Kingdom. The promotion of the organization comes first. If one is optimistic, God may come in a close second.

God hates these things, not because they are bad in themselves, but because they are diversions from what really matters to Him. Keeping busy with all sorts of church activities provide a welcome and temporary relief to a guilty conscience and offers a way of living like you want as long as you participate in church work. But the guilt of wrong living soon seeps through the fibre of one’s being again, and the whole process must then be repeated -week after week, month after month. However, this keeps one from facing what God really wants, which is a changed life. A life lived right -every day, not only on “church” days. God desires that we live a life that seeks justice for others and encourages the oppressed -a life dedicated to helping others and doing good. He wants a life that says “No!” to the wrong thing and an eager “Yes!” to the right thing.

He is not interested in our many church activities. He is much more interested in how we live and how we treat others. Our hard religious work may impress others, but God is not so easily diverted. We cannot worship Him and treat others with disrespect. Nor can we only show respect to those we deem superior in rank and status and disrespect a poor man.

James chapter 2 makes it clear that God forbids favouritism. Reserving special treatment only for those with status and rank, while treating others with disdain is a sin. God does not show favouritism and he expects us to follow His example. Jesus was often the subject of persecution by the church people of His day, because He refused to play their hypocritical games of honouring people because of their rank or title. When we live our lives ignoring God’s true desires and worship Him in a way we decide is okay, He will be looking the other way the next time we pray (v.15). We cannot tear people to pieces with our words and actions and then come to God with great piety and a solemn prayer performance and expect Him to listen.

God says if we are willing to let go of our own ways and follow His way, our sins can be forgiven. If we are willing and obedient (to what He really desires) we can be assured of the best from God. God offers us rest from all this meaningless work in the sense that once He frees our conscience from guilt through the blood of His Son, we will do what we do for Him and others with sheer joy. It will no longer be a duty. We will absolutely love doing it. Once we obey God, we will find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

“Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for…” Isaiah 40:1-2a.

There is no need to run here and there in order to ease a guilty conscience. Our sin has been paid for with the blood of the Lamb. God invites us into the freedom that the sacrifice of Jesus brings. Are we willing to receive what we can never earn even for all the religious works in the world, or will we stubbornly persist in the hard labour of trying to establish our own righteousness which we can never do anyway. If we have broken only one of God’s laws, we are guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10). We need a Saviour. His name is Jesus and He offers us rest from all our labour. Will we accept His offer?