Church wasn’t a reality in my life until I was sixteen years old, so all the traditions that people grow up with in the church were not part of my life either. I think that because I didn’t grow up with traditions, they don’t matter much to me.
So, what does it matter? I’ve found that it matters because traditions matter a lot to people, and I do care about people, both specifically and generically. Because I care about people, in some regards I’ve learned to embrace traditions. In other regards, they can be a great source of irritation.
Traditions have been on my mind because as we study through Acts, it’s my desire that we become as much like the church as possible. I want our traditions to be, not man-made, though that’s not always a negative thing, but as a church body, I want our traditions to be as Biblically modeled as possible.
We’ve looked at three things so far that the early church was devoted to: Scripture, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and this week we’ll look at prayer. The things that the church was devoted to, the things that we’re devoted to, become our traditions.
Let our traditions be studying, knowing, teaching, and modeling Scripture. Let our tradition be a Christ-honoring observance of the Lord’s Supper. Let our tradition be the fellowship the Bible describes, rooted in lives lived together that are living in obedience to God’s Word.
Someone wants me to list the traditions that are irritating. Someone else doesn’t want me to because they don’t want me to list their tradition. I won’t name anything. It doesn’t matter what irritates me if it isn’t sinful. I would have you do one thing though. Examine yourself. Examine everything that you do at church, every last detail, and ask yourself whether or not it honors God.
Ask yourself if there are traditions that you are tied to in regard to church that there is no Biblical basis for.
If you’re brave and scrutinize yourself, for the honor of God, keep the good and, at a minimum, be willing to disregard that for which there is no Biblical basis.
Though we belong to it, it’s not, first of all, our church. It belongs to Jesus.
Much love!
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
