In The Master's Service

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CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS - Part 2

I fully believe the order of the Church, its doctrine and practice as it was originally established, needs no changing and never will. Jesus set up the Church while he was here in the world and it was further established by the Apostles of Christ. Its design is without error. But the Church is made up of people and people are not without error. As we have clearly seen, various customs and traditions are added along the way. Some are added and later dropped; others are added in this generation, dropped the next; and some seem to linger on. This has been the 'cycle' of the Church throughout its history. Just as people, cultures, and circumstances change, so too have the customs and traditions of the Church. What would the Church look like today if it had held on to every custom that ever developed, even those with the noblest of intentions?

It has been asked, "How long does it take for a custom to become tradition?" Basically, this happens when a custom is observed long enough until no one remembers it being done any other way. Obviously, it only takes the passing of one or two generations for this to occur. An entire generation can be raised thinking "this is the way it's always been done" or "the Church has always practiced this", when in fact, the practice or custom is very new, relative to the history of the Church. But once we begin calling it tradition, it tends to be elevated to a permanent status, and erroneously included in those traditions the Apostle Paul was writing about in our text. The problem we inevitably run into is an unwillingness to change anything. We want to leave the Church just as we found it. What if there were unprofitable customs in the Church at the time when you found it? Do we just shrug our shoulders and leave them as they are? Is it possible that during all these years you have been in the Church, a particular custom has become unnecessary or unprofitable? Do we simply turn a blind eye and say, "Oh, well, it's not really hurting anything"? Maybe it isn't, but shouldn't we consider the possibility that it might be? And if we see that it might actually be harmful or, at best, not profitable, why do we want to continue wasting our time and energy observing it? We presume too much when we declare that everything about the Church is exactly the way it ought to be and nothing we are doing needs to be changed. And we walk on shaky ground. An amazing thing that I've noticed is the regularity with which Church members (in my home Church and other Churches) come to me asking about certain customs. Sometimes, I wonder if the people in the pews are able to see more clearly than some of us in the ministry! Have we stopped to consider the possibility that our faithfulness to customs and traditions might be quenching the Holy Spirit, and thereby robbing God of His glory and ourselves of His blessings?

So, what do we do? If our minds are open to some of these things, how do we begin to discern whether a custom is profitable or not? How do we determine what needs to be changed, if anything? Here is an important principle: no Church can determine what changes another Church ought to make. As a pastor, I have the responsibility to help determine these things only in the congregation that I serve. I should certainly be willing to help others if asked, but I cannot impose upon another ongregation. If the Lord is pleased with the condition of the congregation I serve, hopefully it will be manifest and perhaps others will take note and inquire. Likewise, I should consider and inquire after other congregations that seem to be spiritually healthy and enjoying the blessings of God. I do not advocate adding something that another Church is doing just to see if it works in my home Church. In fact, I am not advocating 'adding' anything. I am advocating an examination, and then a 'taking away' of those things that ought not to be; a purging, a cleansing. I am talking about a desire for greater Scriptural purity and more freedom from the chains of man-made traditions. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty! And in all things, we should follow the Spirit and seek to be more Scriptural to the best of our understanding.

I ask the reader, whether you are a minister or a deacon or a Church member or someone on the sidelines, to prayerfully consider the thoughts I have tried to convey. Examine these things in the light of God's word. Do we want to leave the Church just as we found it, or do we want to leave it, with God's help, in a better condition for our children and grandchildren? If our hearts and minds are open, I believe we must confess that God is not pleased with the general condition of our Churches. We can never blame our condition on God. We cannot blame our condition on the world around us. We cannot even blame our condition on the devil. Jesus had issues with some of the Churches of Asia and he laid those issues right at their doorstep! We must search our hearts individually and examine ourselves collectively, and upon doing so, we will likely find the need to repent. Year after year, we hear that we are "having good meetings," but year after year, we hear of more Churches closing their doors. We speak of the "old paths" but many of our paths are not old enough. If we truly seek to follow the pattern of the New Testament, let us compare ourselves with the doctrine and practice of the early Church, honestly, with an open mind, through the lens of Scripture. I believe God's promises that were so evident in that day are still ours to lay hold upon today! Do you?

Written in love, for the sake of Zion,
Elder Matt Jordan