| As you enter the concert hall, the house lights are | | | | of the music - does a total lack of concern for |
| off. You stumble to your seat amid the | | | | them bring honor to the Lord Jesus Christ? |
| overflowing crowd of young people. There is a | | | | Even more concerning is the question of focus, |
| hum of conversations all around, and the | | | | which is totally on the stage and the musicians. |
| atmosphere is charged with a palpable excitement. | | | | What is being worshiped here - regardless of |
| Then suddenly the stage is bathed in a blue light, | | | | what words are put to it - is not God, but the |
| and smoke fills the front of the auditorium, closely | | | | music, the musos, and the experience. How does |
| followed by an explosive guitar riff as the band | | | | this offer the people in attendance anything |
| begins to belt out a number at a level of decibels | | | | different from what they could have received at |
| that is guaranteed to cause hearing damage to | | | | any rock concert? The Gospel is not about us, |
| every person in the building. The auditorium is still | | | | yet here the whole atmosphere tells the audience |
| in darkness, but all around you young people are | | | | that it is all about them and their having a good |
| on their feet, jumping and waving to the thumping | | | | time. |
| beat. | | | | When will God's people learn that noise does not |
| No, you are not at a rock concert. This is a | | | | equate to anointing? When will we learn that we |
| church service at a large city church whose | | | | do not have to imitate the world, but rather that |
| congregation is predominantly young people. What | | | | we are to be radically different from the world? |
| you are experiencing is what they call worship. | | | | When will we learn that worship is not about us, |
| Apart from practical concerns of possible injury | | | | but about God? When will we learn that indulging |
| from trying to find your way in the dark, almost | | | | our senses does not bring us into God's presence? |
| certain hearing damage from the noise, and the | | | | And where are the prophets who would be bold |
| question of how anyone over the age of 30 could | | | | enough to cry out, "This is not the way!"? |
| possibly relate to this, the whole scenario raises | | | | This is not suggesting that the Church should be |
| some very serious spiritual questions. | | | | stiff and starchy and never sing anything but old |
| Firstly there is the issue of the darkened | | | | hymns. It is not the style of music that is the |
| auditorium. What does darkness have to do with | | | | problem, but the presentation and the focus. If |
| worship? Are we not children of the light, walking | | | | the focus of the worship is the music and the |
| in the light, and worshiping a God who is in the | | | | experience rather than the Lord, then it is false |
| light? Is there darkness in heaven? | | | | worship regardless of whether the style is rock |
| Then there is the noise. At some point the pastor | | | | or baroque. |
| stands up and says that "heaven is a noisy place." | | | | Church, wake up! We are not here to compete |
| This is certainly true - a hundred million angels all | | | | with the world on the world's terms. We are here |
| declaring the glory of God "in a loud voice" is | | | | to counter the spirit of the age with a vastly |
| certainly not quiet! However, heaven is not a | | | | different spirit. We are not here to call young |
| closed auditorium where sound reverberates off | | | | people to sign up for a free rock concert every |
| every surface, nor does it have amplifiers turned | | | | week - how difficult is that? - but to call them to |
| up as far as they can go without exploding! Just | | | | a costly commitment of service to the Lord |
| how does causing long-term hearing loss to every | | | | Jesus Christ. We are not here to indulge our flesh, |
| person present glorify God? What's more, any | | | | but to manifest the glory of the Lord. Church, it's |
| older person who has the courage to venture in is | | | | time to stop trying to be the word, and start |
| likely to experience physical pain from the volume | | | | being the Church of the living God. |