Order vs. Freedom

When I am driving I like to know that the person next to me is going to stay in their lane. There is nothing more frustrating than when I am obeying the rules and my freedoms are encroached upon by someone not obeying the rules of the road.

Freedom is not the same as anarchy. Anarchy, in fact, is one of the greatest infractions of freedom. The freedom to travel across America is guaranteed by the order given by the rules of the road. Try and drive across a developing country the size of Colorado - the rules are really just suggestions. You can get there, just not very easily! In fact, I know it can take a day or two because cows, goats, chickens, and sheep make passage on the state highways difficult. This does not take into account the risk to life and limb, nor the buses that stop at any moment the driver jolly well pleases!

However, freedom can be equally stifled by rules. I have heard of places that determine how far you can go in a day, how many people can ride in the car, what roads you can take, and how unsafe you can or cannot be in the car while it is moving.

The same is true when the church gathers for worship as a community.

If a church wants to know the freedom of expression in worship as well as seeing the glory of God, there have to be some guidelines in order for the freedom to exist. There are also rules established in Scripture that assure the freedom of the church - these are principles that should always be followed. The guidelines are culturally relevant for the context and the individual church. The rules are always true anyplace and everywhere.

Most of the rules established in Scripture have to do with interpersonal relationships, but there are also some rules regarding the gifts of the Spirit (1 Co. 12-14). But even these rules are connected with how the parts of the Body relate to one another. Some of the "rules" are obviously guidelines in that they are directly related to the context in which an individual church is located. Hence, the rule one could take from the guidelines in Scripture would be, "Honor God in a way that is consistent with the manner in which the culture honors people."

The goal of every church is to provide enough order so that people feel free to worship and enough freedom that people do not feel stifled in worship. A vibrant church is one that has found the balance that works for the context in which they are located and is also sensitive to the community of the church itself.

It is like finding the sweet spot on a bat. Sometimes you hit it, and sometimes you don't. When you hit the spot there is no pain and the ball is sent into the bleachers in left field. When you miss horribly, you experience a rattle in your hands that somehow makes it way to your teeth. Most of us have experienced both - sometimes in the same service!! But, honestly, most of the time we just come close to the sweet spot.

Maybe this is why the Vibrant Church is not centered on the Weekly Community Worship Event...