“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20 NKJ
The slang term “the devil is in the details” is often used to describe the small details of a task or plan that make it difficult and challenging. In other words when one focuses on the small details too much it can prolong an otherwise simple assignment. It can bring unnecessary confusion and divide those who are called to carry out the assignment. Typically when someone uses this term they are giving caution and saying, “don’t major on the minors or you will prolong our mission.”
I have attended countless church services and have witnessed all kinds of worship and service styles. I have been in churches where the only instruments allowed were pianos, violins, and organs. And I have been in churches whose stage looked more like a rock venue than a church sanctuary. I have been in churches where you stand up for worship and prayer at the command of the worship leader. And I have been in churches where they give you complete freedom to dance and move about at your own will during worship. And you can stand up or kneel when you pray. I have attended services where communion was served on silver platters with a feet washing ceremony that followed. And I have attended services where they taught the congregation to take communion on their own at home.
I could write a book on the number of differences between church services, but the question is: Is one church right and another church wrong? Are these major issues the body of Christ needs to address and become unified on? Or are they simply minor differences that really have no effect at all on the message of the Gospel, and when focused on, only bring division in the body of Christ? Ask any two people and you will probably get a different answer depending on how they were raised or what they were taught. Ask a person in their 80’s if drums should be a part of the church service and why they feel the way they do; then ask a 19 year old the same question. They would have drastically different views on the matter.
What I want you to begin to pray about is this: Do you major on minor details when it comes to church and the way the service should be executed? Do you judge people in other denominations who worship differently than you do? Is your time spent more on the details of doctrine or is your time spent more on following Jesus’ commission to go and make disciples of men? A disciple by definition is a learner or follower. Jesus did not say that we are to disciple men in what we believe to be truth, He said to disciple men in the Truth. John 14:6-7 says, “Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
Notice He didn’t say no one can come to the father except through submersion in baptism, or except through worshipping on a certain day, or except through only allowing string instruments, etc. He said, “No one can come to the Father except through me.” When Christ is the center focal point of making disciples then the new disciple will find freedom in worshipping God the way the Spirit moves them. This doesn’t mean we don’t have order in a service, it just means we don’t impose the order of our service as a means to salvation or intimacy with God. It means we don’t judge a person who chooses a different form of worship than we do. It means we don’t condemn a person who takes communion in a different way than we do. Ultimately it means we love our neighbor with a Christ centered love!
Romans 13:8-10 says, “Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. “For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”Love does no wrong to others, so love fulfills the requirements of God’s law.”
I want to encourage you to spend time in prayer and meditation asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten you to what Jesus meant when He said to go and make disciples of men. If you have mental blocks because of your beliefs about salvation, church service, doctrinal teachings, etc. ask the Holy Spirit to remove them. If you have judged or condemned your neighbor who believes differently and you have not loved them with a Christ centered love, ask the Holy Spirit to soften your heart so you can love. God is faithful and He will grant you wisdom and discernment as you seek Him in these areas.
Prayer: Let me not major on the minor details any longer. Let me not bring confusion to the body of Christ or the unsaved world, by focusing on minor details that have nothing to do with salvation or intimacy with You. Let my sole focus be on the ministry of Jesus and the finished work of the Cross. I praise you for giving me eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand. I believe by faith that as my focus becomes solely centered on You I will be able to make disciples of men as You have instructed me to. Amen
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