Refuse to Deny

Paul tells the church Pergamum that they lived in a city where Satan ruled.

“I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city.” –Revelation 2:13 NLT

That’s much like our world today and our country. America is considered one of the largest mission fields in the world. Like Europe, it’s post-Christian, which means it no longer lives in the age of Christendom. Christendom was a time when Christianity was the primary perspective, so everyone did everything from that worldview. Today, it is more likely to run into someone who doesn’t attend church or is of a different religion when you are in a mass crowd.

There’s a need for Christians to stand firm on what we believe. That doesn’t mean we refuse to shift what it means to worship.

I have been in a lot of different Methodist churches in my lifetime. In every one, I have heard people reference that our worship style is what makes us Methodist. I find this ironic because one thing that defines us as United Methodists is that our worship isn’t specified. Our Book of Worship says this:

“Our worship in both its diversity and its unity is an encounter with the living God through the risen Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. When the people of God gather, the Spirit is free to move them to worship in diverse ways, according to their needs. We rejoice that congregations of large and small membership, in different regions, in different communities, of different racial and ethnic composition, and with distinctive local traditions can each worship in a style that enables the people to feel at home.” –United Methodist Book of Worship

So, maybe what we should refuse is to give up on welcoming people to worship simply because they won’t come to us.