Our Preferences Don’t Equal God’s Preferences
The best pizza in New York City is Prince St. Pizza (don’t @me). I was telling a friend this the other day and she said “It’s not my favorite. I would prefer Paulie Gee’s.”
I was shocked. I couldn’t believe someone would disagree with me about the best pizza in New York City because clearly I am the expert of the best pizza in New York City.
But she taught me a great lesson that day. There are people all around us with different tastes and different preferences and it doesn’t mean they are wrong. It just means like my friend said, “It’s just not their favorite.”
Unfortunately, sometimes in the church we do the same thing that I did that day. I immediately thought my friend was wrong because she disagreed with my pizza preference.
Debating over our preferences for the best pizza in New York City makes for a funny story, but debating over preferences in the church is a waste of time.
If your church likes old school Gospel music and my church likes the newest CCM music it doesn’t mean either of us are wrong. It just means we have different preferences.
If your church likes more traditional services with extended time of prayer and spirit led worship moments and my church likes more concise, planned, shorter, seeker sensitive type services it doesn’t mean either of us are wrong.
Maybe your church feels more comfortable wearing jeans and t shirts and hats and tennis shoes on stage but my church feels more comfortable wearing suits on stage. That’s fine. Neither is wrong. That’s just preferences.
We become dangerous when we start to believe that our preferences on the way to do church are God’s preferences.
God doesn’t care what kind of music you play or how you dress.
God cares about people worshipping Him in spirit and truth.
God cares about holiness.
God cares about purity.
God cares about loving people and loving Him.
God cares about generosity and giving to the poor.
God cares about loving widows and orphans.
God cares about making disciples.
God cares about people entering into a relationship with Him and being born again so they can live with Him forever.
When we begin to declare that our preferences are more holy or more anointed than another churches or other pastors that is dangerous territory.
When we begin to say things like “they have haze on their stage because they want to look like a rock concert.” Or “they only play new songs so the spirit isn’t there.” That’s dangerous ground.
Most people who are doing great things for God are so focused on that, that there isn’t time to criticize other churches and pastors.
Instead of saying I don’t like the way that church does worship, or I don’t like the way that pastor dresses, or I don’t like the way they do their camera angles (you can fill in the blank with anything here).
Instead of saying I don’t like the way they ____, instead say that’s not my favorite.