Time For a Reality Check

When I stop and consider some of what is happening in the Church today, I think to myself, “It might be time for a reality check.” What I mean by that is this: When we read the Bible and study it and discover who God really is and then see how some in the Church are conducting His business, it doesn’t always add up to what God has instructed us in His word. God gave us His word, the Bible, to show us and instruct us how we should live as a Christian and how we should worship Him. It also gives us instruction on how we should worship Him corporately or as a group.

Now, God doesn’t give step by step instructions on how a church group should conduct a worship service; He doesn't lay out a format or give instructions on how or what we should do within that service. Nowhere in the His word does it tell us we should begin each service with a song or maybe announcements. He does, through the Apostle Paul (1Tim 2), give us some idea of what we should be doing in a worship service or what not to do in those services. The point I’m trying to make is this: God, in the whole counsel of His word, tells us how we should worship Him regardless if it is a church group or an individual. Not every local church will start the service the same way. Some churches use a traditional worship format by singing from a hymnal and some will be more contemporary. Neither is wrong if the motive in the format is to truly worship God and give Him the glory He deserves.

But that’s not always the case in many local churches. As I have said, God has given us 66 books of instruction concerning Him and His requirements for us as Christians. But over the many years, decades and centuries, man has taken it upon himself to make changes to how we should believe and how we should worship. I read this week about a new online type of worship service. Online worship services have been provided by many local churches for years because there have always been what is referred to as shut ins who cannot physically make it to a service in person. When the pandemic hit, local churches were forced to go to strictly online services when churches were forced to close and forbidden to have public meetings. Now, as I said, there is a new technology which some church planters and pastors appear to be interested in called the metachurch. Based on the technology known as the metaverse, these churches are considering, and some have already begun, using this metaverse style of technology for online services. And, some think it will actually replace the megachurch. So, some of you may be asking, “What is a metaverse and what does it mean?” Allow me to quote from Merriam Webster with this definition.

In its current meaning, metaverse generally refers to the concept of a highly immersive virtual world where people gather to socialize, play, and work. Awareness of this term surged on October 29, 2021, when Facebook rebranded itself “Meta” and released a video in which CEO Mark Zuckerberg says, “I believe the metaverse is the next chapter for the internet.”

 Basically speaking, it allows the user to enter into a different realm of existence, and I use the word existence carefully. It allows a person to sit at home and by putting on the headset, it allows you to see a virtual setting of the church service. You are there, virtually and as an avatar, and from anywhere in the world. That is why it is being claimed as a replacement for the megachurch. The local church is now replaced with a worldwide church in the metaverse, or the metachurch. I’m not a techie so I can’t give all of the technical details but this is an idea of how it works. Of course, there is some expense involved; a head set costs about $300 and it is the device which allows you to see into the metaverse. And yes, the metaverse does provide other avenues of use such as gaming, meetings and other stuff you can probably imagine.

So, I told you all that to ask this: Is this really the same as gathering together in fellowship at a physical location? For me, the answer is no. One person who supports it asked, “If you miss the physical fellowship, why not meet at a restaurant following the service?” My response is, “If you can meet physically for lunch following the service, why can’t you physically attend service?” But my main question is this; is this reality? There is no fellowship with other believers. I mean personal, physical fellowship with other Christians. The Church, or this part of the Church, has followed the ways of the world with this false reality. The tool, the metaverse, provides people with a type of escape from reality and it is happening more and more today. Also, it doesn’t encourage people to get involved in church activities. How can it when there is no physical local church? If everyone is sitting at home doing church this way, there is no need for physical involvement. Now, I’m sure there is a need for this type of service in the same way there is a need for simple online services. But I’m afraid people will find it too accommodating and easy to just sit at home on Sunday morning and for other service times. It’s only my opinion but this is not reality.

I am also aware of a movement in this country which has teamed charismatic Christians with far-right wing (political) conservatives at rallies and parking lot worship meetings. The Christian music is played at political rallies which includes extremely political active Christians with non-Christians. These Christians have twisted scripture to meet their cause and their platform. It paints a false picture of the Church as a political far right movement. Jesus is not about politics; He is about saving souls and not agendas. In my opinion, this is not what Jesus would have His followers waste their time on and is in need of a reality check. What did Paul tell us in Romans 12:1-2?

And so, dear brothers and sisters,  I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.  Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Rom 12:1-2  

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world is what Paul tells us here. But what do we see happening in the Church today? The world’s ways have all but overrun the Church with its schemes and gimmicks. Some churches have gone out of their way to use any worldly trick to attract people and basically, they are saying, “Hey, come on in, we aren’t any different than you and the world out there.” I think they need to read these two verses from Romans and get a reality check.

And then, there is also the Enneagram which is being incorporated into more and more churches and their use for it. It is a New Age based false teaching which tells people they were always saved and they just didn’t know until they discover the Enneagram. There’s a bunch of other lies tied to it but talk about a reality check. What about those who were never really saved by belief in Jesus and truly believe they are saved because of this lie? That’s a reality check no one should have to face.

Whatever might be happening in the Church today is nothing new. God is not surprised by anything these churches might be doing to gain attention. It happened in the first century when Paul was traveling through Asia and Greece planting churches. Read his letters to some of these churches. Read the first four chapters of Revelation and what Jesus has to say to those churches.

If you attend one of these churches and you’re satisfied with it and you think I’m being a little to hard or critical about these types of agendas, then maybe you need to get back into the Bible and start reading what God has to say about all of this. If you’re not a Christian and you have made it this far into this post, then I would ask that you don’t judge the Church as whole by the activities and agendas of these worldly influenced churches. Don’t allow them to keep you away from the truth. There will come a time when all of these types of churches and ministries will be forced to have a reality check. God deserves all the glory but He doesn’t need all the phony shenanigans we see in some parts of the Church.

-Bill Petite