Preference comes in to play in many of our lives. I prefer my steak to be well done. “Kill it and kill it again” is my motto. But what’s good for me isn’t the same for my wife. She likes her steak medium well (a little pinkish). While we both will still eat our steak, we would prefer it to be one way, the right way.
I read an article in the Tennessean today about clapping in worship. You can read it here. They interviewed people about whether or not they liked clapping in worship. Of course, there were two sides: one who liked it and one who didn’t. Both were passionate about their beliefs and their styles, but they didn’t agree on this issue. I believe that if the reporter had dug deeper, they would have disagreed on a number of issues that didn’t deal with theology. It would deal with preference.
Preference, when it happens in the church, can be uuuugly. Preference is just another word for selfishness. “If you don’t do this, then I’ll stop giving or I’ll just leave your church.” Yep, heard that one personally. Churches have split over the color of the new carpet. Business meetings are notorious for their bickering. Sadly, many churches and Christians in them have replaced reaching people far from God with their own personal preference.
With Easter coming up, we’re reminded that on Good Friday, Jesus died for all mankind. And on Easter Sunday, He rose from the grave so that who believe in Him may live forever in heaven. I pray that we’ll all regain our focus on Him and His good works.
For me, I’ll do whatever it takes to reach people for Jesus. If it takes me getting uncomfortable, singing unfamiliar songs, meeting 60 total strangers on the street each week, stepping into unfamiliar territory, charging the gates of hell with a squirt gun, and doing anything short of sin to reach lost people, well…I’m cool with that.
