WHY DO WE DO THOSE THINGS WE DO?
 by Debbie Porter

 

Perhaps you've never noticed,

'Though I think it's plain to see,

That there's certain things that happen

Which have often puzzled me.

 

Sometimes in church I stop and think

And that's when I wonder who,

Invented all those extra bits

That make us do the things we do.

 

~ Debbie Porter ~

 
It had been playing particularly on my mind for weeks, perhaps even longer, but finally I shared my thoughts with the youngest members of the family (excluding Tiger, the miniature Fox Terrier).
 
At the end of my statement, Kylie just looked at me and simply said, "I've always thought that."
 
Matt agreed, and with a shrug added, "I never do it anyway."
 
Some how or other, our teenagers had managed to avoid slipping into the pattern of doing something purely because everyone else was doing the same thing - at least in this case!
 
 
As I watched them walk away, I shook my head and thought that I probably should have talked to them ten years earlier, which was when this thing had first struck me as being just a little odd. Of course, at 6 and 4 years old, they may not have been quite so helpful.
 
 
Over that decade I basically became very familiar and comfortable with this part of our service, opting to go with the flow and follow the leader. After all, the same thing was being done in many churches all around the world. Still, an occasional niggling "why?" would pop into my thoughts from time to time, reminding me that it still didn't sit quite right.
 
 
A popular Fast Food Restaurant has been running an advertising campaign over recent months with the catch phrase, "Things that Make You Go - MMMM". Well, I don't know about you, but I can't help but think that there are times in church life when the catch phrase could just as easily be, "Things that Make You Go - Huh?"
 
 
Now I'm not talking about major doctrinal beliefs here, and it's nothing to do with the sacraments or those strong traditions which have been passed down through generations of faithful believers. It's more to do with those quirky little things that may be peculiar to a particular congregation, or to a type of service generally. Just little ways of doing things or additional extras that are assimilated into the life of the church, without ever really having much basis in Scripture.
 
The church, as a whole, is fairly eclectic, in that new ideas and trends tend to be passed from one congregation to another relatively quickly. This can actually be a good thing and very healthy, but sometimes it's not.
 
 
As Christians, we're totally responsible for our own actions and just because we've surrendered our life doesn't mean that we no longer need to think. The reality is quite the opposite. We need to know what we believe and why we believe it, and we need to know why we do the things we do. As the Apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Church:
 
 

"Test everything. Hold on to the good."

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:21 NIV ~

 
So what was this "major issue" that I finally dealt with? Well, probably something that many of you participate in yourselves, and may find very meaningful. To be quite honest I actually do understand why it's done, and do believe that for a lot of Christian men and women it's a very moving part of the service. Still, it's something I had to weigh up for myself.
 
 
Quite simply it's during the time in the service when people are invited to give their lives to Jesus. That in itself is wonderful, particularly when the response is heartfelt and repentant. My little stumbling block came when the entire congregation was always asked to repeat the "sinner's prayer" along with the person who was making their decision for Christ.
 
 
Now this doesn't happen in every church, but it does take place in quite a lot and is a common thing in many evangelistic crusades. Even though I understand that this provides a slightly less threatening environment for those making the decision and also can be considered as a re-affirmation of faith for those who are already believers, I struggled with it for one reason. If I'm already a Christian - saved by grace and with my name permanently written in the Lamb's Book of Life - should I really keep repeating a prayer which asked for my salvation? After all, didn't the writer of Hebrews say:
 
 
 

"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

 

~ Hebrews 10:22-23 NIV ~

 
 
For me, it was definitely one of those things that make you go "Huh?" and my response now is to use that time in the service to whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s grace and the gift of salvation I've already received.
When things like this start to cause us little pangs of confusion or make us stop and think, the important thing is not to allow them to bend us out of shape. It's not an excuse to set out on a witch-hunt or to get on our high horse and demand that everything be changed. Far from it! What may seem confusing to me, may be a very precious and meaningful thing to someone else.

Instead, it's about each one of us making sure that we don't automatically brush aside those little feelings when they rise up. Instead, we should look into those concerns, examine the facts and see whether there is any basis for them at all. If there is, then we have to make a decision as to what our personal response will be.

For me, it was really quite easy. I just needed to change the way I participated during that time of prayer, and when I did that, all those unsettled feelings about this one tiny little part of our service, melted away.

When it comes right down to it, we just have to know why we do the things we do, and then, if it all makes sense, just go ahead and do them! 

* * *

Copyright 2002 by Debbie Porter.

A side note from Michelle...

Wow Debbie, I've been in lots of different churches, and most of them evangelic, but I don't think any of them had  everyone praying the sinners prayer along with those making a new decision of faith. We were in an awesome church a few years ago that asked everyone to pray during this sacred time for those making or struggling with their decisions, and that's what I've always done since... it is quite an incredible thing to be a part of.  But I really like your thoughts here of also using that time to "whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s grace and the gift of salvation I've already received."  Thank you for sharing this with us!