Relevance vs. Reverence
Have you ever heard the saying that “culture is outgrowing the Bible”, or “Religion is not culturally acceptable anymore”. This leads to churches and Christians concluding that we must hype up the Gospel message to make it look appealing to the masses. Hence this discussion of relevance vs reverance and what role it plays in common Christianity.
Relevance will typically be referred to as being accepted and applicable to the general society, where reverence is having an awe and utmost respect.
Psalms 119:38
Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
When looking at these two words in a Church or fellowship of believer’s context it is important to determine what the driving force behind each factor is. To be relevant is to focus on the people and to make them comfortable and happy, whereas to be reverent towards God first, puts the focus on pleasing God first before anything else. When going into a conversation or starting a sermon, what will be your goal? To please men or to please God?
Relevance is a by-product of reverence. If you want to be relevant to culture, you must first be reverent to God.
David and Jason Benham
As stated above a relevant outlook puts the focus on man and leads to the following questions:
- How can we be more relevant while keeping our Christian values?
- What will people think?
- How is it going to look?
- How am I going to look?
- Who will accept it?
A reverence outlook puts the focus on God:
- What does the Word say?
- What will God think?
- Does it bring honour and glory to God?
- Is it in God’s will?
Do you see the stark contrast between the two. Focusing on relevancy to the common society will always lead to a watered down Gospel that runs on man’s opinions without any power to change as it has been changed for man. Where if our starting point is to have complete reverence before God, we will not dare change the Gospel to be suit man, but the pure, unfiltered Gospel is the power unto salvation (Rom 1:16) which will do the changing.
When the Word is speaking about fear it is in reference to a holy fear of God in accordance with having reverence for Him, in other words a reverential fear. We must therefore look at the Biblical basis for this fear and the results thereof simultaneously (Ps 111:10; Pro 1:7, 9:10)
Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
Proverbs 29:25
The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.
In life there is a constant choice and we can see it here as well, we either fear God or man. Let’s take a look at Daniel:
Daniel and his three friends is a perfect example of how we must stay reverent to God in the midst of a godless society. I want to start off with Daniel, he did not eat the king’s food, he kept praying even in the threat of action. Just take a step back over here and read Daniel 6:7.
Daniel 6:7
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
Have you read this before? Daniel only had to stop praying for 30 days then he can continue on as usual. Were we not threatened with this same type of action and language in the past two years regarding following the Bible? The relevant thing would’ve been to just stop praying for 30 days, or at least to just close your window and pray in secret. No, Daniel took a stand! Not because of arrogance, but because of complete trust in God. He will not change a single thing in the way He has been worshiping God, because he fears God and not men.
Daniel just needed to stop praying or change his way of praying for 30 days
When Daniel came out of the lion’s den untouched – who was the most relevant person in Babylon? It was Daniel! Have reverence for God and He will make you relevant when you need to be, at His time in His will.
Let’s focus on his three friends now, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego:
All they had to do was to bow down before the image that was made. Everyone did. Yet, they did not care about what everyone did rather about what God wants. Over and above that they accept God’s will unanimously regardless of the outcome as we can see in Daniel 3:17-28:
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Daniel 3:25-27
He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
When they did not burn in the fiery furnace – who became the most relevant people in Babylon?
Those who bow in reverence to God and leave the results to Him, will become relevant in His time, in His way
David and Jason Benham
Proverbs 3:5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In essence, let’s not try and please people, let’s please the Lord before all else.
Excerpts from “Living Among Lions” from David and Jason Benham
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