Jeremy L. Berg

I don’t know anybody who isn’t more than ready to kiss 2021 goodbye and begin a new year. As I seek a word of wisdom to make sense of the past year and launch us into (hopefully) a better year ahead, I have landed on Jesus’ words in John 4 as extremely potent and relevant:

“Believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem …a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the SPIRIT and in TRUTH, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the SPIRIT and in TRUTH” (John 4:21, 23-24).

The pandemic has forced churches to worship and gather in new ways. Some churches worship in-person, while others worship virtually or hybrid. Some churches require masks, while others do not. Some churches worship in living rooms, while some worship in auditoriums or cathedrals. Some worship with robes, candles, incense and liturgy; others with guitars and big screens wearing jeans and t-shirts.

This mountain or that mountain? Jesus doesn’t care. What he does care about is Spirit and truth. The past year has revealed too many Christians being animated by the wrong “spirit” and buying into lies and misinformation rather than the truth.

The church in America is in bad shape, and it’s growth and success in the coming decade will be determined not by innovation, new models, marketing or new uses of technology, but by whether or not we begin to take the ethics of Jesus seriously and conduct ourselves in ways that put the attractive wisdom and character of Christ on display. We need a church worshiping in the Spirit and Truth of Jesus.

True Worshipers Worship in the Spirit of Jesus

Some strange and ungodly “spirits” are holding sway in many churches and Christians these days. A spirit of partisanship. A spirit of divisiveness. A spirit of tribalism. A spirit of fear and anger. A spirit that demonizes people who don’t toe my political tribe’s line. A spirit of gullibility and deception.

May followers of Jesus walk in the Spirit of Jesus which bears the fruit of the same Spirit. This new year may churches and Christians be carried along by a spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. May Evangelicals become known for our spirit of hospitality and welcome. A spirit that chooses to believe the best, not the worst, about others. A spirit of wisdom and discernment, not a spirit of rigidity and narrow-mindedness. A spirit that is open to correction, willing to repent and ready to forgive. A spirit that is slow to anger, slow to speak and quick to listen. True worshippers will strive to walk in step with the Spirit of Jesus, not the spirit of the age or the spirit of my political tribe or the spirit of my personal whims.

Getting practical now, the Spirit of Jesus puts others’ interests and preferences above our own (see Phil 2:3-4; 1 Cor 8:9-13; Rom 15). So, if you don’t believe masks prevent the spread of Covid, or just hate wearing one, the Spirit of Jesus would lead you to wear it anyways out of love for those who feel safer with them. Likewise, if you’re attending a gathering where someone requests a rapid Covid test, the Spirit of Jesus would lead one to go out of their way to do this out of love for others. On the other hand, the spirit of “don’t tread on my individual liberties” may be an American spirit, but it is not the Spirit of Jesus that should be animating a Christian on such issues.

True Worshipers Worship in the Truth of Jesus

The past year has also revealed that many Christians are not walking and worshiping in the truth. Evangelicals are the most prone to believe in conspiracy theories and the Big Lie about the 2020 election. Evangelicals are the most resistant to getting vaccinated and heeding Covid guidelines put out by medical experts. Many Christians will put more stock in less reliable sources and unproven medical treatments, and then demonize experts like Dr. Fauci.

True worshippers the Father seeks are committed to learning how to discern truth from lies, reality from old wives’ tales, real science from pseudo science. We need a church and Christian leaders who are going to speak out on behalf of the truth, and not be afraid to call out the lies and deception and wise-spread delusion that has settled like a cloud over much of conservative Evangelicalism. True worshippers will not shy away from speaking unpopular but central Christian truths that don’t square with one’s conservative political views. For example:

Jesus teaches non-violence and so his followers shouldn’t be posing with semi-automatic rifles on their Christmas cards, obsessed with the 2nd Amendment. Pro-life followers of the non-violent Jesus should be exposing America’s enormous gun problem and fighting for more stringent laws.

Jesus’ followers are to be advancing His transnational, global Kingdom from every tribe, tongue and nation, not advancing idolatrous forms of Christian nationalism that wrap Jesus in the American flag and aligns him with certain cultural values antithetical to his teachings.

Jesus and the Bible commands hospitality for foreigners and immigrants, while Evangelicals advocate for some of the most rigid and least compassionate immigration policies.

Jesus’ followers are called to tear down social barriers and confront unjust systems, not to resist such efforts out of fear of CRT stoked by ignorant fear-mongers. One can say ‘no’ to CRT while still welcoming deeper reflection and discussion around persisting racial problems.

Jesus’ followers are called to be pro-life across the board, from fighting against abortion to fighting for vaccinations; from fighting against the death penalty to fighting for military intervention as a last resort. Many evangelicals are not walking consistently in the truth when it comes to being pro-life. They are disproportionately pro-war, pro-capital punishment, pro-guns, and anti-vaccines that save lives.

I am aware that I may have my own plank in my eye as I pick out the speck of sawdust in the eyes of others. So, let us all do some serious soul-searching, and with the psalmist say, “Search me, God, and know my heart. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Ps 139:23-24).

The problem is that the “speck of sawdust” in the eye of American Evangelicalism has become so glaringly massive and obvious to so many of us who are trying to let Jesus and the Bible define Christian Spirit and Truth, rather than the cultural values of, say, Republicanism (which, in my opinion, has left behind many of the true conservative values I still hold).

Woe to pastors and elders who are scheming up better programs, integrating better technology, providing more convenient modes of gathering, and watching the financial bottomline, while outsourcing the central task of discipleship — of shaping people’s character and values — to politicians and media outlets.

Here’s to a New Year and fresh chance for the church and Christians to let their ethics, politics, words and beliefs be aligned with the Spirit and Truth revealed in the life and teachings of Jesus. That time is coming “and has now come” in Jesus for those with ears to hear and hearts to repent and obey. Happy New Year!

O God, we repent of all the ways we collectively and individually have not walked in your Spirit and Truth. Search our hearts and show us all of the false and worldly spirits that have been animating us, and expose the lies and deceptions that have kept us from your often unconventional Kingdom Truth. Forgive us, restore us and empower us to be better agents of your Kingdom in the coming year. Amen.