I concluded my last post by speaking about the movie The Fiddler on the Roof where the characters sing a song about Tradition. At one point right before the song starts, Tevye looks at the screen audience and states the Jews have been there for a very long time, always keep their heads covered and wear a prayer shawl to show their constant devotion to God.
He says, “You may ask, how did this tradition get started? Well, I will tell you!” After a brief pause, he shrugs his shoulders and says, “I don’t know, but it’s a tradition. And because of our traditions, everyone of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do!”
Earlier in his little introduction to the movie, Tevye notes, “Because of our tradition, we have kept our balance for many, many years! Without our traditions, our lives would be as shaky as…as…as a Fiddler on the Roof!”
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Vast numbers of churches have fallen prey to tradition. This aspect of church seems to hold more importance than what really matters to God and what is found in His Word. My concern is not to find unnecessary fault with some of the examples or traditions found in our churches, but to show the need for concern over what level those traditions not only keep us from biblical fellowship with our Heavenly Father and with other believers, but also from often being an effective witness to the world around us.
Without actually saying it, many believers live like Tevye and believe with all their heart that without the traditions of their churches in place, their lives and their church would be as shaky as a fiddler on the roof! They believe it is through their tradition that they have kept their balance for many, many years!
In 1 Timothy 4, Paul reminds the young pastor, “In latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron and If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.”
Traditions which weigh churches down can include the following which I have observed in England as well as in the US. Traditions often can be confused with a desire to follow Biblical principles and more times than not, these traditions can become an issue of the heart which robs the believer of their joy in the Lord Jesus Christ.
(to be continued)
Posted in Church Life | Tags: Anatevka, Bible version, church, hymnbooks, pastors, tradition, UK, USA
