From Rituals to Freedom: Escaping the Church Tradition Trap

I wanted to understand why people choose and stayed with traditional/denominational churches when they knew they were still living like they were never saved.

When I first became saved, I went to an AME church because that’s what my family did, but I didn’t stay long (maybe six months) because I wanted the word and was not getting it there. Even as a babe in Christ, I knew I wasn’t growing and desperately wanted to. I didn’t (and still don’t) understand why it has to take so long for a person to realize that it’s time for a change. 

“There is a big difference between Christianity and 'Churchanity, '” said Apostle AR Williams in his book, My Escape from the Trap of Tradition. “Most of us have only known church and not Christ.” I think that may be the most profound statement in the book and the biggest problem in the body of Christ. Most Christians don’t want to serve Jesus, but instead they want traditions and all the trappings that come along with it. They want to say that they went to church and believe in God to deflect condemnation (from themselves) or perceived judgment from others, but God knows.

I also think that some people see church as a social club. It’s not about God, it’s about them and their fellowship with man. It’s okay to spend time with fellow Christians, but something not right when you go to God's house and ignore Him. It’s bad enough to not even think about Him when away from Him, but when you’re in His presence, and ignoring Him, that’s a slap in the face.

Mr. Williams also said, “People are more denominationally-conscious than they are God-conscious.” I thought back to when I first became a Christian, was looking for a church, and went to the AME church. The pastor took me on a tour of the church and told me about their programs. After seeing how they operated and noticing that tradition and the programs were being sent out and not the word of God, I had to leave. I don’t think a person can serve in a ministry if they don’t understand the word.

Someone once said that God will put you in the church you want to be in. If you want to be in a church where the choir is award winning, then God will find you a church like that. If you want to be in a church with a wonderful child care center, God will put you there, too. I thought, “But what if the word is not going forth? Will God still put you there?” Now, I’m smart enough to be able to answer my question.

Another thing that I noticed was how the church constantly exalts man over God. Does it not hurt God that people are worshiping man over Him? It is one thing when the world does it; they don’t know any better, but we do.