The Law of Tradition

(Why the Church Needs to Grow Without Losing Its Heart)

Let me go ahead and say this before someone clutches their pearls:

I’m not against the church.

I’m not against structure.

And no, I’m not trying to throw out everything sacred and replace it with skinny jeans and smoke machines.

But I am saying this:

Not everything we call “holy” is actually biblical.

Some of it is just preference.

Some of it is fear of change.

And a lot of it is just what we’ve always done.

And honestly? That’s not good enough anymore.

Because somewhere along the way, we started confusing tradition with truth.

We started elevating rituals over relationship.

We made certain instruments “too much,” certain expressions “too emotional,” and certain people feel like they didn’t belong if they didn’t fit into a decades-old formula we’ve convinced ourselves is sacred.

But let’s be real:

Most of what we call tradition today is nowhere in the early church.

There were no pews. No bulletins. No committee debates over communion tray color.

There was just Jesus, people, and purpose.

I’m not saying throw it all away.

I’m saying we need to hold it up to the light and ask:

Is this still serving people?

Or are we just serving the system?

Because while we’re over here debating whether or not it’s “too modern” to have a drum set in worship, people are walking into church desperate for hope—and leaving because they didn’t see Jesus.

They saw performance.

They saw pride.

They saw a program with a polished exterior and no power behind it.

And let me be clear:

The answer isn’t to never change. It’s to change for the right reasons.

The church should be dynamic. Alive. Spirit-led.

Not stagnant. Not stuffy. Not so obsessed with its own comfort that it forgets the call to go and make disciples.

We’re not going to reach a broken generation by clinging to what makes us feel safe.

We’re going to reach them by being bold enough to break the mold and get back to Jesus.

Not flashy Jesus. Not filtered Jesus.

Jesus who flipped tables. Jesus who healed on the Sabbath. Jesus who didn’t fit in with the religious crowd, but loved them enough to tell the truth anyway.

There’s a huge difference between utilizing people’s gifts and using their gifts as bait.

We should absolutely bring in more instruments. More creativity. More passion.

But we should do it because it reflects the image of a creative God—not because it helps our follower count.

If you’re trying to manipulate people into church with a laser show, don’t be surprised when they leave the moment things get real.

They didn’t come for Jesus. They came for the vibe.

But if we create spaces where the presence of God is actually felt,

Where healing is prioritized,

Where people are seen and heard,

Where worship is passionate and unpolished and maybe even a little loud—

They’ll stay. Because Jesus is enough.

Always has been.

We don’t need to be flashy. We need to be faithful.

So no—I’m not anti-tradition. I’m just anti-idolizing it.

Let’s honor the past, but let’s not be afraid to move forward.

Because God is doing new things.

And if we’re too obsessed with keeping things the way they’ve always been,

we might just miss the revival happening right in front of us.