I’ve had a few conversations with fellow Christians about whether or not the blood of Jesus can atone for the sins of the people who write for the Babylon Bee. Although we disagree on the eternal effects of satire on the human soul, we agree that seeing any of those writers in Heaven proves that God’s grace is without limit.

You know I’m kidding, right? I have to ask because we Christians have screwed-up priorities.

The #1 priority for a Christian should be truth. Jesus said he was the Truth (and the way and the life). The Bible is the book that reveals that truth. All truth is God’s truth. Anything that is NOT true, doesn’t come from God. When you seek God, you’re seeking the truth. This is what it is to become a disciple of Jesus. You’re following Jesus because He’s the Truth (and the way and the life, still).

The #8,675,904,228,325 priority for a Christian should be style. Your “style” is the manner in which you seek truth. It is your preferences about worship, Bible study, music, prayer, fellowship, preaching, teaching, and everything else that makes up your “walk with Christ.” Style is way down on the priority list because style is NOT truth.

When you make style more important than truth, you’ll start hating the church. You’ll grumble about the preaching, the music, the service times, the lighting, the decor, the communion flavor, and temperature of the baptistery. Here’s the awful truth about style: it only matters to you. I don’t care about your style because I’m busy thinking about my own. We both think our style is best. We’re both wrong.

Here’s a simple test to determine whether or not you value style over truth. Imagine that when you walk in to church this Sunday, the meeting room (sanctuary, whatever you call it) is completely backward. The chairs face the back of the room. The walls have been painted black. The floor is painted black. Instead of singing, you spend 30 minutes doing Gregorian chants. A guy (not the preacher) stands up and reads a chapter from the Bible. There is no sermon. You discuss the scripture as a group for 20 minutes. You bow your heads (join hands if you want) and pray together for as long as it takes to say whatever needs to be said to God. That’s it.

How upset would you be if the style of church service changed completely?

It’s understandable that you’d be upset. Changes are jarring especially when they’re unexpected. You’ve developed an attachment to style. When you encounter an unfamiliar style, you reject it. You’ll argue against black walls and Gregorian chants because these things go against tradition. You’ll leave the church if your protests are not addressed. You’ll quietly (or noisily depending on your personal style) exit fellowship in search of a style more to your liking.

You have become a disciple of style, not Jesus. You’re following your personal preferences and not the truth (and the way and the life). Your priorities are out of whack.

If you had the proper priorities, you’d be more concerned with truth than style. You could participate in any style worship service that seeks to reveal truth. And the style would not keep you from noticing if the truth wasn’t present. That’s the real problem with worshiping style. You’ve made the methods of discipleship into an idol. You’ve put your preferences in the place where Jesus is supposed to be.

If you kept this within the walls of the church building on Sunday morning it would still be a problem but it would be less severe. You’re not confining your style discipleship to once a week on Sunday. You’re insisting that I adopt your style in every aspect of my faith. You want me to advocate for your causes, volunteer where you volunteer, oppose what you oppose, resist what you resist. Without realizing it, your style has become a false religion.

I know the The Babylon Bee is not church. I know satire is a style that doesn’t ring everyone’s bell. That doesn’t matter. What’s important is the truth. When you’re speaking truth, I’m not going to criticize how you do it.

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

John 4:21