Imagine Jesus, sandals dusty from His journey, stepping into a mega-church. The lights are blinding, the fog machines are rolling, the worship leader—oops, performer—is hitting that perfect high note. The congregation sways, hands raised, tears flowing. It all looks so spiritual. But Jesus isn’t clapping. He’s scanning the room. He sees the VIP seating for "honored guests." He sees the pastor preaching a prosperity gospel while wearing sneakers worth a poor man’s monthly rent. He sees people feeling moved but not changed. And then He sees the bookstore selling self-help books that slap the word Jesus on top but are really just motivational fluff.
And He sighs.
"My house shall be called a house of prayer… but y’all turned it into a concert venue with a gift shop."
Here’s the irony—today’s churches are more technically advanced than ever. We got live-streaming, worship bands with Grammy ambitions, and pastors who are basically social media influencers. But somehow, we have less actual faith. Less repentance. Less discipleship. And don’t even get me started on how people pick churches like they pick restaurants—"I didn’t feel fed today." Oh, I’m sorry, was the Word of God not spicy enough for your tastes? 😌
Worship today is often more about vibes than sacrifice. More about emotional highs than surrendered hearts. More about "God, bless me!" than "God, break me and mold me." Jesus didn’t say, "Come, and I’ll make your dreams come true!" He said, "Come, die to yourself." But who wants to hear that when they could just hear, "God’s got big plans for you!" instead?
Of course, not every big church is like this. And God, in His grace, still works through all of it. But if the church becomes more about performance than holiness, then it’s just another business—one where the product is feelings, and the currency is hype.
Meanwhile, Jesus is still calling for the same thing He did 2,000 years ago: Repent, take up your cross, and follow Me. But you know… that doesn’t look as cool on an LED screen with a fog machine. 😌