The Power of Relevancy

(Pictured right: Russell and Sam Evans
Senior Pastors, Planetshakers City Church)

A great model for communication and interaction was given to us in the Bible by Jesus. He was amazing at speaking the language of His audience. When He spoke to tax collectors, He spoke about issues pertaining to them. When He spoke to fishermen, He spoke about fish — Jesus was relevant and engaging. This is a powerful picture of worship services. To be truly effective, we need to speak the language of those with whom we are communicating.

The Church should be ahead of the world when it comes to relevance. Daniel was “head and shoulders above his peers in understanding and speaking to the culture.” He knew the Babylonian language thoroughly and could communicate it brilliantly. But he was more than relevant — he was prophetic. He interpreted a dream for a nation and a generation. In other words, he gave them an encounter with God.

So bringing it back to our central focus, Jesus spoke the language. But more importantly, He gave those who came into contact with Him an encounter with God. That’s what our modern worship services should do — create an environment where people can worship in spirit and truth. It’s not either/or…it’s both!

A 2013 worship experience should have all the elements that communicate the message in a way that connects. We should utilize available technology — lights, sound, the look — but at the end of the day, without an encounter with Jesus, it’s just that — lights, sound and a cool look. God has blessed Planetshakers Church with great “production,” but we believe the reason our Church is growing so fast is because we communicate Jesus through our worship services. We are passionate about God, prayer, worship, His Spirit, His Ways and reflecting His love to a world in need. People won’t necessarily remember our massive LED screens, the fancy lights or sound, but they will remember the encounter they had with God. After all, that’s what worship is all about…encountering God!