Let’s begin with the title: We posted an article in 2024 with the title “Perfunctory” from Isaiah 58. It’s become necessary for us to refresh this thought from a different text, but illustrates the same issue of perfunctory actions. Thus “perfunctory 2.0”…
Take a moment and remember when you were first saved. Reflect on the first time you felt that love rush through you. God was working and you could tangibly feel it. There was real hope. Your desires were to Him only and you were tender-hearted, broken, and moldable.
Sadly in the lives of way too many believers today, a fade has happened. Eventually you got out of the mix, your spiritual life became perfunctory. Perfunctory means: ‘actions carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection.’ In other words your spiritual life became set to cruse. At some point you were just going through the motions.
I believe what the Bible teaches, that in the heart of every true believer lies the desire to be like Jesus. I also see the potential and warnings concerning how every believer can also fade. We have a tendency to experience seasons of despair, and even grow jaded and seared. In fact, Isaiah 29.13 explains this by saying, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, And with their lips do honour me, But have removed their heart far from me, And their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:” God said that they draw close with their words and attempt to honor me with their mouths, but their heart’s are far from me, and their so-called reverence for me consists of traditions of men. Could this explain the present condition of so many believers who attend church in America?
There is a grave danger in going through the motions. The Apostle Paul said to the church of Colossi in Colossians 2.20-23, “Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body: not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.” This worship of the will “shows” or looks like humility and honor, but they are ordinances made up of men’s traditions and not God’s. It literally says “doctrines of men.”
Traditions of men have no power or eternal significance. In Matthew 15.9 Jesus quotes this Isaiah passage and says, “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” The precepts had morphed into traditions, with legislated answers for every little detail of their life. That would make for a very tense environment, wouldn’t you think? Being judged, hounded, scolded, and watched on a constant basis…by other imperfect people. Jesus made it clear that no matter the situation, their heart was far being engaged in what was going on. In fact the people propagating it, caused the environment that made for their perfunctory so-called ’following’. They had their mind on the ‘doing’ of it all instead of the ‘heart’ of it. Jesus said this when He said “in vain they”. What they were doing was weightless and empty. It carried no weight to Him. This should be terribly haunting. The people “worshipping” really believed they were worshiping, yet they were giving empty (vain), even perfunctory, actions to a God who says, that’s pointless. In modern vernacular, they wasted each and every Sunday going through the motions.
The same thing happens today. What is that exactly? The what and how replaced the who! The form and functions took over the real reason we do what we do. We are told to love God, not the pew, with all of our heart. We are told to love God, not the piano, with all of our soul. We are told to love God, not the offering time, with all of our mind. There is more care and concern about paint than the fact no one is getting saved. No church can sustain like this. But how did this happen? Perhaps Isaiah 29.13 can help some more: “And their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:” And there you go. The phrase: “Taught by the precept of men” means they learned by rote. Rote means: “mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned.” Eventually, you will just do it habitually, mechanically, and not from the heart. Robotic motion is exactly what ‘going through the motions’ is. That is the pure definition of perfunctory.
In all of this we find a heart problem. Do you think people can come to church, write a check, pay their respects, but their heart really isn’t in it? I know I have. This is a believer who is not a disciple, they have faded. A disciple wants to, he is engaged, he knows why, he is heart-in first! We cannot lead others, especially our own children, into this robotic legalism. It means for the imminent death of their spiritual life. I cannot afford to give one more check when my heart is not engaged. I cannot afford spiritually to sing one more song without my heart being there. I must obey, but I must get my heart right first. How about you?
When I think back on what Jesus said in Matthew 15.9, I see an all too familiar theme.They were saying all the right things, acted upon all the right things, but their heart wasn’t in it. That is lip service. I have given lip service and I see it all the time. Just so we are clear, lip service is: ‘an avowal of advocacy, adherence, or allegiance expressed in words but not backed by deeds.’ By the very definition of the phrase, they were giving lip service to God. Does this not hit home with you?
What needs to happen? Isaiah 29 goes on to say in verse 14, “Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.” God says—‘I am going to blow their mind—the people will see what I can really do! Meanwhile their so-called wise men will not know what’s going on.’
Just as it was in the first century A.D., or in the seventh century B.C. (Isaiah 29), everyone is just simply going through the motions. It seems no one questions why there is no power—no spirit. They simply do the traditions without care if God is there or not. Let me finish by stating more of the obvious: God is not replaceable! I want God to show up. I mean I want Him to manifest Himself in very real ways. I want to see souls saved, lives changed, hard hearts broken, prayers answered. I want to see a spirit of revival. I want Him to blow our mind and make us to stand in awe of Him. Or rather, fall on our face before Him! I don’t want to go through the motions. I want God to light a fire in us. I asked you to remanence when it was just you and God and you were ‘all-in’. To reflect on when it was fresh. How is your spiritual walk really? How is your fellowship? Have people got in your head? Is there still a check list? Do you feel like you are going through the motions? What we must do is: 1) Confess our mediocrity; 2) Come close to God with ALL our heart, soul, mind and strength.