Pastor Chuck Smith, so many years ago warned us about getting stuck in traditions. He spoke of being open to a fresh work of the Holy Spirit in reaching each successive generation.

“The moment you get bound in a tradition then you get rigid, you get inflexible and that’s where you’re in danger of being broken. Be free, be flexible. Let God work, however He wants to work. Whether it be in the traditional way that we have been accustomed to, or God wants to work in a new way. Let’s be open, let’s let God work in a new way in our hearts and lives, in our church if He so desires to. Let’s not get locked into tradition because you know what will happen if we do? The Spirit wants to work and the Spirit will work but traditions are like the old dried wineskins that you can’t put the new wine in them or they’ll break. They’re no longer flexible. And so let’s just keep open. God has been working in a glorious way. We’re thrilled with what God is doing. But we don’t know what’s coming.

We don’t know what adaptations that might be necessary to reach the new generation. Have we not been flexible and willing to let the Lovesong and the other groups come into the church, it was not traditional. We took a lot of flack for it. But God was wanting to move in a non-traditional way. And He did move. But now let’s not make a tradition out of how He moved then. You see, it’s obvious you’re not hippies anymore. And so how God worked among the hippies was great for that era. But let’s stay open, let’s not get locked and freeze God out because we’re set in rigid traditions. Let’s draw near to Him not just with our mouths but with our hearts. An open heart always for the Spirit of God to work and to move.”

Bible Study through Mark 7.