Prayer, not performance

Author

Jacob Hayward
October 27, 2025

Prayer, not performance

When teaching his followers how they should pray, Jesus tells them that they should not do so out in the open for all to see, but to go home and close the door and pray in secret.

I have nothing against communal prayer in church, and I don’t think Jesus does, either. Rather, this teaching was to get at our prideful hearts that want to appear to others as close to God even if we are far from him. This is the same for worship, and preaching, and doing good works. Jesus wants us to participate in these activities, and to do so from a posture of submission to Christ rather than out of self adoration.

According to Barna’s State of the Church 2025, 66% of Americans say they have made a commitment to Jesus that still matters to them in their lives; a 12% increase since 2021.

When I talk to young Christians, they are not interested in the polished forms of Christianity past. Rather, it seems that the modern young Christian is seeking a Church community that is authentic. “Authentic” meaning a practiced humility and honesty. A type of preaching that matches the personality of the preacher, and a message lived out by the pastor and the rest of the body of believers. Worship that is not just expending energy for an emotional experience, but directed awe and wonder in service of a good and faithful God. Programs and activities that are not aimed at attracting visitors, but actually allowing Christ to move through human doing that collectively the Church change the community so that it might look like the Kingdom of God.

The new batch of believers want the Light, and not the ones shining on a stage.

They want the cloud of God’s presence to descend, not your fog machine.

They want prayer, not performance.

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