As a teacher, I tend to be creative and I lean in the direction of having fun in the classroom. I have had to attend day-long conferences in the past that bored me to death and at those times, I remembered that my students have to endure that…every day!
Is every day fun and games in my classroom? By no means! There is teaching and academic activities in my room each day—including on the fun days! I have learned to segment my lessons into five or six different sections in order to capture the fleeting attention span of my students.
I have also learned that fun must be “serious” and by that I mean that even review games and fun activities must be geared towards learning. Serious fun is that which is done under control. We can learn a lot in a controlled environment. We can learn a lot from amusement parks, because their great organization and control makes it possible for everyone to have fun, serious fun.
And what about having serious fun in church? I believe that the church must be among the most fun places in the world, but before you misunderstand my message, allow me to explain what I mean by this. To have serious fun in our churches we don’t need to resort to games, activities and other gimmicks so popular among mega-churches. A fun church doesn’t need to have a professional band, a Starbucks and a comedian in the pulpit. Furthermore, a fun church is not that in which people are screaming and running in the aisles.
1 Corinthians 14:40 says: “Let all things be done decently and in order.”
Many churches apply this verse in an extreme and unbiblical manner. Their worship services are so “orderly” that there is no room for joy or for any expression of our faith. If you ever visit one of those congregations, do not attempt to raise your hands during worship and do not dare shout “Amen!”
What are the “all things” that we must do in decency and order? This, my brothers and sisters is what I call having Serious Fun. These things include reading the Bible (fun), worshipping God through praise songs (fun), fellowshipping with other brothers and sisters (fun), praying to the God of the universe (fun), giving our offerings (it should be fun) and listening to the faithful and vibrant preaching of God’s Word (fun, fun, fun).
All Christians should enjoy church services and anticipate every meeting. For a believer there is nothing more fun than to be in God’s presence to worship and honor Him. Nothing compares to the joy (another word for fun) that we experience in our Father’s house. Let us have some serious fun; the fun prescribed in Psalm 100:
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing…Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
A. G.
