I have been wrestling with this blog for a few months. Since “returning” to attending a local church five years ago, I have been grieved in my spirit. Let me give a little background first.

Back in 2010, God shifted the focus of our ministry. We had been church-planting since 1999, and God closed that door. I was very hurt emotionally by how everything ended and had to take time to heal. Then, in 2013, God instructed us to launch Gateway City Aquatic Club as a sports ministry of Hole in the Roof. For the next seven years, Jamie and I spent many Sundays attending swim meets and not attending church services. We ministered to many kids and their families who did not attend church. Some didn’t even believe in God. It was very much like being on the mission field in a foreign land.

Then, in 2020, the pandemic happened, and our sports ministry closed. For the next year, Jamie and I prayed and asked God what was next for us. After the death of my father in 2021, I felt the Lord was directly leading us to get back involved with going to a local church. Since then, I have had the honor of being a member at two different churches and attending many others. A lot has changed since 2010—both good and bad. If I were honest, I sometimes feel like Rip Van Winkle awakening from his long slumber to find that everything has changed.

The one thing that I have noticed more than anything is a massive change in attitudes towards the church sanctuary.

I don’t want to sound like an old fuddy-duddy, but “back in my day,” there was a different attitude towards the sanctuary. I vividly remember my father and mother saying things like, “Don’t run in the sanctuary,” “No, you can’t bring a drink into church,” and “No talking during church.” If I did any of these things, I would first get The Stare and later, the punishment.

There was a reverence given towards the sanctuary—not because we believed the building itself was sacred, but because we understood what happened there. Because somewhere deep inside, we understood something weighty:

This is holy ground.

These days, people stroll into the sanctuary with their coffee cups. Conversations continue through worship, prayer, and even the sermon.  Phones glow during worship. Texting continues through the sermon. Children run around like it is a playground.

The sanctuary of God has quietly become just another casual space.

But God’s Word does not treat the gathering of His people casually.

And what we call “comfort,” Heaven may call irreverence.

The Sin We No Longer Recognize

Recently, I have been studying the book of Leviticus—yes, the book that everyone stops at during their “Read Through the Bible in a Year” resolution. As I worked through the opening chapters, where God gives detailed, step-by-step instructions for sacrifices, one verse stopped me cold:

“If anyone commits a breach of faith and sins unintentionally in any of the holy things of the Lord…”
—Leviticus 5:15

That phrase should arrest us:

“The holy things of the Lord.”

Scripture speaks of a category we rarely consider anymore: There are sins against people. There are sins against truth. And then there are sins against what God calls holy.

We don’t talk about that anymore, because we no longer recognize what is holy.  We have taken so many steps towards making people feel welcome and comfortable that we have lost sight of the fact that worship isn’t for us.  It isn’t to make us feel better about ourselves.   It is to give glory to whom glory is due.

It is to worship the Lord God.

You Cannot Remove Holiness Without Consequence

God did not suggest holiness. He commanded it:

“You shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.”
—Leviticus 19:2

And again:

“You shall… reverence My sanctuary: I am the Lord.”
—Leviticus 19:30

Notice what God ties together:

• His identity
• His holiness
• His house

To dishonor what He calls holy is not stylistic—it is spiritual. Yet the modern church has quietly redefined the sanctuary as a place of comfort instead of consecration.  We have created environments where nothing feels weighty— and then wonder why no one trembles at His Word.

The New Testament Did Not Lower the Standard

Some will say, “That was the Old Testament.” But the New Testament does not relax reverence. It intensifies it.

“Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”
—Hebrews 12:28–29

Not was. Is. God has not become softer. He has not changed and never will. 

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

And the early church understood this. When Ananias and Sapphira treated the presence of God lightly in Acts 5, they were struck down—not in the Old Covenant, but in the New.

And Scripture says:

“And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.” – Acts 5:11

Reverence returned in a moment, because God made it clear:

His presence is not to be treated as common.

Paul gives another warning in 1 Corinthians 11. People were approaching communion casually—treating it like a meal instead of a sacred remembrance. His response is staggering:

“For this reason, many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”

In other words: Some had died. Not because God changed—but because they treated something holy as common.

The Seeker Model and the Loss of Weight

In recent decades, many churches have reshaped their gatherings to attract outsiders.

Lights dimmed. Smoke machines and fancy lighting. Messages shortened and conviction softened. The goal? One word: Accessibility. But in many places, something else was lost:

THE FEAR OF THE LORD

When the church becomes centered on appealing to people, it often becomes trapped in shallowness—unable to move people into deeper worship, repentance, and truth. And when depth disappears, reverence goes with it, because you cannot manufacture awe in an environment designed for comfort.

We Have Trained People to Treat God Casually

Let’s be honest. The problem is not just culture. It’s discipleship.

We have taught people:

• Church is optional
• Worship is emotional
• The Word is negotiable
• The sanctuary is casual

And then we are surprised when:

• attention is gone
• conviction is rare
• transformation is shallow

You cannot train people to treat God lightly and expect them to encounter Him deeply. The issue is not that God has become less holy. It is that His people have lost sight of who God is. We no longer approach with trembling. We no longer listen with urgency. We no longer gather with expectation. But Scripture is clear:

GOD IS STILL HOLY.  His presence is still weighty. And His house is still to be revered.

A Call to Return

This is not a call to legalism. It is a call to awareness. A call to remember:

• Who God is
• What the gathering actually is
• What it means to stand before Him

Because when Isaiah saw the Lord, he didn’t relax. He said, “Woe is me.” 

When John saw Christ, he didn’t casualize the moment with a fist bump. He fell as though dead.

What would happen if the church recovered the fear of the Lord? What would change if we walked into the sanctuary aware of one reality:

God is here. Not metaphorically. Not emotionally. But truly in our presence. Would we still treat it the same?

A Personal Reckoning

Before we point at “the church,” we need to look at ourselves. How do we walk into the sanctuary? How do we listen when the Word is opened? How do we respond when God is being worshipped? Because reverence is not restored through policies or programs. It is restored when individual hearts begin to fear the Lord again.

Not a terror that drives us away— but a holy awareness that draws us near with humility, attention, and awe.

What if this Sunday, we walked in differently? Not casually. Not distracted, but aware.

What if we silenced the noise before we entered? What if we prepared our hearts instead of just showing up? What if we actually believed that we were stepping into a moment where heaven and earth meet?

Because that is what the gathering of the saints is. Not a routine. Not a production. But an encounter.

The call is simple, but it is not light: We desperately need to return to reverence. Honor what God calls holy. Treat His presence with weight. Refuse to let the sacred become common in your life.

Because God is still speaking. He is still moving and is still worthy of awe.

The next time you walk into the sanctuary, remember:

You are not just entering a room to hang out with friends.

You are stepping onto holy ground.