In a time when sacred things are often treated as ordinary, the church must recover reverence, holiness, and spiritual discernment. God calls His people to honor what He has set apart and to live by His holiness, not by the spirit of the age.
A call for the church to recover true reverence, holiness, and clarity.
What happens when the church no longer trembles at what God calls holy? What is lost when worship becomes casual, truth becomes flexible, and the sacred is treated like anything else? These questions matter because they touch our worship, our witness, and our walk with God.
God has not changed. He is still holy. He still calls His people to know the difference between what is holy and what is common, what is clean and what is unclean, what pleases Him and what grieves Him. “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44).
What Does It Mean?
In simple words, holy means “set apart for God.” It belongs to Him and must be handled with honor. God’s name is holy, His Word is holy, His worship is holy, and His people are called to be holy. Profane means common, careless, defiled, or treated without proper honor. The danger is not only open sin. It is also the slow loss of spiritual sensitivity when we stop honoring what God calls sacred.
Biblical Foundation
This call is found throughout Scripture. In Ezekiel 44:23, God told the priests, “They shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and show them how to distinguish between the unclean and the clean.” Leviticus 10:10 gives the same command: “You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.” God wanted His people to understand that anything connected to Him must not be treated lightly.
For believers today, this is not about empty religion or outward performance. It is about remembering who we are in Christ. We have been redeemed by His blood and called out of darkness into His light. Scripture says, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). Because we belong to God, our worship, words, choices, and daily lives should reflect His holiness.
Why This Matters
- It preserves the fear of the Lord. When worship, prayer, Scripture, and the Lord’s Table are treated as ordinary, holy awe begins to fade. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10).
- It restores spiritual discernment. The church cannot stand firm if it cannot tell the difference between what pleases God and what reflects the spirit of the age. Romans 12:2 says we must not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
- It protects the purity of worship. Jesus said true worshipers must worship the Father “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Worship is not entertainment first; it is holy surrender to God.
It strengthens our witness. When God’s people live differently, the world can see the light of Christ in them. Jesus said, “Let your light shine before others” (Matthew 5:16).
What We Must Recover
We must recover reverence for God’s presence. Moses took off his sandals because he stood on holy ground (Exodus 3:5). Isaiah cried out when he saw the Lord’s holiness (Isaiah 6:1–5). John fell as though dead before the risen Christ (Revelation 1:17). These examples remind us that God’s presence is not common. He is loving and near, but He is also holy and worthy of awe.
We must recover love for God’s Word. The Lord says, “This is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word” (Isaiah 66:2). A church that treats Scripture lightly will soon treat sin lightly. But a church that honors the Word will be shaped by truth and protected from deception.
We must recover holiness in daily life. God does not only call us to holy moments. He calls us to holy living. “As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct” (1 Peter 1:15). This means our speech, relationships, entertainment, decisions, and private lives should belong to the Lord.
A Call to the Church
The church must not copy the careless spirit of the age. We are called to be salt and light, not a mirror of the world (Matthew 5:13–16). We must not make holy things common. We must not turn worship into performance, truth into opinion, or grace into an excuse for compromise.
The way back is simple, but serious: repent, return, and reverence the Lord. Ask God to make your heart tender again. Ask Him to restore holy fear, clear discernment, and clean hands. “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
Prayer
Lord, teach us again to honor what You call holy. Forgive us for treating sacred things lightly. Restore reverence in our worship, purity in our lives, and discernment in our hearts. Help us distinguish between the holy and the common, and make us a people who reflect Your holiness in the world. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Minister A Francine Green, November 2026