Just a side note -
I have known many Christians (including myself) who have fallen into sexual immorality, because they lost their sensitivity to what it means to be pure. And they have lost their sensitivity to sexual sin.
A lot of this lack of sensitivity is because what we have chosen to be entertained by. There is a reason that God said to flee sexual immorality, to not come near it, to not even entertain a hint of it. It is because God knows that if we do, we will probably fall.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Revelation 2:20-23 Participation of the Church in immorality, a sign of a corrupt heart
20 But I have this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality. 22 Behold, I will throw her onto a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her works, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.
Lack of sensitivity
In the early church, Christians refused to participate in the entertainment of Rome at the time, because it involved taking life. They were willing to make this stand against the culture even when it was hard because they wanted to live lives that honored their Lord and others. They loved the Lord and refused to be entertained by the things He hated. They refused to love entertainment more than God. They also loved others and refused to participate in an entertainment that victimized others and destroyed their lives (even if those being victimized were willing participants). They stood up and defended the lives of others.
Today, Christians often refuse to give up their entertainment in order to stand up for others. Worse, they refuse to give up their entertainment for God. There are many movies that have absolute sinful scenes and yet we love our entertainment more than God, the scriptures and others.
One area of entertainment where we have lost our sensitivity is sexual immorality. I am shocked when I here a Christian struggling with whether or not it is ok to watch a movie with a sexual scene in it. The fact that this would even be a question, shows how much the church has lost their sensitivity to things that are evil. I don't think we would be willing to go and watch a live couple commit some sexual act or be nude in our living room or anywhere else for that matter for entertainment, even if we turned our heads or went into the other room. But we are willing put up with it and watch it behind the safety of a tv or movie screen. Realize this, these are real men and women, just as real as if they were there live, committing real sexual immorality and sin. Having a screen or the fact that it is a good movie otherwise doesn't make it less real.
This is not good and this struggle is not good. This is a symptom of a heart grown cold toward the things of God. It shows how far our hearts have come from God in this area. When we struggle, it shows that our hearts are pulled to loving other things more than God. There should not be a struggle. God is clear on his view of sexual immorality. We are not to have any part in it, not even a hint of sexual immorality. And God is also clear that we are to love others and to love with an agape love (a love that is strong, stronger than our for fleeting entertainment). It should break our hearts that our entertainment industry promotes sexual immorality and adultery and takes advantage of people, just as in Rome they took advantage of the gladiators for their entertainment. Looking away or fast forwarding is like going to watch a gladiator battle and looking away or taking a break to go to the restroom right before the one kills the other, but still being entertained by the pomp and festivities around the fight, and on top of that you are still giving them the money to continue to produce these death fights by attending. Even though you say you are not participating in the bad parts, you are. God has called us to be a light, to bring goodness and justice; to love others and to be willing to stand up for the good of others, even when it hurts, even when we must miss a movie we really want to watch.
Just a short time ago this was not a hard issue. It was not complicated. It was not a struggle. It was a dishonor to being entertained by a movie was a movie or anything that defiled the marriage bed or demeaned a man or woman sexually, no matter how good the rest of the movie was. A man was not a man of honor if he watched these kind of movies. It was called integrity and honor. A man or women still has no honor if they chose to participate in a movie like this. Our hearts have grown cold. This issue has only become complicated because of an increased love of entertainment and a decreased love for God, His word, purity and a decreased love for others and justice. We love our entertainment more than we love God and more than we love others.
I am writing this, not because I am any better, but because I want this in my own life. I want my own heart to turn from being cold in these areas where I struggle with this and to turn to love. I want the parts in my own heart that have been corrupt to become pure. I want the God who searches our hearts to search my own, and put to death this in me. I want to love. And I want to stand for the things that God loves. And I want to love others. And I want to love my Beloved.
Today, Christians often refuse to give up their entertainment in order to stand up for others. Worse, they refuse to give up their entertainment for God. There are many movies that have absolute sinful scenes and yet we love our entertainment more than God, the scriptures and others.
One area of entertainment where we have lost our sensitivity is sexual immorality. I am shocked when I here a Christian struggling with whether or not it is ok to watch a movie with a sexual scene in it. The fact that this would even be a question, shows how much the church has lost their sensitivity to things that are evil. I don't think we would be willing to go and watch a live couple commit some sexual act or be nude in our living room or anywhere else for that matter for entertainment, even if we turned our heads or went into the other room. But we are willing put up with it and watch it behind the safety of a tv or movie screen. Realize this, these are real men and women, just as real as if they were there live, committing real sexual immorality and sin. Having a screen or the fact that it is a good movie otherwise doesn't make it less real.
This is not good and this struggle is not good. This is a symptom of a heart grown cold toward the things of God. It shows how far our hearts have come from God in this area. When we struggle, it shows that our hearts are pulled to loving other things more than God. There should not be a struggle. God is clear on his view of sexual immorality. We are not to have any part in it, not even a hint of sexual immorality. And God is also clear that we are to love others and to love with an agape love (a love that is strong, stronger than our for fleeting entertainment). It should break our hearts that our entertainment industry promotes sexual immorality and adultery and takes advantage of people, just as in Rome they took advantage of the gladiators for their entertainment. Looking away or fast forwarding is like going to watch a gladiator battle and looking away or taking a break to go to the restroom right before the one kills the other, but still being entertained by the pomp and festivities around the fight, and on top of that you are still giving them the money to continue to produce these death fights by attending. Even though you say you are not participating in the bad parts, you are. God has called us to be a light, to bring goodness and justice; to love others and to be willing to stand up for the good of others, even when it hurts, even when we must miss a movie we really want to watch.
Just a short time ago this was not a hard issue. It was not complicated. It was not a struggle. It was a dishonor to being entertained by a movie was a movie or anything that defiled the marriage bed or demeaned a man or woman sexually, no matter how good the rest of the movie was. A man was not a man of honor if he watched these kind of movies. It was called integrity and honor. A man or women still has no honor if they chose to participate in a movie like this. Our hearts have grown cold. This issue has only become complicated because of an increased love of entertainment and a decreased love for God, His word, purity and a decreased love for others and justice. We love our entertainment more than we love God and more than we love others.
I am writing this, not because I am any better, but because I want this in my own life. I want my own heart to turn from being cold in these areas where I struggle with this and to turn to love. I want the parts in my own heart that have been corrupt to become pure. I want the God who searches our hearts to search my own, and put to death this in me. I want to love. And I want to stand for the things that God loves. And I want to love others. And I want to love my Beloved.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
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