Lie #2: You Have a Right to Be Entertained
More than any other nation, we’re a people enamored with our right to be entertained, and we happily throw our money and time into those activities and products that hold the greatest “entertainment value” for us. Being entertained is how we Americans relax and escape the daily stress of life.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average American spends almost $2,000 each year on movies, sporting events, concerts, music, video games, and other entertaining diversions.
I am no different, of course. I’m a great lover of movies and music, and even play video games from time to time. But my love for entertainment becomes a problem when I begin to view it as a right, and I begin to (unconsciously, almost) fill my life with only those activities that promise in some way to entertain me. I focus on pleasing myself and do not think so much about sacrificing my pleasure for the sake of meeting another’s need. I judge the value of my church (and even my relationship with God) by how much pleasure it brings me and tend to dull my hearing against voices that are inconvenient or too demanding.
For good reason, the Apostle Paul issued a strong warning against this sort of pleasure-centered approach to life. “But know this: difficult times will come in the last days. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, without love for what is good, traitors, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the form of religion but denying its power. Avoid these people!” (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
Clearly, Paul saw the pleasure-focused lifestyle as a serious threat to the health and purity of the body of Christ—to the point of warning us to sever all ties with people who choose to live that way.
But do we?
3 comments:
Sadly the statement about people choosing a church based on entertainment is true. You see many times where someone does not like the style of Worship music. Hymns or contemporary. Personally if you can close your eyes and separate your self from your surroundings, then the type of music does not matter. Sing the words to God! In addition, People will not join churches just for the simple reason that its not entertaining. Sounds like we need to get our priorities straight before our entertainment desires get us a one way ticket to a eternal separation from God. I bet then we would not be concerned so much as to what movie we are going to see this week.
Yeah, I agree with Ronnie that the sole reason for going to church shouldn't be based on the amount of entertainment offered and whether or not they play your style of music. I have to admit that I fall into this same category though. I really enjoy music and I feel that in order for me to TRUELY praise God, I gotta understand what the heck I am singing about and some of them old hymns don't do that for me. THere is a fine line we must make as Christians between entertainment and God. Yes, music within the church can cause a break in whether or not you go to that church, but you just gotta make sure your priorities are in line. If the style is inhibiting you from truely worshiping God then I believe that is a substantial reason to not attend that church but if the music is just not your style than that is not a good reason. Another way christians get caught up on entertainment (and I am guilty) is whether or not the church has enough activities for you. THe sole purpose of the church is not to make sure you have something planned on Friday night, but to join people of the same faith so that you can share and grow closer to God.
I am in agreement with you two. You see, I go to Ashley L's church at times and their worship style is not my first pick. I let that interfere with my worship experience, leaving me wondering what God was trying to tell me in church that day. Once again, this all goes back to our selfish nature, we are only happy with it if it is the way that we want.
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