My last post was about movies. But movies aren't the only thing we watch that grieves the heart of Jehovah God. There are so many things on television that would fall into the same category as an offense to the Lord. I realize that I am stepping on many toes but I just pray that whether you like this or not, you will seek God's heart on what I say. Seek His will for your life. Ask Him if He is speaking to you from this post. Take His holiness serious, take His heart serious. Don't let the word "legalism" keep you from living a pure and holy life before your God.
The reason I know that some who read this post love soap operas is because those programs wouldn't be able to stay on the air for a hundred years if they didn't have a vast audience! What are these shows about? Murder, sex in the form of rape, adultery, fornication, homosexuality. They are about abortion, kidnapping, theft, swindle, gossip, hatred, envy, jealousy, false religion, cheating business partners, lies, and all forms of abuse. Have I left anything out? Probably. All things that are sin against a holy God! Think about it. Everything that the soap operas make grandiose is a slap in the face of the Lord of Glory! Every bit of it is an affront to the King of all kings. It glorifies the things in this life that God HATES! All of those things killed His precious Son! Sin, sin, sin. That's all those shows are about; sin against a holy God. Beloved, can God possibly, in your wildest dreams, be pleased with you if you let that junk infiltrate your mind and heart? Can God be pleased with the time that you take out of the life that He gives you to watch that filth? Every breath you breathe is a gift from God. But five days a week you reserve your precious God-given time to fill yourself with the sin of those shows.
Why do you think people are so addicted to soap operas? If the actors were portraying Godly people doing Godly things, how long do you think they would be on the air? The truth is, they would have never even been created, much less sustained on the airwaves. A life that honors the Lord isn't what people want to see. People long to peak into such sins as adultery, fornication, and all different forms of sex. People love to see the wickedness of the heart of a sinful, lost world. You can't wait to tune in tomorrow to see if she really does kill her sister who slept with her husband and bore his child. Every sin grieves the heart of God, even if it's on television in a make-believe world. We have enough sin in our lives that grieves the heart of God, that sent His son to die on the cross. We don't need to get enjoyment out of watching what someone else's wicked mind came up with to put on the air. Don't you know that only a debased, depraved heart and mind could carelessly write that trash and desire to put it out there for the whole world to watch? How do you think that makes God feel when you enjoy watching so much sin? A Christian HATES sin, because it is sin that crucified their Lord! It is sin that breaks the heart of God. It is sin that causes us to say, "Oh wretched flesh of mine that is filled with iniquity!!"
It's not just soap operas. It is prime time television. It's what we watch and call humor on late night also. It is one comedian who has committed adultery cracking jokes about another man who is guilty of that same sin. It is shows on prime time that are filled with sex, the kind of sex that is sin against a holy God. It is glorifying homosexuality. Look at all the shows like Entertainment Tonight and Extra. They are about making Hollywood look like something glorious. Look at how actors are put on a pedestal and their lives made to look so wonderful. We glorify their wicked lifestyles. People watch shows that talk about an actor's wonderful life, and they long to be like them. There are famous people who are obviously on drugs and yet their lives are made to look so great. We all have seen the stories of alcohol abuse from famous people, and yet there are so many out there who want to be like them. There are stories of wife abuse. These actors set a horrible example for our youth, and there seems to be nobody trying to stop it. There are shows like Party Heat and something about party at rehab. These kinds of shows let the viewer peak into the world of sex, booze, and all kinds of sin. These are young people doing things that dishonor not only God, but themselves and their families. Parents I'm sure are going to bed in tears knowing that their children are participating in such wicked pleasures. And don't you realize that these shows wouldn't be able to stay on the air if people weren't watching them in large numbers?
Even some athletes who live wickedly are glorified, regardless of the fact that their lives are full of sin against God, with no repentance or even thought about the One who created them. Listen to them talk and it is obvious that they couldn't care less about Jesus. And yet we raise them up and want to be like them. Men that have been arrested for abusing their wives are back in front of the camera the next week, and all is fine. There is an actor who left phone messages for his young daughter on his ex-wife's answering machine. He said the most horrible, hurtful things to his little girl, yet he is one of the most celebrated actors on tv and in films. And let a famous person be caught in sin. They deny their sin until the evidence comes out. Then, when they admit it, there is never any repentance to Jehovah God for their sin against Him. They are sorry that they got caught, period. When's the last time you heard of someone famous who got caught doing something sinful against the holiness of God, truly repent of all of his sin and ask Jesus to come into his life and save him?
Television is full of sin against God. And we as Americans are apathetic to the whole thing. Even Christians seem to have surrendered to even trying to abstain from filling our eyes, ears, hearts, minds and spirits with the sin of the entertainment world. We grieve His heart by our heroes. We teach our children that it's ok to turn a blind eye to the sin coming from our movie screens and our television sets. And if you decide that enough is enough, that you will no longer fill yourself or allow your family to be consumed by such wickedness on television, then according to some, you are just being legalistic! That's a lie straight from the pit of hell!! When is it ever wrong to so honor your Lord that you refuse to allow filth into your house? When is it ever wrong to refuse to let vile sin pass through your eyes and into your heart? Why should any true child of God ever have to be ashamed for taking a stand for the Lord's holiness? So what if you feel all alone in caring about the things that God calls sin! Do you think Jesus is going to grade your life on a curve when you are at the Judgement Seat of Christ? If God is convicting you about what you watch and what you allow your family to watch, do you think you will get a break from Jesus just because 2 billion other households were enjoying the same filth? No, if the Holy Spirit of God convicts you about what you are allowing to enter through your eye-gate, and you ignore it, then you and you alone will loose rewards in heaven for your disobedience to the voice of God. And if you are a child of God, there is no way that you can watch and enjoy sin without Him convicting you. He doesn't turn a blind eye to sin in your life just because it's something you happen to enjoy, and don't feel like you could live without. Do you feel like you couldn't live without that soap opera? Then tell God all about your struggle. Tell Him about your desire to honor His holy name, and your inability to do so. He already knows anyway. He wants to help you. He WILL help you if you will only turn it over to Him. I know first hand. There have been shows on prime time that I enjoyed in the past. But when the Holy Spirit let me know that those shows grieved the heart of my King, I prayed and asked God to take the desire for those programs from my heart. He did! Every single time with every single show, He did! HE is faithful. He will take the desire from you if you will seek His face. That's so wonderful, isn't it? Give it to God. Don't wait another day. Don't watch another one of those shows that so dishonor Him. Don't even think about the word "legalism". Think about the words "honor" and "glory" for your heavenly Father, very God of very God. Plead at the throne of all grace and mercy for Jehovah God to clean up your mind and heart and purify your soul. He will do it. And in doing so, He will get the glory, as He should.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Legalism?...What You Watch
I like to pass by the $5.00 movies when I go to WalMart. Every once in a while, I'll see something that I would like to have. One of those occasions it was the movie On Golden Pond. I hadn't seen it in years but remembered that I liked it, so I bought it. I put it in and began to watch it on a Saturday night. I live alone so there was nobody there but me and Jesus. In this movie, Catherine Hepburn and Henry Fonda are an old married couple. Her term of endearment to him is "Old Poop". Their daughter in the movie, Jane Fonda, even calls her dad by that name. That's not the problem. The problem is that both women put a curse word in front of it, and put the name of God before the curse word. As soon as it got to that part in the movie, and I heard the taking of God's name in vain, my heart was instantly grieved. In fact, it was so grieved that I took the movie out and threw it in the garbage with no regrets. I ask you, was that legalism?
On Golden Pond wasn't the only movie of mine that has gone in the garbage. It also happened to Rambo, Ghost, The Break Up, and several more. Many more, actually. And some of them were movies that I really enjoyed at one time. Some, like The Break Up, were movies that I had never seen and didn't even finish watching. But many were my old video tape movies that I used to catch on sale when Joshua was growing up. He and I used to love sitting on the couch and just watching movies. So I have, or HAD, a large collection. But now when I pull out a movie that I haven't seen in a long time, I just can't enjoy it like I used to. What's the difference? And could that difference be qualified as legalism?
I'll tell you what my personal opinion is. I think we use the excuse of legalism to justify our lack of holiness unto the Lord! Period! Is there such a thing as legalism? YES! I have been guilty of it, especially when I was a babe in Christ and learning the word of God. I would see how far short we fall in living God's word here in America. I have those in my life who struggle with legalism, and I pray for God's grace to break through. But God has grown me in understanding that it's not about a bunch of do and don'ts, it's about living my life abandoned to His will and His desire for making me more and more like my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you're a child of God, isn't that your greatest desire, to be more like Jesus? Yes. And don't you long for your life to glorify Jehovah God? Yes. Doesn't it just break your heart when you know you are grieving the Holy Spirit inside you? Yes. Our ultimate goal in life is not just wanting to be holy for bragging rights. It's not a contest to see who can be the most pure in your family, so you can puff out your chest and feel better-than-thou. But instead we desire for the things that God desires. We long to put away the things in our lives that God cannot possibly smile upon.
Our body, if we are true Christians, is the temple of the Holy Spirit of GOD! (1Cor. 6:19-20) I want you to remember that when I put in a movie, there is nobody else in the whole world there to see what I watch. Nobody would ever know if I watched the vilest of filth ever recorded. And when I sit down with my cup of tea or my bowl of popcorn and my blanket, I'm not thinking about anything but a couple of hours of enjoyment and entertainment in the form of a movie. It's the chance to just zone out from the struggles of life. And then comes a part in the movie where the person takes the Lord's name in vain. Whether they are happy, sad, furious, scared, no matter what their emotion, someone thought it would be a fitting place in that movie for God's holy name to be trampled upon. Instantly, and I do mean instantly, my heart just sinks! It is an instant reaction, not even anticipated by me. GRIEF! Pure grief for my precious Lord. How can I possibly enjoy something that hurts Him so bad? How?? He loves me so much! He is so very good to me! He DIED for me!! How could I hurt Him by enjoying anything in this life that tramples His very name?
You say that a movie is just innocent fun? The actor of that movie sinned against a holy God by using that word. The person who wrote the script sinned. The producer and director...on and on. Jesus had to pay the price for that sin by being tortured and killed on the cross! And now, how do you think Jesus would feel about me taking that lightly? How would He feel about me getting pleasure in hearing His name misused like that? Would I want my heart to be so calloused that I COULD watch a movie where God's name is taken in vain and it not grieve me? Never! If my heart is tender towards His honor and glory, it is only because Jesus Himself has touched me there. Do I want to make hard where the Lord of Glory has softened? Never! If the Holy Spirit of God is instantly grieved in my spirit when such language is used, would I want to tune it out, turn a deaf ear to Jehovah God? No way! Beloved, it's not me who has any self holiness. It is the holiness of God inside me that is grieved at what I allow to enter my ears, eyes, heart and mind.
Next time you put in a movie, think of Jesus sitting on the couch with you. Just you and the Lord, spending time together watching a movie. When that word is used, how do you think your Savior would react? Would He turn to you and wink, pat you on the shoulder and say, "No worries, no big deal."? No, He would be hurt. How would you feel inside to see the grief in His eyes when you can enjoy the movie and be apathetic to His heartache? Even that cost Him so much! Think about it. Remember what it cost Jesus. Is that movie really worth it? Don't you know that every single time you shrug your shoulders and continue to watch something where the Lord's name is taken in vain, you risk the day coming when you loose your ability all-together to care about keeping your body a pure temple for the Holy Spirit? You don't grow softer by shrugging your shoulders, you grow harder. You can't continue to time and time again tune out the Holy Spirit inside you, and grow in the Lord. It is in obeying the Spirit that we DO grow in the Lord, and grow more like Him. What movie, what two hours of enjoyment is worth grieving the King of kings and Lord of lords? Is it really legalism to keep your heart pure for your heavenly Husband? Is it legalism to love the Lord Jesus so much that you would be willing to forgo ever seeing a movie again that's above a PG rating, if watching R means that you will probably hear His name taken in vain? Wow, that's quite a sacrifice in life, huh? How could any God who claimed to love you want you to go without R rated movies? How could life be fulfilling without the entertainment of Hollywood?
Don't believe the lie that God's dealings with you on holiness is all about legalism. You will be listening to Satan for the rest of your life if you don't ever believe that God wants to make you and keep you pure for your Husband. God wants to soften your heart, make you ever tender for your Master and King. He wants you to be so very in love with Jesus. He wants your desire to be for nothing but what He desires for you. He wants your heart to be tender, whether you are a woman or a rough and tough manly man, he wants you tender on the inside. He wants you to love Jesus so very much that it tears you up inside to have to hear His name taken in vain. What would that cost you? Not watching those movies? So what? Look at what all those sins cost our precious Savior! Holiness unto the Lord. You, a pure, spotless bride. You don't have to wait until you are in heaven to seek to be pure for Jesus! Take a stand in your household. Determine to remain pure for your King. See if God doesn't honor and bless that vow to keep His dishonor from entering through your doors. See if He doesn't fill that space of movie time with more joy than you could ever imagine. You won't be missing a thing! You will gain peace and joy unspeakable. You will bless the heart of Jehovah God. What could be better than that?
On Golden Pond wasn't the only movie of mine that has gone in the garbage. It also happened to Rambo, Ghost, The Break Up, and several more. Many more, actually. And some of them were movies that I really enjoyed at one time. Some, like The Break Up, were movies that I had never seen and didn't even finish watching. But many were my old video tape movies that I used to catch on sale when Joshua was growing up. He and I used to love sitting on the couch and just watching movies. So I have, or HAD, a large collection. But now when I pull out a movie that I haven't seen in a long time, I just can't enjoy it like I used to. What's the difference? And could that difference be qualified as legalism?
I'll tell you what my personal opinion is. I think we use the excuse of legalism to justify our lack of holiness unto the Lord! Period! Is there such a thing as legalism? YES! I have been guilty of it, especially when I was a babe in Christ and learning the word of God. I would see how far short we fall in living God's word here in America. I have those in my life who struggle with legalism, and I pray for God's grace to break through. But God has grown me in understanding that it's not about a bunch of do and don'ts, it's about living my life abandoned to His will and His desire for making me more and more like my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If you're a child of God, isn't that your greatest desire, to be more like Jesus? Yes. And don't you long for your life to glorify Jehovah God? Yes. Doesn't it just break your heart when you know you are grieving the Holy Spirit inside you? Yes. Our ultimate goal in life is not just wanting to be holy for bragging rights. It's not a contest to see who can be the most pure in your family, so you can puff out your chest and feel better-than-thou. But instead we desire for the things that God desires. We long to put away the things in our lives that God cannot possibly smile upon.
Our body, if we are true Christians, is the temple of the Holy Spirit of GOD! (1Cor. 6:19-20) I want you to remember that when I put in a movie, there is nobody else in the whole world there to see what I watch. Nobody would ever know if I watched the vilest of filth ever recorded. And when I sit down with my cup of tea or my bowl of popcorn and my blanket, I'm not thinking about anything but a couple of hours of enjoyment and entertainment in the form of a movie. It's the chance to just zone out from the struggles of life. And then comes a part in the movie where the person takes the Lord's name in vain. Whether they are happy, sad, furious, scared, no matter what their emotion, someone thought it would be a fitting place in that movie for God's holy name to be trampled upon. Instantly, and I do mean instantly, my heart just sinks! It is an instant reaction, not even anticipated by me. GRIEF! Pure grief for my precious Lord. How can I possibly enjoy something that hurts Him so bad? How?? He loves me so much! He is so very good to me! He DIED for me!! How could I hurt Him by enjoying anything in this life that tramples His very name?
You say that a movie is just innocent fun? The actor of that movie sinned against a holy God by using that word. The person who wrote the script sinned. The producer and director...on and on. Jesus had to pay the price for that sin by being tortured and killed on the cross! And now, how do you think Jesus would feel about me taking that lightly? How would He feel about me getting pleasure in hearing His name misused like that? Would I want my heart to be so calloused that I COULD watch a movie where God's name is taken in vain and it not grieve me? Never! If my heart is tender towards His honor and glory, it is only because Jesus Himself has touched me there. Do I want to make hard where the Lord of Glory has softened? Never! If the Holy Spirit of God is instantly grieved in my spirit when such language is used, would I want to tune it out, turn a deaf ear to Jehovah God? No way! Beloved, it's not me who has any self holiness. It is the holiness of God inside me that is grieved at what I allow to enter my ears, eyes, heart and mind.
Next time you put in a movie, think of Jesus sitting on the couch with you. Just you and the Lord, spending time together watching a movie. When that word is used, how do you think your Savior would react? Would He turn to you and wink, pat you on the shoulder and say, "No worries, no big deal."? No, He would be hurt. How would you feel inside to see the grief in His eyes when you can enjoy the movie and be apathetic to His heartache? Even that cost Him so much! Think about it. Remember what it cost Jesus. Is that movie really worth it? Don't you know that every single time you shrug your shoulders and continue to watch something where the Lord's name is taken in vain, you risk the day coming when you loose your ability all-together to care about keeping your body a pure temple for the Holy Spirit? You don't grow softer by shrugging your shoulders, you grow harder. You can't continue to time and time again tune out the Holy Spirit inside you, and grow in the Lord. It is in obeying the Spirit that we DO grow in the Lord, and grow more like Him. What movie, what two hours of enjoyment is worth grieving the King of kings and Lord of lords? Is it really legalism to keep your heart pure for your heavenly Husband? Is it legalism to love the Lord Jesus so much that you would be willing to forgo ever seeing a movie again that's above a PG rating, if watching R means that you will probably hear His name taken in vain? Wow, that's quite a sacrifice in life, huh? How could any God who claimed to love you want you to go without R rated movies? How could life be fulfilling without the entertainment of Hollywood?
Don't believe the lie that God's dealings with you on holiness is all about legalism. You will be listening to Satan for the rest of your life if you don't ever believe that God wants to make you and keep you pure for your Husband. God wants to soften your heart, make you ever tender for your Master and King. He wants you to be so very in love with Jesus. He wants your desire to be for nothing but what He desires for you. He wants your heart to be tender, whether you are a woman or a rough and tough manly man, he wants you tender on the inside. He wants you to love Jesus so very much that it tears you up inside to have to hear His name taken in vain. What would that cost you? Not watching those movies? So what? Look at what all those sins cost our precious Savior! Holiness unto the Lord. You, a pure, spotless bride. You don't have to wait until you are in heaven to seek to be pure for Jesus! Take a stand in your household. Determine to remain pure for your King. See if God doesn't honor and bless that vow to keep His dishonor from entering through your doors. See if He doesn't fill that space of movie time with more joy than you could ever imagine. You won't be missing a thing! You will gain peace and joy unspeakable. You will bless the heart of Jehovah God. What could be better than that?
Monday, February 1, 2010
Worship Through Music
A few years ago, when I was just a babe in Christ, I attended an R.C. Sproul conference in Florida. John MacArthur was one of the guest speakers. I had just started listening to him and getting to know his preaching. They had a question and answer session one evening. Someone asked about Christian music. I don't remember what everyone said but I do remember what John said. The reason I remember it so well is because his response tore my heart out.
I am very grateful for John MacArthur's ministry. I think he is one of the true voices of God for our generation. I grow more in my knowledge of God through his teachings than almost anyone else that I listen to, and I listen to several. But that weekend I was very disappointed in his views of today's Christian music. He didn't really have anything nice to say about the songs of our day. He doesn't see much need or use for them. He likes the old hymns because they are more doctrinally correct. He called today's music 7/11, meaning the sames 7 words sung 11 times over, or something to that effect. And yes, he is correct to some extent. There are some songs like that. There are even some songs played on Christian radio that aren't very correct when it comes to the Scripture, but I would not assume to lump them all together the way John does.
When I first got saved, there were so many songs on KLove, having just discovered that station, which filled my heart with joy unspeakable to sing to my Lord. I can't even imagine the times my heart would have done without the praise, put to words, had it not been for those songs. Even now when I hear the songs I first heard years ago, my heart tenderly melts in memory of singing praise and adoration to my new-found King! And since then there have been literally hundreds of times when I am alone in my apartment, listening to Christian music, and a song comes on that draws me to my knees, and I lift my hands in the air and worship my Lord with singing. I can't imagine life without those songs!
But there came a time, probably between two and three years ago, that I started becoming critical in my spirit to some of the songs I was hearing on Christian radio. I thought they were so silly, stupid actually, if I'm being totally honest. I would think, "What's that got to do with the bible?" Or, "How can that honor Jesus?" I would hear, "Hands up, holler back here, let's get the party in gear. We brought the welcome mat, wherever we go, that's where the party's at!" I would get so nauseated when those fluffy songs came on that had nothing to do with God's glory, or so I thought. I wondered about my mother, when she was battling cancer, if she happened to turn on the station needing to hear something about Jesus, how she would have felt about the "Cartoon Song" and people saying, "Scooby-Dooby-Do-Ya." I truly went through a period of starting to loath some of the Christian music of today.
Then I remember hearing "Big House" by Audio Adrenaline. I couldn't stand that song! I thought it was one of the dumbest, most unimportant songs that had ever been played on Christian radio. What was the point? Where's the "Jesus died on the cross to save sinners from their sins! Praise God" kind of songs? And then I heard a story on KLove about how that song was used mightily in a little girl's life. That little girl was Maria Sue Chapman, Stephen Curtis Chapman's daughter, who was killed when she was hit by a car. I only heard the story once and don't know if I have all the details right but God made sure I got the point!! She was listening to that song one day and came into the kitchen to ask her mommy about it. She wanted to know if that song was something true about heaven. If so, she wanted to go to heaven. So Mary Beth, Stephen's wife, called Stephen into the kitchen to talk to Maria about how she could go to heaven. That was just a short time before her death. I heard that story as I was pulling into the church parking lot on a Sunday morning. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to repent of my sin of such a hard, heartless heart. Who am I to say what God can use to draw people to himself?!!
As God would have it, because He is just that awesome, He lead me to teach kindergarten Sunday school. And guess what song those children LOVED to sing. Yes, Big House! It wasn't too long before my son and I were teaching a kindergarten class and had to select the music for worship time. And of course, Big House was at the top of the list. We would play this little game with the kids where they got to dance around during the verses and then we would stop the music right before it got to the chorus. When the music stopped, the kids had to get in a funny pose. Then, when the music started back up, they would do the hand motions to the chorus. They had so much fun! And guess what happened to my little bitty heart? It grew TEN sizes in the Lord!! The pure joy of watching those precious babies sing about God, even if it was about football in heaven, was marvelous! I think I got more joy out of it than they did, and I know my heart was praising my King every time we sang it.
Here's my point, not every song has to be a spiritual giant to win souls to Christ. Not every song has to be a tear-jerker to give you a spirit of praise for Jehovah God, no matter what age you are. There are some people, when going through the hard trials of life, who need those light-hearted songs more than they need the ones that bring them to their knees in adoration and awe! Who knows what and when and where and how and why, about Christian songs??? GOD KNOWS!
So, as much as I praise the Lord for John MacArthur, I think he is missing out on a huge part of what God is doing though song. Do you find yourself not worshipping the King like you should on Sunday morning because you're not happy with the style of music? STOP! God is not pleased when we refuse to praise Him just because we can't have things our way. How do you think it makes your Savior feel when you harden your heart and refuse to give Him the worship He is due just because you prefer another style of music than that being played? Is your heart so hard and shriveled like mine was? Are you so stubborn that you won't offer your King your adoration because it happens to be traditional music when you prefer contemporary? You grieve Him when you have that prideful hardness in your heart. I know, I have been there. Even if I'm not familiar with a song, I see the words and know that they honor my King. So I sing them with all the love I have for the One who died for me. Can't you give Him that? Just ask God to do a work on your heart. And ask Him to bless someone else through that music being played. Then lift your heart and lift your voice to the One who is worthy of all praise!
I am very grateful for John MacArthur's ministry. I think he is one of the true voices of God for our generation. I grow more in my knowledge of God through his teachings than almost anyone else that I listen to, and I listen to several. But that weekend I was very disappointed in his views of today's Christian music. He didn't really have anything nice to say about the songs of our day. He doesn't see much need or use for them. He likes the old hymns because they are more doctrinally correct. He called today's music 7/11, meaning the sames 7 words sung 11 times over, or something to that effect. And yes, he is correct to some extent. There are some songs like that. There are even some songs played on Christian radio that aren't very correct when it comes to the Scripture, but I would not assume to lump them all together the way John does.
When I first got saved, there were so many songs on KLove, having just discovered that station, which filled my heart with joy unspeakable to sing to my Lord. I can't even imagine the times my heart would have done without the praise, put to words, had it not been for those songs. Even now when I hear the songs I first heard years ago, my heart tenderly melts in memory of singing praise and adoration to my new-found King! And since then there have been literally hundreds of times when I am alone in my apartment, listening to Christian music, and a song comes on that draws me to my knees, and I lift my hands in the air and worship my Lord with singing. I can't imagine life without those songs!
But there came a time, probably between two and three years ago, that I started becoming critical in my spirit to some of the songs I was hearing on Christian radio. I thought they were so silly, stupid actually, if I'm being totally honest. I would think, "What's that got to do with the bible?" Or, "How can that honor Jesus?" I would hear, "Hands up, holler back here, let's get the party in gear. We brought the welcome mat, wherever we go, that's where the party's at!" I would get so nauseated when those fluffy songs came on that had nothing to do with God's glory, or so I thought. I wondered about my mother, when she was battling cancer, if she happened to turn on the station needing to hear something about Jesus, how she would have felt about the "Cartoon Song" and people saying, "Scooby-Dooby-Do-Ya." I truly went through a period of starting to loath some of the Christian music of today.
Then I remember hearing "Big House" by Audio Adrenaline. I couldn't stand that song! I thought it was one of the dumbest, most unimportant songs that had ever been played on Christian radio. What was the point? Where's the "Jesus died on the cross to save sinners from their sins! Praise God" kind of songs? And then I heard a story on KLove about how that song was used mightily in a little girl's life. That little girl was Maria Sue Chapman, Stephen Curtis Chapman's daughter, who was killed when she was hit by a car. I only heard the story once and don't know if I have all the details right but God made sure I got the point!! She was listening to that song one day and came into the kitchen to ask her mommy about it. She wanted to know if that song was something true about heaven. If so, she wanted to go to heaven. So Mary Beth, Stephen's wife, called Stephen into the kitchen to talk to Maria about how she could go to heaven. That was just a short time before her death. I heard that story as I was pulling into the church parking lot on a Sunday morning. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to repent of my sin of such a hard, heartless heart. Who am I to say what God can use to draw people to himself?!!
As God would have it, because He is just that awesome, He lead me to teach kindergarten Sunday school. And guess what song those children LOVED to sing. Yes, Big House! It wasn't too long before my son and I were teaching a kindergarten class and had to select the music for worship time. And of course, Big House was at the top of the list. We would play this little game with the kids where they got to dance around during the verses and then we would stop the music right before it got to the chorus. When the music stopped, the kids had to get in a funny pose. Then, when the music started back up, they would do the hand motions to the chorus. They had so much fun! And guess what happened to my little bitty heart? It grew TEN sizes in the Lord!! The pure joy of watching those precious babies sing about God, even if it was about football in heaven, was marvelous! I think I got more joy out of it than they did, and I know my heart was praising my King every time we sang it.
Here's my point, not every song has to be a spiritual giant to win souls to Christ. Not every song has to be a tear-jerker to give you a spirit of praise for Jehovah God, no matter what age you are. There are some people, when going through the hard trials of life, who need those light-hearted songs more than they need the ones that bring them to their knees in adoration and awe! Who knows what and when and where and how and why, about Christian songs??? GOD KNOWS!
So, as much as I praise the Lord for John MacArthur, I think he is missing out on a huge part of what God is doing though song. Do you find yourself not worshipping the King like you should on Sunday morning because you're not happy with the style of music? STOP! God is not pleased when we refuse to praise Him just because we can't have things our way. How do you think it makes your Savior feel when you harden your heart and refuse to give Him the worship He is due just because you prefer another style of music than that being played? Is your heart so hard and shriveled like mine was? Are you so stubborn that you won't offer your King your adoration because it happens to be traditional music when you prefer contemporary? You grieve Him when you have that prideful hardness in your heart. I know, I have been there. Even if I'm not familiar with a song, I see the words and know that they honor my King. So I sing them with all the love I have for the One who died for me. Can't you give Him that? Just ask God to do a work on your heart. And ask Him to bless someone else through that music being played. Then lift your heart and lift your voice to the One who is worthy of all praise!
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