Worldly Entertainment
The Word of God, the Bible, is the
believer’s authority. What does God's
Word say about what we
- set our eyes upon
- entertain ourselves with
- and do in our spare time?
The ways of the world
Most people assume that everyone (including Christians) spends
some, or even most of their spare time
entertaining themselves with following types of Worldly Entertainment Media:
1.
TV
2.
Movies
3.
Magazines
4.
Web sites
5.
Music
However, for those of us who have given
our life to Jesus, we do not own our time. Jesus does.
That is why we cannot just do as we please with our time like the children of the world can.
They are doing what comes naturally, following their fleshly
desires. The prince of this world is the devil. He caters worldly media to his children. He gives them what they want.
But Jesus warns that AMUSEMENTS
Luke
14The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but
as they go on their way they are choked
by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they
do not mature.
There is no doubt that Worldly
Entertainment Media reflects how people are. How are people in these last days?
2 Timothy 3
Godlessness in the Last Days
1But mark this: There will be terrible times in
the last days. 2People will
be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous,
rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—
5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to
do with them.
6They are the kind who worm their way
into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded
down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires…
I think we all know that TV is bad. It worms its way into homes. It portrays most of the
vices above as normal, or even ok.
However, so many other types of Worldly
Entertainment Media portray the same things, and all the other vices in all
the vice lists in the Bible. I think we all
agree on this by now. This purpose of
this article is not to describe how bad Worldly Entertainment Media has
become. Other web sites do that—even
secular web sites.
The purpose of this article is present biblical research on if or how
choosing to entertain yourself with secular (worldly) media fits in the
Christian life.
God’s alternative
God does not give
His children what they want like the Devil does. He gives them what they need: a new heart and a new spirit (Psalm
51:10, Ezekiel
11:18-20, Ezekiel
18:30-32, Ezekiel
36:25-27). The new spirit inside the Christian has
opposite desires to that of the flesh (sinful nature; Gal 6:8-9) and the world. So God
can correct a person’s desires, if they let Him. What does the person with a new spirit desire
then?
Ezekiel 11
18 "They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from
them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then
they will follow my decrees and be
careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and
I will be their God.
Part of the Gospel?
What is a minor topic that true Christians disagree about doing on
thisGospel.com? This website generally
only deals with topics critical or directly ancillary to the Gospel. Well, this one scripture, in the Old
Testament, summarizes the Gospel in two sentences. I only know of one such scripture. The only thing it adds to the Gospel is “removing vile images”. Take a second look at it:
Ezekiel 11
18 "They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from
them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then
they will follow my decrees and be
careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and
I will be their God.
This scripture ties removing vile
images to:
- Forsaking double mindedness
(undivided heart).
- Being born again (old, dead
heart to a new heart).
- Being empowered by the Holy
Spirit (a new spirit).
- Persevering, as demonstrated by
obeying God.
This passage was written before Jesus or his followers ever
preached the Gospel. However, it seems
to summarize the Gospel, and Christianity.
The difference is that it describes repentance more narrowly as “removing vile images and detestable idols.
We know that idolatry is an important issue, related to repentance. It basically contains all the other sins, because you put any sin as an idol before God by saying it is more important to you than God.
Now there is one sin, other than idolatry, mentioned. That is removing the vile images. The four main aspects of
the Gospel seem to hang on this concept of removing vile images. I think it is important.
Common practice
How can we apply this important concept to our lives? We can start by removing the vile images
from our homes. Do you allow cable TV to
pump vile images into your home? What do you think you should do? Maybe you only watch OK things, and it does
not have the chance to show vile images. These images, however, usually worm their way into homes through TV. Having the TV on in your home is common practice.
Leviticus 18
3 You must not do as they do in
A new spirit from God compels us to study and obey His word. Psalm 119 tells us how. If we spend our time obeying God’s positive
commands (studying, serving, witnessing, etc.), we will not have time to stray
from His commands, and follow “their practices” that Lev 18 warns against.
Psalm 119
8 I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me.
b Beth
9 How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
10 I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
This is the opposite of leading a worldly
life. Our heart should not be divided
(Ez
Ezekiel 20:7-8
7 And I said to them, "Each of you, get rid of the vile
images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of
8 " 'But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had
set their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of
This makes Christians different
God requires His people to forsake the world,
or
Should Christians live the same way? Be honest.
They cannot have the same idols, and follow the practices of the world.
Romans 2:1 (NLT)
You may be saying, "What terrible people you have been
talking about!" But you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you
say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for
you do these very same things.
…Even when Gentiles, who do not have God's written law,
instinctively follow what the law says, they show that in their hearts they
know right from wrong. They demonstrate
that God's law is written within them, for their own consciences either accuse
them or tell them they are doing what is right.
The day will surely come when God, by Jesus Christ, will judge
everyone's secret life. This is my message.
If you are a Christian who seeks Worldly Entertainment Media for entertainment, consider this
passage above in this way. Many devout
Buddhists, Hindus, and New Agers do not watch TV. The same is true for many
Agnostics and Atheists. They call it
shallow. This word “shallow” is used
similarly to the Christian term “worldly”.
Do you want them become like you?
My religion professor said that all religions are respected in
Heb 12:14 (KJV)
Try to live in peace with everyone, and seek to live a clean
and holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.
Holy Temple
As Christians, we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians
6:19), so just as nothing unclean was allowed to enter the temple in the Old
Testament, so no unclean things should enter our hearts through the gate of our
eyes or ears:
2 Chronicles
He stationed gatekeepers at the gates of the LORD's temple so that nothing unclean could enter for any reason.
And we are now the Lord's house. Psalm 101:1-7 can
certainly be applied to TV, movies, magazines, and other worldly media outlets:
I will give heed to the blameless way.
When will You come
to me?
I will walk within my house in the
integrity of my heart.
I will set no worthless thing before
my eyes;
I hate the work of
those who fall away;
It shall not
fasten its grip on me.
A perverse heart shall
depart from me;
I will know
no
evil.
Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy;
No one who has a
haughty look and an arrogant heart
will I endure.
My eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may
dwell with me;
He who walks in a
blameless way is the one who will minister to me.
He who practices deceit shall not dwell within my house;
He who speaks falsehood shall not
maintain his position before me. (NASB)
The word for “worthless” in Psalm 101 is beliyaal, which also means “wicked, good for nothing, unprofitable.” The Psalmist sets NO wicked thing before his
eyes. Think of the images in so many
magazines, movies and TV shows. They
despise Godly ideas and practices, and they promote rebellious and licentious
ones.
I highlighted “He
who practices deceit” because it has a literal and figurative
meaning. Literally, Dr. Jason
Kovar exposes how Hollywood Movies and the secular entertainment industry
not only (1) distract people from knowing and obeying God, but even (2) indoctrinate them with
anti-Christ deception. Even if a
Christian reviews the website and videos by Dr. Kovar and disagrees with
premise two above, this document’s purpose is based upon premise one.
Regardless, a Christian should not let these people “dwell within
their house” through their worldly
entertainment media. The TV is the
best example of having a secular, unbelieving visitor in your house. You do not know what he is going to do or say
to your family next. It could be a lewd
commercial advertisement during an otherwise innocuous (yet still distracting
and spiritually unprofitable or worthless) program.
Matthew 5
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Psalm
141:4
Incline not my heart to any evil thing,
to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties.
(Whole Chapter: Psalm
141 In context: Psalm
141:3-5)
Psalm 141
4 Let not my heart be drawn
to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies.
Before the Lord
Nothing we do escapes the notice of God. Often a man’s life is described in the Bible
as a “walk” that is “before the Lord,” meaning that God sees everything we do
in our daily lives.
Prov
For the LORD sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he
takes.
Eph 5 shows clearly how we are to live as followers of Jesus
Christ:
Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live
a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a
fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual
immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper
for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse
joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be
sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any
inheritance in the
Reflect upon the Worldly Entertainment Media that consumed since
you became a Christian. Per the passage
above, it has been among
you, by your own choice. Does it
have:
- even a hint of sexual
immorality
- any kind of impurity,
- or of greed,
- obscenity
- foolish talk
- coarse joking?
“Do not be
partners with them” that bring any of this before your eyes. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds
of darkness. Instead, make the most of every opportunity,
because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the
Lord's will is.
His Time
Dabbling in the world's distractions (media, 'entertainment') is a
waste of time for a
Christian. We only have a tiny bit of time here on earth; God has
given us so many wonderful commands to carry out. In addition, we issue an invitation to the
enemy to speak to us and influence us when we voluntarily listen to and watch
wicked images or linger over print that are worldly.
Eph 4:27
Do not give the devil a foothold.
Don't give the Devil an opportunity. (HCSB)
The real question is: what
does GOD want from the life of a disciple?
We are called to reject this world's way of looking at things:
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer
your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your
spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of
this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will
be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect
will.
We are to be a living SACRIFICE to our Lord; we were bought by Him
(1 Corinthians 6 and 7) and we don't belong to ourselves. Discipleship calls for radical separation
from the things that are of the world (and
therefore are of Satan himself). We cannot afford to be deceived.
1 Since, then, you
have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated
at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
3 For you died, and
your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who
is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (NIV)
Swimming against the stream
We are running a race, fighting a battle for our lives. How we spend our time and the choices we make
about entertainment influence our character.
All the little behavioral choices in your life add up to present the
essence of who you are. The
scripture below from Proverbs has, in my opinion, a spiritual connotation as
well as a physical one. If we fall
asleep spiritually, we'll be robbed of spiritual growth and power, and
eventually of spiritual life itself. The
enemy seeks to devour those who are not alert (1 Peter 5:8-9):
Proverbs 24:30-34
I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one
lacking sense. I saw that it was
overgrown with thorns. It was covered with
weeds, and its walls were broken down.
Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.
Matthew 13
22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life
and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
What are thorns? They are
things that grow and choke out the word.
If you are entertaining yourself with worldly media, instead of doing
the godly things that God has called you to do, then those worldly pleasures
are thorns. Can you even quit worldly
media? Be honest. Most can not.
They will usually say, “I don’t want to quit it” instead of admitting
this. Other addicts make the same
claim: They are in control of how much
they consume and could quit if they wanted to.
Romans 6: 19
I speak this way, using the illustration of slaves and masters,
because it is easy to understand. Before, you let yourselves be slaves of
impurity and lawlessness. Now you must choose to be slaves of righteousness so
that you will become holy."
Why not try quitting, just to see if you can? See how it affects your spiritual life. If
you do God’s will instead, you might notice an improvement.
Light and Darkness
All the scriptures below apply to a Christian’s choices regarding worldly media.
Paul says that we are not to be ignorant of the devil’s schemes (2 Cor
Matthew 6:22-24 (NLT)
"Your eye is a lamp for
your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges
you into darkness. If the light you think you have is really darkness, how deep
that darkness will be!
2 Corinthians 6:13-18 (NLT)
I am talking now as I would to my own children. Open your hearts
to us! Don't team up with those who
are unbelievers. How can goodness be a partner with wickedness? How can light
live with darkness? What harmony can
there be between Christ and the Devil? How can a believer be a partner with an
unbeliever? And what union can there be
between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God
said: "I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and
they will be my people. Therefore, come
out from them and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don't touch their filthy things, and I
will welcome you. And I will be your
Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
I may hang out with un-believers, but we influence each
other. It is 2-way. If I chose to entertain myself with their
media, it is one-way: From them to me. I’m just sucking in worldliness, with no
opportunity to give an answer for a better hope. A cable TV subscription (no offense to those
who only watch Godly stations) is partnering with an unbeliever (see 2
Corinthians 6:13-18 above), in a way that you can have no real positive
influence on them. They just preach
whatever they want at you. They invite
you to their wild parties and immoral living, mentioned below in Romans 13:11-14, and you attend via
your TV set.
Romans 13:11-14 (NLT)
Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is;
time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now
than when we first believed. The night is almost
gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get
rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with
the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can
approve of our behavior. Don't participate in wild
parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting
and jealousy. But let
the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil
desires.
If you are trying to think of ways to indulge
your evil desires, I would recommend TV and movies.
They should give you many ideas.
Are you not worldly?
The world pollutes and corrupts you
So you should keep yourself from
it.
James 1:27
27Religion that
God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and
widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
2 Peter 2:20-21
20If they have
escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the
end than they were at the beginning. 21It would have been better for
them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then
to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
2 Peter 1:3-4
3His divine
power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge
of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. 4Through these
he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you
may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused
by evil desires.
Titus 2:11-12
11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to
all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and
worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in
this present age,
For those
Christians who obey the gospel by following Bible’s
commands and also find time to entertain
themselves with secular (worldly)
media, I ask the following about the things you set before your eyes.
- Is it spiritual
profitable?
- Is it wicked?
- Is it leading you away from the
Lord and keeping your mind and heart focused on worldly
things?
- Would you invite Jesus to
participate (Prov
- Would you feel weird or
peaceful if He sat beside you while you watched that movie, TV show, or
read that magazine?
Worldly Christians?
How can you keep God’s laws if you do not know what they are? It amazes me how “Christians” have time to entertain themselves with Worldly Entertainment Media when they have not even read the entirety of their scriptures. Does this show that obey
ing God is their first priority? If I were in that situation, I would examine myself, and question whether I have a new spirit, or if I am really one of His people (Ezekiel
Everyone sins unintentionally,
but this is intentional:
“I could entertain myself with this secular (worldly) media (movie) for 2 hours, or I could
follow Christ and His Word for 2 hours.
I’ll go with the worldly option.” -Jim Christian
Jim just uncommitted his
life to Christ, for 2 hours. Jim may
have made this ungodly decision in a moment of
weakness. However, most Christians
in the
I don’t
understand how Christians obey the gospel by following Bible’s
commands and then somehow find time for secular or worldly entertainment. I do not rule out the possibility, especially
if they are innocent about
it. But I do not teach exceptions to God’s rules: I teach God’s plain rules—his commands. These
commands are the focus of those with an “undivided heart” and a “new spirit” (Ezekiel
God our Father has called us out of this world
system, which is just as corrupt as everyone’s sinful nature.
Galatians 6
8The one who sows to please his sinful
nature, from that nature[1]
will reap destruction; the one who sows
to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up
I personally do not entertain myself with any of the media
enumerated above. However, I find myself
constantly barraged by it whenever I enter any building other than my home or
church.
Staying Informed
Occasionally, I get questions from Christians who tell me that I
need to be worldlier, or maybe more “informed”.
I don’t see that in the Bible. If
they want to stay or become “informed”, or “in touch”, or “relevant” well
that’s fine for them as long as the Lord is leading them that way.
We’ll see how far all that worldly wisdom gets them. Just don’t set your eyes upon the near-pornographic commercials and content that air during the news broadcast.
He has yet to lead me that way, and the Bible does not command
it. But let me turn the tables then, and
look at what the Bible actually DOES command.
From there we can see where Worldly
Entertainment Media either does or does not fit.
2 Timothy 2
4No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer.
Why then
do Christians insist on advising me to be concerned with civilian affairs?
Colossians
You
have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe.
Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world?
1
Corinthians
We
have not received this world's spirit;
instead, we have received the Spirit sent by God, so that we may know all that
God has given us.
What is
this world’s spirit?
Worldly Christians and unbelievers who do not bother claiming to
be Christians have both been known to occasionally accuse me of “Sticking my
head in the sand”. I did not accuse them
of “sticking their head in the world”. Maybe I should. How could a true Christian have a problem
with me “sticking my head in the Word”? You would be amazed how many witnessing
opportunities arise from “sticking my head in the sand”. Probably 90% of my random witnessing
opportunities happen like this: Every
time someone tries to relate to me through Worldly Entertainment,
- I can’t.
- They wonder.
- They ask about it.
- I explain my beliefs in a way
that they can understand, and usually share the Gospel in the process.
- I relate to them through
Christ.
They may not like it, but the bottom line is that they related to
me through the world, and I related to them
through Christ. This is witnessing. This is being a witness. This is being different.
Credible witnessing is based on differences
I used to wonder why so many Christians were giving me unsolicited
advice about evangelism. Then I realized
they were telling me excuses for their worldliness. They said they did worldly things to “reach”
unbelievers. Being worldly in the name
of evangelism is a contradiction.
Romans 2:23-25 (New International
Version)
23You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the
law? 24As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles
because of you."[a]
I invite the worldly Christians to witness to a devoted Muslim,
Hindu, or Buddhist who is less shallow than they are. They get to know you, and see you doing
things that they would not do because of their devotion to God.
Romans 13:11-14 (NLT)
Another reason for right living is that you know how late it is;
time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of our salvation is nearer now
than when we first believed. The night is almost
gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don't live in darkness. Get
rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with
the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. We should
be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of
our behavior.
Before I became a Christian in 1995, I had gleaned a few things
about what Christians believed from rubbing shoulders with them (these lists do
not represent true Christianity).
- Watching sports on TV is what
Christians do.
- U2 is the best band ever. (I knew that they are not a Christian
band)
U2
Watch this eight minute video clip on U2 from the 10+ hour version,
"They Sold Their Souls For Rock And Roll". Click to View... (search for “U2”)
- Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists go to
Hell.
- You should repeat this prayer and
become a Christian.
Okay, obviously with this limited set of uncompelling and
apparently contradictory data, I did not become a Christian for quite a
while. Fortunately, a campus minister who
did not own a TV could answer my common sense questions that seemed to stump
most Christians. Granted most of the
Christians I spoke with were young. But
they were in college so they were not retarded.
Again, as an unbeliever, I learned a few more things from the more
outspoken type of Christians:
- We have the best religion.
- You should follow it.
- We don’t but that’s ok.
- If you don’t believe this,
you’ll end up in Hell—unless you repeat this prayer.
- Wanna watch the game on TV?
Dear Christians, if everyone else is really going to Hell, then we
better be REALLY different than they are.
Non-Christians usually do not think we are “cool” for stooping to their
level. They usually think we are
hypocrites. Because of this, they don’t
believe that they are going to hell anymore than we are. They don’t believe you because you are not a
credible witness. Credibility has to do
with how different we are in terms of Worldliness vs. Holiness, not how similar
we are to the world. That is no witness
at all.
A pastor of a thousand-plus-member church said, in response to
allegations of worldliness associated with his Wizard/Warlock costume that he
used to scare the kids at the Church Halloween Festival. The pastor said to the complaining elders,
“You’re just as worldly as I am!” If
someone who is not a Christian can honestly tell you that same sentence, and it
is true, then get out of the world.
Led by the Spirit
As much
as Christians have argued with me about how right they are in entertaining
themselves with worldy media, I have never hear one of them say, “I am led by
the Spirit to do it”.
Romans 8:13-15 (New International Version)
13For
if you live according
to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will
live, 14because those who are led by
the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Galatians
5:18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Galatians
5:17-19 (in Context) Galatians
5 (Whole Chapter)
Even among
those I have encountered that claim that the Spirit led them to do some
questionable things, I still have never heard such a bold claim as “I am led to
watch movies”. Verse 13 tells us the
opposite:
Romans 8:13-15 (New International Version)
13For
if you live according
to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will
live, 14because those who are led by
the Spirit of God are sons of God.
The
spirit leads us away from the misdeeds of the body, leading us to follow Him
instead, so that we won’t die spiritually.
If you do not know what the misdeeds of the body are, then just turn on
the TV. You may likely see or hear about
every deadly sin. As you willingly watch it, you are condoning
the evil portrayed, becoming de-sensitized to it, and opening yourself up to
all of that evil.
Desensitization
I
remember when the mention of homosexuality would make me nauseous, and an
immodestly dressed woman would remind me of the seductive whore in
proverbs. But after seeing enough of
that in church buildings, and on the street, I’m sorry to say that I’ve gotten
used to it. I don’t participate, but it
seems less evil than it used to. This process is called de-sensitization. I don’t like to speed the desensitization
process by willingly exposing myself to it through worldly media.
Jesus
referred to the devil as the “prince of this world”.
- John
12:31
Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
John 12:30-32 (in Context) John 12 (Whole Chapter) - John
14:30
I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me,
John 14:29-31 (in Context) John 14 (Whole Chapter) - John
16:11
and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
John 16:10-12 (in Context) John 16 (Whole Chapter)
Furthermore,
Jesus did not dispute Satan’s rightful claim to the world.
Matthew
4:8-10 (New International Version)
8Again,
the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of
the world and their splendor. 9"All this I will give you," he said,
"if you will bow down and worship me."
10Jesus said to him, "Away from me,
Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only.'[a]"
After not
seeing TV for around 10 years, I was shocked by what I saw on the TV in the
gym. The prince of this world had been
slowly turning up the sin levels on TV each year while I was not watching. He would not want to bring the sin level up
10 years-worth in one year. Then people
might reject it. However, by slowly
desensitizing them, they gradually accept sin as “normal”.
True
Christians will always be a minority.
Matthew 7:12-14 (New International Version)
13"Enter
through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads
to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow
the road that leads to life, and only a
few find it.
Worldly Entertainment Media will never “become Christian”. There is no profit motive for the world. Even “Christian” programming such as TBN
mixes worldly themes such as greed, and borderline sorcery in with some sound
biblical teachings. Thusly, it broadens
the appeal, but broadens the road in the process. However, the true road that leads to eternal
life remains narrow, and only a few find it.
The flesh
Everyone
has a flesh, and makers of Worldly
Entertainment Media know what people like.
Even Christians have a flesh, which is corrupted by the sinful nature. When they consume worldly media, they relate
to it via their old man. They are
supposed to be putting him to death, not feeding him evil thoughts that fuel the sinful
fire in all of our hearts.
Psalm
141:4
Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that
work iniquity: and let me not
eat of their dainties.
(Whole Chapter: Psalm
141 In context: Psalm
141:3-5)
Psalm 141
4 Let not my heart be drawn to what is
evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies.
Galatians 6
8The one who sows to please his sinful
nature, from that nature[1]
will reap destruction; the one who
sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good,
for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up
Romans 8:13-15 (New International Version)
13For
if you live according
to the sinful nature, you will die;
but if by the Spirit you put to death the
misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
Ephesians 2
1As
for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to
live when you followed the ways of this world and of
the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in
those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at
one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature[a] and following its desires and thoughts.
Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. 4But because of his great
love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we
were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
14For
he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the
barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law
with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one
new man out of the two, thus making peace,
16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by
which he put to death their hostility.
How much worldly media is too much?
Jesus
fulfilled the law, so that he could create in himself, new men. These new men are thankful that He fulfilled
the whole law where they could not. They
are thankful to receive His righteousness.
They are transformed into his righteous image. Through His power, they think and act like
Him. Such a new man does not ask questions
like, “How much sin can I get away with before I lose my salvation?”
You can’t
get away with sin any more than you can get away with beating your
husband. If Christ is your eternal
husband, then you know that your sins hurt him as he died for you on the
cross.
Romans
14:23
But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not
from faith; and everything that does not
come from faith is sin.
Romans
14:22-23 (in Context) Romans
14 (Whole Chapter)
Does
setting your eyes upon worldly media come from faith? No?
- Then why do you continue to do
it?
- Why do you try to defend
it?
- Do you think you are fighting
the Lord’s battle?
- Do you think He really wants
you to partake of it and defend it?
- Are you being led by His
Spirit?
- Do you even care?
- Are you too proud to admit that
you are wrong?
- Will you not admit that it is
wrong because then you’d have to stop doing it, and your flesh likes it?
- Who are you following? Your flesh or the Lord?
- Who are you going to follow?
The Idol Test
The way that
I hear Christians talk about worldly media is similar to the way that
unbelievers speak of pornography:
“Yeah,
I watch it but I don’t have a problem with it.”
Likewise,
today’s Christian might say of Worldly Entertainment:
“Yeah,
I watch it but I don’t have a problem with it—I don’t’ make an idol of it.”
If it’s
not an idol, then why can’t you quit
doing it? Then they say, “I can”. Then I say, “Why don’t you?” I’ve known plenty of alcoholics and drug
addicts that say they could quit if they wanted to. It’s easy to speak boldly of the future,
because it has yet to happen. However,
the fact that it has yet to happen tells us more than their claim about the
future.
Ezekiel 20:7-8
7 And I said to them, "Each of you, get rid of the vile
images you have set your eyes on, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of
8 " 'But they rebelled against me and would not listen to me; they did not get rid of the vile images they had set
their eyes on, nor did they forsake the idols of
God warns
that He will pour out his wrath on His people when they do not get rid of the
vile images and idolatry associated with them.
How can we apply this today? Try to stop entertaining yourself with Worldly Entertainment Media and get rid
of it. It would not be so hard to do if
it was not an idol.
Desensitized “discernment”?
Today,
the line between Worldly Entertainment
Media and pornography is more blurry than it was 50 years ago. Much of what we, today, call “Worldly
Entertainment”, would then be called “pornography”. This is because of desensitization. Most American Christians would agree with me
on this point. However, that is not the
point of this document. This is not
another “Be careful what you watch!” article.
This is a “Why would a Christian entertain themselves with it at all?”
article.
I recommend that blind lepers let someone else do the cooking. Let someone who has a sense of touch decide
which stove top burner is hot.
In the
same way, I do not recommend that de-sensitized people make their own choices
regarding how to entertain themselves with Worldly
Entertainment. Who is not
desensitized in this day and age? I
admit that I am! I’m glad I’m following
the Lord instead of following my flesh by seeing how much Worldly Entertainment Media I can get away with. I might say, “It’s not that bad”. The leper might say, “The stove is not that
hot”, as his hand burns. The Holy Spirit
does not lead us toward “not so bad”, or “not AS bad”. He leads us to the only one who is GOOD.
Matthew 19
16Now a man came up to Jesus and
asked, "Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"
17"Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied.
"There is only One who is good.
If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
The major premise of this article does not hang on the theory of desensitization, or whether or not Worldly Entertainment Media is really evil. There are other articles and media available related to that question. Suppose that it is all innocuous. It is still wicked (unprofitable) because it keeps you from obeying God’s commands and entering eternal life?
Got some
spare time? Got a life? Give it to Jesus. If you
want to enter life, spend your time obeying the commandments. I do not recommend that you waste your
time or God’s feeding your brain garbage, in order to determine which garbage
is less poisonous, and therefore, more pleasing to the Lord. The Lord will never be pleased by anything worldly, or tainted with sin.
He is
pleased enough with you to give you a chance to follow Him, to partake of Him
instead of the world, to lead you out of the world, and into his Kingdom. Why would you go back to the world?
2
Peter 2:22
Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"
and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."
2
Peter 2:21-22 (in Context) 2
Peter 2 (Whole Chapter)
If you
want to be worldly, please, go right ahead. Be as worldly as you want to. Just don’t drag Christ’s name with you. It makes us look bad when you tell people that
you are a Christian. True Christians
want to be Godly instead of worldly.
Why consume any worldly media?
My
brother is a Pentecostal preacher. Once
I asked him, “How much false doctrine does it take to lose your salvation?” I thought that would lead to a long
discussion. His answer was simple: “Why have any?”
Galatians
5:9
"A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough."
Galatians
5:8-10 (in Context) Galatians
5 (Whole Chapter)
So many
times, I have been asked, “Why don’t you watch TV or Movies?”. So many times I have replied, “Why would
I?” However, I have never heard a real
answer to the question. Staying informed
is the best answer I have heard.
Did you know that people stayed informed before TV?
Another
common answer is “Because everyone does...”
Then I share the Gospel of the
narrow road to life that only a few find.
Q: How much worldly media is too much?
A: Why have any?
Why try
to filter something that you don’t need?
So you can:
- See a sex scene and fast
forward for the kids.
- Try not to lust after the
cheerleaders when you’re watching the game.
- Turn the volume down during
commercials which contain soft porn.
- Complain about Worldly
Entertainment.
- Act indignant when let’s be
honest, you could relate to it in your flesh, and you kind of liked it.
All of
this amounts to saying, “I’ll be worldly, but a little less worldly, than the
world”. Worldly is worldly. You
can stop
worldly media by shuting it off, and keeping it off.
Isaiah 33
13
You who are far away, hear what I have done;
you who are near, acknowledge my power!
14
The sinners in
trembling grips the godless:
"Who of us can dwell with the
consuming fire?
Who of us can dwell with everlasting
burning?"
15
He who walks righteously
and speaks what is right,
who rejects gain from extortion
and keeps his hand from accepting bribes,
who stops his ears against plots of murder
and shuts his eyes against contemplating evil-
16
this is the man who will dwell on the heights,
whose refuge will be the mountain
fortress.
His bread will be supplied,
and water will not fail him.
I can
only think of Worldly Entertainment Media when I try to apply this scripture to
my life: Stopping my ears, and shutting
my eyes to keep it out of my thoughts, or contemplations.
Entertain us?
Why do
you need to be entertained? God never
commands you to entertain yourself does He?
God will never entertain you as well as the Devil can in this world. We do not need entertainment, we need
Jesus. Receiving Him by obeying the Gospel
brings joy, peace, contentment, and fulfillment. Kurt Cobain sang in a famous song, “here we
are now, entertain us”. It was a cry of
desperation from a lost generation of selfish, bored, directionless, people
whose only hope is to be entertained.
However, we have a living, enduring, and true hope
in Jesus.
Colossians 1
22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through
death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from
accusation-- 23if you
continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope
held out in the gospel.
This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every
creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. Colossians
1:22-24
This is
exciting, not depressing.
Colossians 1
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we
pray for you, 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and of the love you have for all the saints-- 5the faith and love
that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven and
that you have already heard about in the
word of truth, the gospel 6that has come to you. All over the
world this gospel is bearing fruit
and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and
understood God's grace in all its truth. 7You learned it from
Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[3]
behalf, 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not
stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and
understanding. 10And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may
please him in every way: bearing fruit in
every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11being
strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may
have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[4]
to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. 13For
he has rescued us from the dominion of
darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14in
whom we have redemption,[5]
the forgiveness of sins.
Eyes and ears
He gives
us enough direction in His word that we could never be bored or
directionless. He gives us so much love,
how could we feel lonely? He gives us
hope and purpose. Why would we give our
ears and eyes
to the world, or to the prince
of this world?
John 16
Unless
I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to
you. 8When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt[1]
in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: 9in regard to sin,
because men do not believe in me; 10in
regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me
no longer; 11and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now
stands condemned.
Romans
6:13
Do not offer the parts of your body
to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to
God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of
your body to him as instruments of righteousness.
(Whole Chapter: Romans
6 In context: Romans
6:12-14)
Hebrews
12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(Whole Chapter: Hebrews
12 In context: Hebrews
12:1-3)
Luke
11:34
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your
whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body
also is full of darkness.
Luke
11:33-35 (in Context) Luke
11 (Whole Chapter)
Get a life (in the Word)
John
6:68
Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words
of eternal life.
(Whole Chapter: John
6 In context: John
6:67-69)
John
6:63
The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I
have spoken to you are spirit[ 6:63 Or Spirit] and they are life.
(Whole Chapter: John
6 In context: John
6:62-64)
James
1:21
Therefore,
get rid of all moral filth and the
evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save
you.
Conclusion
My life
I lost
track of how many dozen people I’ve helped get saved, delivered, and healed
over the years since 1995. I’ll say that
secular entertainment is the largest obstacle to salvation, discipleship, and
Godliness that I have ever experienced. The few that continued in their faith
were the same few that were willing to forsake the world. I know that almost everyone partakes of
worldly entertainment, and I don’t hate anyone for it. I am an enemy of the world
though, because I’m a friend of Christ.
James 4:4
4You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses
to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
I’ll be
your friend, but I’m not going to watch a movie with you. If you want to be my friend, you’ll have to
accept who I am in Christ. We can
fellowship, exercise, or eat together, but I prefer places where there is not a
TV blaring. If you cannot accept who I
am, then that’s not really friendship is it?
I’m not turning anyone away, but being myself in Christ.
Before I gave my life to Christ, I knew I
would have to give up everything. I knew that I would not have time for worldly
entertainment. As a 20 year old, I LOVED
worldly music. I left it behind. After I was born again, I had no desire for
it at all for 11 years. Then I wanted to
hear certain secular songs that I heard in the gym. One time I almost knowingly bought a secular
album online. But I did not. I said, “I might do it later”. Then I never had time to get back around to
it. The temptation only lasted a few
hours. I’ve had no interest since.
Many
others who do not partake of the world simply say, “I’ve lost my appetite for
it. I’m hungry for the Bread of
Life”. Amen! I wish it happened that way for
everyone. I would have not had to spend
hours researching and biblically answering this question:
You decide
What
do you think? Be honest.
A. “It is ok for Christians to regularly consume worldly
entertainment, and invite or pressure others to do the same.”
B. “It is NOT ok for
Christians to regularly consume worldly entertainment, and invite or pressure
others to do the same.”
If
you pick A, I hope that you understand our view well enough to stop doing the
second part of the sentence.
I
loaned Joe Schimmel’s expose on secular
music out to a young man who is counting the cost of being born again. He asked me how anyone could claim to be a
Christian and entertain themselves with secular music. I paused for thought. Then he said, “It’s because they are weak
isn’t it?”
This teaching
Giving
your life to Christ implies taking it away from the world, and the prince of
this world. Every Christian agrees with
that, until you get specific (i.e. worldly
entertainment). Then it’s controversial. Jesus was very specific and very
controversial, and He still is. Every
major point I made was inspired by and backed up with His
quotes. This is not a “1 scripture
wonder” doctrine. Obviously there is no
mention of modern forms of media in the Bible, but we still have eyes and ears,
and still like to put the wrong type of people doing the wrong things in front
of them for the wrong amount of time.
The weight of the evidence should be convincing to anyone with an open
heart.
God’s will for you
If you
are not willing to forsake anything that keeps you from doing the will of God, then you might not really be
interested in follow Jesus after all.
Obviously worldly entertainment will not
help you do the will of God.
1 John 2:15-17
15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For
everything in the world--the cravings
of sinful man, the lust of his eyes
and the boasting of what he has and
does--comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and
its desires pass away, but the man who does
the will of God lives forever.
You can do it
If you
are willing, but afraid you will fail, then
- Call on His name for help.
John
12 But as many as received him, to them gave
he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
(KJV)
2
Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things
at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
(Whole Chapter: 2
Corinthians 9 In context: 2
Corinthians 9:7-9)
- Seek or create like-minded fellowship.
- Obey
the gospel—you won’t find time for worldly things.
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