God is Holy. He does not change (Malachi 3:6). Somehow, someway, in the midst of all the praise and worship, with all the technological advances, with all the new ways we can obtain and disseminate the Word of God; people have lost sight of having a reverential fear of God. Some of this irreverence can be attributed to bad leadership in the Church. A holy respect of Him demands treating Him as the Holy God He is, and ourselves living unto holiness. Holiness is not an act of the outward appearance, although one should dress decently and in a non-provocative manner. It involves separating ourselves from the clean and the unclean, and from holy and the profane. It is keeping ourselves from the things of the world. This is not legalism, as the Word of God is plain about what is required of us:
James 4:4
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
James is referring to spiritual adultery above.
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
“Desperate Housewives”, and other trash television does not belong in a Christian’s life. I know someone who argues nudity is ok, even in biblical films, because it is an expression of art and sex which is a normal human fact. This is humanistic reasoning, not of God. God commands decency, and He is clear on the issues the world exalts in trash movies and trash television. It might be “make believe”, but if God hates those things and warns us that such issues are sin, why would He excuse it in media? Is He going to say, “oh, ok…this is just pretend sin, therefore, I shall discount it?” It is at best an insult to Him to even think this way.
You got leadership out there which wants to accommodate everyone. Compromisers. Can I resist this? For example, leadership like we see in the Lakeland, Florida revival. This kind of leadership is wordly, sensual, and some of it is new age. Leadership which demands God perform for them; rather than they perform for God. Are these leaders demonstrating holy lives, or do they act like the world? Oh, my bad. I should say they act out of this world…maybe beneath the earth. I could not resist that one either.
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
We are called to separate ourselves, and to be downright weird by worldly standards. You got leaders who smell, look, and act like the world, and say “tis so we can win the lost”. Yet, upon closer examination, these are not calling for true revival, nor are they calling out to the lost. They are in air-conditioned seminars, buying and selling cds and dvds, talking about God restoring the apostolic and prophetic back to the Church. I believe it never left it, at least not the NT one. People, as they always have done for centuries have discounted the true prophetic voices out there. The true prophetic will tell you the things you don’t want to hear. They are the “Elijahs”, not the imitation cheese processed ones associated with the Lakeland Florida revival. They are not popular. They don’t try to generate miracles in their own strength (which simply invokes demonic powers), and are not flashy. They do not talk an easy message. Ok, ok, I lost my original point.
Music. Some of these Christians bands are new age, and just use the term “Christian”. You can tell from the lyrics or lack of lyrics. I have heard Christian dance music with NO mention of God. ZERO. And with scantily clothed women on the cd covers at that. There is heavy metal music talking of death and demons, worms, or whatever, but where is Jesus in it? Satan always slips in the back door, looking like a well dressed harlot. He does not come in obvious. Now I am not opposed to Christian rock. There are a lot of good decent bands out there, such as the Newsboys, which exalt the Lord mightily.
What did we do before television, dvds, games, and radio? There are people out there who cannot stand silence, cannot operate without some form of media in the backgrounds of the home, workplace or wherever they may be. I really believe it has been one of the methods satan has used to keep unbelievers from thinking about the meaning of their lives. It is a constant form of distraction from bigger issues. And even for some believers, they cannot go without entertainment, even from Christian television. A lot of these things, even televised church, has taken on the form of entertainment. Cameras roll, singers and dancers come forth, a collection, then brother so and so, a word from a false prophet or two, another collection, and ‘we will see ya next week’.
What is concerning me is too many people are trying to make God what “they want” Him to be. We can see His character from His Word. He is awesomely Holy. People would fall as dead before His presence. People ministered to Him, not to themselves to the beat of the band and rolling cameras. Now you got people out there which flippantly talk of the anointing, and demonstrating a lack of respect towards Him. They think its endearing to speak their Christian slang, because it generates mass appeal. Somehow, God has become secondary in all of this. It takes a hard look at it, but I do believe, a lot of times people think they are exalting Him, but instead they simply are exalting themselves or their ministries.
I Peter 1:15-16
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
1 Corinthians 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
1 Thessalonians 4:3-4
3 For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication
4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor;
