Is it live or is it Memorex? Or is it a Christian gathering or a worldly gathering?

In the 1970’s Memorex ran TV commercials promoting their high quality audio cassettes by having a singer break a crystal glass with her singing and then asking the question; “Is it live or is it Memorex?” Implying that their cassettes were so good that you could record such singing and then by playing just the tape a glass could be broken.

Much ink has been spilled recently concerning worldliness, some good some not so good. It is not my intention to spill more but to pose my own comparison and get us thinking. If you will go to Don Johnson’s blog, you will find a well written series of blogs critiquing C. J. Mahaney’s book on Worldliness (start the series here). You can also go to Lou Martuneac’s blog and find more information in regards to Peter Master’s cry against worldliness in Evangelicalism several years ago (click here).

Below are two photos. Here is my question I pose to you, which is a Christian gathering and which is the lost world gathering? No cheating, by going to Lou Martuneac's site first.

So, which is which?

 
Christ in His prayer recorded for us in John 17 our relationship as believers to the world. Especially, verses 11 through 21 which read as follows;

“And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (emphasis mine)

Christ so clearly teaches us that as believers we are in the world, yes, but we are not of the world, that we have been sanctified (set apart) by truth, THE WORD OF GOD.

We also, have James’s teaching in 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”;  and John’s in I John 2:15-17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”

Bob Hayton, at his blog (click here) has recently written a blog encouraging this continued romance of the church with the world’s music by following the common line that music is amoral (his statement, “In my opinion, and I’ve read a lot on this issue but don’t confess to being an expert, there is no objective standard by which you can judge music as to its morality.” The blindness, lack of discernment, disregard for those older, qualified men who have written on the subject of music is just amazing to me. For those of us who grew up immersed in rock n roll and later came out, it is nightmarish to think that there exist people who think that they can bring that music into the church without any problems. Hayton’s argument, “Just hearing Tchaikovsky or music like that, doesn’t bring sensuous thoughts into my mind or most other people’s. Neither does listening to most rock and roll that’s played in the dentist’s office, either.” Thankfully, he (Bob Hayton) had a family that kept him from being in immersed and thereby being adversely affected by rock music. I do agree, a casual encounter with some things that are wrong does not necessitate that we have been greatly tainted. However, that initial contact, if not isolated and placed in check, would lead to a harmful relationship between the believer and the world through the music. To bring this music into the church, even in moderation, starts the believer down the road toward acceptance of what the world offers. Indeed, that desire for loosening of constraints which is inherent in the rock n roll genre and its offshoots is already evident in the ministries that are seeking the world’s stuff to promote God and His church. This is just outrageous!

For those who desire some information about music, I encourage you to find copies of, The Battle for Christian Music, by Tim Fisher, published by Sacred Music Services and the booklet, Gospel Music: Blessing or Blight?, by Evangelist Ken Lynch. The principles that constitute good music do not change over time.

Sadly, today there is less and less difference between believers and the lost world around us. More and more believers are blending into the world. The light is being dimmed and the salt is losing its saltiness. In Luke 18:8, Christ poses a question, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” The implied answer is NO. The moods, efforts, pushing we are seeing today are hastening the fulfillment of this passage.

Believer, read again these words from Paul to the believers at Colosse, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins”

For those still curious about the pictures; the left one is a rock concert in Brazil, the right one is of a Passion conference in Atlanta. Just can’t tell the difference, sad, utterly sad.