FUN,
FUN, FUN
"Are
we having fun yet?" Many times we have heard those words in the
face of something that is otherwise boring or perhaps somewhat
unpleasant. As lighthearted as those words are intended to be, they
underscore a thinking in our society that alludes to the focus on
pleasure. Indeed, we live in a pleasure-mad society. If it's not
fun, we just aren't living!
This
thinking has permeated the ranks of those who claim to be religious.
The denominational world of religion is no less pleasure-mad than the
surrounding society. Sadly, many of our own brethren have followed
the same philosophy that looks to fun for its means of attracting
people to the Lord and holding them there once they have entered the
doors of their building. This makes me think about the rebuke that
Christ made to the scribes and the Pharisees when He said, "Woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and
sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as
much a son of hell as yourselves." (Mt. 23:15)
It
seems that most people's concept of the church and "religion"
is centered around fun. For years I picked up a brother-in-Christ
named Earl who lived in an assisted living facility. When I would
arrive to take him to worship on Sunday, or bible study on Wednesday
night, the staff would commonly say, "Have fun, Earl!" or
"I hope you have a good time." Now, I don't want to be
critical of their intended kindness, however, it is obvious that
their concept of what we do when we come together to worship the Lord
is something far
from
reality.
Considering
what is typical of modern-day worship services in many
places, it is understandable that people respond to "going to
church" with "having fun." Fun isn't something that
is limited to the "little people's" class any more. Part
of teaching little children is helping them to associate the real
life lessons of God's word to their young understanding. This is
done with the use of "props" and "hands-on"
activities that help them to use their five senses in order to learn
the lesson that is being taught. An able
teacher of young children will emphasize
the importance and seriousness of the lesson being taught, using the
available materials and activities to drive home the point. It would
be expected
that children who are in such a class under an able teacher would
describe their class as "fun."
However,
in today's experience, "fun" no longer exists just in the
"little people's" class. The lesson being taught is no
longer the focus, but has been lost to the "props" and the
"activities." When teenagers and adults have to be
"entertained" in order to hold their attention, something
is terribly wrong! This is the indication of spiritual immaturity
and dullness of hearing. The writer of the Hebrew letter accused
some of his audience of being "...dull of hearing. For though
by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you
again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come
to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of
milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe."
(Heb. 5:11-13)
Entertainment
is the
big draw in
today's "churches" (?) as they bring in popular singing
groups complete with bands, all of the lighting and sound
amplification equipment. In fact, these are professional musicians
that travel all over the country for their livelihood. It is quite a
production! The unsuspecting person in the audience who has no real
knowledge of the bible, is drawn into the thrill of the moment where
the emotions are touched and then the "hook is set" to
appeal to those emotions to make a "commitment to Christ."
What ever happened to the power of the preached word of God? There
were no entertainers on Pentecost - no music groups - no professional
motivators - just lowly "Galileans," some of whom were
"uneducated and untrained men." (Acts 4:13) Their message
was anything but that which appeals to pleasure, but rather was
"sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division
of soul and spirit...and intents of the heart." (Heb. 4:12)
Their message did not bring pleasure, but rather "...they
were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the
apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' " (Acts 2:37)
The
initial introduction of the gospel to the sinner is not intended to
be a pleasant experience. It is intended to prick the heart. "For
godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation..." (2
Cor. 7:10) The joy of ones salvation follows, as we see in the rest
of the account in Acts chapter 2. But many people confuse "fun"
for joy.
"Fun"
is defined as, "Lighthearted play or playfulness; merriment;
amusement; sport; recreation; joking." (Webster) However, "joy"
[chara]
in the scriptures denotes "delight" and evokes happiness
within the heart. While fun is temporary and transient, joy is
long-lasting and remains long after the fun has ended. This is why
so many people are disillusioned by what they see in "religion."
After experiencing something that they perceived as good, they
experience "the morning after" of a false hope that was set
in the pleasures of a fleshly appeal.
The
very definition of fun gives testimony to the appeal of "churches"
that have ball teams, and "family life centers" [as some
"churches of Christ" (?) have named them.] "Bus
ministries" are used to transport "church groups" to
amusement parks and "youth camps" as a means of appealing
to the flesh in the name of Christ. Some "churches" have
even been known to invite comedians who are billed as offering "good
clean entertainment." Though their intentions may be good,
their philosophy is faulty, thinking that they can draw people to the
Lord or hold them close to Him by appealing to the flesh. In so
doing, they become "...blind leaders of the blind. And if the
blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." (Mt. 15:14)
In so doing, they play into the hands of Satan's deception and fall
victim to the same allurements that he used against Adam and Eve.
Remember, "... The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and
the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world."
(1 Jn. 2:16)
One
of the things that we must always be cautious of is the fact that
whatever is in the world is apt to make its way into the church.
Remember, "A little leaven leavens the whole lump." (Gal.
5:9) - Gary V. Womack - October 2004