It was the stuff of a Letterman sketch; four middle-aged suburban pastors sitting around talking about the kind of music that was 'right.' Would Jamaican Christians sing reggae since it is associated with the Rastafarians who believe that Haile Selassie is a god? (If that doesn't make any sense to you, I admit I didn't really follow the line of reasoning either!) Can bands like "Skillet" who sing about Jesus to pounding drums and screaming guitars really be "Christian?" In our worship services, should we use worship songs that are not closely focused on Scriptural themes? It was an interesting conversation, as you can imagine. What became apparent to me was that each of us was expressing his preferences!
Christians tend to do that about many things! We confuse what we find comfortable within our cultural framework with what is 'right' in the eyes of God! Augustine observed that all things God created are neither good nor bad in themselves. It is the way we choose to use them that matters. Take money or sex as an example. Christians tend to have strong opinions about both! But the Bible is abundantly clear that it is the love of money which is the root of evil! Sex is a gift of God. He thought it up and made us male and female. It is the worship of sex and using it solely for pleasure that makes it sordid! Daniel Williams, writing in Christianity Today, Sept., 2007, says we sin- "if the cleanliness of our home is more important than housing needy children, or if we follow the dictates of our career over the covenant of our marriage. Regarding things as more important than they are is what leads to obsessiveness, possessiveness, or oppressiveness."
Guard against majoring on minors! If the Devil cannot tempt us with gross sin, he will settle for making us totally ineffective in the Lord's work by getting us sidetracked into personal crusades that reflect our narrow prejudices over the clear teaching of the Word of God. Causes worthy of intense debate are few! But, we manage to debate and divide the Body of Christ about so many things! Things that are basically neutral, like styles of music, order of worship, and cut of clothing - are only good or bad depending on the motives in our hearts toward them and/or the way we use them! It's not a new phenomenon, either. Apparently the first generation of Believers feel into the same trap given that Paul addresses it in several of his letters at length. "You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, "Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!"? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand." (Colossians 2:20-3:1, NLT)
God, because He knows our individual weaknesses better than we know ourselves, convicts each of us differently about the stuff of daily life like food, music, clothing, using computers, money, and entertainment. His goal is the preservation of our souls not the building of fences. So to that person prone to greed, He says, "Give away your stuff!" To the one prone to spend too much time on the Internet, He says, "Cut off your broadband access!" To the one who obsesses over image and appearance, He says, "Dress simply and put away your jewelry."
And to each of us He gives this command - "Only their Lord can decide if they are doing right, and the Lord will make sure that they do right. Some of the Lord’s followers think one day is more important than another. Others think all days are the same. But each of you should make up your own mind. Any followers who count one day more important than another day do it to honor their Lord. And any followers who eat meat give thanks to God, just like the ones who don’t eat meat. Whether we live or die, it must be for God, rather than for ourselves. Whether we live or die, it must be for the Lord. Alive or dead, we still belong to the Lord. This is because Christ died and rose to life, so that he would be the Lord of the dead and of the living. Why do you criticize other followers of the Lord? Why do you look down on them? The day is coming when God will judge all of us." (Romans 14:4-10, CEV)
The universal Rule Jesus laid down for all Believers is two-fold and yet encompasses everything we do: "Love God whole-heartedly, and love others intensely!"
May His grace preserve us from debates about things that matter so little. Amen.
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