Christian Entertainment - a N0-No
The Christian life is abundant and abundant indeed. The Bible says it in –
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”
John 10:10. (KJV)
This abundant life that we receive from the Giver of it cannot be described as completely as it must be, even when said fully right, in words that comprise anyone’s vocabulary. So great indeed is this life – anyone who has it can only agree with me more. If you don’t have it, you will not fully know what I am talking about. Now the change, that takes one from a life of worldly non abundance to divine abundance meted out by the God of the Bible, is liberating to the extent you just want to revel in it, again you will only know it if you have been in it. And it is very likely that due to the sheer magnitude of it, you will not want to escape out of it. All this is understandable. While the Bible encourages corporate worship which is an entire topic by itself, there are stipulations according to which we must do much more than that.
Stipulation 1:
One who has truly experienced the abundance in Christ cannot but live to tell it. Though you could look to the scriptures to quote many an example the best one being Acts 4:19-20, it is no secret that the abundance that comes from life in Christ is incomparable and simply makes you want to scream and shout it out. Whether or not you are heard or if another understands/hears it, it gives your soul utmost joy to simply express it out in a manner that is worthy of it.
Stipulation 2:
The other stipulation is that, considering the abundance that we have in Christ in comparison to that which the world has, it is a plain crime by any means to hold it back from them. Let’s not forget we are told plainly told to be salt and light…
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 (KJV)
…which we cannot be if we simply revel in it constantly. We must go out and shine it. How else can we be salt and light unless we make the amazing and liberating truth of our life seen?
An unbiased observation of the points mentioned above in context to their relevance in today’s Christian community puts forth my point – Christian Entertainment. Once having tasted the liberation of Christ in our lives, it has become seen that many of us who have, seem to want find constant shelter in this reveling feeling. Possibly because of the amazingness of it and maybe because of the insecurity of losing it (read the not necessarily healthy emotional response to it). And hence, we do all we can to keep ourselves in it (understandably) via worship concerts, church activities and other means which eventually keep us away from the reality and the real world that the truth of Christ works in practice which is its testimony. At the same time, we ignore the second stipulation made in this article that we must be salt and light and tell. As a result, we choose to entertain this reveling feeling so that we don’t have to step down from it. Thus, we make it an establishment and a setup hence bringing about Christian Entertainment.
Hold that thought while I bring forth another adjoining thought that makes my point even clearer – Worship. Worship, as we know it experientially, can be compared to a glass of wine that overflows and the overflowing wine is what our worship is. When the glass is full and can’t hold anymore, the wine flows out because it can’t be held in any more. Biblically, we must not only worship Him for the abundant life that makes our cup overflow but also because He is who He is and He does what He does. Read Psalm 30:4, 9:1, 59:16, I Chronicles 16:9, 2 Kings 17:36...the list is long.
More importantly, if we are to worship the Lord out of His abundance in our lives, Him, His ways and His works then it is a natural thing to do because our glass is full and can’t possibly hold anymore and also because we simply must. Another aspect of worship is that it is to happen where you are. If indeed my God is a real God (like duh!!!) and His awesomeness is so awesome because it gets me where I am (need I assert that it is indeed so) then I will simply worship him where I stand and will do so immediately with no restraint in form or magnitude.
It is not an applied effort. The applied effort is to be in God which again is not an applied effort rather is the outcome of knowing God truly which is not hard considering what He has to “offer” in comparison to all/any worldly realm(s). Even the effort of breaking free from the clutches of our worldly holds is absolutely no effort, once we see the reason to break free from it via the bondage that it binds us under, unless we are truly blind. Even if the bondage has a hold on us beyond the power of our true intentions and actions (which could make us truly blind), God can even break through that with a snap of his finger if He wishes.
Making worship an institution and a setup to realise our desire to eventually constantly entertain the reveling (read emotional) feeling of knowing God is what Christian Entertainment is. But God is a real God and anyone who has tasted the reality of God in their lives can testify that and that is the true test of what we proclaim at these worship concerts, at every moment of our lives, at times of praise in our churches and other means of Christian Entertainment. That is the reason He is the savior of not only you and me but the rest of the world who have real issues and problems and who live real lives. We cannot simply continuously revel in the emotional high of the feeling of knowing God because what validates its truthfulness is only its application. And I can assure you (and am sure that you will know if you have applied it) that once you do it, it beats the emotion by far. Each time you come back to worship the Lord after experiencing the reality of it, you can only see a greater God and hence worship a greater One. And when you go back again to experience this realer and bigger God, you will only come back and worship a much bigger and realer God the next time and believe me, there is no end to this. God is by all means absolutely HUGE & AWESOME bigger than your biggest dreams like you’ve ever dreamed ever.
This does not mean that one must not organise worship concerts, have church activities and more. This means that there is the need to draw the line at where it stops becoming worship and starts becoming entertainment. There is the need to nurture/teach/fellowship (read corporate worship) and there is the need to then take all that is taught and go and do. It becomes entertainment when we stop worshipping the Lord as our hearts lead us (read as we remain inspired to by Him) and continue worshipping him when it’s time to get out and be salt and light because we are so comfortable in the reveling feeling.
There is something wrong if a worship concert gets done by booking a hall at so and so place, getting sponsors, booking sound and lights, getting the “best” worship leader in town/nation/world, selling tickets, making posters selling the idea saying it will be an “awesome” worship concert by the “best” worship leader (any true worship by default is awesome) and telling people to come worship the Lord at so and so hall between such and such time. Worship is where you are and immediately. Where you are and immediately does not indicate that one must not take the trouble to organise it rather it should be representative of the collective desire of the community in question to come forth and glorify the Lord as their hearts lead them to. It is not as much a planned/organized event as it would be if it is not representative of the collective desire of a community. Moreover, any worship by itself does not constitute a “concert” unless misquoted when said in terms of organizational aspects.
The other category under this is church activities. The Church is a community of believers in the Bible and the God of the Bible and things that follow. While the Church (read leadership/pastors) should nurture its flock and teach them to live lives of God and go do what it is that God would have them do, it’s becomes a busybody filling its calendar with activities. If these activities actually contribute to their nurturing, they actually do no harm but the sheer volume of them keeps people in churches and does not send them out there – again only entertaining Christian selves to no profitable end towards the Kingdom of God.
Christian Entertainment is not a worthy enough cause in the name of our Awesome & Real God and moreover we are called to be salt and light of the earth. So entertaining our Christian selves is not called for and I can assure you that living it i.e being salt and light is far far far more entertaining that any worship concert or any other form of Christian Entertainment.
“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”
John 10:10. (KJV)
This abundant life that we receive from the Giver of it cannot be described as completely as it must be, even when said fully right, in words that comprise anyone’s vocabulary. So great indeed is this life – anyone who has it can only agree with me more. If you don’t have it, you will not fully know what I am talking about. Now the change, that takes one from a life of worldly non abundance to divine abundance meted out by the God of the Bible, is liberating to the extent you just want to revel in it, again you will only know it if you have been in it. And it is very likely that due to the sheer magnitude of it, you will not want to escape out of it. All this is understandable. While the Bible encourages corporate worship which is an entire topic by itself, there are stipulations according to which we must do much more than that.
Stipulation 1:
One who has truly experienced the abundance in Christ cannot but live to tell it. Though you could look to the scriptures to quote many an example the best one being Acts 4:19-20, it is no secret that the abundance that comes from life in Christ is incomparable and simply makes you want to scream and shout it out. Whether or not you are heard or if another understands/hears it, it gives your soul utmost joy to simply express it out in a manner that is worthy of it.
Stipulation 2:
The other stipulation is that, considering the abundance that we have in Christ in comparison to that which the world has, it is a plain crime by any means to hold it back from them. Let’s not forget we are told plainly told to be salt and light…
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 5:13-16 (KJV)
…which we cannot be if we simply revel in it constantly. We must go out and shine it. How else can we be salt and light unless we make the amazing and liberating truth of our life seen?
An unbiased observation of the points mentioned above in context to their relevance in today’s Christian community puts forth my point – Christian Entertainment. Once having tasted the liberation of Christ in our lives, it has become seen that many of us who have, seem to want find constant shelter in this reveling feeling. Possibly because of the amazingness of it and maybe because of the insecurity of losing it (read the not necessarily healthy emotional response to it). And hence, we do all we can to keep ourselves in it (understandably) via worship concerts, church activities and other means which eventually keep us away from the reality and the real world that the truth of Christ works in practice which is its testimony. At the same time, we ignore the second stipulation made in this article that we must be salt and light and tell. As a result, we choose to entertain this reveling feeling so that we don’t have to step down from it. Thus, we make it an establishment and a setup hence bringing about Christian Entertainment.
Hold that thought while I bring forth another adjoining thought that makes my point even clearer – Worship. Worship, as we know it experientially, can be compared to a glass of wine that overflows and the overflowing wine is what our worship is. When the glass is full and can’t hold anymore, the wine flows out because it can’t be held in any more. Biblically, we must not only worship Him for the abundant life that makes our cup overflow but also because He is who He is and He does what He does. Read Psalm 30:4, 9:1, 59:16, I Chronicles 16:9, 2 Kings 17:36...the list is long.
More importantly, if we are to worship the Lord out of His abundance in our lives, Him, His ways and His works then it is a natural thing to do because our glass is full and can’t possibly hold anymore and also because we simply must. Another aspect of worship is that it is to happen where you are. If indeed my God is a real God (like duh!!!) and His awesomeness is so awesome because it gets me where I am (need I assert that it is indeed so) then I will simply worship him where I stand and will do so immediately with no restraint in form or magnitude.
It is not an applied effort. The applied effort is to be in God which again is not an applied effort rather is the outcome of knowing God truly which is not hard considering what He has to “offer” in comparison to all/any worldly realm(s). Even the effort of breaking free from the clutches of our worldly holds is absolutely no effort, once we see the reason to break free from it via the bondage that it binds us under, unless we are truly blind. Even if the bondage has a hold on us beyond the power of our true intentions and actions (which could make us truly blind), God can even break through that with a snap of his finger if He wishes.
Making worship an institution and a setup to realise our desire to eventually constantly entertain the reveling (read emotional) feeling of knowing God is what Christian Entertainment is. But God is a real God and anyone who has tasted the reality of God in their lives can testify that and that is the true test of what we proclaim at these worship concerts, at every moment of our lives, at times of praise in our churches and other means of Christian Entertainment. That is the reason He is the savior of not only you and me but the rest of the world who have real issues and problems and who live real lives. We cannot simply continuously revel in the emotional high of the feeling of knowing God because what validates its truthfulness is only its application. And I can assure you (and am sure that you will know if you have applied it) that once you do it, it beats the emotion by far. Each time you come back to worship the Lord after experiencing the reality of it, you can only see a greater God and hence worship a greater One. And when you go back again to experience this realer and bigger God, you will only come back and worship a much bigger and realer God the next time and believe me, there is no end to this. God is by all means absolutely HUGE & AWESOME bigger than your biggest dreams like you’ve ever dreamed ever.
This does not mean that one must not organise worship concerts, have church activities and more. This means that there is the need to draw the line at where it stops becoming worship and starts becoming entertainment. There is the need to nurture/teach/fellowship (read corporate worship) and there is the need to then take all that is taught and go and do. It becomes entertainment when we stop worshipping the Lord as our hearts lead us (read as we remain inspired to by Him) and continue worshipping him when it’s time to get out and be salt and light because we are so comfortable in the reveling feeling.
There is something wrong if a worship concert gets done by booking a hall at so and so place, getting sponsors, booking sound and lights, getting the “best” worship leader in town/nation/world, selling tickets, making posters selling the idea saying it will be an “awesome” worship concert by the “best” worship leader (any true worship by default is awesome) and telling people to come worship the Lord at so and so hall between such and such time. Worship is where you are and immediately. Where you are and immediately does not indicate that one must not take the trouble to organise it rather it should be representative of the collective desire of the community in question to come forth and glorify the Lord as their hearts lead them to. It is not as much a planned/organized event as it would be if it is not representative of the collective desire of a community. Moreover, any worship by itself does not constitute a “concert” unless misquoted when said in terms of organizational aspects.
The other category under this is church activities. The Church is a community of believers in the Bible and the God of the Bible and things that follow. While the Church (read leadership/pastors) should nurture its flock and teach them to live lives of God and go do what it is that God would have them do, it’s becomes a busybody filling its calendar with activities. If these activities actually contribute to their nurturing, they actually do no harm but the sheer volume of them keeps people in churches and does not send them out there – again only entertaining Christian selves to no profitable end towards the Kingdom of God.
Christian Entertainment is not a worthy enough cause in the name of our Awesome & Real God and moreover we are called to be salt and light of the earth. So entertaining our Christian selves is not called for and I can assure you that living it i.e being salt and light is far far far more entertaining that any worship concert or any other form of Christian Entertainment.
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