Elephants in Our Midst: Part 2 Media and Entertainment

The Worlds Lies:
Types of entertainment the first Christians had to use discernment for.
Gladiator games (gory, bloody, no respect of humanity, celebrated violence, pride, and strength. What does God want us to focus on? (peace, humility, and meekness, others first, Image Bearing of Humanity) This relates to what in kids lives today? Video Games, movies, Ultimate Fighting championships, World Wrestling Entertainment.
Lavish Dinner parties which led to drunkenness and immoral behavior - this was the purpose - this was the entertainment for those who had money. This relates to what in kids lives today? Parties where kids go intending to focus on/participating in immoral behavior.
Plays and oratorios- entertainment that celebrated the immoral lusts and relationships between people, and between men and ancient Greek Gods. What does this relate to in Kids lives today? Novels that feed on the fantasy, lusts, and adulterous passions of youth.

There were plenty of good entertainment choices too, like:
races, good dramas, wrestling, good parties.

Like us, the people in the early Church had a cultural challenge. They had to risk being thought of as snobbish or out-of-the-loop in order to please God by living counter-culturally. In fact, one of the problems for the early church was that they were being socially persecuted for their reputation of abstaining from gladiatorial bloodbaths and immoral parties.

We have the same problem today. We ask questions like, "How will I be able to be with the in crowd if I'm not playing everything they are? If I don't know what they are talking about? I don't want to be ridiculed for taking a stand."

Well if you aren't willing to take a little ridicule for the sake of the name of Christ, then you might now have the relationship with Christ that you think you have.
In John 5: 22-23, " Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him."
If Jesus is the Judge, then we should take seriously the following thing he said,
"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven." He further said,
"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn 'a man against his father, 
a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Right before all this he also said, " All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." All this is in Mathew 10.

Paul also said in Titus 1:16, " They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good."

God makes it pretty clear that He wants those who profess to follow Him to have nothing to do with behavior that goes against His awesome work for us. He also makes it pretty clear that He already knows the weak excuses that people will make in order to justify their actions and even more clearly says He won't accept those excuses.

What Entertainment elephants do you have in your life?

Christians are not supposed to blend in and look like the rest of the world. What kind of entertainment do you need to repent from?

With you for His glory