Looking at Revelation 3:14-19. This church, the Church of Laodicea, although spiritually needy, they were wealthy, prosperous, comfortable, having everything that they thought they needed to live a happy life, however, their problem was that they were neither hot nor cold, but lukewarm and in this state, God would spew them out of His mouth.
We see this so much in today’s churches as they build bigger and better buildings, providing all the luxuriuous needs of the people, they attract large crowds – some 25 000 and others up to 30 000 plus. Because of these huge buildings that they have, they need to maintain the numbers in their churches, in order to maintain the church itself and to have funds to provide entertainment for the congregation to keep them coming back. This in turn causes the church, the pastors and the workers to also live lives of luxury, with perhaps even a jet or two or three for the church, so that pastors can travel faster and in luxury to wherever they have been invited to preach.
What are the inherent dangers of entertainment?
1. It is no big secret that we live in an entertainment crazed society. People feel that it is their absolute, inalienable right to be amused constantly. This was the case at Crete. Titus 1:12
2. In our culture, the ultimate sin is to be bored. Children have cable TV, DVD players, movies, radios, endless toys, board games, video games, hand-held games, computers, etc., and still complain, “I’m bored.”
3. What are the inherent dangers in digesting large doses of entertainment on a daily basis?
• It requires little thinking and reasoning. 2 Timothy 4:4; Titus 1:14 (“fables” – a tale, fiction) – The word “amuse” comes from “muse” which means “to think” and the alpha prefix “a” means “to negate” or “not.” – To amuse oneself essentially means “to not think.” – Webster’s says the word amuse suggests that one’s attention is engaged lightly or frivolously. – Entertainment often trivializes life and the serious things of life. It would be the opposite of what the Bible calls sober-mindedness.
• Its main business is to please the crowd or person. 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:11 – As a rule, it has no regard for your well-being or your child’s spiritual well-being. – Entertainment is selling a product, so it must please the crowd. It is man-centered by its very nature.
• It is usually about self-gratification. 2 Timothy 3:2,4; Titus 1:15-16 – “Self” is seated on the throne and says, “Entertain me and amuse me.”
• It depends on emotional manipulation. 2 Timothy 3:13 (“seducer” – a wizard, an imposter); Titus 1:10
Look out for the next episode of Entertainment in the Church and the Seeker Sensitive Church.
Beloved saints of God, we need to ensure that we are in a church where the inerrant Word of God is taught and where we are continually growing in the knowledge of God rather than seeking entertainment that is pleasing to our emotions and to our flesh and where we land up living from experience to experience – this is never what God intended for His Church… His Bride!
Charles Spurgeon said, “The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.”
📎 For a deeper dive, I recommend the sermon What Is Wrong With The Entertainment Driven Church? by Pastor Dan Proctor, based on Titus 2:1. You can find it here.
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