Inbetween the wicked and the righteous

[thefightinglamb]

So in my psalm writing for yesterday, I find myself once again contemplating how to deal with certain people I encounter that say they are Christian but go on to lead a life that stresses secular living...

I have met Christians who believe that every Christian is on a different plain and there are different 'levels' of Christians...I have posted on this about six months ago...in my life, I remember going to my friend's baptist church youth rally...and after leaving there, in my car I felt the Lord chastise me for what I was listening to on the radio...I heard God say something similiar to "How can you say you love me when you delight in wickedness?" or more specifically, in listening to the chaos of this violent music you place so dear to your heart? And as the Jews in Acts were 'cut to the heart' I felt my heart cut; and knew that in order to follow Christ, I had to leave all this wickedness behind me and seek God alone and FULLY.

Now onto what this post is about, Can you be a Christian and continue to listen to 'violent' music? Can you be a Christian and delight in violent/horror movies? He took me to see 'Inglorious Bastards' which I found repulsive, but he loved it and had already seen it once. I talked to him that night about it as I thought it was strange that he loves that sort of movie, and yet he is a psychologist.

Like most people, I have friends that either sleep around or sleep with the person they are dating...and even if they think it wrong, they continue to do it...what are Christians suppose to think of these people who claim Christianity? And what attitude should they take? Should they naive stance of 'not judging them' cause us to accept them fully despite their faults, or should we insist that a foundational part of fellowship has been broken if they insist on living a life of/in sin?

Sometimes I find myself even giving way to them and saying in my head, like to this friend, "Okay they sleep together, but at least they are getting married in a month." And in my heart I even challenge the thought of insisting that they stop sleeping together, which they have done for like two years now, and get separate dwellings for this last month until marriage...

I am reminded of the Israelite that brought a foreign women into his tent in front of all the Israelites, and was killed together with her by a Zealous Israelite and the Lord applauded his tance on holiness.

As it is, wickedness runs rampart even in most churches, with little check on 'how to confront those involved without hurting their (or my--if it was me) feelings'...

And the direct question I want to be contemplated is can Christians still watch secular movies, listen to profane songs, et cetera...and if so, must I separate myself from him completely...or can I witness to him by not doing those things when I am around him?

But even other things, like the fellowship or comradship when I am around him seems somewhat warped...I mean we like spend a lot of time playing video games, and his mind always seems distracted even when doing that...but I am pretty sure that video games have a tendency to just distract people from advancing themselves in Christ, aka I am not sure if anybody EVER has followed Christ to play a video game...it just seems kind of strange to me...

May the Lord inspire us all to seek holiness, and to delight only in him--
not counting the cost--of friends, family, or possessions

tony

 

[watchmen]

I voted no you cannot live for self, and God. However no you cannot have fellowship between light and darkness and yes if they are still babes in Christ are both correct answers as well. I know of course you cannot be immersed in a sinful lifestyle and still be a Christ, but babes must be given time to grow and learn.

 

[Aliciaforjesus]

I have found the closer I have become to the Lord, the more all these things slip away, the less I enjoyed them.

Now I find them a waste of valuable time, time better spent with the Lord, or in service to the Lord!

Our time is short, till He comes,

I would not want to be found sleeping, and not have enough oil for my own lamp.

I would much rather read the word.

 

[Semiazas]

fightinglamb, you just need to go join a monastery. then you wont have to be troubled by that pesky world of reality out there.

 

[Leilaii425]

i vote lock yourself in a basement or closet

 

[Taelin]

Hey there! In my experience... I don't have much faith in the word Christians... because there's a lot of people out there who claims to be Christians just because they believe in God- but they have no relationship with Jesus. I prefer Having a relationship with Jesus. I might be a bit extreme in saying this, but when I gave my heart over to the Lord a month or so ago, I gave EVERYTHING up to Him, I want to live the way God intended me to, learning more and more, helping where I can, talking to God constantly. I want to reach a stage where I can claim that God IS my life. Because I'm simply that passionate to grow closer to God.

My father once told me that what goes in at your eyes and ears, wil go to your heart.

I used to be a BIG metal fan, and watching whatever I could on TV. However once I started my relationship with God I find Him less and less in the things I used to undulge myself in. Now that I'm monitoring what I listen to and what I read, I've actually started to listen to Christian music only. It saddened me because there was so many things I had to give up, but I'm happy that I'm doing the best I can to stay 'pure' in a way. Pure that I stay away from things that will take me away from God.

If God needs me to minister in the places where I used to dwell, I know He'll give me strength to do that.

Thats my two cents!

xXx

 

[watchmen]

i vote lock yourself in a basement or closet

You are going to have to explain that one. That is an odd way to vote.

 

[loveschild]

If we're trying to be close to God then we're learning more and more each day of what is right and wrong in the eyes of God. Some of us have gone farther in our learning than others and know more of what is wrong and we stop doing that. Some aren't there yet and will learn. Some don't care and won't get deeper into God. We don't judge anyone. But we see what's going on and we can try to teach. But it's our choice of who we hang around.

 

[Graybeard]

interesting thread, as the comments come you can pretty much see the ones who are trying to walk holding God's hand with one hand and with the other hand hold Satan's hand as well, just can't be done. Eventually when it's too late (hopefully not) they are going to realize that the hand they thought was God's hand has been replaced with an angel of darkness, remember, Satan is the master of deception.

 

[motojojo]

I would say most friends are users and not friends, if they can't use you they won't come around. Your focus should be your walk with God and not what everybody else is doing. It sounds like you are being called to be a clean and holy man, if so that is what you need to focus on. Don't look around and compare yourself to others, look at your heart are you compassionate, humble and hungry for God? Many people play the part they are just acting. Let your life be real not fake, God knows what you think and they don't deceive Him. He also knows if they will someday dive into the deep waters of God or wade around with their shoes in their hands. Preach the Gospel continually and if all else fells use words.

 

[Densetzu]

Separating yourself from the world is impossible and illogical. If you're trying to avoid anything and everything that's not "Christian" then you'll have no real basis to form relationships with non-believers. You'll make them think you're a fanatic and a loon and they want want to be influenced by you, and they certainly won't want anything to do with your kooky religion.

What we need to do is learn how to take the secular use it to strengthen ourselves as followers of Christ. If something is completely incompatible with the Christian walk, then it's probably smart to avoid it. I'm not saying we should support and promote hedonism or violence.

Rather we need to take things in proper context and use them as learning tools. For example:

Ever heard of the game Grand Theft Auto? The most recent game in the series, Grand Theft Auto 4, stars an Eastern European immigrant named Nico Bellic. Nico is a damaged man; he fought in a war ten years ago and enters the story of the game a violent, cold-hearted killer who cares about nothing but his cousin Roman. But through the players actions, you can peal back the layers of this character, learn what makes him tick, and put him on a path to redemption. Yes, the game has a lot of violence and shows the ugly side of life, but to argue that the game is promoting the acts of violence it depicts completely misses the point. At its core, the game is about the consequences of evil and how difficult it can be to get back on the right path.

Of course it won't be for everybody. Nothing suits everyone's tastes, and some people might find the story too repellant to get anything positive from it. And that's fine. Just remember that some people find the stories of death and slaughter in the Old Testament too repellant to get anytihing positive from them as well.

And don't act like a judgmental tool towards others if they think differently.

 

[pickles]

I dont know if I would call it levels of faith but the best I can do is a comparison. Wisdom is not the amount of knowladge you have but the abuility to live what you have learned. If one is living in Jesus what they know, then one is in good works. One can have alot of knowladge about Jesus and try to mesure their faith by that knowlage. But it is not about knowladge, it is living what you have learned in Jesus that is the true measure.The abuility to do so is not a credit to you but to Gods glory, all that we may claim is that we are willing. God bless, pickles

 

[Mobius]

I kind of agree with Densetzu. I will say that at one point I had all 3 games in the GTA 3 series, but sort of like Alicia says, it just kinda stopped appealling to me, after a while. Still, who am I to judge what someone else is or isn't being convicted on?

I was actually considering hitting one of the "No" responses. I certainly listen to some secular music, but not all secular musicl conflicts with biblical principles, and it isn't all "violent" music.

Oh, but seeing mention of "Inglourious Basterds" changed my mind on that. That was a GREAT film! Christoph Waltz deserves an Oscar for his performance. *shudders* Oh, so creepy.

But the creepiness, and the violence portrayed in the movie are not just random gratuitous fictional violence. From the very first scene, of a family hiding beneath the floorboards of another family's house, it pulls you into a world that, WHILE fictionalized for dramatic effect, was VERY VERY real, and NOT that distant in our past. Even the violent actions that were in the movie were not the point. They were simply eventualities. More frequently, the true grip of the story was in the violence you DIDN'T see.. the internal struggles that you knew these characters were facing... the violence that some of them wanted to commit. It was the suspense that brought you into the character's heads, the anticipation, not the violent moments themselves.

I personally would hope that everybody would go out and see it, if for no greater reason than to remember, and to say with the collective conscience of the world "Never Again!"

I mean, you have one right here in your midst that speaks the same blasphemous and racist propaganda that led to the holocaust of the Jewish people in WW2, and yet, people continue to engage the person in conversation as if he were a brother, or a child of G-d, rather than a bigot and deceiver.

Those who forget their history, are doomed to repeat it. That this site will allow nazi propaganda to be spoken (albeit in a veiled way) tells me some HAVE forgotten. And to me, that's a darn fine reason to see this movie, and really try to imagine what it must have been like... What would it be like to have to take orders from a man who you had watched slaughter your entire family, and who now disparages your beloved, too? We can never really imagine how horrible the holocaust was, but that should never stop us from trying.

 

[pickles]

I kind of agree with Densetzu. I will say that at one point I had all 3 games in the GTA 3 series, but sort of like Alicia says, it just kinda stopped appealling to me, after a while. Still, who am I to judge what someone else is or isn't being convicted on?

I was actually considering hitting one of the "No" responses. I certainly listen to some secular music, but not all secular musicl conflicts with biblical principles, and it isn't all "violent" music.

Oh, but seeing mention of "Inglourious Basterds" changed my mind on that. That was a GREAT film! Christoph Waltz deserves an Oscar for his performance. *shudders* Oh, so creepy.

But the creepiness, and the violence portrayed in the movie are not just random gratuitous fictional violence. From the very first scene, of a family hiding beneath the floorboards of another family's house, it pulls you into a world that, WHILE fictionalized for dramatic effect, was VERY VERY real, and NOT that distant in our past. Even the violent actions that were in the movie were not the point. They were simply eventualities. More frequently, the true grip of the story was in the violence you DIDN'T see.. the internal struggles that you knew these characters were facing... the violence that some of them wanted to commit. It was the suspense that brought you into the character's heads, the anticipation, not the violent moments themselves.

I personally would hope that everybody would go out and see it, if for no greater reason than to remember, and to say with the collective conscience of the world "Never Again!"

I mean, you have one right here in your midst that speaks the same blasphemous and racist propaganda that led to the holocaust of the Jewish people in WW2, and yet, people continue to engage the person in conversation as if he were a brother, or a child of G-d, rather than a bigot and deceiver.

Those who forget their history, are doomed to repeat it. That this site will allow nazi propaganda to be spoken (albeit in a veiled way) tells me some HAVE forgotten. And to me, that's a darn fine reason to see this movie, and really try to imagine what it must have been like... What would it be like to have to take orders from a man who you had watched slaughter your entire family, and who now disparages your beloved, too? We can never really imagine how horrible the holocaust was, but that should never stop us from trying.

I know you wonder at why one would consider talking to those that have corruption within their belief. I believe that untill our earthly life is over that every one of us has the chance to reform. I also believe we are all called to witness for God.
As if pleading. I have learned through my life that when one who has sinned has reformed they are powerful witnesses for Jesus. If I cannot bare witness to the greatness and truth of Our Lord God then what perpose do we serve? I hope that when or if I choose the wrong path that one who loves Our Lord will work for him so save me.
In ref to the holocost. I had a close neighbor who survived Aushwits. To look in her eyes is to know. I carry her memory, her famiies and all, in my heart and I will not forget. I remember, not in vengence, but in honor and wisdom
God bless, pickles