Entertainment as bait?

Being called a "christian" and BEING a Christian are two separate things.

If you don't have a BIG BLAST worshipping God...you need to examine your relationship with HIm.

What an ignorant statement. Learn to debate without ad hominems and red herrings.

I'm sorry that your church, and worshipping God is such a painful experience.

Start another thread.

 

Well we are each entitled to our opinion, but I don't see any evidence of "fun" in the Scripture, especially in connection with discipleship.

 

...then you can't claim it to be "worldly" then, can you?

 

Sure I can. I have just as much right to claim it is "worldly," as you have to claim it's not. You don't have any support other than "your" statement.

 

You claimed it's not found in Scripture...correct? If not, you can't deem it sinful. Let God deem what is sinful or not. That's like me claiming automobiles are sinful. Since automobiles are not in Scripute, I have the right to claim this. Wrong.

 

Excellent points Jjump.

I wonder when we (as a church) equated fun and entertainment with rejoicing and worship?

Could it be our obsesive desire in this entertainment culture that clouds our thinking.

True worship is about entering into God's presence and adoring Him for who He is. It is about drawing nigh to Him and learning to rest in him. James speaks of this...

Jam 4:4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
Jam 4:5 Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
Jam 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Jam 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
Jam 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
Jam 4:9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Jam 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

 

So you are saying from your "proof text" we are to be afflicted, mourn, weep and in general be sorrowful in order to worship God, and the opposite is not worship? Wow. :tear:

 

So you can claim it's right even though you have no Scripture to support it, but I'm wrong because fun isn't talked about in Scripture . . . man and we wonder why there are so many problems within Christendom. We need not wonder.

 

It's clear you only like to argue, and claim I'm what's wrong with "christendom today"...so have a great day!

 

You are hilarious! :laugh:

I think a worldly attitude toward reaching folks is bad. I make no apology for that.

 

I'm not saying anything more than what James said. Every time I find someone in the Scriptures that has really entered into the presence of God (like Moses, Joshua, Isaiah, Peter, James, John, Paul) it has not been a "fun and entertaining" time. It is a humbling and reflecting time, filled with reverence for who He is, reflection on our condition, and rejoicing for what He has done. "Fun and Entertainment" (pleasing the flesh) is not a part of that no matter how bad we want it to be.

 

You said fun is sinful. You are wrong, and I make no apology for that.

 

And I'm the one that likes to argue . . . BAAAAHHHHHHHH :laugh:

Actually I "said" fun is worldy. But why should what I "said" matter .

Let's see . . . let's go through this again . . . I made a statement of opinion, and you counter with opinion. Please tell me exactly how your "opinion" is right and mine is wrong? By whose authority do you stand that gives "your" opinion any more credibility than anyone else's?

Thanks for that reminder. I would do well to remember this daily and even moment-by-moment!!!

 

There is room in worship for mourning AND rejoicing. We're told to be sorrowful in James, and to clap our hands in Psalms.

Worship should be celebrative. Worship should be reverent. Sometimes we are led by God one to a more celebrative place, and others more sorrowful and broken.

Why choose? God didn't.

 

So are we all in agreeance then that "fun" shouldn't be a part of the WORSHIP SERVICE. It has its place in church, just not in regards to worship service.

 

But why have you equated "fun and entertainment" with rejoicing? There is absolutely no biblical basis for such a position. I can rejoice in tribulation and trail and persecution, but nowhere am I told to have "fun and entertainment" (flesh pleasing) while I worship.

Your idea of even "celebrate" is distorted by current culture...

CELEBRATE, v.t.
1. To praise; to extol; to commend; to give to; to make famous; as, to celebrate the name of the Most High.
The grave cannot celebrate thee. Isa 38.
2. To distinguish by solemn rites; to keep holy.
From even to even shall ye celebrate your Sabbath. Lev 23.
3. To honor or distinguish by ceremonies and marks of joy and respect; as, to celebrate the birth day of Washington; to celebrate a marriage.
4. To mention in a solemn manner, whether of joy or sorrow.

 

Man, we are getting technical. Fun in MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION, is gatherings at the fellowship hall to eat some good food and talk with some fine Christian people and possibly take the kids to the little park and watch them play. Fun, can be the Church Youth group getting together on a Friday night to watch a movie at the director's house.

There is fun at church, just not in the Worship Service.

I always ask my son, "Did you have a good time at Sunday School", "Yes", he says, "We made a sheet from out of a paper plate and colored all these different animals because God talked to Peter about eating different animals". He had fun, he didn't color no pictures in big church, he did that in Sunday School. But he had a good time.

There is a time and a place for everything. There is a place for fun within relationship of the church, fun and fellowship.

 

It doesn't...and it's not. Prove from Scripture fun is "worldly"...and not "opinion" either, please.

I have "fun" cooking out with my family. Is that sinful (worldly)? I have fun watching and playing football. Is that sinful? I have fun working out and running. Are these sinful? I have fun singing praise with my church family. Is that sinful? I have fun listening to the pastor exegete the Word. Is that sinful?
My "opinion" lines with Scripture, as I let the Word tell me what's sinful...not man.