I find it very disturbing when I
listen to the talks of some Christians, even elders of the church so engrossed
in the discussion of a movie and its details. They have no qualms in going over
to a theatre or screening a movie at home or inviting their fellow believers
for so-called outing, which in essence is just to expose you to sin in the form
of a movie. And it reminds me of my days when I lived a sinful, disobedient
life. A life that only sought physical and sensual pleasures. All the thoughts
and deeds were to satisfy my sexual desires. During the week offs, all I did
was watch movies for hours. There was no concept of reading the Bible. There
was no concept of prayer in my life.
There was no concept of Lordship of
Jesus Christ in my life. My passions were sinful, my desires were sinful, my
longings were sinful. Not only was I living a life of sin, I was continuously
exposing myself to sin and fanning my sinful and sexual passions by watching movies,
listening to secular music, with all their sexual undertones and overtones. I
was listening to music which were generating in me the emotions designed by God
to be exercised inside marriage. They were generating in me a desire and
longing for the opposite sex. There is nothing wrong in being attracted to the opposite sex but to let myself engulf with the desire for sensual pleasure is sin. During this phase, I had no longing to live a
holy life. I had no desire to live a holy life. There was no guilt for the sins
I was committing. There was no remorse. I was enjoying the pleasures of my
sinful, sexual and sensual passions. For those who live according to the flesh set their
minds on the things of the flesh. Rom 8:5a
And then I came
back to Christ. All of those desires and longings to watch a movie, listen to
those songs are gone. It's just gone. Those feelings are just not there anymore. I did not struggle to leave them. I did not do anything. That's the work of the Holy Spirit who through His indwelling fills us with a new desire and longing. All I did was repent of my sins and come
back to Christ and accepted His Lordship. When I see these so called Christians
and elders of the church so zealously discussing movie, I know they are where I
was when I lived a sinful and a
disobedient life. They may fool the world but
not me because I've lived the life that they are presently into. What they are
indulging in, I've already indulged in. And I've been saved from that sinful
life. I am a new creation. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old
things are passed away; behold, all things have become new. II Cor 5:17 They
who are of Christ's have crucified the flesh with all its lusts. If anyone
loves the world or the things of the world, the love of the father is not in
him. The Bible is so plain and clear in this matter. There has to be an outward
evidence of the inward transformation that we claim to have.
The acid test to do
a thing or watch or listen a thing is given by Paul in Phil 4:8, 'Finally
Brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things
are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things
are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything
praiseworthy-meditate on those things.'
So, if that thing
that you desire to do or watch or listen is true, noble, just, pure, lovely, is
of good report, has virtue in it, is praiseworthy, then do it. I Thess 5:22
says, 'Abstain from every form of evil.'
