Christian leaders can sometimes seem perfect. With the use of social media and internet, a blog or video can go viral overnight. A large church with thousands of members can admire and love a preacher from afar. When we look at someone’s life from a distance, things can look rather picturesque. We can forget that they are human. We can forget that they struggle with sin. Upon closer examination we can see cracks, faults, chips, and scuffs.
How should we respond when a Christian leader is found having an affair? Or when a pastor has been embezzling the tithe? What if we are currently preparing to go into a public ministry? How can we avoid these things?
Exodus 4:21- 27 is an unusual text that we must pay attention to. God threatened to kill Moses’ son Gershom because he was not circumcised. Moses was leading with the staff of God yet did not even have the sign of the covenant on his son. Only a few knew about this hidden sin.
When we read this story about how God almost put Moses’ son to death, and then we read the story about where God did put his own Son to death – we realize that God is serious about every sin – even the most private sins – especially among the leaders of His people.
Iron Man 3. The Great Gatsby. Star Trek. Man of Steel. The Wolverine. 300.
Within the next three months, you are most likely going to be invited to see one of these movies. And not only these, a vast array of other highly anticipated summer films. Your favorite stars, your favorite stories, during your favorite season. From the ultra-conservative who only watches movies recommended by their pastor, to the movie connoisseur who finds “gospel” even in the most explicit films, the cinema often creates blurry lines for Christians who live in between two worlds. Here are a few categories and cautions to be thinking about as you consider going to the theater for the hottest summer flicks.
Research. You should never feel victimized by sin at the movie theater. In our day, there are several resources available to you to aid in making a decision about going to see a movie at the theater. First, a simple glance at the rating of a movie can save you a lot of heartache. If the movie is rated R for sexual content and nudity, don’t go. Is this legalism? No. It’s fleeing sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18), and it will help you see God (Matthew 5:8). Yet, some movies demand more careful thought. At this point, I always find it helpful to check a movie review site. You can find sites that offer a Christian perspective, or just the facts. Either way, you should never walk out of the theater feeling taken advantage of – the resources are available. Take and use!
Bail. Sometimes, whether because of neglect or some other outlying circumstance, you will find yourself in the theater when the movie goes downhill. If the movie is causing you to sin, you should leave. Walking out of the theater does several things. First, it tells the truth. When you leave the theater during a sex scene, you are telling the truth about marriage, sex, covenant love, and purity. When you leave the theater during uncalled for, excessive, cruel, and unnecessary gore and violence, you are telling the truth about courage, honor, dignity, and human worth. Second, it provokes conversation. Why did you leave the theater? Why do you care so much about what you watch that it would cause you to walk out? Third, and most importantly, it protects your soul. We can grieve the Holy Spirit by the things that we do and say (Ephesians 4:30), and we should be striving to keep ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21). Sometimes, obedience means saying excuse me, sidestepping out of the aisle, and waiting in the lobby of the theater.
Engage. No matter what you are watching, you should watch movies like a Christian. There are glorious amounts of truth to be gleaned at the cinema, but horrendous amounts of deceit to be rejected as well. Ask yourself good questions while watching the film: What are the makers of this film trying to say to me? How do the relationships, circumstances, and actions of the characters relate to how the Bible presents life? Hebrews 5:14 says that mature Christians are those who, “…have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil” Movies present wonderful opportunities to exercise moral discernment. Don’t watch passively.
Engage Together. Let movies that you see with friends lead to good discussion. It is good at times to take a few moments to gawk at incredible special effects in the movies, but if that is all you ever talk about you are missing out on a world of fellowship. Ask questions in the car on the way not just about things you liked and disliked, but things you agreed with and disagreed with. Let the movie spur you on to depth. Movies can lead to conversations about war, marriage, love, hate, relationships, divorce, death, eternity, God, politics, and a million other important life issues. Engage in these discussions during the summer – let these talks take you late into the night.
Beware of Infiltration. There is nothing like a steady diet of Hollywood to corrupt your view on beauty, truth, and goodness. Don’t forget that the Bible says that charm is deceitful and beauty is vain (Proverbs 31:30) when you see nothing but coke-bottle figures, and rough whisked buff tough guys presented as beauty. Don’t forget that you are called to forgive and show grace (Ephesians 4:32), even though revenge is portrayed as the only way to respond to hurt. All too easily, Hollywood begins informing your values instead of Scripture. It rouses your feelings before faith, your passions before principles.
Beware of Saturation. It seems that during the summer, every Friday holds a new film. Every film claims to be the film of the year. And you don’t want to miss out, do you? Remember that you are called to seek the Lord’s presence (Psalm 105:4), and enjoy his free grace, not gorge on movies. Sure, enjoy a movie with friends; however, don’t become so saturated with the newest and latest this summer that the only means of “fellowship” you know is happening in front of movies instead of in real conversation about real life things.
Remember, the aim at the theater is not to please your friends, please yourself, or your pastor. The aim is to please God and honor him with life. Holiness happens in the small circumstances. It happens with steps. The thoughtful response, the restrained tongue, and even the intentional watcher of film glorify God. It’s here that the battles are fought.
I love him very much. I really respect him. But I’m very concerned about one of our pastors… He was seen at the church with a woman. I heard they were alone after hours for “counseling.”
I am really frustrated… I was not invited. They never invite me to anything anymore. I think it is because she was going too far with her boyfriend and didn’t like it when I called her out on it.
Gossip.
Perhaps you have heard conversations like these before, or perhaps you have been a part of them. Forbes magazine said the number one way to destroy a company was to let gossip run rampant. Gossip can divide families, cripple friendships, and split a church overnight. A reputation can be ruined in less than one minute. It only takes one domino to start a series of catastrophic conversations. It is a kudzu that spreads and covers it’s victims until it suffocates them. Gossip is like a cut left unattended which can slowly bleed the life out of someone.
Proverbs 18:7-8 says,
A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.
What is gossip?
Gossip is talking about a person to someone who is not a part of the problem nor a part of the solution.
This is not a watertight definition, but I do believe it is helpful.
The Bible gives credence for confronting someone spreading gossip. This would be an example of talking to someone who is a part of the problem. But what do I mean by talking to someone who is a part of the solution? It can be helpful in some circumstances to seek outside help on an issue for the purpose of bringing peace. Matthew 18:15-20 would be a good example of two going to talk with someone who is in sin. I also see the Biblical possibility about seeking wisdom from a more mature Christian to give insight in a scenario (Matthew 18:21-22). This would be talking to someone who is a part of the solution and can be done in a way that maintains the honor of the person being discussed.
But my purpose here is not to define gossip and all its gritty facets. Instead, I want to quickly point out an effect of gossip that is often overlooked.
We all know that slander can destroy our neighbors, but we do not realize it destroys us. Gossip ruins the gossiper.
Proverbs 18:7-8 says,
“A fool’s mouth is his ruin,
and his lips are a snare to his soul.”
A fool’s mouth is his ruin. It does not just say, “destroys his neighbor”. Rather, the Proverbs make it clear that gossip destroys the gossiper. Gossip does not merely scorch someone else, it burns us as well. The gossiper is like the arsonist who intentionally sets the forest on fire, but accidently sets ablaze every exit of the forest and finds himself trapped.
Gossip not only ruins the reputation of others, it ruins the reputation of the gossiper. The slanderer is someone working with a terrorist organization who does not know the slander has signed him up to be a suicide bomber. The gossiper is unaware that when he is detonating a bomb to destroy the reputation of others, that bomb is actually strapped to his back.
How can this be? The moment we gossip, we destroy our reputation. The moment we gossip is the moment we lose all credibility. The gossiper automatically deems himself untrustworthy.
Proverbs 25:9-10 says,
Argue your case with your neighbor himself,
and do not reveal another’s secret,
lest he who hears you bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute have no end.
The New Living translation says “you will never regain your reputation.”
Think about it. You cannot trust someone who shares the secrets of others. The way they talk about others is the way they will talk about you. The moment you share someone else’s secret with someone, that person can no longer trust you with their secrets.
Rest assured, the fool who gossips and slanders, brings ruin upon himself. We have all done this. We have all hurt others with our words and wounded ourselves in the process. We need a Savior who can forgive us of sin and save us from its devastating effects.
Unspoken 