To View the Video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/yu_R6BwC6ys
SHOW NOTES
Welcome to episode 90 of the Hope Rescue Podcast. If this is your first time stopping in, welcome! We are so glad you are here. On the Hope Rescue Podcast, we share practical tips for living a Christ-centered life, and we answer common questions people have about God. If you have a topic you’d like us to discuss or have any questions, you can always email us at info@hoperescue.org. We love to connect with our listeners so don’t be too shy to say hello on social media! You can find us on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/hoperescuepodcast/
This week we are talking about the word “secular.” If you haven’t been in the church world for long, you may not be familiar with this term. Secular is commonly used to describe wordly, not “of God” activities or attitudes. Some Christians may say that believers shouldn’t listen to “secular” music or read “secular” books or pursue “secular” degree programs. Is there any validity to these ideas? Keep reading or listening to find out!
First, there is a difference between a secular object or activity and a secular world view. First John 2:15-16 says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” The secular world view is centered around giving into what we want, no matter the cost. It’s centered around putting ourselves first and worrying about others later. We must be sure to not have a secular mindset or world view as believers in Jesus.
So should Christians listen to “secular” music? Or watch “secular” movies? John 17:14-19 says, "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” In this prayer, Jesus was not only praying for his disciples but also for all believers. Tim and Kimberly go on to answer the question in a three-part answer.
We are called to embrace the culture without compromising our integrity in the process. If we fail to embrace the culture, we make ourselves irrelevant. This also makes Christ APPEAR to be irrelevant. To elaborate, Tim explains that if a church supports a missionary to spread the gospel in a foreign village and he or she did not embrace the culture they were in, the church wouldn’t continue supporting the missionary. Not embracing the culture would make him or her ineffective. God has called us to the culture we are in right now in this moment, and we should embrace it and love people well.
We will never reach a culture unless we know and love the people in that culture. In our Hope Rescue outreach program, we focus on reaching at-risk families by offering food and other services. When we serve these communities in need, we don't come in proudly on white horses. We approach the culture with humility and try to connect with the people we are serving. We listen to their stories, love them, and never make anyone feel like there is a barrier between us and them.
Fear of the culture will lead to a false mission of trying to control or change that culture. Tim says, “The moral standards presented in the Word of God will never be fully accepted by the world around us.” We decline our influence when we make our message all about what we are against instead of who we love: Jesus.
In conclusion, music on its own without lyrics is morally neutral. There is no such thing as “secular” music or music styles. Any song can glorify God with its lyrics, but aside from the lyrics there is nothing moral or immoral about music. There are not immoral or “secular” instruments. Loud drums can be used to glorify God. The message and attitude of a song are the only characteristics that make it immoral or moral. Kimberly mentions Proverbs 15:14 which says, "The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly." When we are bored or looking for entertainment, we have the option to either fuel ourselves or feed on trash. Tim emphasizes that when we choose to entertain ourselves with something that doesn’t overtly glorify God, we must see it for what it is. If you watch a movie that includes violence, don’t embrace that and allow it to influence your behavior. Take it for what it is: entertainment.
When we are trying to determine if something is “secular” or possibly pulling us in the opposite direction of Christ, we can ask these four questions to keep us in check: 1. Does it tear you down? 2. Does it create anxiety or fear? 3. Does it create anger? 4. Does it take you away from God? Join us next week as we discuss authenticity! We love you guys!
QUOTES
“The moral standards presented in the Word of God will never be fully accepted by the world around us.” -Tim
REFERENCED SCRIPTURE
1 John 2:15-16 "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
John 17:14-19 "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them[b] in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Proverbs 15:14 "The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly."
