Frivolities Exclude the Preaching of Christ
No offense to the guys who are consistently and diligently writing all over the blogosphere, but one of my favorite parts of reading blogs is waking up each and every Monday morning, heading over to Pyromaniacs, and reading my "Weekly Dose of Spurgeon" (It is not at all my weekly dose of Spurgeon as I try to make a practice of consistently reading what Spurgeon had to preach about verses which I study. The effect of which is humility - why didn't I see that? Why can't I say it like that? - and increased knowledge and application of Scripture). This week's dose was particularly poignant and applicable, speaking about the foolishness of making "doing-church" primarily an entertaining venture. Spurgeon writes,"One great evil of the times is the insatiable craving for amusements. That men should have rest from labour, and that they should enjoy such amusements as refresh both body and mind, nobody wishes to deny. Within suitable bounds, recreation is necessary and profitable; but it never was the business of the Christian Church to supply the world with amusements...The point certainly is not that we shouldn't have fun. But we must be aware that our primary goal in meeting together is not entertainment. Even more to the point, if in our having fun together we find that "the preaching of Christ usually ceases," warning lights should be flashing in our minds warning us that we have gone astray. I want to begin opening the gym at the church campus from which my church is renting space. My smallgroup often meets together on Friday nights for "game nights," a great opportunity to have inexpensive relationship-building fun with believers and nonbelievers.
"[T]he preaching of Christ usually ceases when these frivolities come in. These things are so opposed in spirit, that one or the other will have to be dropped; and we know which it will be...
"Brethren, we are not here to play away our time, but to win souls for Jesus and eternal bliss. By the solemnities of death, and judgment, and eternity, I beseech you, keep yourselves clear of the follies, the inanities of the day. Remark with interest how "the wisdom of this world" and the follies of it seem to be boon companions, and turn from them both with equal loathing."
Are these things wrong? Should I be spending those times preaching? No, but the point is that if at those times the believers among us, if I, lose sight and act in a manner inconsistent with our/my purpose in life - "the preaching of Christ...to win souls for Jesus and eternal bliss" - then there is something wrong going on in those times. Those times of "frivolity" should be subservient to the end preaching Christ and winning souls. Far too often, however, the end of "having fun" rules the day and "the preaching of Christ usually ceases."
