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  Religion
TV or not TV By Pastor Phillip Howle web posted March 3, 2010 RELIGION – Last week we mentioned the importance of guarding your mind, and that I have a pumpkin that sits on my shoulders. Now, one of the most dangerous ways that your mind is infiltrated by sinful ideas and images is through your TV. First off, TV often gets treated like a pagan shrine. Years ago I traveled through Asia on a mission trip (Japan, Thailand, China) and there were pagan shrines in many homes. At their shrines they would have a decorated wall where small statues and idols would sit along with pictures of loved ones and they would pray to them, put food out for them, and worship at this place in their home. The location was the central focal point of the home. The whole family would often worship before it together. Now, you can already see the connections can’t you. What has the best real estate in your home? I bet for most people your common living area is arranged so everyone can get a view of the TV (my house is). Where does your family gather nightly? In front of the TV maybe? How much did you pay for your TV, how much is your cable or satellite bill, and how much was your surround sound? Most people are willing to pay any cost to ensure the best worship experience before their idol. It is pretty convicting stuff if you are honest. So, if any of you are still reading I’ll continue. What does TV do to develop your Christian mind or bring you closer to Jesus? Kent Hughes writes in Disciplines of a Godly Man, “It is impossible for any Christian who spends the bulk of his evenings, month after month, week upon week, day in and day out watching TV to have a Christian mind. This is always true of all Christians in every situation! A Biblical mind cannot coexist with worldly programming.” (p. 75) I had a seminary professor suggest that we should spend no more time watching TV than we do reading the Word of God. That means that if I were to watch TV for one hour, then I must obligate myself to spend at least one hour reading the Bible. Now, I fall short of this personally but he was right that our actions will show our passion. Your remote probably spends far more time in your hand than your Bible does and your eyes glare far more at the TV screen than they glare at the truths of God’s word! This observation by John MacArthur should further make you re-evaluate the TV watching habits of your family. He states: “Statistics show that the average child living at home in America watches at least twenty-eight hours of television each week… Programming that targets young people is often the very worst at deliberately glamorizing sin. By the time most young people graduate from high school, they have been overexposed to the grossest kinds of evil through “entertainment” media in mind-numbing ways – so that nothing seems particularly appalling anymore. After all, drug use, immorality, violence, and profanity are standard fare on television. When a whole generation has been raised on a steady diet of that stuff, it’s no wonder that sin no longer seems exceedingly sinful to them.”(The Fulfilled Family, p. 89) I have another test for you this week. As you sit down to watch TV, count how long until you hear the first cuss word. Then count how long it takes before you hear the first sexual joke. Then how long until a violent act takes place, or how long until a child shows ungodly disrespect to a parent? It will not take long. Clear your eyes and your head as you watch and start looking for these things and behaviors and you will be amazed. I was convicted. I went the night after I wrote this and noticed how explicative laden and crude a favorite show of mine was. I had become used to the content and just did not pay attention actively. So, I was passively enjoying sin. Now, I love to laugh, but if you look at the humor in a show, most centers on foul language, sex, rudness and disrespect. The problem is when we laugh at sin, we start to accept it and think it is okay and fine. But little by little you will find yourself laughing at sin that you used to be appalled by. Then when you compromise your moral beliefs, and laugh with the world in your thoughts, it is not a far jump before you act in your deeds as well. Let me close with this paraphrase of the 23rd Psalm I got in an email a while back dealing with TV. “The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want anything else. It maketh me to lie down on the sofa. It leadeth me away from the Scripture. It destroys my soul. It leadeth me in the paths of sex and violence for the sponsor’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will enjoy the evil, for blood and sex they excite me. It’s cable and remote they comfort me. It prepareth a program for me, even in the presence of visitors. It anoints my head with humanism and secularism, its sound and vision comfort me. Surely sinfulness and ignorance shall follow my family all the days of our lives, and we shall dwell in spiritual poverty forever.” Follow the advice of Paul who wrote Philippians 4:8 “Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable--if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise--dwell on these things.” Heed also the words of David in Psalm 101:2-4 “I will be careful to live a blameless life – when will you come to my aid? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. (3) I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all crooked dealings; I will have nothing to do with them. (4) I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.” Seeking to practice what I preach to you in my TV watching this week. Pastor Phillip © Copyright 2010
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