You Don't Have to be an Idiot

One of my all-time favorite TV shows was “Country Fried Home Videos,” hosted by Bill Engvall. In each episode, people would do things that were unthinkable to a normal person. The most bizarre behavior was rewarded with the “Here’s Your Sign” award. Past winners included a man who got bit as he stuck his hand into the mouth of an alligator, another man who rolled a large piece of slate down a mountainside and right into his vehicle, and another man hanging a large pincher crab on his nipple – ouch! In my opinion, the winners of these awards were idiots!

According to dictionary.com, an idiot is “an utterly foolish or senseless person.” Well, I have come across a few idiots in my day, and so have you. Consider the person who sees a “wet paint” sign and touches it to see if it is really wet. Think about the person who blames a ladder as defective after falling from the top section that clearly states, “Danger: Not a Step.” The worst, I ever heard was the man who ignored the warning labels and tried to trim his hedge by picking up his push lawnmower – he lost fingers on both hands!

Idiots are not only revealed by their bizarre behavior, but also by their bizarre thought processes. Consider the man who gets angry when the woman he had a one-night stand with asks for child support. Consider the person dying with lung cancer or Emphysema who continues to smoke. What about the ninety-year-old man, who refuses to believe that his twenty-year-old girlfriend is only after his money and not his wrinkly old body. These are only a few examples of foolish or idiotic thinking; but there are many, many more.

Foolish behavior is nothing new. Consider Adam & Eve, who lost everything because they believed a serpent and ate the fruit. Consider the people who mocked Noah as he built the ark, and ultimately drowned. Uzzah touched the Ark of the Covenant, after God told him not to, and fell dead. King David had many wives and concubines, but just had to have Bathsheba. Judas saw Jesus’ perform miracles, but chose to betray Him. The crowds chose to crucify Jesus, even though Pilate proclaimed Him to be innocent. People have been making utterly foolish or senseless decisions since the beginning.

Foolish behavior and beliefs continue today. People deny Jesus’ existence, even though His life is documented by historians. People now argue that America was never founded as a Christian nation, although the proof is stamped all over Washington D.C. People refuse to believe the Bible, even though it has been proven by history, science, prophecy and archaeology. People know what God expects, but they choose to live otherwise. Proverbs 14:12 NIV states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”

It is easy to prove that people make utterly foolish and senseless decisions every day; but the point is that we do not have to. John 3:16 states, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Realizing this truth, do not be foolish. The Bible states that “it is appointed unto men once to die and after that is the judgment.” So, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. That is the wisest choice you can ever make!

Over Entertained & Under Challenged

It’s been many years since I first heard Andy Stanley make the statement, “Today’s teenagers are over entertained and under challenged.” His sermon, preached at First Baptist Church of Atlanta, was addressing the way so many churches were approaching student ministry and measuring success by the numbers. Back then cutting-off a tie, swallowing a goldfish, or racing to take Polaroid pictures may have drawn a crowd, but they certainly did not build a church. Andy Stanley's observation was correct over 25 years ago, and it is still correct today. The stunts, styles and activities have changed; but the entertainment mentality in most of today's churches is stronger now than ever.

In a modern church culture that measures success almost solely by numbers, it only makes sense that youth pastors are prone to entertaining students and assembling the masses in order to be viewed as successful. Sadly, the same entertainment mentality is true with adults. Too many adults choose a church based on the length of the services, whether the church has a softball team, how humorous the pastor is, and whether or not they like the worship style. These superficial factors show the shallowness plaguing the Christian church today.

The long-term effects of the entertainment focus in ministry can be seen in the spiritual adolescence prevalent among today’s believers. We are in dire need of discipleship. The effectiveness of discipleship can be measured by whether or not those who call themselves disciples begin to disciple others. In essence, the student should eventually become the teacher. But, how is someone who has been over entertained and under challenged supposed to gain the knowledge necessary to teach? The Apostle Paul describes this dilemma in Hebrews 5:12-14 NIV – “ In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

Not only has the focus on entertainment in ministry caused a shallowness of knowledge, but it has also resulted in fewer people being exposed to real ministry opportunities. Churches used to “do“ ministry, go on missions trips, serve their communities, and impact their world. That exposure to ministry often resulted in growing churches and people surrendering to become vocational ministers. Today, fewer people are entering vocational ministry, seminary enrollment has declined nationally, as well as church attendance across denominational lines. The common denominator is that too many church-goers have been and continue to be over entertained and under challenged.

So, which word best describes the church you attend - “entertainment” or “discipleship?” It’s never too late to start challenging others to grow spiritually. Jesus challenged twelve men, and in just three years He prepared them to impact eternity! Think how different the world would have been if He only entertained them. Think how different our world could be, if today’s churches will rise up and challenge those who God has entrusted to us!