Bonfire For God?

[apothanein kerdos]

The church and public statements. The church and staged media events.

He pointed out that just one-third of the congregation brought things to burn. He said those who participated included a mix of new and longtime members of the church.

I would point out that 2/3 of the local church did not participate, but the entire church was publically referred to "Rev. George Bender of the Harvest Assembly of God Church in Butler County".

Some things are just trash to us after we begin to serve the Lord that once we held as treasure, and we rejoice to destroy the images of that which once held us in bondage, so be rid of them, but why make it a news event?

The world looking on often thinks we are crazy, and when the local church support is only 1/3, there might be a suggestion to rethink the planned event. What we read of in the early church...

Acts 19:19

A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.

...relates to sorcery (witchcraft & associated evil arts), and it was a statement against an active lifestyle of investing oneself in evil.

The Harry Potter books are children's fictional books that do introduce the reader to "soft sorcery", much like Walt Disney has always done in films. There is a real danger of desensitizing young impressionable people to the danger of sorcery, just as violence on TV can do the same reguarding violence, and the seductive reguarding casual sex, and so on....

So how are we, as Christians, to deal with the worldliness of the world? We are called to be seperate from the former lifestyle of sin, but do we become activists against the sin of others, or do we radiate the light? The church has become an image conscious, sound bite giving, public relations, media seaking entity, and this is not the same as walking in the Spirit.

The world has an image of the church as a confused, legalistic, hard nosed, and hard hearted bunch of damaged goods people, and this image is reinforced a great deal by unwise public displays.

Some of this is right on the mark as not many mighty, not many wise, not many noble are called (you see your calling brethren), and since we are for the most part a gathering of severly damaged souls that Jesus has saved, and begun to heal and restore, and many of us are really NOT in a position to condemn others (and should not if we are), we therefore need to be wise.

Book burnings now bring to mind the images of Hitler and Germany not so very long ago, is this what we are trying to bring to mind? Does this promote the Lord Jesus Christ?

Animated videos such as Pinnochio and Hercules were also among the items thrown in the fire

I don't like these videos either, but it gets to be a pretty thin arguement when we attack the evils of Pinnochio while not actively protesting the adult video store down the block.

I remember Christians protesting against the first Star Wars movie outside theaters. I remember Christians smashing TV sets because they had so much filthy programming (nothing like today however).

We are called to be witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ.

[nebula]

Kind of on the same lines, and I said this before in answering a question to "The Best Christian", but I'll say it again:

The real danger of these things is not so much that it will get children hooked on teh occult, for the evidence of this just isn't there.

The real danger is that it makes the darkness seem good and fun and even beautiful while also making the Light seem boring and lifeless.

As for the book burning, if these people really felt they needed to do that to separate themselves from something they believed was interfering with their walk with the Lord, then let them be.

If you are feeling upset that they are demanding all other Christians do the same, then I ask are you returning a similar spirit by demanding they not do such a thing?

On the other hand, I'd be more interested in hearing of these Christians spending their efforts figuring ways they can "make disciples" and feed the hungry and clothe the naked and do all the other works of the Gospel that we are supposed to do rather than how they "ban the evil."

Likewise, if I were to walk into that church and see the teenage girls dressed in "Brittany Spears" fashion, as is popular among teenage girls these days - their "book burning" wouldn't mean squat to me.

We need to be wise in what we fight. We also need to be wise in how we fight.

I'm no fan of legalism, yet it wasn't someone calling me a legalist that made me realise how steeped in legalism I had been in myself - the Lord had to put me through a very humiliating experience before I could see it.

Sometimes all we can do for someone is present a case, and then leave the person in the Lord's hands. Isn't that how we all have been saved anyway from our own sin?

Just a thought.

[Guest Called]

I want to give a short personal testimony about this.

About a year and a half ago I finally just gave everything up to Jesus and immediately I began to experience conviction on books, movies and CD's that I had. I called my cell leader and she suggested that we have a bonfire. So, me and a friend of mine had a bonfire and we brought everything that did not glorify God and we threw it in the fire! I cannot tell you how liberating that was. To see all those things that had come between me and God destroyed, just strengthened my relationship with Him. My life has not been the same since. I will not allow anything in my home that I feel I couldn't watch, read or listen to with Jesus sitting right next to me. It took me giving all that up to move into the next phase of my walk with Jesus and what an amazing journey it has been!

God Bless!

Debbie

[Leonard]

Now, if we could just get someone to toss in Howard Stern...... Oh yes, and those wannabe actors who make commercials!