Create Not Re-Create by Derrick Sier

Unconventional socializing has become a growing need in the Christian community. People have begun to seek out places where they can let their hair down, kick off their shoes (or dress up –depends who you ask), laugh, eat, dance, listen to music/poetry and encounter other Christians outside the walls of the church. Trying to meet this dire need is fairly easy in concept, however quite difficult in application. Matter of fact, in attempting to do so, several venues have arose only to temporarily provide an alternative and then quickly fade away. What happened?

One of the pastors at my church told me of an experience he had while traveling with a popular gospel artist. He was fortunate enough to sit in on a meeting that included this artist and several others that were a part of his particular record label. They were watching a video of another gospel artist. The video had the artist landing in a helicopter in the back yard of a huge house; he then steps out the helicopter with a fur jacket and wearing tons of jewelry, in which he walks over to a pool where others (the majority were women dressed in “edgy” trendy clothes) were dancing. To top it off, their message wasn’t even about Christ, but instead, how much they’ve acquired and how much fun they were having doing it. The group stopped the video and the artist my pastor was traveling with said, ”How far will we go in order to beat the world at their own game?”

Too often, Christians try to beat the world at its own game. And while trying to prove to the world that we can do what they do better, we become them in the process. The message of hope and the Gospel of Christ becomes lost in the distracting clothing we mask as self-expression, our music becomes laced with secular vibes because of our yielding stance and unwillingness to break away, compromising dance moves penetrate our physical and mental purity, border-line poetry taints the actual message it contains and sub-satisfactory theater with soft-ministry ends up having no effect on its viewers at all. Don’t get me wrong, the heart behind these ideas and desires is wonderful, but the application is where we fail. It is vital to provide alternatives that accommodate and highlight our uniqueness as Christians instead of mirroring the world.

So, why can’t Christians create instead of re-creating a lasting and successful event for the body of Christ? Why do we offer events and opportunities for fellowship that sink as fast as they rise? We know it’s not lack of participants because people pack these places/events when they first start out. And we know Christians want to do things because we spend our money to support other events/activities. We know it’s not money because churches are getting bigger and the saints of God are prospering in a time of supposed lack. We know it’s not a lack of interest because one of the main ministry tools used by the church is the arts. So what is it? (I may have to write on this individual topic next month.)

We serve the giver of every good and perfect gift – the God that request we sing him a new song. We must look to him with a heart that is for his people and believe he will give us what his people need. And the body of Christ NEEDS an outlet of expression outside the walls of the church; a way to enjoy ourselves as well as a way to let God know how we feel, a way to tell the world that we are still here – that we (God) are the standard and a way to stand on our own when it comes to entertainment and socializing.

Event coordinators, commit yourselves to the standard. Do not compromise in what you provide the body of Christ. Be rooted in the cause and destroy all ulterior motives outside the will of God. Do this and success and longevity will be the fruit of your events. Besides, Christ said, “If I be lifted up, I’ll draw all men unto me….”, this is the concept that all of our efforts should build on. Why? Because if we lift Christ and people come, our mission is accomplished.

Derrick Sier is President of Jesus First Productions.