Modern Christianity

Yesterday, I was involved in a discussion on facebook, that has prompted me to bring this devotion this morning. I do hope those other people involved will come and read my response to the thread. What started the discussion is someone trying to be humorous and sarcastic asked the question, "When did an ear ring, flip flops and a feaux (mo)hawk become the official uniform of youth pastors?" Even though I know this person well enough to know that they were not actually serious, the question hit home hard. As you know I have visited several churches lately that this type youth pastor would fit in a little too well, so my response was something to the effect of "I've seen a few "church" pastors almost that bad. It's that old "to save a drunk, you have to go drinking" school of thought." Unfortunately someone took offense at both the question and response, saying we were being judgmental, and that Jesus spent time with drunks, so there is nothing wrong with that.
I am going to start my response in Rom. 6:1-2, where Paul ask, now that we are saved, and under grace, should we continue to sin so that grace may be more abundant? Then answers himself saying, God forbid, how shall we being dead to sin, continue to live in it? (Robby paraphrase). Eph. 5:1-7, names several sins that we are not to allow to be among the church, ending in vs 7 saying "be ye not partakers with them". 2 Cor. 6:14&17 tells us not to be unequally yoked together with sinners, but to come out and "Be ye separate".
Phil. 4:8 says "Finally, brethren whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, just, pure, lovely, are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things". In other words if it does not fit one of these things, stay away from it. 1 Thess 5:22 "Abstain from all appearance of evil". A few years ago, my car broke down one Saturday afternoon, the only place close by that I could find a phone, (This was before cell phones), was a bar. So I went in used the phone, and called for help and went straight back to my car. The next day at church, a church member asked my why they saw me coming out of the bar, what they saw had the appearance of evil, even though it was totally innocent. All I could think about was what if I had been trying to witness to an alcoholic, and that person was the one to see me leaving the bar it would totally ruin any chance I had of being a witness. Now most of the people I have seen with mohawks, both those I knew personally and those I didn't, were drug addicts. Not all but most. Very few if any of them went to church, preferring to go to the worst kind of rock music concerts. So why would a Christian want to look like a drug addict, and a Satanic rock musician? Especially since we are commanded to avoid such behavior.
Don't forget how sin evolves, it starts out with Lott placing his tent so that it faced Sodom, and ends up with him living in the middle of town, offering his virgin daughters as whores to the men of the city.
Gal. 1:10 ask the question "do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ". Jesus said, we can not serve two masters, it is either Him, or Satan. 1 Cor. 6:19-20 says that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit, so we are to glorify God in our bodies. How can we glorify God with our bodies, when our bodies look like we are full of sin? Turn over to ch. 11 vs. 14 "Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?" If long hair is a shame to a man, what else could a mohawk be.
Now over in Eph 5 vs. 10 "Proving what is acceptable unto the LORD". vs. 11 "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them". Something does not have to be a "major" sin in order to be the works of darkness, most of the time Satan would rather work in subtle ways, that Christians won't notice until it's too late. Vs. 18 "Be not drunk with strong wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit", there is only room in your body for one or the other not both. In years past there were a couple of my friends, that would call me between midnight and 2am, when the bar closed, and they were too drunk to drive home. I would go pick them up, and then sit with them the rest of the night until they sobered up. I did not sin by spending time with them, just the opposite, I showed them compassion, and once they sobered up I had a chance to witness to them. However, if I had drank with them, that would have been a sin, and I would have lost my testimony with them.
Lastly, back over to 1 Cor. ch 5. In vs. 1-5 we see that in the Corinthian church was a man that was an adulterer, with his own mother no less. Paul was rebuking the church, not because the man was doing this, but because the church had not kicked him out of the church. Verses 6-7 repeat an analogy from the Old Testament, that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump". The leaven representing sin. Verse 11 tells us not to keep company with people that is a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer (troublemaker, loud mouth), or a drunkard, or an extortioner. In verses 12&13 we are told that God will judge the world, however we are to judge those within the church, and to put away from among ourselves any wicked person. We have already seen where just the appearance of wrong doing is evil. 2 Thess. 3:14-15 tells us that if any man will not obey the word of God, we are not to have any company with him. We are not to count him as an enemy, but to admonish him as a brother.
What we see here is that this concept of witnessing to people by dressing like the world, acting like the world, listening to music that sounds like the world, and just trying to be as close to the world as possible without being in it is evil. And eventually those people who are doing this will end up in the world. We are commanded to be separate from the world, we are to look different, sound different, talk different, act different, and just be different in general. We are to be a peculiar people, we are not to be accepted by the world. Our lives, and testimony's should make the world uncomfortable because they can see Jesus Christ in us, which will convict them of their sin.
I have no hard feelings toward anyone who follows this "modern Christianity", I have some good friends that believe this way. However, I still try to show them that they too are living in sin, I do this with love for them. Today I tried to just give verses that explain how we should live, and keep my words out of it. Because I do not want anyone to say that Robby said that is sin. Robby did not say it was sin, the Bible, written by God said it was sin, Robby just delivered the message. I do not believe in arguing about what the Bible says, I will give you the verse that tells you why I believe what I believe, then you can argue with God about it, if you wish. I have no problem listening to someone try to show me I am wrong, and if God tells me I am wrong, I will change quickly. But God has to be the one to tell me I am wrong.