在承认相信的主的阵营中有一件恶事,是如此厚颜无耻,连最近视的人都几乎不会注意不到。在过去几年中,它以超常的速度发展,变得更加邪恶。它就像面酵一样发动,直到全团都发起来了。魔鬼向教会暗示,说它部分的使命在于向人提供娱乐,目的是为了把人争取过来,牠所做的一切很少有比这更聪明的。教会不再像清教徒那样直言不讳,而是渐渐调低了它的见证,对当前的轻浮眨眨眼睛,找理由接受。那时它容忍这些事情落在它的边缘,现在它已经是以争取普罗大众为理由,把这些事情采纳过来了。
我的第一个抗议就是圣经里从来没有讲过给人提供娱乐是教会的一种功能。如果这是基督徒当做的工,那么为什么基督没有讲过这件事?“你们往普天下去,传福音给万民听。”这是再清楚不过的了。所以现在就好像是他还加上了一句,“还要给那些不喜欢福音的人提供娱乐。”然而我们找不到这样的话。看来他不曾有过这样的念头。还有,“他所赐的有使徒,有先知,有传福音的,有牧师和教师。”哪里有娱乐的地方?对这些事情圣灵是保持沉默的。先知受逼迫,是因为他们娱乐群众还是他们拒绝这样做?音乐会上是不会有殉道士人头落地的。
还有,提供娱乐是和基督和他所有门徒的教导和生活完全对立的。教会对待世界应抱着什么态度?“你们是盐”,不是糖果— 是世界要吐出来,而不是要吞下去的。“任凭死人埋葬他们的死人。” 这句话短而尖锐,他是完全认真的!
要是基督在他的宣道工作中引入更光明,更令人欢喜的元素,他们回去的时候,他就会更受欢迎。他的教导是察验人心的,我没有听他说过,“彼得,去追着这些人,告诉他们我们明天会有一场风格不同的聚会,简短,讲道只有一点点,以此吸引人。我们会给人们安排一个愉快的夜晚。告诉他们,他们肯定会很享受。彼得,快一点,我们一定要想方设法抓住人!”耶稣怜悯罪人,为他们叹息,哭泣,但从来没有试图去娱乐他们。要在书信里找到任何娱乐福音的痕迹,这是徒劳的,它们的信息是,“出来,不要回去,保持洁净,不要回去!”它们很是醒目,没有任何和作弄人有关的东西。它们对福音有无限的信心,并不使用其它的兵器。彼得和约翰因为传福音被关起来后,教会召开了祷告聚会,但是他们没有这样求,“主啊,让你的仆人可以有智慧,有分辨地使用无害的娱乐方法,好使我们可以让这些人看到我们是多么高兴。”如果他们不住地传福音,他们是没有时间去安排娱乐。他们被逼迫驱赶到各个地方,他们去到各处传讲福音。他们是“搅乱天下”。这是唯一的区别!主,请把魔鬼加在教会身上一切的腐败和垃圾清除干净,带我们回到使徒所用的方法中来。
最后,娱乐人的宣教不会达至它所期望的目的。它在刚刚信主的人身上造成混乱。让因为教会对他们妥协而感谢 神的那些毫不在乎的人,嘲笑的人说话,见证;不要让那些因着演唱会找到平安的劳苦担重担的人不要沉默不语!让那些戏剧的娱乐成了 神让他们归的一系列过程中的一环的人站出来!没有人可以相应,挺身而出。娱乐的宣教不能让人归正。今日事奉眼前的需要就是把相信 神的学问功夫和热心的灵性结合在一起,让一样出于另外一样,就好像果子出于树根一样。我们需要的是合乎圣经的教义,能让人明白,让人感受得到,让人火热燃烧起来。
An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most shortsighted can hardly fail to notice it during the past few years. It has developed at an abnormal rate, even for evil. It has worked like leaven until the whole lump ferments. The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing than hinting to the church that part of their mission is to provide entertainment for the people, with a view to winning them.
From speaking out as the Puritans did, the church has gradually toned down her testimony, then winked at and excused the frivolities of the day. Then she tolerated them in her borders. Now she has adopted them under the plea of reaching the masses.
My first contention is that providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in the Scriptures as a function of the church. If it is a Christian work, why did not Christ speak of it? "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is clear enough So it would have been if He had added, "and provide amusement for those who do not relish the gospel." No such words, however, are to be found. It did not seem to occur to him.
Then again, "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors and teachers .., for the work of the ministry" (Eph. 4:11-12). Where do entertainers come in? The Holy Spirit is silent concerning them. Were the prophets persecuted because they amused the people or because they refused? The concert has no martyr roll.
Again, providing amusement is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and all his apostles. What was the attitude of the church to the world? Ye are the salt" (Matt. 5:13), not the sugar candy---something the world will spit out not swallow. Short and sharp was the utterance, "Let the dead bury their dead" (Matt. 8:22) He was in awful earnestness.
Had Christ introduced more of the bright and pleasant elements into his mission, he would have been more popular when they went back, because of the searching nature of His teaching. I do not hear him say, "Run after these people Peter and tell them we will have a different style of service tomorrow, something short and attractive with little preaching. We will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it. Be quick Peter, we must get the people somehow." Jesus pitied sinners, sighed and wept over them, but never sought to amuse them.
In vain will the Epistles be searched to find any trace of this gospel of amusement! Their message is, "Come out, keep out, keep clean out!" Anything approaching fooling is conspicuous by its absence. They had boundless confidence in the gospel and employed no other weapon.
After Peter and John were locked up for preaching, the church had a prayer meeting but they did not pray, "Lord grant unto thy servants that by a wise and discriminating use of innocent recreation we may show these people how happy we are." If they ceased not from preaching Christ, they had not time for arranging entertainments. Scattered by persecution, they went everywhere preaching the gospel. They turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6). That is the only difference! Lord, clear the church of all the rot and rubbish the devil has imposed on her, and bring us back to apostolic methods.
Lastly, the mission of amusement fails to effect the end desired. It works havoc among young converts. Let the careless and scoffers, who thank God because the church met them halfway, speak and testify. Let the heavy laden who found peace through the concert not keep silent! Let the drunkard to whom the dramatic entertainment has been God's link in the chain of the conversion, stand up! There are none to answer. The mission of amusement produces no converts. The need of the hour for today's ministry is believing scholarship joined with earnest spirituality, the one springing from the other as fruit from the root. The need is biblical doctrine, so understood and felt, that it sets men on fire.