A Call to Be Holy

Social media is something that opens a lot of doors to get an inside look into the stand and beliefs of those that call themselves believers or pastors. Now since I am not a pastor, I get a unique spot of watching pastors decide what side of the line they fall on. Again, music has become a major issue lately. Now, I know there are a number of stances but this time two major ones have come to the forefront. You have the call to be holier and more God honoring, and we have the side that is getting upset at a call and position to honor God with our music. The question becomes now, why are people getting mad at a call to be separate from the world?

1 Peter 1:15-16

"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

Now, this is the place the call comes from. We are called to be holy like our God. It is to take place in all our lives in all aspects of our lives! The truth of separation is found in the Bible. From the OT to the NT. A great example is in 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. This is a great passage to use. It shows us how to be separate and how that we are called to be separate from the world.

Amos 5:14-15

Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the Lord, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgement in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Jospeh.

Amos 3:3

Can two walk together except they be agreed?

You cannot walk with God and the world at the same time. The Gospels also deal with this and are worth reading as well. This applies to our music as well. We cannot have music that sounds just like the worlds and expect God to be glorified and honored in and by it. Many so called "Christian" music groups today are nothing but worldly groups with a spiritual twist. You know why that is? Satan. Satan is a master of music and twisting it. If he can get you confused on what you listen to and caught up in the beat or music instead of the words he has done his job. Now, let me go ahead and deal with something that I know is bound to happen as well. Not every modern song is evil. However, we have criteria to judge it by. Is it God honoring, is the focus on God, and is the music in proper in order. If the focus is on how the music makes you feel and the message is to make you feel good, it has no place in our churches.

Lastly consider the words of Jesus Himself in Matthew 7:13-29.

Realize that the majority will NOT follow you in your stance and in your conviction as Jesus warns us. Beware of those that try to come in and steal you away by false doctrine or teaching. Compare what they say to what the Bible itself says. These come in the forms of pastors or church leaders who try to make sin or ungodly standards seem ok. How do we tell them from the real thing? Well, Jesus tells us to judge them by the fruits they produce and create. Verses 21-23 give an important warning. That is that just because some say they are a Christian or believer does not mean they are Biblical or truly following Christ. Now some know they are not following Him and are just simply trying to lead others away from Christ. Some think they are doing the right thing but are un-learned and don't understand the truth.

Verses 14-19 show us the truth of this. Those that are not following Christ are upset by those who take a strong stand and live a holier life. These are people who build upon the sand. They are unstable and cannot take a stand because they have NO solid foundation. However, those that are living a holier life and standing for Christ have a solid foundation. They can take a stance that the world and the worldly believer will not agree with.

This gives us a great insight into what is going on around us. Those calling for holier living and worship are doing so because they have a solid foundation to base the call off of. Those getting upset and up in arms about those doing so are doing so because they have no solid foundation on which to base their stand and so they feel attacked by a call to live more Biblical. We all must make our own choices on whether we will live more like Christ or not. However, if we get mad at someone who points out areas to live holier than we are the ones who are the problem not the one calling for a more Christ like way of worship or living.

LG