“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom…. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” -Matthew 25:1, 5-6
According to several studies over the past few years, the average person spends between 8-13 hrs per day online or consuming media entertainment. In contrast, Worship services last for approximately 3 hrs once a week (add another hour if you attend Wednesday night prayer meeting).
Let’s say you take one day off media a week for Sabbath, that still puts the average person with 48-78 hours per week of media and entertainment. 48-78 HOURS vs. 4 hours. This breaks my heart!
Is it any wonder that in Revelation 3 Jesus describes the church just before His coming as “lukewarm“?
Let’s do a little more math: if you attend a church with 200 members, on average, the congregation will have spent between 9600-15,600 hrs during the past WEEK on media and entertainment.
Compare that to a total of 800 hrs of Spiritual instruction (presuming every member attends church and prayer meeting weekly).
That’s a staggering difference.
You know what synergy is, right? The same idea applies here. We, as a group can either combine ideas and thoughts to further God’s work and bless others, or we can use that concept to pull others deeper into a path that does not lead to life. Yes, even as professed believers.
The solution is not to try to elect leaders who will push for a joining of church and state to “solve” the sin problem–think of how well that went over during the Dark Ages (and we can see that push starting to happen again). Our trust should be in God, and we should be putting Him at the center of our lives individually. We need to be making Him the top priority on a personal level as the world becomes more chaotic. If we don’t, how can we be sure it’s God’s voice leading us? A lot of people who say they are Christians claim their lives are lead by the Holy Spirit. However, if the “spirit“ doesn’t affirm the truths of the Bible, or tries to bring about “conviction“ by coercion, it’s not from God (see Isaiah 8:20).
If we know the plot line for a popular TV show, or intimate details about our favorite YouTuber, but don’t know the Bible, or intimate details about God’s plans for us, this is, to put it very mildly, problematic for us as Christians. It’s not just “problematic“ though, it can quite literally become a matter of life and death.
When Jesus was talking about the time of the end, He makes a reference to the Book of Daniel and tells people that when they see the “Abomination of Desolation” stand in the holy place they are to flee to the mountains (see Matthew 24:15-16). Luke, in his gospel, further explains what this “Abomination of Desolation” is for those who were not as familiar with the Jewish culture. “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh” (see Luke 21:20-21).
We know in the historical fulfilment of this prophecy that it was Roman armies that surrounded Jerusalem and ultimately destroyed the temple and the city in 70AD. But there will be another siege on Spiritual Israel which are God’s people made up of believers from every nation (see Romans 2:28-29, Romans 9:7). When we see the “armies of Rome” (fallen Protestantism who will represent the repackaged pagan ideals of the Papal System as Bible truth) surrounding those standing firm in the truth, then it is time to flee to Jesus, our Rock. It’s not the time to rely on coverings of our own good works, but to put our faith wholly in Jesus and put on His covering of righteousness. It’s time to start praying for purified hearts ready to receive the Latter Rain. What good will our knowledge of popular entertainment do us then, when Jesus is coming in the clouds of glory?
Sweet Friends, I share this because I want to see you in heaven. Hold fast to the Bible, and do not put the traditions or teachings of men above a simple “thus says the Lord“. We need to ask God to wake us up from this lukewarm Laodicean condition, and so we are not like the sleeping virgins of Matthew 25 who had no extra oil (oil = the Holy Spirit) in their lamps at the midnight cry.
I’d especially encourage you to read, or reread the Books of Daniel and Revelation during your worship time in the coming weeks. They were written for the period we are living in and we can gain a wealth of knowledge from them that no other book, movie or video game can offer. Just think how much we as a church could accomplish with God’s help if things were switched and we were spending the same amount of time in the Word as many do “in the world”! Let us pray for the renewing of our minds and the change of “technological appetite” so that we are ready to stand in the presence of our Holy God.
-Kirsten
PS: Do you know someone who would be blessed by this message? Please feel free to share the link so they can be encouraged too!