Did you hear the story about the Christians who had a prayer meeting? It appears that they had this meeting and the next thing you know brother Joe started talking about this vision he had and how everyone in the vision was hopping on one foot and whooping for Jesus.
Well at first the people thought this was crazy but then Brother Joe sited an obscure Scripture in Leviticus 11, which talked about hopping. (Yes, it’s in the American Standard Version, but it refers to which insects you can eat.) No one bothered to check and see if this verse was in the Bible, or even if the Scripture was taken in context or not. Seems another sister confirmed this vision when she said she hopped on one foot and was healed. Two weeks later the whole church had a foot hopping service. Then stories started rolling in of how people were being blessed by hopping. One guy got a promotion. Another guy found $20. A few weeks later a lady started writing hopping music. The Christian media picked up on it and before long the bookstores began selling hopping music. (Hip Hopping Hallelujah and Hopping Hymns were 2 bestsellers) Then Brother Joe, who introduced the joy of hopping, wrote a book which spent 22 weeks on the best sellers list. The Purpose of Hopping was followed by Holy Hopping and Secrets to a Hopping Life. Then the fist coffee cup in the shape of a foot was sold, followed by bracelets with HFJ (Hop For Jesus) was made. All the youth groups had to have them. The journals and pens got lost in the shuffle, but the Hopping Bible was a big seller. Eventually, as the movement wound down, someone had a vision of a man yodeling… .
Philippians 1:9-11 “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Why do Christians follow fads and trends? Good question. We are called to be in the world but not of it. Yet it appears that whatever marketing or business trend is happening in the world is eventually duplicated in the church. Not to mention the extra-biblical themes being introduced into the body of Christ without as much as an eyebrow being raised. The specific trends aren’t important right now and I am not saying God can’t use these things, but I notice many people start talking about the emotional extras more than they talk about God. It seems our focus has shifted from Him to us! How are we feeling? What are we enjoying? This is how I was blessed. You should do such and such and you’ll prosper. I, Me, You! Self-Centered Christianity is not what God has called us to. He has called us to an uncompromising faith in Him. Our soul can truly only prosper when we delight in Him and His law. (Psalms 1:3, Prov. 16:20)
I believe God is calling His church back to the Himself. Uncompromised! Focused! Refreshed in Him; not relying on man-made extras to make things exciting. We need to get away from “emotional” Christianity and back to LIFE in Jesus Christ! There is Joy in Him. We don’t need the window dressing. We need Him! We don’t need an emotional high to have relationship with Him. We just need Him. It’s not about feelings it’s about fact. Jesus Christ crucified, risen, victorious. Galatians 6:14 says, “But far be it from me to glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world hath been crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Jesus Only Jesus!
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