Do You Want To Be Popular?

Genesis 6:9-14.........
"These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,[c] for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.[d] Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch."

Don't we all want to be popular? We may say they we don't care what others say or think about us but deep down, we really do. Actually we all feel better when we are liked. It has something to do with brain functions or some such thing.

If you think back to when you were in school you wanted everyone to like. YOU wanted to be in the popular group of kids....the "IN CROWD".

Nothing has changed but our waistlines. It is human nature to be liked and to be popular, and actually there is nothing wrong with that. The question I think must be.......

"How far are we willing to go to have that kind of popularity?"

Do we have to give up anything to be popular? Our morality? Our family or faith?

Think back on how many preachers once gave out the gospel message with power and authority and people got saved all the time. How many have given up that ability and instead are preaching to the choir so that they can be popular more than effective for Christ? Now they are nothing more than motivation speakers and not preachers at all. But they are now popular with the people but are they popular with God????

This seems to be one of the things that plagues the Christian church today. We spend more time and energy trying to please men than we do in trying to please God? Churches have a program for this and a plan for that. Churches all over our land have now adopted "Contemporary" music that is nothing more that rock and roll with religious words added. People stand and wave their hand and chant words shown on the wall without even knowing what the meaning of them are.

That may be popular and it may even be worship, BUT it is not aimed at God my dear friends. It is done to make people comfortable and popular. Now where do you suppose it says in the Scriptures that we are to be comfortable???

Worship services in church were never intended to make us comfortable. WORSHIP IS NOT FOR YOU AND ME!!!! Worship is for God! Worship is to be directed toward God! God inhabits the praise of His people.
 
I remember starting a similar thread a while back....

It never got any traction so maybe yours will! People will focus on the 'music' part of your post and forget all about that 'worshiping God' stuff...they will be offended that you made issue with 'contemporary music' and miss the entire point.

And I like -some- CCW, but most of it is just noise. Thanks to my Pastor I listen to more 'traditional' spiritual songs and hymns and newer hymns that are 'worship appropriate'.
 
A vast subject, Major. It is nice to be liked, better to be well loved. Celebrity idolization shows clearly the ups and downs of taking the concept of that too far. As for music? I dunno. One of the most castigated songs - by Blue Oyster Cult, I like. Not because of it's topic of suicide and suicide packs but because, I never feared "the reaper". Because I have God, I have no reason to fear death. I think we can view the world through a strong faith and hear truth. What's not can be tossed aside. Setting error to music does have consequences. I have made my views clear, in the past, about how I feel about the errors coming from the charismatic movement of the church. Wanting to be liked - to fit in is not bad in and of itself - it's part of human nature. Needing to be liked, above all else, is a different matter. Some who find they aren't liked, head in the opposite direction and need to be hated. It's all about attention then?
 
I remember starting a similar thread a while back....

It never got any traction so maybe yours will! People will focus on the 'music' part of your post and forget all about that 'worshiping God' stuff...they will be offended that you made issue with 'contemporary music' and miss the entire point.

And I like -some- CCW, but most of it is just noise. Thanks to my Pastor I listen to more 'traditional' spiritual songs and hymns and newer hymns that are 'worship appropriate'.

Outstanding Mike!

This comment and others you have made leads me to believe that you have a good pastor!
 
A vast subject, Major. It is nice to be liked, better to be well loved. Celebrity idolization shows clearly the ups and downs of taking the concept of that too far. As for music? I dunno. One of the most castigated songs - by Blue Oyster Cult, I like. Not because of it's topic of suicide and suicide packs but because, I never feared "the reaper". Because I have God, I have no reason to fear death. I think we can view the world through a strong faith and hear truth. What's not can be tossed aside. Setting error to music does have consequences. I have made my views clear, in the past, about how I feel about the errors coming from the charismatic movement of the church. Wanting to be liked - to fit in is not bad in and of itself - it's part of human nature. Needing to be liked, above all else, is a different matter. Some who find they aren't liked, head in the opposite direction and need to be hated. It's all about attention then?

Allmost all of God's men were un-popular. Noah only saved 8 people. No one would listen to him or help him except his own family.
Lot was hated and his home invaded.
Daniel was fed to lions.
Shadrack and his friends were thrown into the fire.
Ezekiel was hunted by the king and queen.

Everywhere we look in the Bible we see that God's people were not popular because that stood for God. They believed Him and did as He said. Today it seems we tend to do what we want to do so that the congregation will keep coming.
WHAT is it that is compromised for that to happen? THAT is my point.
 
Allmost all of God's men were un-popular. Noah only saved 8 people. No one would listen to him or help him except his own family.
Lot was hated and his home invaded.
Daniel was fed to lions.
Shadrack and his friends were thrown into the fire.
Ezekiel was hunted by the king and queen.

Everywhere we look in the Bible we see that God's people were not popular because that stood for God. They believed Him and did as He said. Today it seems we tend to do what we want to do so that the congregation will keep coming.
WHAT is it that is compromised for that to happen? THAT is my point.

Well, you already know my thoughts on Lot - I think his household was saved out of love for Abraham. But I quite agree that God's "favorites" (said with irony) do not follow majority opinion and are totally willing to take the consequences of telling truth. The consequences of this world for that which is eternal. God's truth is divisive because it is meant to make clear the wheat from the chaff. You need agreement to prop up error. You need only God for truth.

Edit*** I can't decide to delete this, so I hope it is taken in context.
 
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Jesus was not popular in the way the 'popular' crowd thought of popularity.

Consider who Jesus was popular with.

He hung out with them publicans and sinners, prostitutes, lepers-you know; all those desirable people in power that look good all the time.... (Sarcasm intended)

Not to mention those uneducated disciples of His....
 
Genesis 6:9-14.........
"These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,[c] for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.[d] Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch."

Don't we all want to be popular? We may say they we don't care what others say or think about us but deep down, we really do. Actually we all feel better when we are liked. It has something to do with brain functions or some such thing.

If you think back to when you were in school you wanted everyone to like. YOU wanted to be in the popular group of kids....the "IN CROWD".

Nothing has changed but our waistlines. It is human nature to be liked and to be popular, and actually there is nothing wrong with that. The question I think must be.......

"How far are we willing to go to have that kind of popularity?"

Do we have to give up anything to be popular? Our morality? Our family or faith?

Think back on how many preachers once gave out the gospel message with power and authority and people got saved all the time. How many have given up that ability and instead are preaching to the choir so that they can be popular more than effective for Christ? Now they are nothing more than motivation speakers and not preachers at all. But they are now popular with the people but are they popular with God????

This seems to be one of the things that plagues the Christian church today. We spend more time and energy trying to please men than we do in trying to please God? Churches have a program for this and a plan for that. Churches all over our land have now adopted "Contemporary" music that is nothing more that rock and roll with religious words added. People stand and wave their hand and chant words shown on the wall without even knowing what the meaning of them are.

That may be popular and it may even be worship, BUT it is not aimed at God my dear friends. It is done to make people comfortable and popular. Now where do you suppose it says in the Scriptures that we are to be comfortable???

Worship services in church were never intended to make us comfortable. WORSHIP IS NOT FOR YOU AND ME!!!! Worship is for God! Worship is to be directed toward God! God inhabits the praise of His people.
Excellent!

As my Pastors, we have lost the crowd when they say "wow" by marveling at the Church or people or things we do.. We have won them when they say "wow" looking at their spiritual state and what they lack
 
Genesis 6:9-14.........
"These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,[c] for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.[d] Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch."

Don't we all want to be popular? We may say they we don't care what others say or think about us but deep down, we really do. Actually we all feel better when we are liked. It has something to do with brain functions or some such thing.

If you think back to when you were in school you wanted everyone to like. YOU wanted to be in the popular group of kids....the "IN CROWD".

Nothing has changed but our waistlines. It is human nature to be liked and to be popular, and actually there is nothing wrong with that. The question I think must be.......

"How far are we willing to go to have that kind of popularity?"

Do we have to give up anything to be popular? Our morality? Our family or faith?

Think back on how many preachers once gave out the gospel message with power and authority and people got saved all the time. How many have given up that ability and instead are preaching to the choir so that they can be popular more than effective for Christ? Now they are nothing more than motivation speakers and not preachers at all. But they are now popular with the people but are they popular with God????

This seems to be one of the things that plagues the Christian church today. We spend more time and energy trying to please men than we do in trying to please God? Churches have a program for this and a plan for that. Churches all over our land have now adopted "Contemporary" music that is nothing more that rock and roll with religious words added. People stand and wave their hand and chant words shown on the wall without even knowing what the meaning of them are.

That may be popular and it may even be worship, BUT it is not aimed at God my dear friends. It is done to make people comfortable and popular. Now where do you suppose it says in the Scriptures that we are to be comfortable???

Worship services in church were never intended to make us comfortable. WORSHIP IS NOT FOR YOU AND ME!!!! Worship is for God! Worship is to be directed toward God! God inhabits the praise of His people.

Amen! I hear ya! My sentiments exactly. Well, they are, in fact, for the most part, I believe, God's sentiments, too. This is how he feels about many worship services in today's modern church. Oh, how we need revival here in America!

On the subject of being popular, I don't believe everyone wants to be popular. I never did that I can recall, which is a good thing, because God has called me to a ministry which does not make me popular at all! Sure, I like to be liked. I am human. I don't like to be hated, but I have had to accept that as a part of life. Jesus said we would be hated as he was hated. When I was younger I did try to change my life to conform to what others thought I should be so they would at least accept me and not toss me out, yet I kept finding that the rules changed from place to place, and then soon I did not know who I was. No matter what I did it seemed as though someone didn't like me. Finally it hit home with me that I was not on this earth to be liked of humans or to have their acceptance, but I was here for the glory of God and for the pleasure of his will. So, each day I yield control of my life to God and pray he leads me to do his will, and I trust him even when all I get is kicked to the curb in return. He supplies me with all I need in the way of encouragement and strength and his power to do the will of God for my life. And, when I am "liked" I consider it a blessing from God and so I give him all the glory and praise. Yet, I cannot do this in my own strength, but only through Him living within me.
 
Popular is a funny word. You can be someone who people love to hate or love to love. I think Jesus was popular in His time and that has continued, else His words would never have come down to us. One of my favorite sayings is: The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference. And hate is nothing if not contaminated love. The warning to the Laodicians (sp?) was don't be lukewarm. When we let the false in with the truth, we smother, even to quenching the truth and go to room temperature. But, hey - it's popular these days. :)
 
Amen! I hear ya! My sentiments exactly. Well, they are, in fact, for the most part, I believe, God's sentiments, too. This is how he feels about many worship services in today's modern church. Oh, how we need revival here in America!

On the subject of being popular, I don't believe everyone wants to be popular. I never did that I can recall, which is a good thing, because God has called me to a ministry which does not make me popular at all! Sure, I like to be liked. I am human. I don't like to be hated, but I have had to accept that as a part of life. Jesus said we would be hated as he was hated. When I was younger I did try to change my life to conform to what others thought I should be so they would at least accept me and not toss me out, yet I kept finding that the rules changed from place to place, and then soon I did not know who I was. No matter what I did it seemed as though someone didn't like me. Finally it hit home with me that I was not on this earth to be liked of humans or to have their acceptance, but I was here for the glory of God and for the pleasure of his will. So, each day I yield control of my life to God and pray he leads me to do his will, and I trust him even when all I get is kicked to the curb in return. He supplies me with all I need in the way of encouragement and strength and his power to do the will of God for my life. And, when I am "liked" I consider it a blessing from God and so I give him all the glory and praise. Yet, I cannot do this in my own strength, but only through Him living within me.

Well said Sue!
 
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