I Am A Friend of God

The above title of this post is the title of a song -- a contemporary worship song -- that is sung (I guess) in many "evangelical" churches. I guess they take the words from Jesus to His disciples. But whenever I have heard the song, it just seems too jolly for my taste. Perhaps I would fit better with a song (or psalm) that spoke of me being in awe of God. It seems that too many people look at Jesus as their "bud."
By the way, when I last heard this little ditty I was seeing it sung at Lake-something church in Houston, TX where Joel Osteen is the "pastor." Of course everyone had a smile :)

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning (I couldn't sleep) I came across a documentary with the exact same title as that song -- "Friends of God." It was appearing on HBO. Now before you go and start thinking -- 'what's he doing watching HBO?' -- I do not subscribe to HBO, and never will. I recently switched to Dish Network and they threw HBO in for three months free. As I was looking at the guide, I saw this title as being on. I thought, "this ought to be slanted." So I flipped it on.

The first scene was to Osteen's "church." All smiles and happy times. I don't think I have heard of him mentioning the blood of Jesus and repentance of sin and justification by faith alone in Christ alone.

Then they went to Colorado Springs and spent time with Ted haggard and his church. This was before the shipwreck. And I literally got nauseated watching Haggard -- listening to him and then thinking that just a few days after this recorded he was defrocked for moral degradation. I had to turn it. I was sad and sick.

Then after a little bit, I said I'll go back and see what's happening now. They were in Texas somewhere at an event conducted by the Christian Wrestling Federation. These were fat guys in costumes mimicking the WWE -- all in the hopes of winning just one for Jesus. I wonder why Paul didn't think of this in Rome? At this point I turned it off for good. I had seen enough.

I don't know . . . I guess what makes me sad, mad, scared, discouraged . . . is that I have been reading The Reason for God by Tim Keller, and his logic and apologia is so sound. I read it and I hope and pray that non-Christians will read this book, that God would use the message of this faithful, Bible-believing pastor and they will seek the face of Jesus. Then I watch shows like this documentary and I'm thinking, "Why would a sophisticated, thinking, person even consider the claims of the Christian church?"

Some thing's gotta change. Let it begin in me.