“Do whatever makes you happy.”
“If it feels good, do it.”
“Follow your heart.”
Do these statements sound familiar to you? They should. We hear them on a regular basis. They are believed in varying degrees by friends, family, co-workers, and even people in our churches! It is the creed of the media and advertisers all across the planet. From sex to salvation, the popular message is, “Here it is. You can have it. Enjoy yourself and you will be happy.”
This mantra is the epitome of hedonism.

Hedonism

Hedonism is a secular philosophy that seeks pleasure to find happiness. It promotes a lifestyle that lives for the moment. “Give me my pleasure now because that is all I have to live for.” The idea is simple, easy to understand, and extremely appealing to human cravings.

The Greek philosopher Epicurus (341 B.C. – 270 B.C.) is most credited with the foundation of hedonism. His method sought simple pleasure in remote surroundings and self sustenance within communal style living in his pursuit of happiness. His thoughts and ideas continued after his death and provided the basis for Epicureanism which the Apostle Paul later encountered when he preached on Mars Hill in Athens (recorded in Acts 17:18). Although the embodiment of Epicurus’ philosophy may appear different in today’s world (as it also did during Paul’s time), his basic principle of thought is thriving. Pain and pleasure are considered to be the nature of humanity. Avoid pain and fear. Pursue pleasure. And in today’s vernacular, “If you think it makes you happy, do it.”

It is interesting to note that there are many books, religions, philosophies, and other resources that try to explain the reasons for suffering, but very few exist to explain the purpose of pleasure. Everyone wants to be happy and it seems God has given us a built-in desire for pleasure, so what does He say about it? The biblical view adds a much wider and critical context.

God on “pleasure”

Hedonism or “pleasure seeking” is as old as humanity itself. In the Garden of Eden it was Eve, the first woman who saw “…that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…” (Gen 3:6). The desire to please herself became more important than heeding the protective ordinances God had set in place. This is not only the basic tenant of hedonism, but is also the core principle of sin. It is a defiant disregard of God for the sake of pleasing oneself.

Sinful indulgence occurs when we become “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Tim 3:4). When we seek our own pleasures apart from God, we become self centered, not God centered. Hedonism is unconditional selfishness. Christian faith calls for unconditional love, especially towards God. The two are completely contrary to one another. God makes it clear. No one can serve two masters” (Mat 6:24). Either you are “…serving various lusts and pleasures…” (Tit 3:3) or serving the living God.

The belief that God is nonexistent or not always present is one of the beliefs that open the door for pleasure seeking. The personal computer, for example, has provided a virtual safe-haven and accessibility for those seeking to satisfy their lusting desire for pornographic content. “No one will know” they say to themselves…as though God does not see what they do in the dark. If they believe there is no God, and “…If the dead do not rise, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’” (1 Cor 15:32). Without the awareness of God’s presence, there remains no reason for restraint.

Wealth is one of the greatest promoters of pleasure seeking. The more affluent a society becomes, the more prevalent hedonism becomes. Where people can afford more leisure activities, pleasure becomes an affordable necessity rather than a luxury. More vacations, bigger cars, and more homes are considered marks of successful living rather than indulgence.

The Church is often entangled with the trap of preaching wealth without the Cross. The recent message often sounds like this, “Come to Jesus because He loves you and all your desires will be fulfilled.” It is an enticing message that has led to much disenchantment. One woman has told me that she had been “following Jesus for six years” and wanted to stop because her neighbor next door was still wealthier than she was! “Lady,” I said. “You have got the wrong Jesus!” If the Church becomes inward focused and pleasure seeking, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is forsaken and there is no more hope for the world.

The Christian must realize God is not opposed to material possessions, pleasure, or the enjoyment of life. It is best to consider them to be “additions” to a life built upon Christ. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Mt 6:33). God provides the proper grounds for ultimate pleasure when we live in the way He has created. Marriage, as an example, is God’s planned relationship and setting for sex. Have as much of it as you want, but God adds more. He adds to this the joy of having a family and the effect is a sense of love that multiplies. A life satisfied in God is beyond description.

I am not speaking of merely imitating or applying godly principles. Any fool can pretend to be righteous. Jesus said the proper way to have these things added to you was to “seek first the kingdom of God” and the only way to do that is to turn from sin and place your faith in Jesus Christ. Only Jesus connects us to God. You must be born again. Without being born again, without the new heart only Jesus can give, you will forever suffer with shame from the past. You will be a phony.

Jesus is bold. He does not run from trouble to seek pleasure or play religious games. He faces reality with all of its troubles and infuses His life giving breath of victory. Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33). This provides the balance. Jesus guarantees joy and victory in the midst of all difficulty. Not only in pleasure.

If we are not willing to bear criticism for the name of Christ, it is unlikely we will find pleasure in the additional blessings He wishes to give. We must risk our own reputation on the basis of Jesus’ reputation. Jesus comes first. In the face of a pleasure seeking world, the Christian must say, “I am His and He is mine.”

Reaching pleasure seeking people

Christians must be aware that they are not immune to sinful behavior and need to avoid such a trap (to be entangled with hedonism would make the Gospel powerless).

On the other hand, we must refuse to allow a generation of people to die in their sins. More than any pleasure, people need Jesus and the only way they will come to Christ is if someone just like you and I will stand up and tell them “Jesus saves.”
Remember: while people are seeking after pleasure, God is seeking after people.

If we love God, we will love what He loves. If we care about our co-workers or friends who are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,” we must be like Jesus and seek them.

Here are some helpful guidelines to help you share the saving knowledge of salvation through Jesus Christ:

1. Be “Jesus seeking”
“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye” (Lk 6:42). While our friends and co-workers may be seeking pleasure, we need to ask ourselves what we are seeking. Are we also seeking pleasure or are we seeking Jesus?

Many times, our personal witness is tainted because our values seem to reflect those of the people we are trying to reach. If you are born again, then be born again; a new creation with a new heart through spiritual birth that follows and seeks after God. If you are seeking the same things others are seeking, then you may need to receive Jesus yourself!

The world will not tolerate pretenders.

What a Christian is seeking ought to be dramatically different than what hedonist people are seeking. The believer is called to be “Jesus centered” rather than living a “self centered” life. Jesus is in charge. Our personal appetites are not. The greatest joy and liberty is found in having Jesus on the throne of our lives. We serve Jesus, not ourselves.

Pleasure seeking often leads to immoral behavior. “Jesus-seeking” leads to Jesus.

2. Living includes repenting
Repentance does not only happen when a person receives Christ. It has a permanent place in the life of the believer. Wherever and whenever sin is discovered in our own lives, we should be repentant. So long as Jesus forgives our sin, we must take the opportunity to turn around, change our mind and “set it right” with God. We give up our own way in order to follow and live according to His way.

Love is part and parcel to the Christian life. It has been said, “they will know we are Christians by our love” and it is true. However, to the self centered hedonistic (pleasure seeking) mindset, acts of loving service may not be so obvious or appreciated. The individual is often too absorbed in themselves to see it.

Repentance brings about dramatic and often drastic change in the life of a believer. It requires humility and an openness of faith that presents powerful evidence to an unbelieving world.

Live a lifestyle that includes repentance. Make your faithfulness to Christ a serious matter.

3. Pray for salvation
One of the most effective witnessing tools is prayer. Do not just pray for 10-15 minutes as you fall asleep at night. Pray specific prayers that involve the heart and emotions. Mean it when you pray.

Jesus cares about the small day-to-day details of our lives, but we must remember that He did not die on the Cross just for us to meet an attractive person, pass an exam, or to score the next great business deal. God Himself sacrificed everything on the cross to provide for our salvation; so that we could be rescued from sin. Knowing and being loved by God is the grandest privilege and honor we can ever have.

When we pray for the salvation of others, something marvelous begins to happen. Our hearts become like God’s heart. We want what God wants.

Whoever you are praying for, let them know you are praying for their salvation. Whenever possible, pray along with them for their salvation. If they have a health condition, pray for their health and their salvation. Above all other things, make salvation the priority of prayer.

4. Same message
The principle rule for telling others about Christ is “telling” others about Christ! Open your mouth and let the Holy Spirit fill it with the right things to say.

No one has all of the answers to all of sin’s objections, but we do not need to. We have been entrusted with a message and I have personally seen how the Holy Spirit successfully uses it over and over again.

Regardless of the situation or the sin, the same message fits all. “…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1Tim 1:15) Jesus has come, suffered, and died on the cross on account of our sins. He was punished in our place with our punishment. He was raised from the dead by the power of God and now rules over all. The message is always sin, repentance, and faith in Christ. Jesus is the message. Only Jesus can forgive all sin and give eternal life. “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Rom 10:13).

Again, the message of salvation is a message that confronts sin, commands repentance, and requires faith in the work of the cross of Jesus Christ. Gospel truth does not change because someone is enjoying themselves or otherwise.

Be assured. There is a great advantage to reaching a “pleasure seeking” world and it is this: They are “seeking.” Although they may be searching for happiness through pleasure, they are not finding it. There is no peace, no contentment apart from the forgiveness, and life only Jesus Christ of Nazareth can provide.

Jason Betler is evangelist and founder of the The Nations Hope (NationsHope.org). He is a passionate gospel-preacher to Asia and believes in equipping the Church to do the work of an evangelist. Jason is based in Singapore where he resides with his wife and family. More about Jason on: Twitter.com/jasonbetler

To illustrate this concept, consider a noble soldier who is called to war. What motivates the soldier to endure hardship, pain, and great danger? Pleasure is not the primary motivation of the soldier; it is rather a sense of duty, honor, and the liberation of the oppressed. Of course, it could be argued that the successful defeat of the enemy and subsequent liberation of the oppressed would give the soldier great pleasure; and this anticipated pleasure is the source of the soldier’s motivation. In this article, however, I will not discuss the causes of motivation, but rather the calling of God for us to prioritize our lives so that the noble cause of advancing the Gospel to the lost should be a higher priority than our personal pleasures.

Wealth provides the power to bring pleasure! It is much nicer to stay in a five star hotel than a budget guest house, ride in a late model sports car than an old clunker, wear designer clothes than those unfashionable bad imitations, and eat in the finest restaurants over the local hawker’s market. Have you noticed how very wealthy older men often marry much younger beautiful women? Indeed wealth, and lots of it, increases our capacity to experience and enjoy all the pleasures this world has to offer.

An honest study of Scripture, however, reveals it is not wrong, evil or immoral for a Christian to be wealthy, own an expensive motor car, live in luxurious accommodation, eat the finest food or marry a glamorous younger woman. In fact, the Bible espouses these things as blessings which can come to an individual or nation, as a result of walking with God (Ps 112:3, Isa 1:19, Ps 35:27, Ps 66:12, 2 Cor 8:9, Isa 45:3, Prov 10:22, Prov 3:9,10, 8:21, 15:6). The real issue regarding wealth, pleasure, and our commitment to Christ, therefore, is not our outward experience but rather the priority of our hearts!

Priority of our hearts

Jesus addresses the issue of wealth (which is directly connected to pleasure) in Matthew 6:19-34. In His teaching, Jesus refers to mammon (money or avarice) and God as competing masters. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other” (Mt 6:24). Jesus was obviously well aware of the strong, seducing power of wealth and how it can easily captivate our hearts. Jesus clearly recommends we choose God as our master instead of wealth. But what are the implications of choosing God over money or pleasure?

The implications of making God our master are far reaching, touching every aspect of our lives: including our time, finances, priorities, our morals, and ethical decisions, and our pleasures.

A true Christian is one who has surrendered his or her life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To be under someone’s Lordship is to be under someone’s authority, under their command. Surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ means that the priorities of the Lord become more important and urgent than the priorities of the person who is under another’s authority. The Apostle Paul called himself a doulos. This Greek word, doulos, has the meaning of – being a slave or a bond servant (Strong’s Dictionary). Paul willingly made himself a slave of Jesus Christ. A born again Christian is a person who has willingly made himself or herself the slave of Jesus Christ.

Obedience is a higher priority than pleasure

A slave is like a soldier who is under command. Both the slave and soldier must obey the commandments of their Lord or superior, even if it means discomfort and a lack of pleasure. The higher priority for a slave is obedience, not pleasure! A Christian is one who has decided that his or her personal pleasures are of a lower priority than the fulfillment of the commands and desires of his or her master – Jesus Christ.

Would God, however, instruct a Christian to fulfill a mission which may involve: the initial loss of the potential for gaining personal wealth, the expenditure of personal wealth, a decreased capacity for pleasure, and even personal discomfort? The answer is clearly a yes!

“Suffer for my name” (Acts 9:16)

To explain the reason why God may lead a Christian into a possible loss of pleasure, we need to look at the world through God’s perspective. God’s primary focus is the reconciliation of His human creation into His eternal family, or Kingdom (2 Cor 5:18-19). The salvation of humans into His Kingdom, so they will avoid an eternity in hell and the lake of fire (Rev 20:15), is of far higher importance to God than our personal experience of worldly pleasures. It is not God’s will that one person should perish and go to hell (2 Pet 3:9, 1 Tim 2:4). So our greater priority should be to yield to the Holy Spirit and to work in our area of gifting to assist the building of the Lord’s Kingdom.

The work of building God’s Kingdom undoubtedly requires at times: tedious preaching and teaching, rejection and persecution, tiresome travel, mixing with dirty, smelly, and sick people, and staying in some polluted and poor environments. In addition, the Lord may command some to leave their secular employment to work in His Kingdom (thus giving up an opportunity to increase their wealth), and others to give of their wealth to support those who have given up their secular employment to advance His Kingdom. These activities of increasing the Lord’s Kingdom impinge on our time and wealth and therefore our opportunity for increased pleasure. Just like a noble soldier who risks death and injury, endure discomfort, and forsake his family and home for the sake of a just war, likewise a Christian should be prepared to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit, even if it means the possibility of a loss of wealth and pleasure, for the higher cause of advancing God’s Kingdom.

Jesus is, however, aware of our physical needs and our desire for comfort or pleasure from the finer things life has to offer. There are certain promises and guarantees from God for the person who chooses to be the Lord’s slave and place the Lord’s priorities above their own – they will receive a reward from God in this life. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus promises food and clothes, and Matthew 6:29 states, “Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” Jesus also promises that, “…no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age…and in the age to come, eternal life” (Mk 10:29-30). A hundredfold as much in this present age certainly implies bountiful prosperity. Without going into teachings regarding the Lord’s prosperity, it is evident that the Lord will bless His own with abundance (Jn 10:10, NKJV), and a slave of the Lord could become more empowered with wealth to enjoy the honorable pleasures of this world than the person who has chosen to make mammon his master.

A true Christian is a person who has willingly placed themselves under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. They have therefore deferred the priority of their life choices to God and are willing to forsake opportunities to make wealth, therefore possibly reducing their capacity for pleasure, as the Lord directs their energy and resources to the advancing of His Kingdom. Scripture, however, assures us that the Lord will provide the financial needs of those who accurately seek first His Kingdom. In fact, it may be the case that those who place their priorities in deference to the Lord may end up being more highly empowered to experience the noble pleasures of this world than those whose primary focus is the pursuit of wealth with its associated benefits of pleasure.

Rev Andrew J Shreeve is an author, publisher, and international teacher, and preacher of the Gospel. A profile of Andrew’s ministry, including his books, is available by visiting his website at andrewshreeve.org.

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.

“Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecc 1:4-9).

We are condemned to repeat our mistakes, end where we started, turn our wheels without getting anywhere, always moving but never arriving. Try as hard as we might, we can never escape this circuitous meaninglessness that fills life “under the sun.” The Wisdom writer attempts at finding purpose in philosophy, pleasure, labor, power, and wealth, but comes up empty. Energy is sapped and we are weary for trying to find meaning in human exploits and achievements.

The Wisdom writer testifies, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor…Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done…everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecc 2:10-11). This pointless pursuit could be compared to chasing after soap bubbles. The bubbles shine in their glorious hue as they rise in the sunlight. But the moment you reach out to grab them, they pop into nothing. The human heart sinks in despair when we realize that our achievements and acquisitions are vacuous, and that we are as fleeting as the bubbles: “There is no remembrance of men of old, and even those who are yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow” (Ecc 1:11).

The inevitability of emptiness greets all at the end of a lifelong pursuit of ambition or the carefree quest of wanton pleasure. Whether you are carefully plotting to succeed in life, or you throw caution to the wind in gratifying every sensual desire, every human exploit “under the sun” crashes in disappointing despair. We are all familiar with tell-tale symptoms:

Aching Void

The efforts we expend to satisfy the deep hunger in our souls and minds turn futile when our inner gauge returns quickly to empty after a brief sensation of joy at the moment of achievement. As the coach to the first bob-sled team from Jamaica cautioned his athletes, “If you are not enough without the gold, you will never be enough with the gold!” You will need to keep on winning to fill that void.

Nothing Changes

We ponder, plan, and pursue every conceivable strategy to bring about change and make a difference. But, at the end of it all, nothing changes. That was what Elijah experienced. After a big showdown on Mount Carmel and the power of God descended in glorious splendor, nothing changed in the palace, the locus of power. Instead of repenting, King Ahab still bent to the will of the evil queen Jezebel who threatened to kill Elijah and the other prophets of God. So, Elijah ran to the desert to sulk, stew, and sink in depression. Imagine, one moment he was fearless before the prophets of Baal; the next he was running away in fear from a woman! One instant Elijah was filled with hope for change; the next he was in despair that nothing can ever be changed. What a waste of energy and time. What’s the use of even trying again?

Let It End

If life is empty, why go on living? If there is no significance to my existence, why continue to be? The Wisdom writer offers his verdict after surveying life: “…the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living…but better…is the one who has never been born” (Ecc 4:2-3). He has the definitive answer to anyone who asks perplexingly, “To be, or not to be…?” The “Grateful Dead” takes on significance for those with such morbid contemplation.

If it is so bleak for all “under the sun,” what is the way out of despair and despondency? Is there light at the end of this dark tunnel of life? Or are we condemned to a painful, empty, and gray existence? Fortunately, the Wisdom writer offers a way out. If everything under the sun is meaningless, why not live above the sun?

That is shorthand for living with eternity in our hearts and view. After all, as the Wisdom writer observes, “…He has also set eternity in the human heart…” (Ecc 3:11). That means we take a long view on human existence. We recognize we are made in God’s image, and for Him. Life events make sense and take on significance only when we factor Him into human equations. The apostle Peter reminds us that, “…With the Lord a day is like a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8). This offers the perspective that what happens in one human day has eternal significance. We are no longer flotsam and jetsam drifting aimlessly on the ocean of life. We are people of destiny and purpose when we are children of God.

The biggest difference living “above the sun” makes will be in our motivations and intentions, though our activities may appear similar to everyone’s. The Wisdom writer asserts that, “…there is nothing better…than to be happy and do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God” (Ecc 3:12-13). God is not a killjoy. He is the giver of all good gifts. But contentment is now possible. The change is not in outward activities. It is in the heart. That is God’s gift.

But, that gift of contentment corresponds with our determination to live for Him, to align our desires with His design, and to be motivated by His purposes.

There was a boy who had a loving relationship with his dog. When the boy fell ill, the dog stayed with him day and night till he got well. The boy’s pastor was so impressed by the dog’s commitment to its master, he had the boy bring the dog to church one Sunday. The boy brought the dog and laid it up front. He tossed a ball into the aisle and the dog laid still.

The pastor instructed, “Rusty, fetch!” Nothing. Religion would not make him fetch. An attractive young lady winked and in a sweet, tempting voice said, “Fetch, Rusty.” The dog wagged his tail, but did not move. The dog would not be tempted by sex. A bank president came and tried, but money could not move the dog. Finally, the boy said, “Fetch, Rusty,” and the dog shot down the aisle and got the ball.

Who are you fetching for? Who are you living for? What motivates you?

That makes the difference between contentment and meaningless, miserable business. That makes the difference between living “under the sun” and “above the sun.”

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.

Peter Chao is the Founder-President of Eagles Communications.

In fact, in a much earlier book entitled, Creed or Chaos? by Dorothy Sayers, she commented that most people outside the Church had a tendency to list important Christian virtues as “respectability; childishness; mental timidity; dullness; sentimentality; censoriousness; and depression of the spirits.” In other words, many thought that Christians were dull, judgmental, and lacking passion. Christians care more about not rocking the boat and being safe than anything else! Of course Sayers maintains that this perspective is wrong. But the fault lies with Christians, not with the world, as she writes, “Somehow or other, and with the best intentions, we have shown the world the typical Christian in the likeness of a crashing and rather ill-natured bore – and this in the Name of One who assuredly never bored a soul in those 33 years during which He passed through this world like a flame.”

Some years ago, I was trying to answer a list of objections to Christianity that a 19-year-old was leveling against Christianity. He had many intellectual and philosophical objections and I offered as best as I could equally solid and poignant rebuttals. At the end of the one hour conversation, I asked if he would follow Christ if all his objections were answered satisfactorily. He then revealed the real objection he had which was, “I don’t think so. I still want to have fun!” Someone or some church must have given him the impression that if one becomes a Christian, one is not going to have a blast, have fun, go to parties, eat, drink, and be merry! Are Christians really boring, humorless, and puritanical? Is the Church such a dead serious place? Is Christianity such a strict, legalistic, woeful religion? Or is it just a mistaken perception we have presented to the world in our effort to remain untainted by sinful pleasures and reckless living?

A couple of years ago, I was at Old Trafford watching the derby match between Manchester United and Manchester City. The iconic stadium was filled to capacity and the crowd was boisterous, excited, and thoroughly alive. They needed no prompting to sing their team’s anthem, wave their hands in the air as one, shout their heads off when a goal was scored, or jeer the other team’s players when a foul was committed. For millions of fans, football is indeed a religion. And that afternoon, I witnessed the vibrant worship and adoration of its adherents!

Sadly when compared to the typical Sunday service, the sermons are even more potent than sleeping pills and the worship seems so tried and tired. Indeed, why should anyone want to come to something that bores them? And we wonder why people aren’t flocking to churches? We wonder why people do not jump up and down when we invite them to church?

It is most likely that people who think Christianity is boring are people who have had some previous brush or contact with Christians and churches. When I became a follower of Christ in the 1960s, I was taught by many Christian leaders that going to the movies, listening to rock music, and drinking beer was considered worldly, carnal, unspiritual, and therefore totally taboo. My world of sterile and safe spirituality was shattered when the age of TV arrived. So what was wrong with going to the movies when we could be watching them on the tube? In our unreasonable and often uncalled for abstinence of so called pleasurable activities deemed unfit for the heavenly minded, we became of no earthly use as far as our mislabeled “pagan” friends were concerned.

A rabbi once said that when we arrive in heaven, God is not going to ask if we have done all the spiritual stuff. The question the Creator God will be asking is, “Did you have a good time?” Indeed, all of His creation is for our enjoyment and “fun.” So if we are not having a good time on earth, we are merely insulting the Creator.

Unfortunately one’s perception is one’s reality. So people have been inoculated against the real Christian message by being exposed to a dull, dusty, and dead version. But the real Christian message is anything but dull, dusty, and dead. Christians are to live a holy life; not a boring, legalistic, joyless one.

However, it is certainly not our job to counter attack those who stereotype us as boring and to trot out lists of immoral bad behavior (albeit fun, exciting, and thrilling) found among those who do not follow Jesus. So what can be done to dispel the misconception that Christians are boring and churches are uptight places to be in and therefore Christianity is dull, irrelevant, and not cool?

Firstly, go for authenticity not awesomeness. As one character in a cartoon strip said, “Today, I have removed the halo. It is no longer strangling me!” Be real not just super spiritual. We may be trying too hard to be good according to our own standards. No wonder Christianity is seen as having too many rules and regulations. Our “Thou Shalt Not’s” outweigh the “Thou Shalt’s.” It would not have been so bad if we had enjoyed ourselves more, laughed louder, put on those dancing shoes, banged our heads at a rock concert, watched the latest action flicks, or shopped till we dropped. And if you will notice, Jesus never said no to a party!

Secondly, go for reality not escapism. Much of today’s definition of boring is the missing out of adventure, excitement, pleasure, indulgence, and decadence. Bored to death conveys such a scary message that we seek thrills and spills to escape the routines of responsibilities and the humdrum of mediocre existence. Well, life with Jesus is not escapism. Life with Jesus is going to work, taking care of the family, washing the car, buying grocery. When we are in touch with reality, we will never be boring.

Thirdly, go for curious not cautious. There is a big wide world out there to be discovered. The late John Stott once said that Christians are living in a ghetto, sheltered, and out of touch with reality. We want to be immune to a messy and tragic world out there. Our mission is to so embody the qualities of a transformed life that we will face our doubts honestly and confront injustice and tragedy practically. Then we will be like the early disciples who were known as “those who have turned the world upside down” and there is nothing boring about that!

Some humans are quite boring. Many are just bored. But Jesus was neither for He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life!” Albert Einstein once said, “I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene…Jesus is too colossal for the pen of phrasemongers, however artful. No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life…other heroes of his type lack the authentic vitality of Jesus.” Authentic followers of this Jesus can never be boring or bored.

Michael Tan is the Executive Vice-President of Eagles Communications. He likes to preach, write, play the guitar, and manage his staff!

I am quite certain that most, if not all of us have come across the term “guilty pleasure.” The way we perceive acceptable levels of pleasure differs from one individual to another as it depends on our upbringing and understanding of the concept of biblical stewardship.

Some of us might not give a second thought about spending $10 on a cup of coffee while catching up with our friends; others might feel that the money could have been better used to further the work in mission fields. Many Christians tend to either regard anything that resembles “earthly pleasure” as something to be embraced freely or avoided altogether.

In this book, Thomas defends neither views but instead pleads with Christians who have tipped too far in either direction. He presents them with a God who is portrayed by the Bible as delighting and sharing in the pleasure that His people enjoy when they approach life with thanksgiving.

He encourages the readers to embrace pleasure with sophistication as it is a gift from God and argues that we have been designed to receive pleasure in many different ways and are in fact, being prepared for an eternity of pleasure with Him.

He cautions us to always remember that our first and foremost pleasure should be to delight in Christ and warns that if we are to allow anything other than delighting God first, it would end up competing against our love for God.

Personally, I have always been cautious about books and materials which defend only a certain aspect of the Christian life while ignoring everything else. However, Thomas paid special effort to provide, in my view, the most balanced perspective on what is the proper role of pleasure in a Christian’s life. If you have never thought that enjoying “earthly pleasures” could be positive in your life, I would highly recommend that you read this book and allow Thomas to show you what it takes to live a balanced Christian life.

Joke Books Volume 13-32
by George Ong

Most Christian joke books usually comprise stale jokes about “talking bushes.” However, these joke books by Rev George Ong are nothing like that.

Rev Ong has extensive experience ministering across denominations and has preached in over 150 churches in Singapore to date. As a firm believer of creative presentation, this former army officer has been using jokes and humorous illustrations to help drive home his points as he feels that humor, like cosmetics, can turn something plain into something phenomenal.
It is through this vast ministry that has enabled him to compile various quotations and jokes. These not only brought out a smile when I read them; they were also a form of instruction for me as he paid special attention to deliberately inject either a teaching or a moral value after each segment.

Having these teachings (which are often conveyed in an overly serious manner) makes the jokes and illustrations more meaningful and helps the lessons which he has cleverly concealed, to sink in even deeper after I have read them.

Having just released another series of twenty joke books to add to his collection of 12, Volume 32 is the last book in this series and it touches on the issues that married couples face. The other issues in this series cover a variety of topics from romance to classroom humor.

Terrence Quah manages the marketing and communications at SKS Books but spends most of his time helping churches develop their Bible study curriculum. He spends his free time playing basketball and reading anything he can get his hands on and would love the chance to see the aurora borealis one day.

They are known as the Entitlement Generation¹. They believe they deserve it and they want it now.

It seems that the options before me are:
- join the merry game with them.
- lament their grievous departure from good old thrift, hard work, and loyalty.
- look deeper and see what is going on from God’s point of view.

Let me share what I have gleaned thus far from the third option. Firstly, in seeking to understand the younger set, I realized I had to combat a persistent streak of self righteousness. Comparatively, they can seem like such spoilt brats. This was disabling to my ability to see with compassion and thus perceive with wisdom and apply godly appraisal. It is always easier to have everyone be like us or else to “live and let live.” The spirit of truth does not encourage either way; and so, the hard work of checking my soul and working my mind was needed.

The pursuit of pleasure does not in itself qualify as sin. Scripture does not condemn it as such, although the august declaration by the ultimate hedonist, Solomon, summed up the view: it is folly. King Solomon was wont to set the pursuit of pleasure as his life goal – even doing so through religious activities – only to conclude that all of it had been a futile waste of time. Nothing is gained unless it is first and foremost Godward. Thus, all pleasure, even the pleasure of “worship” is futile. This is from someone who knew power, wealth, and sex up close. He did not even just have a gala time, his was all out big time, big name, best effects dine, wine, dance, and even worship.

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecc 12:13). This means that hedonism of any stripe² is definitely not Godward and it distorts us, taking us away from the “duty of man.”

Is the wanton pursuit of pleasure today more sinful? I do not believe any generation is inherently more or less sinful. Rather, each generation or culture expresses the sinful bent differently because of a confluence of opportunity, ability, and personality. For example, the thought of divorce (or separation) no doubt crossed many good pious minds three decades ago. But the social climate may make it very hard and the person may not have the personality to pursue it.

Rather, as Jesus put it, “What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean’” (Mt 15:11). Sin is an intrinsic bent. The question is when will it surface and how? So we, as the older generation, must be careful not to end up on the pharisaical end of things with our “tsk tsk” while being blinded by our own sinful manifestations.

But something is defnitely happening and here are some signs:

Some time ago, I was sitting in a huge cavernous hall where thousands have gathered for a worship service. I have great respect for what that church was seeking to do. But just as the lasers beamed and the multiple videos flickered, I was struck: how much energy are we expending in order to engage ourselves in worship? I could almost see my carbon footprints all the way home. 

On another occasion, a youth lamented that they could not get more volunteers for another one of these large meetings. He went on to insist that they should have used some hyped up effects to recruit the volunteers. 

Both of these left me wondering if we are fast becoming incapable of convictions and corresponding action without being cajoled and “moved” by means of the loud, fast, and enjoyable. No one will get involved if they are not going to be amused or entertained. Joy becomes neither a gift nor discovery but a wager.

So asking hard questions, in depth study, and taking a stand that may upset your peers are all becoming unpopular with the young today. “Let’s have a jolly good time” is the mantra.

How did we get here and should we get out?

The Bible tells us that the starting place for digression is found in the denial of our place, viz. God. In the Garden of Eden, when man and woman wrongly assumed that they could outsmart God or second guess Him, they tore down the walls of restraint and opened up a path of self determination that would always bring mixed results. Throughout the history of man, we see this pattern play out: our best and most noble ideas are tainted or else hijacked by darker purposes.

To paraphrase Thomas Merton: We were designed to will what God wills, to choose what God chooses, and to love what God loves. Sin is to will, choose, and love what God wouldn’t will, choose or love.

Merton hits hard at the core of things: we have a choice. This is our highest gift and ability. Alas, today, our power to choose is spent on deciding the flavor of coffee rather than the substance of nutrition.

It is always hard to swim against the tide and it is too bad we cannot get lifted out of the water to a safe place to spawn comfortably and reproduce after our own kind. However, Kierkegaard has warned us that unthinking compliance is suicide. Yet compliance is far easier as it helps us feel belonged and “normal.”

But what is normal?

When we look at our societies and our lives without a frame of reference, we are left with the current data to figure out. The Bible was given to provide us a framework to screen our current realities with. But one wonders how well we do today, in light of the many conspiring factors that work against it: the suspicion of authority, the rise of the mighty individual (greatly aided by the Internet), the break down of traditional institutions of safety, respect, and trust, in relation to family, church, and even academia. The young people today are the most powerful yet of their generation to date. Of course, they have been greatly enabled by parents, many who have worked hard to get to the good life and simply downloaded all the benefits therein on their progeny.

From parents to pastors, those of us in leadership do well to ponder long and hard at what anchors we use to navigate such tumultuous waters. It is time to dig deeper into the roots and find if they are truly secure. It is time to ask what are we communicating, in the way we pursue, plan, and program. The messages of our lives are being picked up and distilled more than our words. I fear that we have helped make them both cynical as well as flaccid because we seek pleasure as reward for our hard work. Watching us, our children, being handed more to begin with, in turn smart to the reality that they want to enjoy, and do it sooner and with less pain of hard work.

Then we must consider how we may have overdone our bid to relate. We do not all have the skills and bandwidth to deal with the substance plus the presentation. In the end, it is often the substance that gets lost in translation from old school to new. This was Nouwen’s warning to us about the temptation of relevance. When we become relevant enough, our lives and messages are irrelevant for they have lost their leadership and prophetic edge.

I believe the generation to come is a gift to us to call forth the best in us as we love them and guide them to find sound anchors and suitable expressions of faith, hope, and love. But we cannot do that until we first heed Solomon’s warning that our lives must be lived Godward. From how we start our day, to what goes on in our calendars, and what our pockets are emptied for, it is good to ask if it is God oriented and pleasing. Remembering both the truth that we are creatures under God and that we are on a journey of restoration to fullness, we can develop an inner radar to guide us. We do not jump at the first bargain, take the immediate advantage, or pick the way of least resistance. We begin imperfectly, but authentically – to model what it means to steer away from the common tide.

Our goal in life as the redeemed and restored is to focus on the God who has saved, and is daily saving us, and cooperate with His work for our greatest good and the highest pleasure that lies in it.

Notes:
1. Referring to those age five to twenty who live in affluent societies.

2. Philosophy describes various types of hedonism. They all include the pursuit of pleasure as the highest satisfaction – whether for self, collective or even for moral reasons. Pastor John Piper has used the term “Christian hedonism” to creatively suggest that God has designed us for pleasure which is to be found in God.

Rev Jenni Ho Huan loves to work through the faith-life nexus. She is passionate about authenticity and community, and seeks to live by God’s vision of life. Currently one of four pastors in a church plant in Singapore ( www.birhinganewchurch.com), Jenni also writes and mentors. She has written When God Shapes a W.I.F.E (Armour) and Simple Tips for Happy Kids (WriteEditions) and blogs on jennihh.blogspot.com.

The New International Version of the Bible has been referenced.