Christian Fun

Can we be Christians and still have fun? Is being a Christian all about being serious, Bible study and praying? The media would have you believe that Christians cannot serve God and have fun. I cannot believe that God’s plan for Christian is to somber and restrictive.

Sarah Laughed: Genesis 21:6 – Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

Why does the secular world see Christianity and fun as two opposite things? Because the secular world associates fun with  sensuality.  They think to have fun you need to let out all moral restraints and acting irresponsibly or out of control can only mean more fun, right?

Nehemiah 8:10 – Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

When believers have a strong faith or conviction they are perceived as stuffy killjoys. People think they behave as though they are old before their time. Many people in the church even believe you must be serious to show respect to God. By being serious, they feel they are providing the impression of not following the worlds ways of superficiality. Fun is often seen as the devil’s bait to sin. People assume that church forbids any enjoyment in life.  This is why so many people turn away from church today.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

John Wesley advised preachers to become serious and avoid joking around so as to promote a holy appearance. Because of the stigma, many parents hear, “Do we have to go to church?” on Sunday mornings.

Philippians 4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

Today, Preachers and Pastors are taking a lighter look at things. They challenge the idea that Christian faith and fun are incompatible. After all, who gave sin a monopoly or enjoyment? God shared many times how much joy and fun comes from following him. There are countless references to gladness, rejoicing, happiness and complete joy. The Old Testament alone speaks over 50 times about laughter. The New Testament continues this way of thinking although the joy mentioned contrasts greatly with the world’s idea of joy and fun.

A GOOD COMPARISON:

Christ’s Joy
Permanent & ever increasing satisfaction
Primarily spiritual, though includes the senses
Springs forth from within
Is based on our relationship with him
Never gravitates to debased gutter humor or sadism

The World’s Joy
Temporary & diminishing satisfaction
Exclusively sensual
Prompted from external stimuli
Not grounded on a relationship
Often drifts toward the immoral, cruel or sacrilegious

Psalm 100:1-2 – Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Christians often write songs about “joy” and “celebrating”. Some great examples are “Joy Unspeakable”, “I’ve Got The Joy”, “Shine, Jesus, Shine”, “Shackles”, “Jump, Jump, Jump”, just to name a few. This list goes on and on…

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

We are new creations with a different outlook on what is fun.

MORE SCRIPTURE:

Genesis 17:17;  Psalm 331-3; Psalm 89:15-16; Psalm 126:1-3; John 15:10-11; Romans 15:13; James 1:2-3; 1 Peter 1:8-9; 1 Peter 4:12-13; Jude 24