Are Christians Erasing the Line in the Sand that Separates the Broad Path from the Strait and Narrow Path?

Are Christians erasing the line in the sand that separates the broad path from the strait and narrow path?

Those who read the Bible are familiar with the scripture that says broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be that travel that path, but strait and narrow is the way that leads to eternal life and few take that path. (Matthew 7:14)

It is not hard to notice that the world has been borrowing religious terminology and using it in their songs. I don’t even have to name names. There are several prominent rappers who have songs referring to church, the devil being a liar, Amen, Jesus piece, and more recently a rap song called Holy Ghost by Young Jeezy and Kendrick Lamar. I believe that to someone who does not read their Bible nor have a solid relationship with God already, it would be hard to tell what is right from what is wrong or what is God from what is simply a religious appearance.

The song, “Holy Ghost”, intros with a sound bite from one of T.D. Jakes’ sermons without his permission. I believe that having T.D. Jakes on the song adds creditability to what the rappers are saying whether it is wrong or right.

That is why I am so proud of T.D. Jakes for taking a stand sharing on his social media sites that he has not given permission for the use of his sermon on the song and he is also taking legal action to remedy the situation. Many Christians would say that he should not sue or that he is only suing for the attention or the money, but I would argue that he is suing to maintain that he is not in agreement with taking the Holy Ghost, who is the third person of the God-head, in vain as something common when the Holy Ghost is God himself.

It is a scary and fearful thing to take the Holy Spirit for granted and to take God’s name in vain. The Bible shares that those who blaspheme the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, so it is very important to hold him in high regard (Mark 5:29).

Pastor Jakes had a choice to make. He could have just accepted the notoriety that came along from being on a prominent song, but he chose different. He chose to draw the line.

The question of whether Christians are erasing the line in the sand between what is God’s way or the broad way can also be asked of some of the participants on the popular television show, “Preachers of L.A.” The alluding to or lack of clarity thereof when it comes to sex outside of marriage seems to be a big question-mark on the show.

For example, the defensiveness that came about regarding Bishop Gibson’s questioning Bishop Jones and Loretta’s relationship, and the drama that surrounded the question of shacking up and pregnancy before marriage.

Where there is lack of clarity when dealing with sin, there is always room for compromise. The Bible teaches us to avoid the very appearance of evil. If the number one thing for a minister to do is to please God, then I do not believe their should be room for question when it comes to dealing with sin because someone is going to be misled.

Keeping the lines drawn as believers does not call for perfection. It calls for realness, sincerity, and honesty between one-self’s and God. No one is out to condemn. The Bible already doesn’t condemn us, but gives us an advocate through Christ that we can cover ourselves in. This blog-post is not to condemn, but to bring attention to our intentions and how they are being used to either help someone come closer to God or end up further away from God.

Let’s not take for granted that we are already saved and forget about everyone else. We are called to be living sacrifices. That means that sometimes we have to deny ourselves, what we want, and how we will be benefited for the cause of Christ.

There was a person in the Bible who was pursued for his influence of God’s people. His name was Balaam. The king of Moab named Balak wanted to defeat God’s people Israel.

After seeking God about how to proceed, Balaam still pondered in his heart the compensation that he would receive if he only entertained Balak’s agenda instead of God’s agenda.

Later on in the Bible, it came out that Balaam had counseled Balak to entice Israel to commit fornication because it was only then that Israel could be defeated by other armies (Numbers 31:16). Later, we see the children of Israel committing sin and the judgment of God falling upon them (Numbers 25).

Let’s not be double-minded like Balaam causing a stumbling-block for others to sin through ungodly counsel, but let’s be like Bishop Jakes who has made it clear where he stands.