I enjoy good movies very much. Keeping an eye on what's coming and what's showing, I try never to miss a good flick. I, like most people, love entertainment. We love to be entertained for many reasons. Partly because it helps us to forget about our "world" and the anxieties that we bear in it--allowing us to breathe for an hour or two. I guess you can probably say that we kinda want to "escape" sometimes from certain realities that we'd rather not admit to having, even though we know for a fact the "escape" is temporary and soon we return to that reality which we'd really rather have as fiction.

Unfortunately, this attitude toward entertainment is fast creeping into the church. To a growing number of people, the fellowships and worship services are nothing more than an escape from reality.

The fellowship center becomes the theater. The choir or band sets the mood with music like a good movie soundtrack. And the pastor is nothing more than an entertainer carrying out a script. You sit back and relax while the pastor puts on a good show. You cry and laugh sometimes like any good drama or comedy. And for a few hours you get your escape from reality.

Why do I say this? Sadly, because the Word of God has become nothing more than fiction for most people. The ears perhaps are hearing. But one thing, the Word has fallen upon unbelieving hearts that are not willing to lift even one finger to obey the admonitions of God.

What has become of some of God's worshipers?

"So they come to you as people do, they sit before you as My people, and they hear your words, but they do not do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their hearts pursue their own gain. " - Ezekiel 33:31 (NKJV)

And what has become of the pastor in their eyes?

"Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song and of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them." - Ezekiel 33:32 (NKJV)

Friend, remember this simple yet vital thought:

Church is not just entertainment.