I have a confession to make. In my early 20’s I loved to dance. I thought I was actually a pretty good dancer! During my college days, it wasn’t uncommon for a group of us to head over to a club on an occasional Saturday night and innocently dance the night away. It seemed completely innocuous. After all, I never went on a Friday night because of my Sabbath observance convictions. I was always present in church early on Sabbath morning for Sabbath school, which I loved. I loved being in church... and not just being in church — I loved God.
My club experiences during my college years were fairly few, but they existed. I remember one experience that struck me deeply, and it changed my ideas in this regard. I had been invited to a friend's graduation party on a yacht in downtown Washington, D.C. It was so elegant, and of course, there was a great DJ and a large, open dance floor. A particular young man had asked me to dance quite frequently, and I happily complied. Nothing to it. Innocent. Just having a good old celebratory time. After a few dances, he said something that brought startling conviction to me. He said, “You know, you really are a good dancer. You must hit a lot of clubs all the time.” What?! How could he think that? My immediate thought was not “Oh gee, thanks” but rather, “Really? That’s the impression I’m giving you? I don’t really go to clubs a lot, at all! As a matter of fact, I’m a sincere Christian girl!!”
That interchange hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit that my witness was not one of being a Christian representative but of a worldly person. I don’t think I danced again for the rest of my time at the event. As a matter of fact, I rarely did much dancing after that. Up to that point I had honestly never thought about the impression that I might be giving to anyone by my interest in dancing.
Called to Witness
In this life, there are hard realities for us to consider. Especially if we are striving to be a Christian in these last days. We are called to be witnesses for Christ… “Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he…” (Isaiah 43:10). Our witness is to be one of holiness… “...because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy...” (1 Peter 1:16).
This is a hard consideration in our culture because church, and overall Christianity, has become so worldly. It is often difficult these days to really tell the difference between a Christian and a non-Christian at face value. Actually, it isn’t difficult if the Bible is your standard of evaluation.
Many people today believe that they are very Christian though the Bible’s perspective would prove otherwise on the matter. For example, 1 John 2:15-17 tells us to “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.” That would include, in my opinion, dancing at clubs, etc. If we love those things that the world loves, then the Bible tells us that the love of the Father is not in us — no matter how we look at it, and no matter how sincere our beliefs and motives are. Our lust of the flesh... which includes sensualism, materialism, and egotism; our lust of the eyes... the excessive desire for everything we see that really isn’t good for us; and our pride… our worldly pride that makes us care so much about what people think of us more than what God thinks of us — all of these things work against us in our Christian walk and are not reflective of God’s holiness. God himself says that the love of the Father is not in us.
There are other very hard statements in the Bible concerning the mark of a true Christian. I have wrestled, and still wrestle, with these truths. James 4:4 says that “...friendship of the world is enmity with God...” and, “Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” Enemy. That is strong wording.
I am learning that I have to be honest about my walk with the Lord. It is very personal. We must evaluate everything in our lives according to the standard of the Bible, not according to the standard of the culture in which we live. This requires a complete mind shift. Romans 12:2 helps us understand how we make that shift: “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Our minds have to be renewed by the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. Ephesians 5:25-27 reminds us that Christ gave himself for the church “...that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.”
The Holy Spirit helps us make this shift. We must pray and ask God to help us. Then we have to make a personal decision based on what the Bible says. James 1:27 tells us what pure religion entails. Among other things, this passage says to “keep [oneself] unspotted from the world.” Titus 2:11-14 speaks similarly in that the grace of God leads us to “deny ungodliness and worldly lusts” so that “we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.”
Call to Action
God is calling us to higher ground in our daily walk. The deceptions all around us in these last days of earth’s history call for a solid decision regarding the standard of representing Christ. It is difficult. It is a daily cross that no one can carry for us. The good thing is that God is right by our side guiding us, cheering us on to fight the good fight of faith and stand for Him. With man, it seems often impossible to make the shift… to change, to let go of the world. But with God, all things are possible! (Matthew 19:6)
All scripture taken from the King James Version.
