Be Transformed
Written by Sarah Ann E.
The world is all around us. We see worldly sights and hear worldly sounds every day. But are we a part of the world? Do we fit right in with “the crowd”? What are we, as Christ’s followers commanded to do? Romans 12:2 states, “Do not be conformed to this world. . .” Let’s stop right there. What did that say? We are not to be conformed to this world. What does it mean to conform? Conform means, “be similar, be in line with” (Princeton Dictionary). So, in simple terms, this verse is stating that we are not to be similar to the world.
Romans 12:2 goes on to state, “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The word “transformed” means to be “given a completely different form or appearance” (Princeton Dictionary). We are to put on a completely different appearance than the world has. Our Lord has commanded this. If I asked a stranger, who saw you on the street, if you had a completely different look than the world, what would be their answer? Would I get a firm “YES,” a definite “No,” or would they have to look at you a bit and then answer? If you are truly God’s child, the answer from that stranger should be a firm “YES.”
Two obvious ways that we can conform to our world are in the areas of dress and music. We have discussed dress before in a previous LIW issue. Today, we are going to be focusing on our music.
First, I want to ask you to get a piece of paper and a pen. Once you have those in your hand, I want you to write at the top, “Why do I listen to the particular kinds of music that I do?” Under that, write out each style of music that you are currently listening to. Then, after each style answer, “Why do I listen to this style of music?”
I want you to examine your answers. Look and see if you listen to any of these styles because they make you feel good or make you feel closer to God. Then, see if there are any styles that help you to increase your knowledge of God. Lastly, I want you to put each style next to Romans 12:2 and distinguish whether it is similar to the world’s music or completely different.
Our Lord has commanded us in II Corinthians 6:17 to “ ‘Come out from their [the world’s] midst and be separate,’ says the Lord. ‘And do not touch what is unclean.’ ” Again, this is a clear command of our Lord. We are to be separate from the world and not even touch it. Is your music completely different from what the world listens to? Or does it even have some of the world’s sounds? We are commanded in both Romans 12:2 and II Corinthians 6:17 to be different from the world, and that includes our music. The music you listen to will either help you know your God better, or it will drive you away from His side. Our music cannot be based on the feeling we get when we listen to it. How we feel about our music does not make it right or true. Feeling does not matter. What matters is following God’s command. “Our audience to our music is God, but others are listening and are affected” (Taken from Pastor Danny Sweatt’s sermon on “Conclusions from the Music Summit”). The number one audience of our music is the Lord. We must make sure that each song we listen to is wholly pleasing to Him.
So much music out there (rock, jazz, disco, pop, rap, new age, and more) are meant to control how you feel when you listen to it. They feed our flesh. Even the rock producers themselves will tell you that. A concert promoter said, “The audience—because of the beat—they’re mesmerized by the music. I mean they have the audience hypnotized. That’s the kind of control they have” (Taken from Harmony at Home, by Tim Fisher). This music, as you know, appeals to our flesh and it will in turn control our flesh.
How about Country-Western, Southern Gospel, and Bluegrass music? An artist wrote, “As a country artist, I’m not proud of a lot of things in my field. There is no doubt in my mind that we are contributing to the moral decline in America” (Taken from Harmony at Home, by Tim Fisher). Again, this music is geared towards our flesh. A radio commentator said that “[Much of current country music is] pornography of the air waves” (Taken from Harmony at Home, by Tim Fisher).
Many Christians in this day in age listen to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Tim Fisher, in his sermon “What does your music say about God?” says, “CCM misleads our thinking about God and it diminishes Biblical language. It is more about feeling and experience, not about knowledge.” A CCM producer said, “We are trying to stick to the street theme and deal with problems people were dealing with. They weren’t biblical themes, and they didn’t talk about God a lot.” CCM music is not about our Lord and His wonderful attributes. It is all about me, and my problems and joys. You may feel that it makes you closer to God, but really, it is arousing your flesh. Our relationship with our God is not based on feelings, but based on facts.
Our Lord has commanded in Galatians 5:16, “Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” Then the next verse explains, “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.” Our Spirit and flesh are constantly in a war against each other. We can only feed one. If we are feeding our flesh, then our Spirit will weaken and become desensitized. But if we feed our Spirit, then we will be able to conquer the desires of our flesh with the Lord’s help. The music we listen to feeds either our Spirit or our flesh. It cannot feed both.
Is the music you listen to in conformity (“be similar, be in line with”) to the world’s music? Or is your music transformed (“given a completely different form or appearance”)? Is it feeding your flesh or your Spirit? You have to choose one or the other. It is not easy to be different from the world, but with the Lord on your side, He will give you the strength to be completely different from the world. I pray that you will allow the Lord to give you a great desire to be completely different from the world and feed only your Spirit.
Sources Consulted:Three-part sermon series by Dr. Spence of Foundations Bible College
Fisher, Tim. The Battle For Christian Music. Sacred Music Services: Greenville, SC, 1992.
Fisher, Tim. Harmony at Home. Sacred Music Services: Greenville, SC. 1999
Sermon entitled “What does your music say about God?” by Tim Fisher
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=3130310532
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