Q: Hi, i have a friend who plays harmonica. he is musically gifted. Recently he has started playing with a band. They play at nightclubs where drinking is promoted and sexual promiscuity is not discouraged. I refuse to go listen. I don`t believe that God would want me to be spending my time in a place like this, whether or not it was to support my friend. In fact, I believe God would rather me spend my time doing nothing than go to a place like this. This provoked him to defend his right to go. He is also a christian. He states he does not go to play for the people, but for himself. He goes to support his friends in the band who have to verbally promote drinking while on stage. They play rock & roll, non-christian. I told him if he was really playing for himself he could play anywhere, on the street corner even, collect money for a good charity. I am aware it is difficult to find an establishment which does not promote drinking in which bands can dispaly their talents, but there are musicians who do it. So I ask you where is God in all this? Playing rock, going to nightclubs, all of it!
A: Your concern over your friends choice to play at nightclubs, and you not feeling comfortable to support him, is well founded. While your friend, being a Christian, has the freedom to play at these nightclubs, it doesn't appear to be a wise choice to be making. Scripture tells us that, "Everything is permissible for me"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12)." Therefore, your friend is correct when he says he has a right to do what he is doing. However, he must ask himself if what he is doing is beneficial to his witness for the Lord and if his actions are being a stumbling block to other believers, like yourself? He must answer this himself, but he is giving the impression that he might be letting himself be mastered by playing the harmonica in a band. As you correctly state, there are a lot more places he could display his talents. And you are not obligated to support him in his decision.
"You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13)." I think it is fair to say that your friend is using his freedom to indulge his flesh. Now, don't get me wrong, it is not a sin to play the harmonica, nor to do so at a nightclub. But, he gives the impression that playing his instrument is more important than sitting down and discussing with you the concern you have about his actions. Part of serving one another in love is the willingness to reason together whenever an issue arises between us. The scriptures give us an example, regarding food, that might shed light on your situation. "Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall (Romans 14:20-21)." Your friend, in my opinion, is guilty of putting you in a position to stumble if he wants you to come listen to him play at a nightclub. We have already established that he is free to play in this venue, but it is obviously causing you discomfort to go there and support him. You have to be careful not to appear to be judging him for playing at this nightclub, because the Lord is with him while he plays. But, you may be best to simply express your feelings and allow the Lord to work in his heart. Because he will only be convinced of whether what he does is profitable through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
As you are, no doubt, already aware of, we have enough troubles to deal with in this world as Christians. Therefore, we probably should do our best not to put ourselves in situations that may cause us, or others, to stumble. My advice to you is not to associate with your friend, if it means having to go to nightclubs to do so. We have enough encounters with the world on a daily basis without subjecting ourselves to environments that cater to it. The Apostle Paul advised the Corinthian church to expel the immoral brother from their fellowship until he came to the end of himself (1 Corinthians 5:9-11). This was an act of love, although it may not have felt that way to the brother. It is an act designed to get the brother to get sick of himself where you no longer have to convince him of the error of his ways. Your friend may not be directly involved in immoral behavior, like the brother mentioned in 1 Corinthians, but if he is performing in a venue that promotes immoral behavior, he definitely gives the impression that he has no problem with it. Perhaps, your distancing yourself from him will get him to take a longer look at what he has chosen to do. There is an argument that could be made that your friend might have an opportunity to witness to someone while playing. That may be true, but chances are he will fall long before someone comes to the Lord by his presence in the nightclub.
In conclusion, I would remind you that God is in all this. Remember, "God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9)." While your friend may want to display his talents in a environment that promotes and caters to worldly desires, be comforted by the fact that God is right there with him. Since we know that "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you (Hebrews 13:5),'" and that nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39)," we can conclude that your friends venture into the nightclub environment does not separate him from God or His love. Regardless of whether your friends behavior is consistent with that of a Christian, or not, the Lord goes with Him. That is the wonderful promise of the salvation we have in Christ Jesus. Because of His death, burial and resurrection, our sins have been taken away from the eyes of God, never to be seen again (1 John 3:5) so that raised from the dead, He can now indwell us for all eternity (Galatians 2:20). And it is because of the life of God that lives within us that we can rest knowing that it will teach us to say "no" to ungodliness (Titus 2:12). Your friend may not listen to you and your attempts to steer him away from the path he has chosen to walk, but take heart in the fact that God will be working on him from the inside.
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