I like to watch “The Voice”
on NBC, but I don’t always hear what the judges hear. One young man put on a
great performance and the audience loved him; however, not one of the four judges
turned their chair during the blind audition. Blake Shelton critiqued the man
and asked him if he was performing on the stage during the audition because to
Shelton’s ear the singer had a hard time getting enough breath and holding the
notes. Shelton said, “You should be singing to the judges, not performing for
the audience.” Some leaders of the Jews believed in Jesus, but they would not
confess their faith because their perceived audience was the Pharisees. “…for
they loved praise from men more than praise from God” (John 12:43 NIV).
1 comment:
Gail;
-----It would be nice if God were here with us in such a manner that we could directly see His approvals and disapprovals of our performance. We all know His Holy Spirit is with us. But the Spirit’s communication comes to us in ways highly influenced by our own subjectivity. When we turn to see the Spirit’s reactions through His influence on those around us, then, on account of their subjectivity, we just might be playing to the audience again.
-----But then, aren’t those who know the Lord collectively the body of the Lord? They are. God has chosen His way of getting things done on earth as being through the hands and feet of Christ’s followers. During a previous time in history, He also chose to get His Word across to the world through the minds of His followers. He inspired the Bible in the thoughts of those who wrote it. But that does not mean His thoughts today are the thoughts of all His followers being His body.
-----Every man is false not because every man is entirely false. Every man is false because every man is not entirely true. So playing to the audience might be false. But it also might be true. It depends upon which aspect of the audience you play to: its falsehood, or its truth. And you approximate that better by learning the Bible more. But you never know it completely.
-----We are all imitators, and we are all the imitated. Everyone is more mature in the Lord than some, and less than others. Playing to the audience or to the judge is not a “game sum” thing. It is a process. And the process is highly complicated by the fact that God has chosen to reveal Himself through people who love Him, but who are yet fraught with error.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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