Compromise
Never Compromise On The Truth of Scripture
Image Credit: Gaines - Magnolia Silos
"It's a slow fade when you give yourself away, when black and white have turned to gray." That song is exactly right.
We live in a gray world. At least that's what the culture would have you believe.
"Let your yes be yes and your no be no. Anything less than this comes from the evil one." (Matt. 5:37) That doesn't sound gray to me. That sounds pretty black and white. Scripture will always spell out right and wrong, good and evil.
Who are we trying to please?
"For am I now seeking the favor of people, or of God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a bondservant of Christ." (Gal. 1:10)
Those who are preachers and teachers have a whole lot more eyes looking at them and a whole lot more ears listening to them than does the average person. I tremble every time I stand to teach the Word of God because I never want to misrepresent Him.
This generation has given way to another category, the "influencer". I once heard a school counselor refer to a second-grade child as an influencer because the rest of the class blindly followed him. That made me laugh out loud when she told me!
A preacher or a teacher certainly has influence, but some media personalities have even more influence these days than do most Christian preachers and teachers because they have a wider audience on TV and social media.
There is a couple who came on the scene in May 2013 with one of my favorite shows of all time, Fixer Upper. They are undoubtedly influencers.
Chip and Joanna Gaines revolutionized the home improvement industry with their trademark style and their cute way of relating to one another. On the HGTV network where many of the stars of the shows are in the LGBTQ community, Chip and Joanna Gaines have always stood out. They were different, believed in God, and made no apologies for it. They didn't even do home makeovers for those in the LGBTQ community, and the general public as well as believers across the country followed them and supported them for their stand on Christian values and amazing talent. I always assumed that because of their Christian stand, they rejected doing those makeovers for gay and lesbian couples.
In 2015, Chip and Joanna Gaines opened the Magnolia Market at The Silos in Waco, TX. There are tons of people who go there every day, and I've heard people say that it can take hours just to get through the doors because of the long lines.
In 2022, they debuted their own network called, The Magnolia Network. They have their own magazine, line of furniture, and their home goods are sold at Target. Plainly put, they have amassed an empire with their business sense, good taste, jovial relationship with one another, and wholesomeness.
I have lots of things in my home that I've purchased for myself and I've bought many of their things as gifts for others. They have great stuff!
They have a new reality survival show on their network that premiered July 10 called, Back to the Frontier. The show follows 3 couples and their children as they participate in an 1800s type of survival living environment. Sounds kinda cool! But here's the clincher, after over a decade of not compromising, this new show will feature a gay couple and their surrogate children.
Franklin Graham publicly expressed his disappointment in the Gaines for this move. The gay couple on the show said in a recent interview that it was important for them to "normalize" their kind of family. After all, that's what it's all about isn't it, normalizing sin so that others involved in that sin won't feel bad about themselves. This is a tactic of Satan.
There's been a huge controversy over this in the evangelical community and Chip Gaines has responded on social media that Christians should not judge, and he quoted Matt. 7:1. The culture in which we live hates the truth and when believers speak the truth, then they are called haters.
There are a few lessons to learn from this:
- Never compromise on the truth of Scripture. We only have 1 Christian reputation and when we mess it up, it's hard to rebuild it in the eyes of the world. Whether the world likes us or not, there is nothing worth compromising on God's Word and His precepts.
- Speak the truth in love. Chip and Joanna have 5 children. We need to pray for them. Their little babies are watching. Little ears are always listening. Little eyes are always watching what we do.
- Never allow yourself to be conformed to what the world wants you to be. We are in this world, but we should never be of this world. We are to be set apart. Don't bathe yourself in the values of this culture. We are supposed to be different on purpose and for a purpose.
- When we compromise, the influence we once had changes.
So yes, I am sad and disappointed that Gaines have muddied up their Christian reputation. And I'm more aware than ever that what I do in private and in public counts.
Make every day count for the Lord. Beware of Satan's tactics to have you compromise.
