Be careful little eyes what you see…

Written by Foothill Church lead pastor, Chris Lewis

I love Netflix mostly because I hate commercials! I can hardly stand watching network television anymore. I mean, why would you when you can watch the same shows without interruption! And they’ve also managed to make some really good shows that are fun to watch!

But the advent of Netlix and Amazon Video hasn’t been all rosy. For one, instead of watching one show, we now binge on whole seasons at once. Confession: my family and I watched the entire first season of Stranger Things in 2 days (one of those days meant staying up until 1 a.m.!!)

Second, it’s also brought on a new wave of sensuality and sexually provocative scenes. It’s so prevalent that it’s become the new norm. What was unthinkable on network TV has become commonplace and accepted on these new channels.

That concerns me as a father and a pastor. The percentage of young men and women who confess some kind of addiction to pornography is on the rise. The “pornification” of our culture is increasing exponentially, and the new world of technology and streaming services isn’t helping us. In the Benedict Option, Rod Dreher writes, “Moms and dads who would never leave their kids unattended in a room full of pornographic DVDs think nothing of handing them smartphones. This is morally insane.”

I read a blog post today by Kevin DeYoung titled, I Don’t Understand Christians Watching the Game of Thrones. He writes:

Does anyone really think that when Jesus warned against looking at a woman lustfully (Matt. 5:27), or when Paul told us to avoid every hint of sexual immorality and not even to speak of the things the world does in secret (Eph. 4:3-12), that somehow this meant, go ahead and watch naked men and women have (or pretend to have) sex?

I know some people will say it doesn’t bother their conscience or that it’s art or they can view sinful sex without participating in it themselves. But that doesn’t change what the Bible says about the importance of purity and the power of the eye. The fact is our consciences should be smitten; steamy sex scenes are not the kind of art for which we can give thanks; and it’s hard to imagine Paul would have been cool with the believers in Ephesus watching simulated sex for a fee each month, so long as they don’t hook up in real life.

You can (and should) read the whole thing here.  Be careful little eyes what you see. The eyes are the lamp of the body, the gateway to the soul. What we see with our eyes affects what we think with our minds and provokes sin with our bodies.  Guard your eyes and your heart this week, friend. Nothing is more important.

This Sunday, we start an important new series called I Love This Place.  Invite your friends and family, and I’ll see you there.

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