Photos by Ralph Freso / Slideshow / Livestream
The pressure to look good, wear stylish clothing, and eat and drink the finer things in life can steer someone from their faith.
That tactic was employed about 2,600 years ago by Babylon after it defeated Egypt and Assyria and raided Israel. They took about 10,000 young men and women from Israel to conform them to their lifestyle.
Chris Brown, lead pastor of North Coast Church in San Diego County, said this indoctrination is identical to what the enemy uses today, as it “feeds you on what the world offers.”
“Make sure you're taking in and digesting far more culture than you are of Christ,” Brown said of the temptations to Grand Canyon University students at Chapel on Monday at Global Credit Union Arena.
In continuing the Chapel theme of Hall of Faith, Brown highlighted Daniel among a group of four friends for drawing a line in the sand in maintaining his obedience to God and not succumbing to the best food and drink that the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar had to offer.
This was extremely bold during a time in which Babylon’s domination after winning the battle of Carchemish continued in Jerusalem, where Solomon’s Temple was raided.
“How's that taste? It's the ultimate scoreboard,” Brown said, adding that any threat of an uprising would be thwarted by the beheading of the 10,000 young Israelites.
“Babylon knew how to rule from a distance,” Brown added.
Babylon used three ploys to attempt to sway the 10,000 young adults:
- Identify with the culture.
- Educate them.
- Change their ideas.
This process included changing their names from Daniel to Belteshazzar, from Hananiah to Shadrach, from Mishael to Meshach, and from Azariah to Abednego. This was an attempt to steer them from their faith in God to honoring Babylonian deities.
Daniel, however, scoffed at the thought of being defiled by the king’s food and asks a guard for a diet of vegetables and water to stay obedient to their faith. The guard tells Daniel that he fears that he will be killed if he consents for fear they will look worse than the other young men. But Daniel’s wish is granted, and he and his four friends sustain on vegetables and water for 10 days.
“This was a God thing, saying, ‘You stand for me. Watch what I do with you. Watch what I do with you.’" Brown said. “And the official was amazed.”
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were presented to Nebuchadnezzar, who found them better than anyone else in his kingdom and sensed they were going to live in his culture.
“But they were not letting culture in here,” said Brown, while pointing to his heart.
Their defiance of the king caused Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah to be dispatched to a fiery furnace, but they are unharmed. Daniel is later sent to a lion's den, but an angel shuts the lions’ mouths.
Reflecting on his days as a campus pastor 25 years ago, Brown has seen students walk down two paths – one that paved a dream life “they never thought they could be a part of,” and the other in which those suffered a fractured marriage with wayward children while pursuing what was pleasing and desirable and “maintaining they were a Christian but having no Christian identity.”
The difference is so clear, Brown stresses.
First, you have to purpose in your life to obey God.
“There’s a purpose in creation, and therefore you and I have a purpose,” Brown said. “Something in your life that has a purpose that’s better than you’ll find on your own. Walk with a God who will not change because he’s God.”
Second, allow that commitment to impact every aspect of your life.
Brown points out how Daniel and his friends remained committed to sustaining on vegetables and water.
“Obedience also precedes blessings,” Brown said.
Finally, live out that obedience regardless of the outcome.
“Obedience is measured simply by obedience,” Brown said. “If you’re trying to obey God or come to a chapel because you need some Magic Jesus dust on your life, that’s not Christianity. That’s voodoo Christianity. That’s rabbit’s foot theology.”
“I don’t know what’s three chapters from now in your life, but I promise you, this God is the same today, tomorrow. He hasn’t changed, hasn’t gotten wiser. He’s just looking for GCU students. I’m sure it won’t be all of you, a few of you to stand and simply say, ‘Hi, man. I trust You. I’m going to hold on with both hands, and God, the rest is up to You. I’m Yours.’
“God’s will for your life is not where you’re going after graduation. God’s will for your life is where you are in Christ. Not where you are in life. Because if He has you, He’ll take care of everything else.”
Next Chapel speaker: Tim Birdwell of Phoenix Bible Church, 11 a.m. March 23, Global Credit Union Arena
GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]
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