The church that I pastor uses PowerPoint to project the words to choruses and hymns on the big screen. It’s convenient to read, but sometimes there can be humorous mistakes if a typographical error appears. 

 

My favorite example of this happened a few months ago at another church in south Georgia. The congregation rose to sing the hymn, “Come, Christians, join to sing.” However, the words on the screen said, “Come, Christians, join to sin.”

 

Not only was the PowerPoint encouraging them to come together and sin, but then the very next line called them to celebrate it: “Alleluia! Amen!”

Needless to say, the congregation broke out in laughter. Thankfully, nobody broke out in sin.

 

Of course, the reason those words were so funny is because everybody knows it was the opposite of what a Christian life should be. We are saved by grace, but that does not mean we are encouraged to sin. The apostle Paul asked, “Should we continue to sin so that grace may multiply?

Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2, HCSB).

 

So the next time that you are at church and you stand to sing, may it be a reminder that as a believer, you cannot stand to sin.

(Copyright 2010 by Bob Rogers. E-mail: brogers@fbcrincon.com. Read this column each Friday for a mix of religion and humor. You can read more “Holy Humor” on the Web page of First Baptist Church of Rincon at www.fbcrincon.com.)