A View From a Pew: The Water Is Still Dirty

A View From A Pew The Water Is Still Dirty

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First, let me say this—I love gospel music. Always have, always will. I sing in my church choir, and in my earlier days, I was even part of a gospel quartet. But let me also say this—not every song belongs in the house of God.

I was stunned when I came across videos of “Boots on the Ground” being sung in churches. Yes, the lyrics were changed, but the spirit of the song was the same. And what grieved me most wasn’t just the song, but the sight of pastors, first ladies, and mothers of the church waving their fans and swaying like they were at a Saturday night club instead of Sunday morning service. Some may disagree with me, but this is what happens when we ignore the scriptures that clearly call us to be set apart, not blended in.

Now, I can already hear the rebuttal: “Well, Jesus ate with sinners.” True—but keep reading the text. When the Pharisees questioned Him, Jesus answered, “They that are whole need not a physician, but they that are sick.” He came to minister to the broken, not to hand them the microphone. There’s a difference between ministering to the lost and putting the lost in charge of ministry.

Let me bring this home with a personal story. Recently, while traveling with my family, I decided to take a dip in the hotel pool. The water looked inviting—beautifully blue, with that strong chlorine smell that suggested it was clean. But the moment I went under, I realized something was wrong. I couldn’t see the bottom. The water was cloudy, murky. I stayed in for about ten minutes, but it didn’t feel right. Later, I Googled it. Cloudy pool water, I learned, means the pool isn’t clean.

Think about that. The color was right. The smell was there. The temperature was perfect. But beneath the surface? Contamination. That’s exactly what I see happening in too many churches today. On the outside, everything looks holy—the music is hype, the praise is loud, the atmosphere feels charged. But the water is still dirty. Mixed. Diluted. Contaminated with the world. And like me in that pool, people are wading in without realizing what they’re really stepping into—until it’s too late.

Scripture warns us: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4). And again: “There shall arise false Christs and false prophets, showing great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.” (Matthew 24:24).

Beloved, don’t be fooled by appearances. Don’t let the beat of the drum drown out the voice of the Word. You can smell the chlorine, feel the water, and see the blue—but if the pool is dirty, it’s still dirty. And if the Gospel is watered down, it’s no longer the Gospel.

It’s time we do more than attend for the hype. Test the spirit. Stand on the Word. Applaud the Bible, apply the Bible, and live the Bible. Because no matter how pretty the water looks, if it’s not pure, it’s not safe. And if it’s not safe, it’s not of God.

The bottom line: appearances don’t purify the water—and hype doesn’t sanctify the Gospel.