No, I don't imagine that they have a Buddha in their doorway that they feed rice to, but they have idols all the same and I am not talking about the typical ones mentioned these days - like sports. Just an example, I have addressed what I think of sports in the past and that is not the point of this one.
I am surrounded by Christians whom worship these false idols:
- Material Blessings
- Money
- Health
- Lack of Opposition
- Emotional Highs
- Peace
Yeah, I think that is enough for this post anyways!
Of course, the Health and Wealth Gospel has been around for decades. People flock to have their ears smoothed to the sounds of having lots of money, cars, houses, jewelry, vacations, etc. All the benefits of being a Christian. God is showering you with His blessings. And yet, I do not find a single scripture to support what represents a vast percentage of believers; not only in America but other countries like Australia, New Zealand, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Germany - to just name a few countries I have been to in the past decade where this abomination has reared its head. According to them, you can judge where you stand with Jesus, by the bank account you possess.
Contrary to popular American belief, the goal of your Christian existence is not to accumulate vast amounts of wealth for your old age, so that you might live in comfort. It is to reach the lost with the message of Jesus' salvation for a world lost in sin. That takes your resources to do this. All of your resources. We are not told to build awesome buildings to fill one morning a week, nor to have cars which make my heart purr to see on the roadway, nor any of the thousands of ways the world has for us to part with what God gives us of His abundance. Nope. You get to live on what He gives you but He also expects to see a healthy return on His investment in you.
But, well we know how that one goes - if only I have more money, I could tithe/tithe more/support whatever. Um, you do have enough money right now. You have what He gives you. Need more? Better be wiser with what He gives you. No one needs a $30,000 car nor $500,000 home or jewels or stocks or bonds or rents to cover your future. You need your faith in God that He will cover your future and then have the gumption to step out and start reaching a world lost in sin. Your provision is to come from God supplying you with work to provide the funds He needs to get His work done.
Unfortunately, I have two friends heavily invested in this approach to life. One attends a church I would call outright apostate, the other a normal church, he is just seen as one of the more "secure" members. For me? I have lived my life as best I could at being a good steward. Yeah we all make mistakes (like buying needless spoilies!) but that does not happen all that often. Even then it is often to help a brother out of some financial mess and the items go for sale to recoup their cost or increase for another service for Christ.
Just to clarify: God can bless you financially and materially in life. That is His right. But, He also expects you to walk away from it at the drop of a hat to help others with all of it! Not an easy task for us humans, but expected none the less.
Also in tow with the apostate Health and Wealth Gospel is the belief that you will know you are in God's will because you are completely and totally healthy. Really? My Bible says that somewhere? Nope but then again it is a grand idea which can be used to help you feel superior to others. Just like wealth, health is God's loving gift to His righteous followers. I can even remember this guy claiming he was so godly that he never even had a cavity in his whole life! It was a lie, it turned out all of his teeth were capped and he thought no one could find out. Yeah, my God does not deal nicely with those whom misrepresent him.
Can God keep your health and out of danger? Sure, but to what end? Pearly whites are not going to reach the lost for Him. No, it is the broken man whom will be the one to reach out, to witness, to sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel. And health is another way God has of directing you. You might be needed to lead a sedate life, injured, in order to fulfill your role in life and ministry. Hmmmmmm, sounds painfully familiar.
The next set hits too close to home, it addresses issues with those I love, whom do not listen. Lack of opposition, being nothing stands in your way in your attempts at life or ministry is a really a poor condition for inspection. If you are not threatening Satan, there will be no opposition at all! It is when we are crossing the line into his realm that suddenly our entire world will turn upside down. If you want opposition and to have your faith tried - do anything to break Satan's hold over what is in your area. And expect your brothers and sisters in Christ to be at the front of the line in slandering you, opposing you, doing all there is to stop you. As Christians we do shoot our own far too often.
But ... but, if you are doing God's work then He will protect you, He will hold the opposition back, He ..... Yeah, well tell that to my two friends whom went on a mission trip to Uganda. Idi Amin, personally ate one of them..... No, Satan is the ruler of a vast domain and he will do all he can to retain what he has. You have to have the faith of those two friends of mine in Uganda, whom stood and faced martyrdom.
Just this past week I have had no less than five in my church go out of their way to tell me that if I was walking closer to God, i would have the peace I seek in my life. Really? So, just write off my prayer life, write off people that mean something to me, write off the very basis of the term love - to no longer be concerned for the troubles of my loved ones. REALLY!?!?!?!?
Turning your troubles over to God is not to ignore them, nor to stop praying for them! It is to but the results into His hands, but you still play in active role through prayer and by whatever means you have to reach and witness to them. Peace is a luxury for those untroubled by a world gone mad, nor reaching others for Christ. I will talk another time about faith and peace.....
And finally, emotions. Prior to May I never could have written something on this. I really did not know what an emotion was. And my introduction to a single emotion was more trouble than I could have expected. Its assassination was sudden, a surprise and followed by death - well there are a few random resurrections at the most oddest times and places. Emotional highs are awesome, you can conquer the world, but emotions are fickle and very doubtful from God. Sure He can use them but I would be mighty cautious in ever trusting in emotion as a way to guide me in discovering God's will.
All of these items I have talked about are common. They are sought by tens of millions of "believers" as proof of God's blessings and therefore His ultimate direction for your life. Yet, each points away from God and ultimately become idols we worship, forgetting whom could be the source for each of them. So we drive our BMW to church, wearing our over priced clothing that is just a "name", we have our Coach purse collection, maybe matching shoes, we sit with others just like us, smiling with our pearly whites and comment on their new attire, purse, car, whatever is so wonderful. And, outside the doors of the beautiful building dedicated to Sunday mornings, lives a world dying in its sin.
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