Worship or idol worship

525 worship serviceFor some people, a discussion about the worldview seems more academic and abstract - far from everyday life. But for those who want to live a life that is transformed into Christ by the Holy Spirit, few things are more significant and have more profound implications for real life. Our world view determines how we view all sorts of issues - God, politics, truth, education, abortion, marriage, the environment, culture, gender, economics, what it means to be human, the origins of the universe - just to name a few.

In his book The New Testament and the People of God, NT Wright comments: "Worldviews are the very substance of human existence, the lens through which the world is seen, the blueprint, as one can see in you should live, and above all they anchor a sense of identity and home that enable people to be who they are. Ignoring world views, either one's own or that of another culture we study, would become one extraordinary superficiality "(page 124).

Orientation of our worldview

If our worldview, and therefore our connected sense of identity, is more worldly-oriented than Christ-centered, it somehow leads us away from Christ's way of thinking. For this reason, it is important that we recognize and treat all aspects of our worldview that are not subject to the reign of Christ.

It is a challenge to align our worldview more and more with Christ, because by the time we were ready to take God seriously, we usually already had a fully developed worldview - one that was driven by both osmosis (influence) and deliberate thinking was coined. Forming a worldview is similar to the way a child learns their language. It is both a formal, deliberate activity on the part of the child and parents, and a process with a purpose in life of its own. Much of this just happens to certain values ​​and assumptions that feel right to us as they become the basis from which we (both consciously and subconsciously) evaluate what is going on in and around us. It is the unconscious reaction that often becomes the most difficult obstacle to our growth and testimony as followers of Jesus.

Our relationship to human culture

Scripture warns that all human cultures are, to some degree, out of tune with the values ​​and ways of God's kingdom. As Christians, we are called to reject such values ​​and ways of life as ambassadors of the kingdom of God. Scripture often uses the word Babylon to describe cultures hostile to God, calling her "the mother...of all abominations on earth" (Revelation 1 Cor7,5 New Geneva Translation) and urges us to reject all ungodly values ​​and behaviors in the culture (world) around us. Notice what the apostle Paul wrote about this: "Stop using the standards of this world, but learn to think in a new way so that you can be changed and judge whether something is God's will - whether it is good whether it pleases God and whether it is perfect" (Romans 12,2 New Geneva translation).

Beware of those who try to get caught up in an empty, deceptive philosophy, beliefs of purely human origin that revolve around the principles that rule this world, not Christ (Colossians 2,8 New Geneva translation).

Essential to our vocation as followers of Jesus is the need to live in an anti-cultural way, as opposed to the sinful characteristics of the culture around us. It has been said that Jesus lived with one foot in Jewish culture and was firmly rooted in the values ​​of the Kingdom of God with the other foot. He often rejected culture in order not to be captured by the ideologies and practices that were an insult to God. However, Jesus did not reject the people within this culture. Instead, he loved her and had compassion for them. While emphasizing aspects of culture that contradicted God's ways, he also emphasized aspects that were good - in fact, all cultures are a mixture of both.

We are called to follow the example of Jesus. Our resurrected and ascended Lord expects us to voluntarily subordinate ourselves to the guidance of His Word and Spirit so that, as faithful ambassadors of His Kingdom of Love, we shine the light of His glory in an often dark world.

Beware of idolatry

To live as ambassadors in the world with their different cultures, we follow Jesus' example. We are constantly aware of the deepest sin of human culture - the one that poses the problem behind the problem of a secular world view. This problem, this sin is idolatry. It is a sad reality that idol worship is widespread in our modern, self-centered Western culture. We need alert eyes to see this reality - both in the world around us and in our own world view. Seeing this is a challenge, because idolatry is not always easy to spot.

Idolatry is the worship of something other than God. It's about loving, trusting and serving something or someone more than God. Throughout the Scriptures, we find God and God-fearing leaders who help people recognize idolatry and then give it up. For example, the Ten Commandments begin with the prohibition of idolatry. The Book of Judges and the books of the prophets report how social, political, and economic problems are due to people who trust in someone or something other than the true God.

The great sin behind all other sins is idolatry - failing to love, obey, and serve God. As the apostle Paul noted, the results are devastating: "For in spite of everything they knew about God, they did not give him the honor he deserved and owed him thanks. They lost themselves in senseless thoughts and in their hearts who lacked any insight, it grew dark. In the place of the glory of the incorruptible God they put images ... Therefore God left them to the desires of their hearts and abandoned them to immorality, so that they mutually degraded their bodies "(Romans 1,21;23;24 New Geneva translation). Paul shows that unwillingness to accept God as true God leads to immorality, corruption of spirit, and darkening of hearts.

Anyone interested in realigning their worldview would do well to get to know Romans intensively 1,16-32, where the apostle Paul makes it clear that idolatry (the problem behind the problem) must be addressed if we are to consistently produce good fruit (making wise decisions and behaving morally). Paul remains consistent on this point throughout his ministry (see e.g 1. Corinthians 10,14where Paul exhorts Christians to flee from idolatry).

Training our members

Considering the fact that idolatry thrives in modern Western cultures, it is important that we help our members understand the threat they face. We should reflect this understanding of an insecure generation that regards idolatry only as a matter of bowing to physical objects. Idolatry is much more than that!

It is important to note, however, that our calling as Church leaders is not to constantly point people to the very nature of idolatry in their behavior and thinking. It is your responsibility to find out for yourself. Instead, as "helpers of their joy," we are called to help them recognize the attitudes and behaviors that are symptomatic of idolatrous attachments. We need to make them aware of the dangers of idolatry and give them biblical criteria so they can examine the assumptions and values ​​that make up their worldview to see if they are consistent with the Christian faith they profess.

Paul gave this type of instruction in his letter to the Colossae church. He wrote about the relationship between idolatry and greed (Colossians 3,5 New Geneva translation). When we want to possess something so badly that we covet it, it has captured our hearts—it has become an idol to emulate, thereby ignoring what is due to God. In our time of rampant materialism and consumption, we all need help to combat the greed that leads to idolatry. The whole world of advertising is designed to instill in us a dissatisfaction with life until we have bought the product or indulge in the lifestyle advertised. It's as if someone decided to create a culture designed to undermine what Paul Timothy said:

"But piety is a great gain for those who allow themselves to be satisfied. For we have brought nothing into the world; therefore we will not bring anything out. But if we have food and clothing, we want to be satisfied with them who want to get rich fall into temptation and entanglement and into many foolish and harmful desires, which let people sink into ruin and damnation, because greed for money is a root of all evil; some have longed for it and they have strayed from faith and make themselves A lot of pain" (1. Timothy 6,6-10).

Part of our vocation as church leaders is to help our members understand how culture appeals to our hearts. It not only creates strong desires, but also a sense of entitlement and even the idea that we are not a valuable person if we reject the advertised product or advertised lifestyle. The special thing about this educational task is that most of the things that we idolize are good things. In and of itself it is good to have a better home and or a better job. However, when they become things that determine our identity, meaning, safety, and / or dignity, we have given admittance to an idol in our lives. It is important that we help our members realize when their relationship to a good cause has become idolatry.

Making idolatry clear as the problem behind the problem helps people establish guidelines in their lives to know when they are taking a good thing and making it an idol - something to look to in terms of peace, joy, leave personal meaning and security. These are things that only God can truly provide. Good things that people can turn into "ultimate things" include relationships, money, fame, ideologies, patriotism, and even personal piety. The Bible is full of stories about people doing this.

Idolatry in the age of knowledge

We live in what historians call the Age of Knowledge (as distinct from the industrial age in the past). Today, idolatry is less about the worship of physical objects and more about the worship of ideas and knowledge. The forms of knowledge that try most aggressively to win our hearts are ideologies - economic models, psychological theories, political philosophies, etc. As church leaders, we leave God's people vulnerable if we do not help them develop the ability to be themselves judge when a good idea or philosophy becomes an idol in their hearts and minds.

We can help them by training them to recognize their deepest values ​​and assumptions - their world view. We can teach them how to recognize in prayer why they respond so strongly to something in the news or social media. We can help them ask questions like these: Why did I get so angry? Why do I feel that strong? What value does this have and when and how did that become a value for me? Does my reaction give glory to God and does it express the love and compassion of Jesus for the people?

Notice also that we are ourselves conscious of recognizing the "sacred cows" in our hearts and minds - the ideas, attitudes and things that we do not want God to touch, the things that are "taboo". As church leaders, we ask God to realign our own worldview so that what we say and do will bear fruit in the kingdom of God.

Concluding Remarks

Many of our missteps as Christians are based on the often unrecognized influence of our personal world view. One of the most damaging effects is the diminished quality of our Christian witness in an injured world. Too often, we address pressing issues in ways that reflect the partisan views of the secular culture that surrounds us. As a result, many of us hold back to address the issues in our culture, making our members vulnerable. We owe it to Christ to help His people recognize the way their world view can be the breeding ground for ideas and behaviors that dishonor Christ. We are to help our members evaluate the attitude of their hearts in the light of the commandment of Christ to love God above all else. This means that they learn to recognize all idolatrous attachments and to avoid them.

by Charles Fleming