We Are Worshipers

We are born worshipers. It is not a question of whether or not we will worship, but who or what will we worship? And what we worship is the very thing that controls us. We are never completely free in the freest sense. We are all slaves. Now we need to ask ourselves, since this is true, do we want to be slaves to fallen corrupt creatures or inanimate objects, or do we want to be slaves to an infinitely good and gracious God who created the universe and made you and I in His image and gave us this beautiful world to cultivate and use for His glory and our good? Do we want to be salves to this God who sacrificed His precious and perfect Son so that you and I could be free to be slaves to Him; a Master who calls us sons and daughters of Himself, God Most High? 

So, if you're in on this, let's do a little exercise to help us identify what or who you worship other than God. Ask yourself, "What would I lie about?" I know none of us are "liars", but "if you were to lie"(pretend with me for moment), would it most likely be:
1) to avoid conflict;
2) to avoid being wrong;
3) to advance your career; 

4) to gain acceptance among a certain crowd;

5) to cut someone down to promote your own image; 

6) to get a better grade; 

7) to get a cuter girlfriend (or any girl for that matter for some of you dudes); 

8) to avoid humiliation;

9) to make an extra buck; etc....

Now what or who is the object of what you lied about to protect? The reason this is a big deal is because we become like the things we worship, and the things we worship we make sacrifices to them and for them. When this happens, these things or people we worship become the ones who get glory; or the ones in whom we glorify. If we know our Bibles, we know it is never good when man or inanimate objects are glorified over God (Rom. 1:21-23; Acts 12:20-23 just to give a couple examples). So if we have identified our idols, what next?

Paul told the Athenians in Acts 17 how to have victory and rid themselves of their idol worship. You see idols have no power in and of themselves, but when we worship created things and not the Creator, the demonic rulers and authorities grip our lives and they become the louder voice and the stronger man in our house that controls us and will eventually destroy us.

Col. 2:15 tells us that Jesus "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him." We get rid of idols by worshiping Jesus and desire Him because of the particular thing that He did for you. In Old Testament law, idolatry deserves death, therefore Jesus took the death for our idolatry and we can be freed from it if He becomes the person that we just can’t live without. He is the just and justifier for those who believe (Rom. 3:26). Greater affections have an expulsive power over lesser affections. Is Jesus your greater affection?
 
If not, we simply repent. Instead of turning your back on God and worshiping your idols, turn your back on your idols and worship God. God has fixed a day that He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed, Jesus. And our assurance of life in Christ, through faith, is because of the resurrection of Jesus. His fate will be your fate. To the degree that your heart is broken because of what Jesus has done for you, will be the degree by which you have victory over your idols and imprisonment. To God be the glory!

My thoughts on all the Middle East unrest

In the last year, there has been quite a bit of Muslim movement and influence in the Middle East, which has resulted in a lot of unrest for Israel. Last year, Turkey (a close ally to Israel) removed their ambassador to Israel and then aligned “supposedly” themselves behind Iran. Over a month ago, street demonstrations in Tunisia ousted the president through a military coup. He was the first Arab ruler to loose power through a public uprising, and this has sent chock waves through the Arab world.

About a week later, Lebanon’s government collapsed and the rumor is that it will be replaced by a government that is led by Hezbollah and controlled by Iran. Then came the biggest shock of all....Egypt. The largest of all Arab nations is doing what Tunisia did. Now we all wait in anticipation to see if the Muslim Brotherhood (a radical Islamic group) will cease power. The Muslim Brotherhood has promised that if they cease control of Egypt, their first action will be to break the peace agreement they have made with Israel. Jordan and Lybia are now being shaken by street demonstrations. Every government in the Middle East with a peaceful or somewhat peaceful relationship with Israel and the West has in recent weeks either fallen or is about to fall into the hands of radical Islamist groups who support Iran. In the midst of all the madness, Iran has announced that it is going to send war ships into the Mediterranean Sea.

So what should be our response as bible-believing, God-fearing, gospel-loving Christians? “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps. 46:10). In Isaiah 6, the chapter begins like this: “In the year that King Uzziah died (a powerful, mighty and righteous king by the way), I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” That’s our God, and He is still there today, high and lifted up over the nations. Jesus is at His right hand interceding for us. We are His sons and daughters. Sons and daughters of Almighty God should have confidence in their future and in their Sovereign Father’s good plans. This confidence should allow us to stand for the truth of the Gospel and to love our enemies and pray for those who curse us.

There seems to be a really big temptation for Christians to say about Muslims, “They are our enemies and they want nothing good to come of us Christians.” While that may be true, this knowledge should never stop believers from displaying the beauty of the cross of Jesus to all people, at any cost. If the gospel is our past, present and future salvation, shouldn’t it be what motivates and dictates how we live? One only needs to read Acts 4 to get a biblical glimpse of what our proper response should be to those who want nothing good for us. After Peter and John got released from being wrongfully imprisoned and threatened, they went back to “church” and reported all that had happened and then prayed. I think their prayer in verses 24-30 is worth quoting and ending this post with as I pray that this will be the American church’s response if indeed we experience similar treatment for the sake of Jesus.

 “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “ ‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers were gathered together, against the Lord and against his Anointed’—for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” Amen.