I preached a sermon entitled "No Other Gods: 21st Century Idolatry" out of Exodus 20:3 this pas Sunday. You can check it out for yourself at the above link. It was a straight forward exposition of the grammar of the verse & the history of the time. Two words were interesting to me in the grammar: 'have' - means to own or be in possession of. And the word 'before' - literally means 'in my face' or presence. As I explained in the teaching: "This is not about PRIORITY but PRESENCE" It's NOT OK to have gods as long as they are less loved & served than GOD. There was also an interesting polemic on the plurality of gods. I let you check that out for yourself.
As is our custom at CWW, we engage in a Q&A after we eat lunch together every week. This week's Q&A was probably the best we've ever had. It went well over an hour & nearly everyone had something to say. One young man in our fellowship, Art, asked the best question of the day. "How do you know when something has become an idol?" That question gave birth to 45 minutes of dialogue. I don't really know how many people read this blog but I'd be interested in your answer to Art's excellent question.
I find we tend to list things in a priority list but remember that this is not what God was commanding in the 1st commandment. It is about presence not priority. No other gods in my face! That is his clear command.
I believe the starting point to answer this question is understanding God's Lordship, His ownership of our lives - "Lock, Stock, & Barrel" as they used to say. If we can embrace a biblical paradigm of God's ownership of all that we ARE & HAVE...then from that starting point, it becomes a matter of management of blessings that are not mine but His.
I'm studying it further for myself this week. I believe we'll have a part 2 on Idolatry in the 21st century this next week. Then on the following Sunday, my brother Jim will address the congregation regarding 'carving on God'.
By the way...I love our Church! We have some of the saltiest believers that I've ever met.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Grace & Peace...
As is our custom at CWW, we engage in a Q&A after we eat lunch together every week. This week's Q&A was probably the best we've ever had. It went well over an hour & nearly everyone had something to say. One young man in our fellowship, Art, asked the best question of the day. "How do you know when something has become an idol?" That question gave birth to 45 minutes of dialogue. I don't really know how many people read this blog but I'd be interested in your answer to Art's excellent question.
I find we tend to list things in a priority list but remember that this is not what God was commanding in the 1st commandment. It is about presence not priority. No other gods in my face! That is his clear command.
I believe the starting point to answer this question is understanding God's Lordship, His ownership of our lives - "Lock, Stock, & Barrel" as they used to say. If we can embrace a biblical paradigm of God's ownership of all that we ARE & HAVE...then from that starting point, it becomes a matter of management of blessings that are not mine but His.
I'm studying it further for myself this week. I believe we'll have a part 2 on Idolatry in the 21st century this next week. Then on the following Sunday, my brother Jim will address the congregation regarding 'carving on God'.
By the way...I love our Church! We have some of the saltiest believers that I've ever met.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Grace & Peace...
2 comments:
I have often thought about this topic when I find my focus being on something other than God. I have found that being aware of God's presence with me throughout the day has been very beneficial to me. Not only in my personal relationship with Him but also in my growth as a Christian. I experience my entire life with Him which keeps me from becoming distracted and placing something or someone before Him. I know that God wants me to enjoy life and some of my best moments of reflection with Him have been while doing so (I hope that makes sense) I feel a great bond with Him while spending time in the woods hunting and fishing as I view in wonderment at all He has created, and while playing and talking with my children who like me were created in His Image! I think we as christians can get caught up in life at times and easily consume ourselves with things around us which is why having a 1 on 1 relationship with God is important and why I believe it is the 1st Commandment and not the 10th. I look forward to everyone else's responses. Paul, thanks for opening up your discussions with those of us who are too far away to be there in person each week!
Chuck
Very well said Chuck!
If you get a chance to listen to the messages, that may be a good thing.
I agree with your comment & I do understand what you mean about enjoying His gifts.
Thanks for being a part of the conversation.
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