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| To all of my friends who have periodically looked at my xanga site, hoping for a new update. To be honest, I have stretched my online arm too long, and have decided that on xanga, this will be my last post. If I can delete this weblog, I will be doing so in a week or two after I print off my previous blogs for humor sake. If you want to find me, I will be on facebook under my name. I love you all.
Gavin. | | |
| I miss all of you guys. Hope to see many of you in November in VA.
| | |
| ....
No, not this idol.
Not this one either.
I'm not even really going to talk about this one.
I
guess that what I really am aiming for is more a condition of the heart
than anything else. But before I begin, I need to give a little
background to this blog.
Thursday night, I was out, talking to
some people about God. The response was the usual. A few people seemed
genuniely interested, even close to repentance, the rest didn't really
care, although most of the conversations were good. I guess what it was
that really stuck out was how every one that was in the general age
group of 14-19 had the same, cookie cutter answers to every question
that could be asked. Interestingly enough, they all dressed in the same
4 or 5 types of outfits, talked the same, walked the same, and each of
them, in their own way, revealed with the way that they talked that
they never thought outside of the box. that they have been raised to
believe in certain things, never considering that maybe, just maybe,
they could be wrong about some things.
The second thing that I
noticed was that everyone like this was completely oblivious to this
fact, and believed that they were an individual, a free thinker,
completely unmastered by anything. When in fact, it is apparent that
they are common thinkers, all brought up by common factors, and
completely mastered by the thing that they worship.
I say the
thing that they worship, because I believe that many of these people
were stuck in idolatry. This is where we start talking about idols. Why
does this matter? Because this, I believe, is what happens to a person
if they are not careful to avoid idols. By extension of this statement,
this is what can happen to me if I am not careful, and what can happen
to you if you are not careful. At this point I put a nice little
disclaimer saying, if I am wrong, let me know. I will consider all
comments given. Ok, here we go.
Someone reading this could
easily challenge me, stating that they don't believe that the thought
patterns or lifestyle of a person are idols. This is a logical question
to ask, and so we begin this discussion by defining what an idol is.
The current english definition of an idol is "an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed, any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion."
That is a pretty clear definition. Now, to give something worship isn't
to just sing something or someone songs for 20 minutes to feel good,
and it isn't just bowing before something physically for a period of
time. To consider something worthy of worship is to bend your entire
lifestyle towards that object or person. So, it would be correct to say
that the definition of an idol can also be "an image or other material
object, representing a deity, to which a persons lifestyle is entirely
dependent on, or devoted to."
According to another definition of idol, it is "an image of a deity other than God".
According
to several instances in the bible, there is only one God (See
Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 46:5, 46:9, and 1 Timothy 2:5). Interestingly
enough, that means that everything else, besides God, can be an idol.
In summary, we can safely say that we may have an idol in our lives if:
1.) It is not God
2.) Our life revolves around it
3.) We change our habits and customs for it, whether consciously or unconsciously
But
it is common to find something interesting besides God, right? All of
us can think of something in our lives that we are very willing to
change our lifestyles and give the time of day for. I remember at one
point for me, it was
MY PRECIOUS!!!!
lol...just kidding.
Is
it wrong to enjoy a movie, a musical style, a food group, a clothing
style, etc, etc? Not necessarily. But it becomes an idol when it
consumes us, to the point that the rest of our life bends around that
object. The harm of such a lifestyle needs to be very clear to us,
because otherwise, we will miss the danger of having an idol. Check out
a couple of verses with me. Here is Psalm 115.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the work of human hands.
5They have mouths, but do not speak;
eyes, but do not see.
6They have ears, but do not hear;
noses, but do not smell.
7They have hands, but do not feel;
feet, but do not walk;
and they do not make a sound in their throat.
8 Those who make them become like them;
so do all who trust in them. (emphasis added)
We
have discussed what an idol is, but this verse shows what an idol can
do. Idols can completely numb us to any truth that may be contrary to
the lifestyle that we are currently living. Not only that, but any
fight that might be in us to escape the idol is taken away. as we no
longer have the feet, spiritually and mentally, to walk away, or the
sound to cry out.
Additonally, we see a biblical principal in a few new testament verses.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18
"17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."
Matthew 6:22-24
22 "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If
then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! 24
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love
the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and money.
Romans 12:1-2
1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present
your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
These three selections show three powerful, powerful truths that we will now explore.
The first truth is that you are transformed by the thing that you worship.
According to Jesus and Paul, if you are worshipping God and focusing on
him, then you, or we, or me, or whoever, are slowly being transformed
by him into new creations. Our character and our minds slowly transform
to be like Christs. But, the verses also reveal that if you are
worshipping anything else, namely, an idol, you will slowly be
transformed into what that idol represents. Psalm 115, above, says the
same. Have you ever wondered why Raiders fans are...well..............
........................................nuts?
It
is because they are being transformed by the idol that they worship,
into an image of the idol that they worship. Raiders fans is a silly
example, but there are much more serious ones. The man or woman who's
idol is her image alter their appearence by purging, steriods,
unhealthy exercise, or a mentality to is so bent on the perfect human
body, they are unable to think about anything else. The person who
makes intelligence an idol and becomes a textbook, full of the
information, but unable to live their own life, and make critical
decisions on their own. The person who's idol is sex worships the human
body to the extent that they are willing to sacrifice themselves again
and again to different partners, for the sake of their idol. There are
people who idolize a sub-culture, and become so immersed in it, that
they themselves no longer exist, and they become a shadow of who they
were, in the new garbs of their idol.
Isn't that disturbing?
Maybe you have never thought of it that way before, and these examples
are on the extreme side, but my point is, if we are being transformed
into the image of the thing that we worship, let all of us be careful
of what we worship.
At this point, you may not think that it is
that big of a deal. but worshipping an idol and being transformed by it
may be fun at first, but as people get older and they realize that they
have an idol, and that they are enslaved to it, it doesn't seem to be
as much fun as it used to be. Indeed, I have had people break down and
cry because they realize the stranglehold that their idol has on their
life.
Which brings us to the second truth in scripture. The world uses the idols that you set up to control you.
Romans 6:16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? We
already saw earlier in Romans 12 that we are no longer to be conformed
to this world. Now, if the only other thing besides God are idols, and
we are told to follow God, and not conform to the world, then by
extension, the world uses idols to control you, to master you, and to
make you the world's slave.
Sound fun? ok. just remember "each
man is tempted when, by his own desire, he is dragged away and enticed,
temptation gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full grown, leads to
death." James 1.
The third point: What are you looking at? Your
eye is, in fact, the gateway to your mind and spirit. Gazing at Christ,
you are transformed from Glory to Glory in his Spirit. looking at an
idol, what do you think you are transforming into? If you have the
guts, go to a photo gallery that is strictly regulated (corbis.com is
decent, but secular, so be careful), and type in cool, and see what the
world regards as the ideal human. Isn't it interesting that so many
people look like that? The same look, the same hairstyle, the same
facial expressions, everything. Is it possible that we idolize culture
and style so much, and gaze on it so much, that it has become an idol
in our culture, and it is transforming us into it's image? This is an
example that I find very poignant for the girls, but guys, we watch
terrible shows, and many of us can very easily make the main character
of those shows our idol, and behave like them. A twisted world, indeed,
is the world that turns the girls into sexual objects and the men into
insecure idiots. And that is the very thing that the creators of these
idols strive to do. google Acquire the Fire and MTV sometime, and find
out what the executives of the company said they want this generation
to turn into.
What does all of this mean?
For you, the
un-christian, realize that every idol in your life is there to kill
you. God has a great chapter in the bible for you to read. its in the
book of Isaiah, the 40th and 41st chapters. Idols will not save you
from death. In fact, they are not even there to serve you. The world
that created these idols does not desire to serve you, but to have you
serve the world. In computing terms, the term Garbage in, Garbage out
refers to the fact that when errors are imputed into a system, what
will come out of the system will be errors. Our minds are computers,
and for you, my dear one, your idol worship is just turning you into
that idol. Don't just get rid of your idols. Nothing we can do makes us
deserving of heaven, nothing in this world can rescue us from death,
and our only hope is in the sacrifice of Jesus. Put your trust in him
today, and be prepared to get rid of your idols. Your idols keep you
from him. Repent, read your bible daily, and follow it. Jesus really
does love you, but the choice must be made between God and your idols.
Choose God. Choose life, and not death.
For you, the christian,
get rid of your idols. Sure, you may not have any big idols, but you
may have small ones that you have allowed by saying, "look, its just a
little one."
Is dating your idol? are you being transformed into what the world wants you to be like?
Is pride your idol?
Is your righteousness your idol?
are video games your idol? (I struggle with this one).
Is culture your idol?
Remember,
offer your lives up, a living sacrifice to God. Only then can you be
free of the world and it's promotion of your destruction.
My Christian brother or sister, I wholeheartedly agree with the scriptures that "All
things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things
are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything" 1
Corinthians 6:12. Yes, all things that are not against the character
and will of God are lawful for us to do. But we are not to be mastered
by anything. Christ is our master now, and we are to obey him and him
alone. Remember, we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24).
One of our Christian brothers, John, warned us in the scriptures about this problem.
1 John 5: 19We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 20We
know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding,
so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even
in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
He
reminds us in this verse that the entire world, everything in this
world, is under the control of Satan. He also wants us to know that
those of us who are in Christ are secure in Him. John could have taken
this opportunity to give a big old "Amen, Hallelujah, come Jesus!", but
the last verse in 1 John is...
21Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. May we follow the apostles advice.
In closing,
Hosea 6:3
Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth."
God, smash our idols.
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| Just found my Password! Yes!
| | |
| Ok, so I'm kind of going to go on a tangent. you are under no
obligation to read further, but if you do, your welcome to jump on for
a ride .
I was at church tonight, and it started with a video
clip from a well known pastor who was talking about how the hebrew name
for God could very well be the breathing of all human life. It's not
that complicated, I'm just not communicating it very well. Anyway, it
is a cool thought, that all of creation everywhere is always breathing
God's name. My frustration however was found in certain other remarks
that the person made throughout his little sermonette.
Now,
please don't misunderstand me, I will not judge this man completely off
of this one clip, although increasing evidence is mounting that he is
not preaching the gospel of truth. But there were some lines that I
picked up on that would be swallowed as truth by non christians or new
christians, confusing to adolescent phase christians, and spit out by
more mature christians.
One of the things that really bothered
me was that he inferred that everywhere we step is holy ground, or
sacred ground, because God created it. As pleasing to the ear as it may
be to say something like that, I do not believe that it can be taught
under Christian thought. My reasoning isn't because of personal
prejudice, but because of biblical prejudice. Everything can't be
sacred, because there would be no reason to call something sacred,
because there would be nothing common. As it stands, the apostle Paul
calls certain household items made by natural materials common.
Therefore, everything can't be sacred.
The person then went on
to say that humans are sacred dirt clods, and spent a few seconds
extolling the sacredness of man. Again, that doesn't fly. The truth of
the matter is, we were created, and we were perfect, but we rebelled
against the king of the universe, and are outlaws and criminals who can
only be saved by appealing to Jesus, who can take the warrant that is
on our head and put it on his.
Yeah, so this is where I freak
out. Does anyone else see the problem? A non-christian can watch this
clip and say, 'yes, I am sacred, and God is all around me and he loves
me.' But that person did not hear how his kind, his species, spit into
God's face, gave him the finger, and then ran away, and that returning
to him and obeying him and loving him in return is the only way to get
out of the mess that him or her is in.
Stephen Colbert may
have hit close to an important point when he asked, "Whats the point in
doing good or evil if there is no fear of eternal retribution?" Without
conviction, or faith, there really is no reason to go to church, unless
it's a pride thing. I see the message of, "You don't have to do
anything, God loves you", as incredibly impotent, and I see it as
having the effect of either reassuring the person watching it that they
don't need to go to church, or pursue God, or anything like that, or I
see it appealing to people who are into God a little more emotionally
than some of the rest of the population, and leading them astray in how
they reach the unsaved, which produces the same effect.
I mean,
seriously, what is the f'in point of believing in a weak God who can
only leave you with some vague promise of love, surrounded by the smoke
and mirrors of some indie movie, and then allows you to draw your own
conclusions about his character? You know what, I need to be frank.
Recently, I experienced tremendous doubt as to the existence of God and
the afterlife. I got home one night shaking, because I was afraid to
die, because I didn't want to cease to exist. At this point of my life,
which only ended a week or so ago, the love of God was the furthest
thing on my mind. What do you say to a person experiencing those
doubts? "I'm afraid of death, because I don't think I'll exist
anymore." "Oh, don't worry, God loves you." Gee, thats great. Imagine
telling that to a non-Christian. You are telling them that a fictional
character loves them because the bible says so. Do you know what got me
out of my slump? It was a few things. It was the powerful testimonies
of God's tangible existence in my life and in the lives of others. It
was God's love, but not the mushy, emotional experience love, but the
genuine love I felt when I repented of all the stupid things I've done
against God. Conviction. Conviction reminded me that God was real.
Ultimately, I fear God more than I fear death anyway, so that helped
alot.
But I cannot forget the fact that although I made it
through all that, there are people out there that live with those fears
everyday, and videos like the one I watched ARE NOT HELPING!
A
third thing that diminished the role of sin and fallen humans was that
the person hinted that since man is sacred, and God is always with him,
everywhere man walks is holy ground.
This is wrong, because as
we already discussed, man is no longer sacred. because he is in fact,
defiled, he is what the bible calls unclean. A somewhat obscure book in
the bible states that if something unclean touches something clean, the
thing that was clean becomes unclean. A good example is, if I wad up a
ball of mud, and smear it all over a white shirt, nothing happens to
the ball of mud, but the shirt is now covered in mud. Even if we did
assume that the earth was all sacred, the instant man walks the ground,
it is polluted. Additionally, God cursed the earth for the sake of man,
and several times when God's physical presence is felt or he actually
visits the earth, he makes no command to take off shoes, for it is holy
ground. He didn't with Job, He didn't with his disciples, and He didn't
with Jacob. Can you imagine a God that tells someone to take off their
shoes and then wrestles them all night? If you can, then you are wrong.
no offense. I'm wrong often.
Do you know drives me nuts about
these teachers? two things particularly, money and culture. the first
is that alot of these teachers get a lot of money, and they use a good
deal of this money to reach outside of the united states, in large
part, I believe, because it's seen as the cool thing to do these days.
Even secular companies have picked up on it. (The RED Campaign, while
exceedingly awesome, is a good example of this.) It bothers me that
they give to these countries because with the money usually comes these
same teaching tapes that I just watched, only dubbed in the language of
that country. This does 3 things to the people in the church who watch
these videos.
1.)It makes non-believers believe that God is
weak, particularly in Africa where the supernatural world is very
apparent. Can you imagine a land where demon possessions and dealings
are still very frequent, and then these people are sent an image of a
happy, emo god who just wants to hug everyones heart and DO NOTHING?
That is not the power of the gospel. That is NOT the power of Christ.
In addition to this, some non-believers see this and decide based on
this in part that America is full of weak willed pansies.
2.) It
can split churches. I won't go into detail, but an example of this is
in both "Revolution in World Missions" by K.P. Yohannan, and "The
Heavenly Man", by David Hathaway.
3.) Churches across the globe
send missionaries here because they think we are screwed up, which we
are! My personal opinion is that just as the kingdom of Israel was torn
from Saul and given to David, that the majority of overseas missions
may soon be ripped from American churches and given to the churches of
third world countries. at least they are the ones planning major
mission pushes back to Jerusalem. See "Heavenly Man" and "Perspectives
in World Missions"
These churches and leaders tend to be leaders
of what is called "emerging" churches. The churches have got it right
in abolishing the health and wealth gospel and giving to the poor and
needy. The problem with some of them (not all), is that because their
outreach is to a postmodern culture, many of them have fallen into the
pitfalls of postmodernism, and are buying into pluralism and other
heresies. The teacher on the video hinted at always being aware of
oneself, which is a practice of Hinduist and Buddist meditation.
Ugg...I
just needed to rant a bit. If you have any questions, email me. I just
wanted to state the facts of the evening. The service was very good by
the way, and Harvey at Living Stones does not hold the same views as
this other pastor. I don't think any of us should. | | |
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