Last week someone I know casually invited me to come check out a church which didn't meet on Sunday mornings, but on Sunday night. It was quite a long drive away from Sarasota, and within a few minutes of arriving at the church I realized it was a cult.
I’d like to describe to you the experience I had.
When we pulled into the parking lot I was immediately amazed at the amount of cars pulling in, lining up by the dozens to find the closest spot to the church building. I was shocked at the spiritual activity happening before the service began: people outside burned animals and danced to music, building up in anticipation to the big worship ritual. We navigated these devotees, making our way to the entrance to the church.
I was greeted at the door by several people, all sincere and friendly, adding to the deception. I received a gift at the door to ‘aid’ in my worship, a trinket designed to inspire worship and adulation to the god they bowed down to. We walked into the church and I was amazed at how many people believed in this religion and worshiped here. We found a place to sit and as I sat down tens of thousands of people were chanting and cheering and standing up, and raising their hands, and yelling out, and applauding, and booing, and singing, and dancing, and giving glory to their god. Their fundamental doctrinal belief was that there were many gods, but two of them would compete with one another in the church building, and people would worship and call out to their god to triumph over the other god.
Eventually I became intoxicated by the hype and the loud music and chanting and I found myself (though I am a Christ-follower and God-worshiper) cheering along and giving glory to the god these people were following! By the end of the service, I was on my feet screaming and raising my hands and crying out and was completely engaged in their worship. You might say, “WHAT?! What are you talking about? Why would YOU worship the false god of a cult??? Not OUR youth pastor!”
But the scenario I'm describing to you is precisely what happened last weekend at the Bucs' Game! It was truly a worship experience! Now that I have your attention, may I remind each and every one of us that we all worship something, and the question is: WHAT, or WHO are you worshiping?
Romans 1:25 says “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen.” What is the idol or false god in your life? Repent, and put God in the proper place He deserves, with no other gods before Him. Whether the Bucs or Rays or Lightning win it all this season, they are still powerless to save a soul. And so are any and all of the gods we put before the one True God. Don’t exchange the truth of God for a lie. Put your spiritual priorities in the right places.
-Pilgrim
Monday, October 27, 2008
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
An Amputee?
James 2:1-4 (NIV)
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
I was amazed at a news story of an ‘amputee’, a man who had lost his arm while doing journalism work in Iraq. As I began to think of the ‘Body of Christ’ this illustration hit home powerfully. The word ‘amputate’ means ‘to cut off’, and its synonyms amplify it strongly. Think about some of your relationships with others in the chuch with some of these words: “stop, discontinue, bring to an end, finish, disconnect, interrupt, cut short, sever, isolate, separate, keep apart, strand”.
Paul noticed that the apostle Peter preferred one group to another, and in Galatians 2:11 we hear that Paul called Peter on it. He was showing favoritism, becoming a human judge and a discriminator. In a way, he had effectively ‘amputated’ a part of the body of Christ and isolated it from the rest. How easy it is for pillars of faith and awesome examples to also be subject to this!
The apostle James, in the passage above, reminds us as brothers and as believers to not show favoritism. He gives a great illustration that strikes home even 2000 years later: how we treat someone at church based on their appearance. If the same situation were posed to us today (which it is every week!), how would we respond? Do we prefer someone based on their race, social status, dress, net worth, automobile choice, or political influence? Or, more directly, do we discriminate someone based on those same qualities? Do we alienate those with children or those who are single or those who are widowed or those who are still young in their faith or those who seem to be so different from us?
I think of many who, because of our contentions and unwillingness to be like-minded and have the same love, have been ‘cut off’ from the body of Christ. Paul reminds us in Philippians that we should, “in humility consider others better than ourselves” (Philippians 2:3). Jesus told the Pharisees that, “you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to…” (Matthew 23:13). When you lay your gift of worship at the altar this Sunday, and you remember there that a brother has something against you (and not the other way around) perhaps it is time to humble yourself and be reconciled.
Consider that person with whom you have argued and judged better than yourself, and have the humility to restore, to graft back in, that dear brother or sister into the fold. Don’t become a Judge with your thoughts, be a Witness with your words and your actions!
Pilgrim
My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
I was amazed at a news story of an ‘amputee’, a man who had lost his arm while doing journalism work in Iraq. As I began to think of the ‘Body of Christ’ this illustration hit home powerfully. The word ‘amputate’ means ‘to cut off’, and its synonyms amplify it strongly. Think about some of your relationships with others in the chuch with some of these words: “stop, discontinue, bring to an end, finish, disconnect, interrupt, cut short, sever, isolate, separate, keep apart, strand”.
Paul noticed that the apostle Peter preferred one group to another, and in Galatians 2:11 we hear that Paul called Peter on it. He was showing favoritism, becoming a human judge and a discriminator. In a way, he had effectively ‘amputated’ a part of the body of Christ and isolated it from the rest. How easy it is for pillars of faith and awesome examples to also be subject to this!
The apostle James, in the passage above, reminds us as brothers and as believers to not show favoritism. He gives a great illustration that strikes home even 2000 years later: how we treat someone at church based on their appearance. If the same situation were posed to us today (which it is every week!), how would we respond? Do we prefer someone based on their race, social status, dress, net worth, automobile choice, or political influence? Or, more directly, do we discriminate someone based on those same qualities? Do we alienate those with children or those who are single or those who are widowed or those who are still young in their faith or those who seem to be so different from us?
I think of many who, because of our contentions and unwillingness to be like-minded and have the same love, have been ‘cut off’ from the body of Christ. Paul reminds us in Philippians that we should, “in humility consider others better than ourselves” (Philippians 2:3). Jesus told the Pharisees that, “you shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to…” (Matthew 23:13). When you lay your gift of worship at the altar this Sunday, and you remember there that a brother has something against you (and not the other way around) perhaps it is time to humble yourself and be reconciled.
Consider that person with whom you have argued and judged better than yourself, and have the humility to restore, to graft back in, that dear brother or sister into the fold. Don’t become a Judge with your thoughts, be a Witness with your words and your actions!
Pilgrim
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