Modern Idolatry by Church going Christians

Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.2 Kings 17:41


Many church-going Christians are deeply involved in idolatry, while claiming to worship the true God. The reason is that many of us Christians think of idolatry as bowing down to wooden idols as in times passed, not knowing that idolatry is not simply worshiping a wooden statue but it is the act of putting anything before the True God.


Idolatry : an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed. In Judaism and Christianity, the worship of someone or something other than God as though it were God. The first of the biblical Ten Commandments prohibits idolatry: "You shall have no other gods before me."

Many Christians believe that these things do not apply to them and that God is number one in their lives. But that is always the thought of an idolater. No one ever thinks that they are idol worshipers, but in this writing we ask the Lord to help us see our idolatry so that he may help us worship him only.

Idolaters or True worshipers?

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33


On this verse we can see whether or not we are idol worshippers, for on the preceding verse Christ said "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' 32 "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

God knows what we need and we should always come to him first  for all things but notice that the verse say the gentiles (those who do not know God) seek these things with passion. They are consumed in their desires to acquire these things, and in turn those worldy things become gods to them.
Now let's see some common gods we Christians are worshiping these days. To find out, you will need to think about this question: What consumes your thoughts? What takes most of your time? Is it spending time with God? Is it school?....work?....hobbies?

Modern gods in the Church

Materialism: preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values.

Hedonism: the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good

Self-esteem: an inordinately or exaggeratedly favorable impression of oneself.

This is not an extensive list by any means but it does cover many of the idols that so-called Christians are worshiping just like ancient Israel .

We worship at the altar of materialism, we exhaust ourselves working multiple jobs, doing sometimes sinful things in order to acquire more stuff. Keeping up with the Jones' or as we say sometimes fulfilling and living the American dream is the greatest pursuit for many Christians and yet  a three minute prayer put us to sleep.

The Almighty Dollar  In god (money) we trust is the true god of this modern age. So pervasive is this god that we have whole churches now preaching god wants you to be rich.


How you spend your time determine who your God is.

So friends, If you feel bored when you try to read the Bible for a few minutes, if you can't wait to get out of church because the preacher is boring or find the message is too long but you can spend hours studying for school, hours watching television, hours playing games, listening to pagan music, you should reconsider when you say the God of heaven is your true god because apparently you don't really spend much time with him .

These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Matthew 15:8

This is the condition that many Christians find themselves in, going to church as a routine because it is the right thing to do but not truly have any relationship with God. It's alright to pursue things that will help us, but the Kingdom of God and its righteousness must be the priority .
 Beloved, let's not deceive ourselves. If we do not spend quality time daily with God, then something else is taking our time and we are mere idolaters in the church of God " professing a form of Godliness but denying its power".



Examples

I don't have time to read my Bible, because  I am too busy with school and work .

I don't have enough time to pray before I go to sleep,  too tired after watching T.V.



http://biblehub.com/2_timothy/3-5.htm

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/idolatry?s=t

Live and Let Live; a lie from Hell

We hear that expression all the time, that if whatever  your neighbor is doing is not hurting you or anybody else, then you should let him do his thing and hold your peace. But, can a Christian who profess to have the love of Christ for humanity live according to such teaching?

The answer is no!

The world is saying that live and let live is the highest definition of tolerance and love but in reality it is a satanic ruse to destroy souls. Example, let's say you have someone you truly love and they don't accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior and you truly believe that unless they do they will perish, will you hold that crucial information from them and still claim you love them?
But yet this is what many Christians are being led to believe in this day and age and it is resulting in increasing darkness .

Bible: I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Luke 13:3


Christian : I love my neighbor, I believe the Bible is the Word of God, it's truth will set one free.

Atheist: There is no God! there is no universal truth or life after death....

Christian: Well, I love you and I don't want to get into a debate with you, if that's what you believe. If it makes you happy, then that's fine.

Bible: the soul that sinneth it shall die. Ezekiel 18:20

Female Co- worker: I live with my boyfriend and I think marriage is just a paper

Homosexual friend: yea, I was born gay and I know that God is fine with that because HE is love. What do you say to that our Christian friend?

Christian: Well, I believe in live and let live. I don't do these things but if you guys do them and it brings you fulfillment then that's just fine, who am I to Judge?

Bible: If I say to the wicked, 'Wicked one, you will surely die,' but you do not speak out to warn him about his way, that wicked person will die for his iniquity, yet I will hold you responsible for his blood. Ezekiel 33 :8

So you see friends to claim that you are a Christian and yet allowed your fellow brothers and sisters to believe in errors that will lead them to perdition is not love but pure hatred. You are making yourself an accomplice in their destructions. It is selfishness of the highest order to hold the truth that will bring life to others for yourself and not share it. Do not fall for the societal lies of Satan but ...


Bible: go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Mark 16:15

Should Christians Keep Their Religion In The Closet?

In this day and age, every type of perverse lifestyles are coming out of the closet while Christians are going in. Should us, Christians, allow that to happen? Should we ignore the scriptures and buy into false ideas of peace?



Separation of church and life

A strong lie that has greatly paralyzed the church is the idea that one's religious belief belongs in the confines of the church or in the privacy of their homes. My friends, this is a lie straight out  of the pits of hell. Can you imagine Jesus Christ limiting his religion to the privacy of the synagogue or his carpentry? If we claim to be Christians, we must follow the master into preaching the good news wherever and whenever opportunity arises. There can be no separation of church and the rest of our lives because the building structure is not the church. "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own" 1 Corinthians 6:19 .

Satan's way of silencing truth

Keeping our faith in Jesus Christ in the closet has allowed Satan to manifest his works in the open. As Christians, our most important task is to spread the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. How can we then spread the message when we spend the majority of our time at work being afraid of sharing our faith with others on the job? We will talk about anything but God and yet we claim that God is the number one in our lives. Saying is one thing, but actions speak louder than words. How do we think our co-workers would feel if in the day of judgment they see us being saved while they are not?...and the reason of their perdition could be because we talked to them about every worldly thing such as the world cup, the super bowl, the latest sitcom etc. but never about the salvation of God? Satan has used this idea of separating God from the rest of our lives to limit the reach of the Gospel.

Evil spreads when truth is silenced

As is evident in our society, Christians stay silent in order to be liked and not create divisions while others would not hold their peace. The explosion of the homosexual movement is a case in point. They are seeking to muzzle others while broadcasting their beliefs wherever they go because they associate their sinful acts with who they are. How many times have we shared with our co-workers  and friends, neighbors etc. the love of God and his ability to rescue any from their struggle? As Satan is using others to spread his lies on the earth, we should allow God to use us to counteract the enemies' lies with the truth of the Gospel that will set the captives free.

Let your light shine before men

Beloved! fall no more for this satanic lie of separating our belief in God from the rest of lives that is allowing the destructive works of darkness to spread like wild fires. But from this day forth, let our light shine on darkness so those who were stumbling may see. We are the temple of the Living God and as such our faith goes wherever we go. May God give us the strength to be his ambassadors to all people.

You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. Matthew 5:14,15