Learning Worship from Idolators

This article is based on an interesting premise: that we can learn something about worship by studying idolaters. In this case, the author looks at the idolatry of the sports fanatic.

I’ve been thinking about a series of posts called “Learning Worship from the Idolators” for quite some time now. But today I couldn’t delay it any longer because this just landed in my inbox:

Our Brady, who art in Foxborough, hallowed be thy arm.
Thy bowl will come, it will be won, in Indy as it is in New England.
Give us these two weeks, our daily practices, and give us many touchdown passes, but do not let the Giants pass against us.
Lead us not into frustration, but deliver us to the valley of the sun.
For thine is the MVP, the best of the AFC, and the glory of the Patriots, now and forever, AMEN

(For those who don’t follow American football, the Superbowl – the championship game – is coming this weekend. The Patriots, led by Tom Brady, will trounce are playing against the Giants.)

I am simultaneously encouraged by the latent biblical literacy implied by this chain email and horrified at the blasphemy.

Frankly, they worship better than we do.

When was the last time you saw a church devoted as Pittsburg Steelers fans? Or as invested as a “helicopter parent”? To put it quite bluntly, Christians suck at lifestyles of worship. Sure, we have pretty songs and ”relevant” worship services. But our lives don’t reflect a passion for our God like idolators reflect their idols.

What this post isn’t: I am not going to start condemning idolatry of sports. It’s obviously sinful and it’s covered well all over the internet.

What this post is: Humans worship… something. If it isn’t God it’s something else. That means thateveryone everywhere can teach us something about how to worship. I want to explore what the Church can learn about worship from the habits of unapologetic idolaters.

So what can we learn from sports idolaters?

Fan means Fanatic

The Idolatry

You know this person.

Everyone he meets knows about his love for The Team.

He isn’t just a fan. He is a fanatic.

He can make any conversation - regardless of its content or context - relate to The Team. He can make any interaction become a praise to The Player. The conversations he starts are about The Game.

What We Can Ask Ourselves

Do people even know I’m a Christian?

What do I continually “relate back to”?

Am I looking for ways to insert/connect the gospel into conversation?

Do I connect the events of my life back to God, His will and His glory?

Let me look like my hero.

The Idolatry

We wear their jerseys.

We buy the products they endorse.

We watch television shows breaking down every angle of their play.

We want to know the details of their personal lives.

What We Can Ask Ourselves

Looking like Jesus is called sanctification. It’s not about physical appearance – it’s about hungering and thirsting after righteousness.

Do I want to look like God more and more?

Do I spend my resources on things which glorify Him?

Do I dig into God’s “playbook” as much as I do the New England Patriots’ play calls?

Broken Dreams

The Idolatry

Major sporting events have an impact on a region’s stock exchange habits. (Seriously, my father researched this for his Ph.D dissertation.)

Riots break out in cities that lose the big game.

We throw parades for championship winning teams.

The President of the United States invites the champions to the White House.

What We Can Ask Ourselves

What in my life has the ability to affect the way I make financial decisions?

What makes me sad? Excited? Is the gospel on that list? Is evangelism on that list?

At the end of a bad day, what do I comfort myself with saying, “At least I have ______.”

A Heritage for Future Generations

The Idolatry

We teach our children those things we hold most sacred. If we value ourselves, we neglect them. If we value grades, we tutor them. If we value sports, we indoctrinate them.

What We Can Ask Ourselves

What am I teaching my children? The children in my community? My church?

It’s easy to condemn sports altogether. I’d caution against it.

We can use sports for entertainment, healthy competition, exercise and evangelism. The key is to remember that God gave us sports for our good and God is the real blessing – not sports.

10 Commandments Prayer

Lord, please counsel us by revealing the subtle deceptions of the human heart. We pray:

1. . . . that we will have no other gods before You. That we will not dishonor Your uniqueness. That we will not put anything or anyone in Your place, nor fall prey to the schemes of the devil by replacing the ultimate priority (You) with worldly pleasures, possessions, power, or pursuits (1 Jn 2:15–17). That the use of our time and energy will reflect the Lordship of Christ and that our souls will pant and thirst for You, O God, (Ps 42:1, 2).
2. . . . that we will not provoke Your jealousy by worshipping You through things seen, felt, or touched. That we will not dishonor Your nature as a Spirit being. That we will not get caught up in the elements of worship at the expense of the Person being worshipped. That we will worship You in spirit and truth (John 4:24), and “see” You as exalted and, therefore, get caught up in “worth-ship.” That we will not place our faith in human reason or things seen, but instead walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7).
3. . . . that we will not use Your holy Name carelessly. That we will not dishonor Your character. That we will not misrepresent You by using Your Name falsely (Ps 24:3, 4), hypocritically (Titus 1:16), blasphemously (James 2:7), rashly (Eccl 5:2, 3), or irreverently (James 3:8–11), or speak of holy things flippantly. That our talk will not be dominated by meaningless, empty or idle words (Matt 12:36), but always by reverence and prudence.
4. . . . that we will follow your creation principle of rest. That we will honor Your wisdom. That we will not allow the American “rat race” to rob us of stopping to look at the sunset (Ps 24:1). That You will help us to be diligent and faithful workers, but at the same time guard us from becoming slaves to our earthly employments (Col 3:22–24). That we will not allow busyness and worldly pleasures to destroy the immense worth and uniqueness of the Lord’s Day. That corporate worship will be more important than hunting, fishing, or football. That we will realize the most valuable family time is not spent in front of the TV, but in Your house learning Your Word (Acts 20:7).
5. . . . that we will show reverence and respect for our earthly parents. That we will honor Your authority structures. That we will not be like the world—disobedient to parents (2 Tim 3:2), but instead will teach our children to cheerfully obey, with respect. That we will not forget our elderly parents and grandparents, but will gladly accept the role-reversal of becoming their caregivers (1 Tim 5:3, 4). That we will recognize earthly parents as gifts to be honored and treasured, but not more than Christ (Matt 10:37). That we will learn to be submissive and respectful toward the authorities You have ordained (Rom 13:1–7), while at the same time faithfully praying for our leaders (1 Tim 2:1–4).
6. . . . that we will not hate or kill. That we will not dishonor Your gift of life or Your love. That we will not allow the sun to go down on our anger so that it becomes deep-seated hatred, resentment, or bitterness (Eph 4:26), or hate our brother or sister in the Lord and, therefore, be liars that dwell in darkness (1 Jn 2:9, 11; 3:15; 4:20). That we will love our neighbors as ourselves and be lights in a dark world by cherishing the sanctity of human life, young and old and disabled. That we will show the world that children are valuable blessings, not inconveniences or burdens, and plead with You to change the hearts of women who selfishly seek abortions, men who fearfully force them, and doctors who gladly assist them.
7. . . . that we will not lust or commit adultery. That we will not dishonor Your gift of sexuality. That husbands will rejoice in their wives and wives rejoice in their husbands (Prov 5:18), holding the marriage covenant in the highest regard and the marriage bed undefiled (Heb 13:4). That those of us who are unmarried will find our fullest satisfaction in You by fleeing youthful lusts and pursuing righteousness, faith, love, and peace (2 Tim 2:22). That all of us would maintain purity of mind by avoiding TV programs, videos, magazines, or Internet sites that stimulate and feed the flesh (Phil 4:8). That we will pray for the fruit of the Holy Spirit, which is self-control.
8. . . . that we will not steal from You or from others. That we will not dishonor Your provision. That we will not steal from You by withholding Your tithe from our church because of unbelief or self-centered spending habits (Mal 3:8), but give motivated by grace (2 Cor 8:1-9). That we will not steal from others by taking advantage of them or being habitually late for appointments. That we will flee laziness and pursue hard work (Prov 6:6–11), and avoid all financial dealings that call integrity into question. That we will not steal from government by cheating on our taxes (Rom 13:6), or steal from our family by wasting money on foolish habits (1 Tim 5:8), or buy a lottery ticket or enter a casino (Prov 28:22). That we will learn to be good stewards of the money You have entrusted to our care, faithfully giving our first-fruits to You and wisely managing the rest (Prov 3:9-10).
9. . . . that we will not lie against one another. That we will not dishonor Your truth. That we will not practice perjury (Prov 24:28), bribery (Prov 17:23), slander (Prov 10:18), gossip (Prov 11:13), or flattery (Psalm 12:2, 3). That we will not make false claims about ourselves or wear masks to impress or deceive others, speaking only the truth in love (Eph 4:15), and building our relationships on trustworthiness. That we will tell the whole truth and not reveal only the facts that make us look good. That we will be true friends by honoring confidences (Prov 17:9). That we will not lie in church by singing songs of worship to You from our lips and not from our hearts (Matt 15:8). That we will honor Your truth at all times by pursuing authentic Christian living.
10. . . . that we will not crave earthly belongings. That we will not dishonor Your gifts. That we will not desire what is not rightfully ours and endeavor to acquire it, but instead treat other people’s property with respect. That our hearts will not be captivated by affection for money or this world’s goods (1 Tim 6:8–10). That we will resist the temptation to put trust in credit cards and learn to say “no” to impulse buying. That we will replace envy with gratitude and conscious thanksgiving (1 Pet 2:1), praise instead of complaint, and prayer instead of worry (Phil 4:6, 7). That we will learn to be content in any and every circumstance (Phil 4:11).

Heavenly Father, we pray this for ourselves and our brothers and sisters in Christ. May You grant all of us the grace to be Your obedient servants! In Jesus Name, Amen.

Idols Everywhere You Look

Given the amount of column inches and air-time given to politics, one could be forgiven for thinking that politics is actually a religion, or even a deity with Sovereign and Savior-like qualities. But no one really believes that do they?

In the communist era maybe, but not today, right?

In Russia maybe, but not in the USA, right?

In the extreme left of the Democratic party maybe, but not among conservatives, right?

Think again, last week, in the USA, a highly respected conservative journalist revealed that politics is his god. Dr Charles Krauthammer (yes, I’m afraid so) used his Washington Post column as a call to worship with him:

For all the sublimity of art, physics, music, mathematics and other manifestations of human genius, everything depends on the mundane, frustrating, often debased vocation known as politics…Because if we don’t get politics right, everything else risks extinction…

We grow justly weary of our politics. But we must remember this: Politics — in all its grubby, grasping, corrupt, contemptible manifestations — is sovereign in human affairs. Everything ultimately rests upon it…

Fairly or not, politics is the driver of history. It will determine whether we will live long enough to be heard one day [he means heard by aliens – I’ll get to that!]

I find this so hard to believe, coming as it does from a man whose opinions I respect and whose character I’ve admired. “Everything depends on politics…politics is sovereign…politics is the driver of history…politics determines the length of our lives and of the earth’s existence.”

(By the way, if you substitute “Jesus Christ” for “politics” in these quotes, you come pretty close to an orthodox confession of faith. But that would never have got past the Washington Post censors, would it!)

I found it doubly hard to believe because it came in the same article that Krauthammer expressed the opinion that extra-terrestrial life exists and that it shall soon be discovered, even within the next few years!

At this point, my incredulity was so far off the scale that I double-checked to see if it was all written tongue in cheek. I wasn’t sure which claim was the most outlandish, that politics was God, or that ET was just around the corner. But I couldn’t find any evidence that Krauthammer had written with his tongue in his cheek or with a New Year’s dram in his mouth.

And people say believing in God is difficult! For all my interest in politics, I find it easier to believe that ET will phone us one day than that politics is our last best hope. If ever there was an opportune time to call everyone away from vain hopes of societal transformation via politics, it’s now. The problems are too huge, the people are too small, the proposed policies are too trivial.

While Christians should strongly support the political process and play an active role, we must do so with the base belief that neither the best personalities nor the best policies give us any hope of “saving” a nation. If we believe otherwise, we are dishonoring God by substituting an idol for Him, and risk therefore forfeiting His all-too-necessary blessing. We are also doomed to despair.

We so desperately need politicians who recognize and confess the limitations of even the best politics and policitians, and who will say instead, “Everything depends on God…God is sovereign…God is the driver of history…God determines the length of our lives and of the earth’s existence…Therefore let’s seek His blessing by honoring Him in all we say and do.”

Alternatively, and more briefly: “In God we trust.”

Why We Need Jesus

Michael Horton has an article in the December issue of Christianity Today. He says that reason and morality cannot show us a good and gracious God. For that, we need the Incarnation.

Keep Reading...

Beautiful Feet

Beautiful Feet Project from AsiaLink HistoryMaker on Vimeo.

The Prosperity Gospel

Think the likes of Kenneth Copeland, Benny Hinn, Creflo Dollar, and other prosperity preachers is only a problem in the United States? Think again.

As I prepare for India, there have been a number of things I have pondered. One is the incredible spread of the prosperity gospel in the developing world. God forbid that this mess continues in the name of Jesus!

One nation in the world that has been extremely susceptible to this has been Nigeria. Watch this and notice the way Scripture is twisted to support their own desires. Anyone else thinking of Matthew 4?

Nigerian Fake Pastors and Church Business Exposed from Maku Zikya on Vimeo.

Now watch as John Piper responds to the Prosperity Gospel.

Why I abominate the prosperity gospel

Child Sacrifice

Think child sacrifice is an ancient, outdated practice from minor people groups in the Old Testament and tribes you have only read about in history class?

Think again.

Deuteronomy 18:9-13
When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the LORD your God.