25 Jul 2017

I’ll Take A Bite Of That

by | posted in: Church, Culture | 12,585

There is a reason we follow recipes, to make something that is good and palatable, and also mostly because certain ingredients do not mix. One may change the type of cheese, or use almond milk instead of cow milk in a recipe. Because some ingredients may be different, they do not ruin the final product. It just gives it a different flavor. However, you may not replace the flower in pancakes with baking soda, because you would not end up with pancakes.

In the same way we must ensure we do not mix in outside worship of idols with the true worship of God. “Well”, one might add, “I only worship God”. Yes, by everything you understand you would believe that, but here lies my point. The worship of idols can sneak into the worship of God without it being obvious to us. Idols don’t always look like little brass statues that you can place on the mantle, though some of them might stick on the car window.

An idol that stands out is easily defeated, but one that slowly works its way in becomes natural and part of a culture. The mixing of idol worship and the worship of God may not seem distasteful to us, but is grossly unpalatable to God. This is where we come to the story of Balaam and Balak. In the book of numbers we find Balak, who was king over Moab, in fear of the Jews. He sends after Balaam knowing that “he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed”(Numbers 22:6). However, God warns Balaam to only speak what he is told. This does not go over well with Balak since Balaam ends up blessing Israel three times. Chapter 24 ends with Balaam telling what was to happen in the days to come and then vs. 25 of chapter 24 says “Then Balaam arose and departed and returned to his place, and Balak also went his way”.

The next chapter begins with the Israelites playing the harlot with the daughters of Moab, feasting on food sacrificed to idols and bowing to them as well. So the question is what happened? Here was a mighty nation moving along and following God’s plan and all of sudden they are joined to Baal of Peor. We find the rest of the story of Balak and Balaam in Revelation 2:12-17.

Balaam could not curse the people; however at some point he taught Balak how to trip them up. The verse says to place a “stumbling block” in front of them. Balak placed food sacrificed to idols in front of them to eat and enticed them to commit acts of immorality. This false worship and immorality led to Numbers chapter 25 in which the Lord became angry with Israel.

So why did Israel not reject the food and worship of Baal? Simply put, the food looked good and the women were pretty. “And if all I have to do is bow, then I get hot food and hot ladies… I mean this is their culture and I want to be seen as relevant, besides I still observe the Sabbath”. These things don’t seem so wrong, at least after the 3rd and 4th time. The word for “stumbling block” could also mean “snare”. Those that hunt and fish know you don’t catch prey if the bait doesn’t look enticing and the snare or stumbling block is visible. One trips over the “block” because their eyes are focused somewhere else; they don’t see it for what it is.

So what does this mean for us? We are smart people and we have access to more information than a bunch of folks running around in the desert. But knowledge is not as valuable as wisdom. Knowledge knows what it is we do, and where we go, and where we spend our time and money. Wisdom tells us why we do it. Godly wisdom is the key in understanding which items in our lives are idols and which are true worship and which ones need to be prayed about further.

So now we come to the Church in America, which is more accurately the American Church. So what is it, you might ask, that I am getting at? That the idols have crept into the church, which means there are those of us that worship things other than or along with God. The problem is the idols are different for each of us. (James 1:14) We can worship our sexuality, our “cause” be it pro or anti this and that, or even our politics. A person running for office often becomes our savior if we are not careful. “He/she will fix everything, if we can just get them elected.” We can even begin to praise our government, singing its praises in a worship service. We sacrifice our Saturdays to give honor to our favorite sports teams, and spend our weekday nights at ball parks in service to sports.

Now is it wrong to be pro or anti this and that? Is it wrong to want good leaders? Is it wrong to watch sports and let your kids play them? Depends on what you are searching for. You see the problem is not with the meat. All things are made clean and we know that there are no other gods. However, our desire to have those “meats” drives us to compromise and worship the idols that are associated with them. There is nothing wrong with a child playing baseball; it is when the game becomes the desire of our heart, or when we praise our nation as though it is our savior. It is when we miss where the meat comes from that we are led astray. We believe that the idol provides the meat we desire, whether it be peace, justice, happiness, or protection. These things are to be sought from God. Dead idols can do nothing for us.

This brings us back to us, the church. When we are enticed by the things of the world, we must be careful that they do not become the object of our affection. Because when they do, we will mix them in our true worship. The idols will compete with our worship of God and if not thrown down we will bow our knee to them and give Sunday lip service to the one true God.

12585 Responses

  2. Marjorie
    | Reply

    I’m wondering about the sound performance
    on these affordable video cheap cameras for vlogging
    [Marjorie].
    Has someone come across a low-cost external mic that functions
    well with these?

  3. memek
    | Reply

    Usually I do not learn article on blogs, however I wish to say that this write-up very
    forced me to take a look at and do so! Your writing taste has been surprised me.
    Thank you, very nice article.

  4. kontol
    | Reply

    This website definitely has all the information and facts I wanted
    about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.

  5. maps.google.cv
    | Reply

    I mսust thank you for the efforts you’ve put in writing this blog.
    I am hoping to check out the same high-grade contebt from
    you in thee fuure as well. In fact, your creative
    writing abilities has encourɑged me to get my very own site now ;
    )

    Feel free to surf to my web Ьlog … 1 (maps.google.cv)

  6. 1
    | Reply

    Wһat’s Going down i am new tߋ thіs, Ι stumbled
    upon this I’ve found It p᧐sitively uѕeful and it hass helped me ouut loads.

    I hߋpе tⲟ ive a cοntribution & helkp different cuѕtomers lⅼike its aided me.
    Good job.

    my ѡebb page 1

  7. Chi
    | Reply

    When your lingerie matches, you really do feel feminine and empowered. Typically we just want to feel good for ourselves! This can permit the garments to breathe and stay in good situation. We will co-ordinate the flowers to suit the fabric and color choices and can even add embelishments comparable to diamontes, feathers, loops of delicate vine or lace. A pin corsage could be pinned dresses and fits or on invitations and wedding favours even! If you coordinated with a buddy or a marriage ceremony celebration, it can be a lot more inexpensive. The costs there are sometimes too much more cheap and you are assured of great top of the range. Lingerie nz made lingerie, bridal lingerie, corsets, satin panties, g strings, see through bras, bikinis, teddies, bodysuits, child dolls, bustiers and rather more. Cymbidum Orchid Corsage $39.99 – Created with a much hardier orchid out there in white inexperienced yellow and bugundy. Opt for a white dendrobium orchid corsage with an extended stem, as it may be worn as a wrist corsage or as a shoulder corsage. And Suki Waterhouse proved why, as she shared sexy snaps on Instagram posing in white silk lingerie for a LOVE journal photoshoot. Bringing into use prime quality supplies reminiscent of sequins, treasured jewels, artisan silk and other exotic materials gathered from world wide, high-quality designers craft great underwear for women.

  10. defektolog
    | Reply

    We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your web site provided us with valuable info to work on. You have done a formidable job and our whole community will be grateful to you.

  17. coldwell banker
    | Reply

    An informative and well-written piece. The principles are easily understood and applied thanks to your thorough explanations and practical examples. Thank you for taking the time to provide such detailed information. Your time and knowledge are much appreciated.

  18. plus size kawaii clothing
    | Reply

    This is the right webpage for anybody who wants to
    find out about this topic. You realize so much its almost tough to argue with you (not
    that I personally will need to…HaHa). You definitely put a new spin on a topic which has
    been written about for a long time. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!

  21. youtube views company
    | Reply

    Outstanding article! As someone delving into methods to enhjance
    my youtube views company presence, this information is incredibly
    useful. Does anyone have experience with a specific video promotion agency that greatly boosted your channel’s performance?
    I’m particularly curious about solutions that focus on authentic growth.

    Any suggestjons or recommendations would be wonderful.

  22. kontol
    | Reply

    After I initially commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now
    on whenever a comment is added I get 4 emails with the same
    comment. There has to be an easy method you are able to remove me
    from that service? Many thanks!

  26. 幸せな名前
    | Reply

    This market reputation will aid in bringing more clients in the future as well so it’s necessary to build your own brand that will reap the right benefits in the future.

  33. click here
    | Reply

    There are definitely a number of particulars like that to take into consideration. That is a nice point to bring up. I provide the thoughts above as normal inspiration but clearly there are questions just like the one you deliver up where an important factor will likely be working in trustworthy good faith. I don?t know if finest practices have emerged around issues like that, however I’m certain that your job is clearly recognized as a good game. Both boys and girls really feel the impression of just a second’s pleasure, for the remainder of their lives.

  34. Tatnuple
    | Reply

    На мой взгляд, это интересный вопрос, буду принимать участие в обсуждении. Вместе мы сможем прийти к правильному ответу. Я уверен.
    сделать заявку элементарно! Выберите возникшие у застройщика позы и оставьте заказ на игровом выкуп нашим менеджерам. unitrade express – сервис, https://www.ristrutturazioniedilservice.it/hello-world/ с которым покупки на европейских и американских сайтах становятся простыми и доступными для всякого!

  35. Tatnuple
    | Reply

    Браво, замечательная фраза и своевременно
    Наша фирма в секторе доставки более 8-ми https://pediascape.science/wiki/%D0%94%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BA%D0%B0_%D0%A1%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%BD%D1%8B%D1%85_%D0%98_%D0%9F%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D1%8B%D1%85_%D0%A2%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2_%D0%98%D0%B7_%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2_%D0%A1%D0%A8%D0%90 лет. электронный каталог магазинов на сайте – мощный инструментарий для поиска необходимых товаров за границей.

  36. assisted living
    | Reply

    This is a fantastic piece! Your thorough research and engaging writing style make it a must-read for anyone interested in the topic. I appreciate the practical tips and examples you included. Thank you for sharing such valuable insights.

  41. site
    | Reply

    Thanks for every other informative website. Where else may I am getting that kind of info written in such an ideal way?
    I’ve a venture that I am simply now working on, and I’ve
    been at the glance out for such information.

  44. Pearlene
    | Reply

    I relish, result in I found just what I used to be looking for.

    You’ve ended my 4 day lengthy hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day.
    Bye

  46. KathleenKet
    | Reply

    Буду надеятся что втарая часть будет не хуже первой
    при всех обстоятельствах магазины на нижнем этаже выходили наружу: стекло оставалось дорогим, потому окно магазина закрывалось ставнями, из приемов во время работы магазина создавался прилавок, http://www.tradingsimply.com/trading/understanding/ покупатели при всем этом находились на улице.

  47. KathleenKet
    | Reply

    Замечательно, это очень ценный ответ
    Геродот сообщает то, что магазины изобрели лидийцы, это осуществилось практически одновременно с развитием монет, https://sumabai.com/junk/?p=90 впервые изготовленных в скучной Лидии в vii веке до н. э.

  48. Timhip
    | Reply

    Наша компания предоставляет возможность купить ветошь по низким ценам. Покупка всегда проходит быстро и оперативно, а приобрести продукцию, среди которой есть и ветошь, возможно оптом и в розницу. Вашему вниманию предоставляется самый разнообразный выбор товаров в зависимости от цели и назначения. Если покупка составляет 300 килограмм и больше, наша организация производит бесплатную доставку по области.

  49. AliceSwile
    | Reply

    Adaline Weekly from Madison was searching for comparison methods c3 coursework
    Constantia Lipoma uncovered the response to an inquiry comparison methods c3 coursework
    history of the fire service essay
    coursework help children
    master thesis software engineering pdf
    thesis statement about the rwandan genocide

    [url=https://domycollegehomeworkforme.com/]custom writings[/url]
    [url=https://essayservicehelp.com/]buy essay service[/url]
    [url=https://dissertationwritingtops.com/]essays writing services[/url]

    [url=https://community.anubah.com/showthread.php?tid=1174&pid=35295#pid35295]writing thesis abstract[/url] 101b375

  50. Mathias
    | Reply

    Hello! This is kind of off topic but I need some help from an established
    blog. Is it difficult to set up your own blog? I’m not very techincal but I can figure things
    out pretty fast. I’m thinking about making my own but I’m not sure where to start.
    Do you have any tips or suggestions? With thanks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *