25 Jul 2017

I’ll Take A Bite Of That

by | posted in: Church, Culture | 11,343

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.

11343 Responses

  3. Fitspresso
    | Reply

    Hi, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your website in Safari, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, fantastic blog!

  4. Robertved
    | Reply

    Покер на костях во многом похож на классический карточный покер. Играть могут от 2-х до 4-х человек. Выигрывает тот, кто за 12 раундов наберет больше очков, чем соперники. Каждый ход игрок бросает 5 костей (можно сделать 3 броска) и составляет комбинации из цифр, выпавших на костях. Каждая комбинация приносит определенное количество очков, а называются они так же, как в карточном покере – «стрит», «фул хаус», «каре» и другие. Во многом победа в покере на костях зависит от удачи, но необходимо и умение быстро высчитывать вероятность, а также опыт, и когда осторожность, когда готовность идти на риск. Игра бесплатная, но требуется авторизация.

  7. beneteau
    | Reply

    Outstanding post however , I was wanting to know if you could write a litte more on this topic? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit more. Kudos!

  8. اجاره اکسیژن ساز
    | Reply

    We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme
    in our community. Your website offered us with valuable information to work on. You have done an impressive
    job and our entire community will be thankful to you.

  10. بیو اینستا
    | Reply

    I used to be recommended this web site by way of my cousin. I am no longer certain whether or not this publish is written through him
    as nobody else realize such certain about my
    trouble. You’re amazing! Thanks!

  14. bán dâm trẻ em
    | Reply

    Excellent post but I was wanting to know if you could write a litte
    more on this subject? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a little bit further.
    Appreciate it!

  16. نصب کرکره برقی در تهران
    | Reply

    Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as long as I provide credit and sources back to your website?
    My website is in the very same niche as yours and my visitors would really benefit from a lot of the information you present here.

    Please let me know if this alright with you. Thanks!

  18. Java Burn
    | Reply

    Heya i am for the first time here. I came across this board and I to find It truly useful & it helped me out much. I’m hoping to offer something again and help others like you aided me.

  20. pepek
    | Reply

    Good post. I learn something new and challenging on sites I
    stumbleupon on a daily basis. It will always be exciting to read articles from
    other authors and practice something from other web sites.

  21. газовый generac
    | Reply

    Как не ошибиться при покупке генератора Generac, советы по выбору генератора Generac.
    В чем отличие генератора Generac от других моделей?, подробный обзор генератора Generac.
    Как получить бесперебойное электроснабжение с помощью генератора Generac, рекомендации.
    Настоящее качество: генераторы Generac, рассмотрение функционала.
    Преимущества использования генератора Generac, обзор.
    Как правильно выбрать генератор Generac для своих нужд?, советы эксперта.
    Энергия без перебоев: генераторы Generac для дома, рассмотрение преимуществ.
    Секреты правильного выбора генератора Generac, подробный обзор.
    Безопасность и надежность: генераторы Generac, советы по установке.
    Обеспечение надежного энергоснабжения с помощью генератора Generac, подбор модели.
    генератор generac авр https://generac-generatory1.ru/ .

  22. olsomi
    | Reply

    I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here The sketch is tasteful your authored subject matter stylish nonetheless you command get got an edginess over that you wish be delivering the following unwell unquestionably come further formerly again as exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this hike

  23. купить generac газовый генератор
    | Reply

    Как не ошибиться при покупке генератора Generac, гайд по выбору генератора Generac.
    Почему стоит выбрать генератор Generac?, анализ генератора Generac.
    Генератор Generac для надежного источника энергии, подробный обзор.
    Настоящее качество: генераторы Generac, подробный обзор.
    Почему генераторы Generac так популярны?, характеристики.
    Эффективное решение для энергетической безопасности: генераторы Generac, советы эксперта.
    Энергия без перебоев: генераторы Generac для дома, характеристики.
    Секреты правильного выбора генератора Generac, анализ функционала.
    Генератор Generac для обеспечения непрерывного электроснабжения, особенности использования.
    Энергия в вашем доме: генераторы Generac, характеристики.
    купить generac газовый генератор купить generac газовый генератор .

  25. pepek
    | Reply

    excellent points altogether, you simply received a new reader.
    What could you suggest about your put up that you simply made a few days in the past?
    Any positive?

  26. The Wealth Signal
    | Reply

    I will immediately seize your rss feed as I can’t to find your email subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve any? Kindly let me know so that I could subscribe. Thanks.

  27. www.hacifaiklahmacun.com/
    | Reply

    Hi, I do think this is an excellent web site. I stumbledupon it 😉 I will revisit yet again since I book marked it.
    Money and freedom is the greatest way to change, may you be rich and continue to guide other people.

  29. Darts Prediction News Today
    | Reply

    Hello there, I discovered your website by the use
    of Google even as searching for a comparable subject, your web site came up, it looks good.
    I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.
    Hello there, simply was alert to your weblog through Google, and found that it’s really informative.

    I’m gonna be careful for brussels. I’ll be grateful for those who proceed this in future.
    Many other folks will be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!

  32. lamyy
    | Reply

    Nice replies in return of this question with genuine arguments and explaining all concerning that.

  33. hey
    | Reply

    Hi! I’m at work browsing your blog from my new iphone 3gs!
    Just wanted to say I love reading through your
    blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the superb work!

  35. 看護師夜勤なし年収
    | Reply

    In Ponzi’s case, he guaranteed to double his investors’ money in just three months by buying and selling “international reply coupons,” a way to prepay foreign postage on international mail.

  36. 3315 掲示板
    | Reply

    You will have to comply with the regulatory requirements like submitting your KYC application, open an NRE, NRO, or FCNR account (a demat account if you are an Indian citizen) with a bank in the country.

  39. Hosea Hodkiewicz
    | Reply

    At Pipzr, we believe that anyone can turn their passion into a thriving business. Our platform offers a variety of ways to help you generate income while doing what you love. Here’s how you can start earning:

  40. Rodolfo
    | Reply

    You may often find the same issues on-line that you’d find in your native lingerie store. If you need even more exotic bridal innerwear or if you are feeling shy to explore lingerie in a departmental store, then online buying may very effectively be the most effective choices because it offers you more privacy & choice than any offline lingerie retailer. Well, not it’s essential bang your head, as proper here you can see the most effective ways to buying comfy lingerie. Undeniably, proper fitting is the prime way to make sure consolation, but aside from this, you also need to understand its fabric. Undoubtedly, no one is going to take a look at it, however in order to stay snug all through and get correct support for the impeccable wedding ceremony gown, finest fitting lingerie is a must. All you require is to make in-depth research work of the appropriate type that fits greatest on your construction. So purchase lingerie from the net lingerie store in Canada to acquire the best measurement on your physique construction.

Leave a Reply

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