I’ll Take A Bite Of That

posted in: Church, Culture | 14,014

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.

14014 Responses

  1. Mobile Vehicle Weighing Scales

    What’s Going down i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I have
    found It positively helpful and it has aided me out loads.
    I’m hoping to give a contribution & help other
    users like its helped me. Good job.

  2. Rugs Eastern Suburbs

    I think this is one of the most significant information for
    me. And i’m glad reading your article. But want to remark on some general things, The website style is perfect, the articles is really great :
    D. Good job, cheers

  3. Rugs North Shore

    That is really fascinating, You’re a very professional blogger.
    I have joined your rss feed and sit up for in quest of more
    of your fantastic post. Also, I have shared your site in my
    social networks

  4. Best Guide To Cleaning Surfaces Before Painting

    Hey there! I know this is kinda off topic however , I’d figured I’d ask.

    Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest
    writing a blog post or vice-versa? My website discusses a lot of the same
    subjects as yours and I think we could greatly benefit from each other.
    If you are interested feel free to shoot me
    an email. I look forward to hearing from you!
    Wonderful blog by the way!

  5. Epoxy Painting Sydney

    I like the helpful info you provide in your articles.

    I’ll bookmark your blog and check again here frequently.
    I am quite certain I will learn many new stuff right here!

    Best of luck for the next!

  6. JosephOrile

    На засушливой земле недалеко от угандийского города Юмбе, где почти 200 000 беженцев поселились в общине, известной как Биди-Биди, ученые возводят единственное пространство для представлений и искусств.
    За последние семь лет Биди-Биди превратился из быстрорастущего лагеря для беженцев, скрывающихся от гражданской войны в Южном Судане, в постоянное поселение. Центр музыки и искусств Биди-Биди, который в сейчас только строится, будет представлять собой невысокий, наполненный светом амфитеатр из металла и камня, где также разместится студия акустической звукозаписи и раздел музыкальных направлений.
    Прямая металлическая крыша центра будет служить второй цели, кроме укрытия: она представляет собой форму воронки для сбора дождевой воды для людей. Тем временем снаружи будет возводиться древесный питомник и плантации.
    Центр, спроектированный архитектурной фирмой Hassell и LocalWorks, дизайн-студией, расположенной в столице Уганды Кампале, представляет собой редкий пример архитектурного новшества, посвященного искусству в перемещенных лицах. Это могло бы быть примером для других поселений.
    Ксавье Де Кестелье, управляющий главного подразделения дизайна в Hassell, провозгласил, что он надеется, что центр станет катализатором для огромного количества подобных проектов. Так как за последнее время количество беженцев во всем мире резко возросла, достигнув более 35 миллионов в 22-м году, некоторые временные лагеря, такие как Биди-Биди, превратились в постоянные поселения, похожие на города. Поскольку кризис климата усиливает погодные условия, что, в свою очередь, может привести к нехватке продуктов питания, ожидается, что количество эмигрантов во всем мире будет только возрастать.
    Источник bigrush.top

  7. Interior Painting Near Me

    Nice blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download it from somewhere?

    A theme like yours with a few simple adjustements would really make my blog stand out.
    Please let me know where you got your theme. Appreciate it

  8. justcarpetsauburn

    Link exchange is nothing else except it is simply placing the other person’s blog link on your page at proper place and other
    person will also do same in support of you.

  9. joker388

    I’ll right away snatch your rss as I can’t find your e-mail
    subscription link or e-newsletter service. Do you’ve
    any? Please let me recognize so that I may just subscribe.
    Thanks.

  10. xmc.pl

    I recently had my websites rebuilt and i am trying to find new ways to
    make it better.Your design is quite nice and your posts are well-structured.
    I though that it would be nice to say that i will use some of your “know-how”.

  11. Epoxy Painting Sydney

    continuously i used to read smaller articles or reviews which as
    well clear their motive, and that is also happening with this piece of
    writing which I am reading here.

  12. Multi Family Office Singapore

    Wonderful blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers?
    I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a
    little lost on everything. Would you propose starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for
    a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m totally confused ..
    Any suggestions? Kudos!

    Check out my blog post Multi Family Office Singapore

  13. Epoxy Painting Sydney

    It is appropriate time to make some plans for the future and it is
    time to be happy. I have learn this publish and if I may I wish to recommend you
    few attention-grabbing things or suggestions. Maybe you
    can write subsequent articles relating to this article.
    I wish to read even more issues approximately it!

  14. kamagra online

    Hey there outstanding website! Does running a blog like this require a lot of work?

    I’ve absolutely no understanding of computer programming however I had been hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyways, should you have
    any suggestions or techniques for new blog owners please share.
    I know this is off topic but I simply wanted to ask. Thanks a
    lot!

    Here is my blog post :: kamagra online

  15. Robertnuart

    А вы сами поняли?
    Главная сложность, которая ожидает пользователей, выбравших для игры данный ресурс – это проблемный вход на ресурс https://www.journalpsych.org/1875/4-%d8%b9%d9%84%d8%a7%d9%85%d8%a7%d8%aa-%d8%aa%d8%b4%d9%8a%d8%b1-%d8%a5%d9%84%d9%89-%d8%a3%d9%86-%d8%b2%d9%88%d8%ac%d9%83-%d9%8a%d8%b1%d9%8a%d8%af-%d8%a5%d8%b5%d9%84%d8%a7%d8%ad-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%a3/. такие проблемы обусловлены моментов, что российское законодательство не приветствует организацию азартных игр даже в онлайн-формате.

  16. code promotionnel pour 1xbet

    Code promo 1xBet pour 2023, seulement, il vous donne un bonus de bienvenue de 100% jusqu’à 130€/$. Code promotionnel 1xbet aujourd’hui Il s’agit d’un bonus de dépôt d’inscription, et vous pouvez l’utiliser pour les paris sportifs et les sports. Le programme de bonus du bookmaker 1xbet couvre presque toutes les activités de jeu des clients. De plus, les offres en termes de bonus peuvent concerner aussi bien les débutants que les joueurs expérimentés, offrant des préférences et des avantages supplémentaires à différentes étapes du jeu.

  17. gates of olympus

    Great post however I was wondering if you could write
    a litte more on this subject? I’d be very grateful if you could elaborate a
    little bit further. Bless you!

  18. DanaAtosy

    Я считаю, что тема весьма интересна. Предлагаю Вам это обсудить здесь или в PM.
    ему окажется способствовать расслабляющая климат в спальне, созданная при помощи спокойных оттенков фоновых картинок для разных поверхностей, штор, других текстильных аксессуаров, подходящее освечивание, http://ist-sa.co.kr/bbs/board.php?bo_table=free&wr_id=55469 эргономическая мебель.

  19. arwanatoto

    Bonus Selamat Tiba
    ARWANATOTO sering menyongsong pemain anyar dwngan sebuah bonus elamat ada yang menarik.
    Bonus ini sering termasuk midal tambahan yang dikoasihkan kke pemain berdasar pada jumlah deposit pertama mereka.
    Atas bonus ini, pemain punya saldo tambahan buat dipakai pada permainan.

    Promo Periodik
    ARWANATOTO menggelar prom perioxik yang memberi hadiah menarik pada pemain. Ini daapat berbentuk kompetisi, undian, atau penawaran bonus pribadi.

    Pemain bisa menggunakan promo ini untuk mempertingkat kemungkinan mereka saat mencetak
    kemenangan.

  20. Seefeyka

    Buy Proxy
    Rent of individual IPV4 and IPV6 proxy
    https://bit.ly/3rGqWvN
    Individual proxies up to 100 mb/sec
    Manual IP selection and subnet selection, you can also select a city
    The lowest prices on the proxy market, cheaper in bulk
    48 Hours Refund/Replacement Address Guaranteed
    Stable work of proxy addresses
    Everything is automated. Proxies are activated immediately after payment
    When renewing, you can remove or add new IPs to the order. There is also Auto-renewal
    HTTP/SOCKS5 protocols. The system produces automatically in two formats at once
    IP binding (up to 3 IPs per order)
    2500 different networks and subnets
    Convenient multi-functional API and personal account
    Buy from 1 IP for a rental period of 5 days or more
    Technical support and live chat work from 24/7. Seven days a week

  21. joker123

    Hey there! This post could not be written any better! Reading this
    post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept talking about this.
    I will forward this page to him. Pretty sure he will have
    a good read. Thanks for sharing!

  22. SLOT LIGALOTUS

    I am not certain where you’re getting your info, but great topic.

    I needs to spend some time learning much more or figuring out more.
    Thank you for wonderful info I used to be on the lookout for this info for my mission.

    Look into my web blog – SLOT LIGALOTUS

Leave a Reply

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