Idol Worship

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#910 Lessons from Jonah – God’s Justice and Mercy

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

At the time Jonah was called of God to go to Nineveh, it was probably the most wicked as well as the greatest city in the world.  It was built by Nimrod, the father of idolatry after the Flood, and God promised to destroy the city for her wickedness.  Following Jonah’s ministry to the people of Nineveh they repented to the extent that God chose to spare the entire city; however, the people of a few generations later chose to return to their wicked ways and the city was totally destroyed, the ruins buried for over 2,500 years.  God’s justice demanded the destruction of Nineveh due to her wickedness, but it was God’s mercy that spared the city for the 150 years.  God’s justice demands eternal punishment for those that persist in their wickedness, but His mercy provided His Son as a sacrifice for those who accept Him as Savior.  Our eternal destiny is our choice by accepting or rejecting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, accepting His mercy?

“Who can tell if God will turn and repent, and turn away from His fierce anger, that we perish not?”   (Jonah 3:9)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#873 God’s Response to Spiritual Concerns – Ineffective or No Prayer Life, continued

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

As we consider guidelines as to how to pray, one of the first things we need to consider is to whom we are praying.  Scripture tells us that we are to pray to our heavenly Father who is alive and ready to hear our prayers and petitions, waiting to answer in accordance with His will.  Additionally, when we pray, we do so to our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ Who is our Intercessor as our High Priest.  There is no need and we should not pray to or through anyone else.  There are so many religions today that have their followers pray to either an idol, someone who is dead, or a made-up god.    We know and have full confidence that when we pray to God through Jesus that the prayers of we His saints will not go unheard and unanswered.  Can we say that of others to who people pray?

Is it not a blessing to know that you can go directly to God through Christ without going through many rituals that still do not address your needs?

“After this manner therefore pray ye:  ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.’”   (Matthew 6:9)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#701 Lessons from Ephesus – The Gospel Changes Lives

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

As we read the biblical account of the idol makers in Ephesus nearly inciting a riot because of their loss of business,[1] we come to the realization that God not only protected Paul from harm during the uprising allowing him to continue his ministry, but God was also using Paul to change the lives of people in Ephesus.  Paul was simply preaching and teaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, and his obedience in doing so changed the lives of enough people that the entire city of Ephesus was affected.  When people accept Christ as Savior they take on a new life, turning their back on sinful ways of the world.  Such was the case in Ephesus with idol worship ceasing, causing the idol makers to suffer losses financially.  Today, would it not be a blessing to see enough people accept Christ that it made an impact on the entire community?  We need to do our part by sharing the Gospel with those around us, seeking to make a change in their lives and the community in which we live.

 

Whereas you may not be a “Paul” in full-time ministry, you can make an impact with those in your sphere of influence by sharing the Gospel at every opportunity afforded you!

 

“…as the truth is in Jesus:  that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”  (Ephesians 4:21b-24 – NKJV)

[1] Acts 19:21-20:1

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#700 Lessons from Ephesus – The Idol Makers

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

One thing about idols is the fact that they are not alive.  Although today may find such idols being mass produced with machines, in Ephesus they were hand-made by idol-makers who made a very good living in their trade.  When Paul was preaching and teaching in Ephesus, there were those who were turning from their idolatrous ways and believing on Jesus Christ, meaning a loss of business for the idol makers which did not make them happy, causing them to incite citizens into a near riot.[1]  As was so often in Paul’s ministry the Lord protected him and he continued ministering.  We do not generally face the type of opposition for our beliefs that Paul faced; however, we sometimes will face ridicule concerning our faith.  What we do when that happens determines our true relationship with the Lord.  Either we back down or continue to serve the Lord as Paul did, asking Him for strength, courage, and protection.

 

Has someone made fun of you for your religious belief?  If so, how did you react?  Did you continue to serve the Lord or did you allow the ridicule to draw you away?

 

“Moreover ye see and hear, that not alone at Ephesus, but almost throughout all Asia, this Paul hath persuaded and turned away much people, saying that they be no gods, which are made with hands:  So that not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised, and her magnificence should be destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worshippeth.” (Acts 19:26-27)

[1] Acts 19:23-20:1

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#697 Lessons from Ephesus – Today’s Idols

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

People today in many parts of the world, whether believers or unbelievers, have a hard time understanding the worship of a god or goddess in a temple such as the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus.  But even in Ephesus there were numerous other idols to a god or goddess that people worshipped, and that is not unlike our world today.  Although many continue to worship and pray to wooden images instead of directly to God the Father through Jesus Christ, there are a multitude of idols that are worshipped daily, even by Christians.  An idol is anything that takes a priority in our lives over the Lord, possibly including money, success, material possessions, hobbies, sports, etc.  Although there is nothing necessarily wrong with them individually, when we place them before the Lord we sin and need to ask the Lord’s forgiveness, either putting them in their right place or disposing of them.

 

If you have something that is an “idol” in your life, ask the Lord to help you put it away, allowing Him to have first place in your life!

 

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.  Amen.” (I John 5:21)

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#696 Lessons from Ephesus – The Temple of Artemis

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 

Although a great revival was realized by the ministry of apostles Paul and John, there were those who would not accept their teaching, preferring to worship idols and gods that were plentiful during that time.  In fact, Ephesus had one of the seven wonders of the ancient world in the magnificent Temple of Artemis, also known as the Temple of Diana.  Destroyed and rebuilt numerous times, the ultimate temple was built of marble and was about four times larger than the Parthenon in Athens, Greece.  City dwellers, merchants, tourists, and kings came to Ephesus to worship the goddess Diana in the temple; however, today only a single column and stone fragments remain of the once glorious structure.  Only our God is living, true and everlasting, not like the dead and wooden gods of human hands and minds.  We worship and serve a living God that loves us and with whom we can commune through Bible study and prayer.  What a blessing!

 

In your time of Bible study and prayer today thank God that He is living and makes His presence known to you continually!

 

“I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen.”  (Revelation 1:18a)

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#605 Worship – True Worship to the True God

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

“Worship is an active response to God whereby we declare His worth.”[1]  True worship in the Bible is an active response to God, not other supposed deities or things such as money.  Although the word “worship” in the Bible is used for more than response to just God, the only true worship is to the only true God.  Today, there are too many people who “worship” someone or something other than God; mistakenly believing that the other someone or something can bring them happiness or eternal life.  Scripture is clear that there is only one way to heaven, that being to accept by faith the Lord Jesus Christ who is God.  With Scripture being the only true Word of God, God Himself is the only One deserving our worship.  Tomorrow we will look at the third area of the quote, that of declaring God’s worth.

Be careful that your worship is to the one true God and to Him alone!

“What use is a carved idol after its craftsman carves it?  It is only a cast image, a teacher of lies.  For the one who crafts its shape trusts in it and makes idols that cannot speak.”  (Habakkuk 2:18 – HCSB)

May God Richly Bless You Today

[1] Ronald Allen and Gordon Borrow, Worship, Portland:  Multnomah Press, 1982

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#499 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – Lessons from Evil Doers VI

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The Israelites not only failed to listen to God’s call and His speaking to them, they persisted on doing evil in His sight and failing to do the things that would delight Him.  Their ways were in directed disobedience to His commands and laws as they not only worshipped their idols, but lived lives of debauchery and heathenism.  He gave them fair warnings of judgments of death and ruin along with fair promises of life and happiness, yet they chose to ignore both.  Their evil was done deliberately, not accidently; their lives were patterned to delight themselves, not God.  That is the way it is when people fail to choose God’s way, they persist in sin and those things that do not please Him.  Sin is evil in God’s eyes, yet many continue to sin right before Him.  To honor and please God, and to avoid judgment, we first must accept His salvation, then live lives that delight Him, following His footsteps and continually striving to become more and more Christlike.

Strive to delight God in everything you say and do!

“He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.”  (Psalm 18:19)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#494 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – Lessons from Evil Doers I

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It has been said, and is indeed true, that we learn from our mistakes; however, how much better is it to learn from the mistakes of others, if we are willing to do so.  Isaiah recorded some of the sins the nation of Israel committed that led God to punish them in His holy righteousness.  Let us look at these, learn from them, and make our lives honoring to God.  Yesterday we saw that there were those who refused the right kind of worship toward God, instead choosing to worship and patronize their idols.  God wants us to worship Him, and Him alone!  Any church in which we worship should recognize Jesus Christ as God and that He died on the cross for our sins, was buried, rose again, appeared to many in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, and ascended to Heaven where He sits at the right hand of the Father.  Our churches should recognize that the only way of salvation is accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord, and that we have direct access to our heavenly Father only through Jesus Christ, our High Priest.  Isaiah also listed other sins these evil doers did that we will look at and learn from tomorrow.

As you study your Bible, look at the ways God was dishonored through sin, learn from them, and live a life pleasing to Him, ever striving to be more Christlike!

“Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe:  for there is no difference:  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God:  Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  (Romans 3:22-24)

May God Richly Bless You Today

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#493 Judgment and Promises (Isaiah 65) – God’s Fate for Those Forsaking Him

Good Day Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

There are many people who refuse to believe that a good God would give eternal punishment for not believing in Him.  Yet, God’s Word states that the unbelievers have the same opportunity as believers to trust in Him; it is their choice to make, knowing the consequences of each side of the choice.  Isaiah has just told of the reward and renewal that believers have the promise of receiving someday,[1] but what about those who do not obey and believe God?  It is very clear that God will not tolerate those who forsake Him and worship idols; those who forget or fail to properly worship Him and those who place food and drink before idols in order to please them.  Many today worship falsely through religions that fail to acknowledge Jesus as Savior and Lord or that bring in currently popular beliefs or philosophies that are contrary to God’s Word or that add their beliefs through their own additions to the Bible.  Likewise, many still pray to wooden idols and false spirits for access to God when we have Christ Jesus as our High Priest and direct intercessor with God.  These are the people who God says will suffer His punishment.

If you have accepted Christ as Savior and properly worship the only true God, be thankful you made the choice of eternal life, not the choice of eternal punishment!

“But ye are they that forsake the LORD, that forget My holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop [Gad], and that furnish the drink offering unto that number [Meni].  Therefore will I number you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter.”  (Isaiah 65:11-12a)

May God Richly Bless You Today

[1] Isaiah 65:8-10