Those who have the greatest Joy serving Christ in this life hold on to this life very loosely. Jesus said in Luke 14;25-27 that we must be ready to leave our families, and take nothing for contingent self sufficiency (Luke 9:3-4). Either we trust him to provide or we do not.
Surely the principle Jesus is spelling out to each and every follower is that we hold onto nothing dearly other than Him. Should we have Him both for now and eternity, you and I are wealthy beyond measure. It is essential to understand that we will never have true fruitfulness serving Him in this life if a compartment of our heart reserves special status for things we love other than Him. That is idolatry, and even though we might think it insignificant, or in someway excusably offset by other merits, it will always compromise our instincts, attitudes and abilities, we'll never be "fully in" and focussed on the things He has called us to. Likewise we will never have full joy in service if we seek to find our joy and treasure in other things, however small an affection we protest we have for them, or complain that our biggest affection is still for Him. As my old Sunday school teacher used to rattle off on a regular basis..."Either He is either Lord or all or not Lord of all." They were 100% bang on.
I guess what prompts me to write this is the regularity I see the subtle re-emergence of this battle, not just in my own life but in those around me and across the world in ministry. Idols although different across the world are still made in our own image for self gratification. Sin is Sin, humans are humans wherever you meet them. We are made to worship, and when we make what we worship it is always pathetically inferior to the Living God.
I've noticed some traits:
1) As we get older our propensity for little idols increases. This is really subtle. The enemy makes sure it is subtle. The older generations speak of the younger ones and their idolatry, their appetite for pleasure and self service as if they never knew what that was like. My major concern is for those in ages 40-100 who don't even see it as they serve. Partly because they are statistically nearer leaving the life they should hold on to so lightly and partly because they likely have less time to serve, deal with the issues, reach the lost and be ready to meet Christ to give account of the stewardship of their lives.
What kind of affections of idolatry do I see excused?
Family: As we gain kids, grandkids, and the tribe get bigger we have a tendency to be less likely to be objective about that in relation to our affections for Christ, and more likely to be consumed in emotions, demands and priorities. Get real, if you have a big family and lots of "perfect", "adorable', "special", "unique", ones - remember they are by grace not by merit, they are sinners not without spot or blemish, a gift from God which he can also take away (job 1:21). It is the eternal family which ultimately counts. We need to remember what family will look like in heaven and how that impacts now.
He is my family, and all who belong to Him. The more I desire to see His family grow, and invest into that with affections, prayer and service, the greater joy I have in life and eternity.
Pleasure and comfort: I see a lot of affections for the safe haven. This especially so when Christians feel marginalised and culturally under pressure. For some the garden, or beauty spot, others the long weekend or "me time". Yes maybe younger generations are more pleasure seeking in streaming, box set binging, travel, entertainment, but that doesn't mean our pleasures as boring stay at homes are any less idolatrous. The location doesn't matter, whether you spend or not doesn't matter, what matters is what you look to for your happy place or rest reset.
We shouldn't need certain things to make us happy if we have Christ. If He is our daily reset, and time alone with Him provides the joy it always does (for me) the diary shouldn't be looking for the next holiday, new plant, decorator coming in, new car, new clothing, etc etc to bring life back to an equilibrium which works for us. Having a great affection to clean the church or love the church building, have perfect flowers at the front of church can be an idol. Having so much affection for the community you serve that you will never hear His voice to go anywhere else - is idolatrous. Taking your hurts to Him is fruitful. Investing your suffering in Him is fruitful. Trying to find ways to escape pain in a fallen world without Him is never fruitful.
GOD GIVES GOOD THINGS - BUT FOR HIS GLORY not our purposes:
We're not saying God is a kill joy master who only wants our industry. We are not saying our Heavenly Father doesn't give us great pleasures to enjoy (James 1:17) in this life as a legitimate balance and rest from service. Our ultimate rest and Joy is not in what He gives however, it is in Him. What we are saying is that we need to be honest about where our true affections lie, and not mask "guilty pleasures" as feeding the monster of SIN, serving self, and doing away with total surrender to whatever He calls us to. The greatest pleasures in Christ in my life have come from the hardest times of service, when most has been given up. Then He is most intimate and I am most satisfied, in total surrender, when I have nothing else in this world that I hold dear.
DON'T FEED THE MONSTER IDOL OF "MINISTRY":
One last thing. I'm increasingly worried about the affection those in ministry have for their own ministry as they reach middle years. We can have a tendency to want to copy and paste past blessings, returning to where He blessed us last rather than trust Him for future fresh blessing. It is the principle of manna in the wilderness. His mercy and blessings are new every morning.
Some are passionate about having a ministry legacy that says we were faithful because we were reliable / immovable/ always doing the same over and over. To say that "he was faithful as pastor because he never left the pulpit in 60 years" may sound like a great thing... unless God was of course constantly calling him elsewhere in mission, and he was never prepared to train up successors because He was so self obsessed. Then it was selfish ambition for what others said about him or he wanted them to say about him that drove that intransigency. Then his idol was his own ministry.
I see this as one of the primary reasons for spiritual decline in mission networks and service. I've also seen men hanker after a "larger" more "prestigious" ministry, a "bigger church platform" or be called something more impressive "Lead, Senior, Director of ministries at large, pastor and global church network team director" OK that is made up, but you get the drift. "My pulpit is not that posh" I hear some of you cry... yes, but an old battered one where you love to stand for the wrong reasons can be equally sinful place to plonk yourself.
Why do you have affection for preaching ? Is it because you love serving others ? Or has something else subtly grown in between the cracks of the appreciation from people, amidst the weeds of listening to yourself ?It is a great test of any gift to see how you do if it is taken away from you for a season. It's never a bad thing to have a break to recharge and honesty check, a reset to do things for the right reason.
Likewise, why are you a missionary ? Is it because your mission ministry is your identity or because your passion to serve where He sends and however He sends for whatever He asks is greater than it has ever been ?
Why do you serve in Church ? Why do you give? If the answer isn't love, of Christ and for His people, you are a nasty dissonent unmelodic noise in the kingdom orchestra (1 COR 13). IT is the height of SPIRITUAL immaturity to be self serving and self obsessed (v11) with the spiritual gifts God has given you.
Pastors are always servants and sometimes the best thing we can do is have no status and be cleaning the toilets for others out of a genuinely filled heart of love and alone in the joy of God. No one knows but Him, and it's a beautiful place to be. Don't be seduced by ministry as a way to status or identity. That is the enemies' greatest tactic to nullify fruitfulness in disciples. in our status seeking generation. We're Children first, worshippers, servants. If anything else comes along, be humble and flexible about it. We're not all here for you but Him.
If you can say about a spiritual leader that there's only one thing they really serve and that is themselves (their ministry, their mission network, their influence, their platform in the denomination) and they have no time or passion to serve anything or anyone outside of that there is a major issue. Having no time due to being faithful and diligently focussed on what Christ has called you to is one thing. Having no consideration or affection for anyone in the His family who doesn't want to serve your purposes, network or priorities ... is a very different thing. How does He want you to serve His children and equip them for works of service ? He certainly doesn't want you to invest in others so people say how well you invested in others. We serve His kingdom and not our own. The sooner you and I get over ourselves our pathetic little kingdoms and our idolatry of ourselves, the happier, more fruitful and more profitable our lives will be. He is glorious, His kingdom is glorious, don't settle for less. Serving others with overwhelming gratitude and worship to Him, without any desire for reward, congratulations or compensation in this life is the goal (cf Matt 6:2).
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