Christians Idolatry

[瑤翰 김요한]

 In the past, when Pastor Billy Graham came to Korea and preached, Pastor J, who was pastoring a large church in Korea, interpreted. It was probably the evangelization conference.

Pastor Billy Graham constantly said Christ, but Pastor J interpreted it as Jesus to the end.

It is still on YouTube as a video, so please check it out.

And there are not a few videos of YouTubers translating sermons by American evangelical pastors and uploading them with subtitles. The preacher said Christ, but the translation said Jesus.

If we point out to them that not Jesus, but Christ, they try to fool around by saying that Jesus is the Christ and the Christ is Jesus.

However, the difference is that American pastors at least emphasize to the members to know God, whereas most Korean pastors only tell them to believe in Jesus and believe in God completely.

That's a big difference.

The difference between believing in Jesus and believing in the presence of Christ, knowing the truth, knowing God in the Holy Spirit is the great pit between the death of the cross and the resurrection.

That is why there is a gap between John's water baptism and the Holy Spirit's baptism to become one body with Christ.

Because they do not know the indwelling of Christ, the message of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:18) has not been fulfilled, so the Corinthian church is walking according to their own opinions, not through Christ, who is the power and wisdom of God.

So if you believe in the blood of Jesus, receive the forgiveness of your sins, and think positively, God will give you great grace and bless you, and eventually you will be able to go to heaven.

Israel, who followed Moses across the Red Sea, ate manna, was protected by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, and drank spiritual water from the rock, all those who came out of Egypt, except for Joshua and Caleb, died in the wilderness because of idolatry, adultery, grumbling, and complaints.

They have seen many signs, but they have the spirit of an Egyptian servant who is reluctantly taken to Canaan while still looking back toward Egypt because they did not permeate the faith after hearing the word.

In 1 Corinthians 10, there is a shocking word about idolatry, and it says that Paul wrote it to set an example and enlighten the saints of the last days (1 Corinthians 10:12).

It is clearly idolatry, but the church only says it is wrong, and there is little warning that it is Christian idolatry.

It is clearly idolatry, but the church only says it is wrong, and there is little warning that it is Christian idolatry.

I Corinthians 10 tells us what idolatrous faith is, it is a festive faith. (1 Corinthians 10:7-8)

After making a golden calf, they eat, drink, and play, saying that this is God (Exodus 32:1-6).

If you say you believe in Jesus, you are standing in front of the cross.

But in order to believe in Christ as Lord, he must accept his crucifixion and resurrection, and happen a conversion that follows him to serve only the Lord.

As a person who has undergone a rebirth experience and has been sanctified, he has a tendency to follow the truth toward God, and is transformed into a disposition away from the world and things in the world.

Will a person who only believes in Jesus, sees various signs, and experiences material blessings deny himself, take up his cross, and become one with the Lord and go before the Father?

23,000 Israelites died while committing adultery (Numbers 25:1-9)

Even now, various events and ceremonial faith of the church are very dangerous.

It will be distinguished from the pleasures of the world, but they are passionate about church events and work, but what does not appear in their lives may be the moral pleasures they enjoy in the name of the Lord.

Also, to end with event-type faith is idolatrous faith.

Even today, many people decorate churches like temples. And they call it a temple.

Think deeply about the commandment, the 1st commandment  'other gods' and the 2nd commandment 'not make for yourself an image'.

Also, some have made God a virtual absolute with human words for a long time, and have people believe and hope, saying, 'I believe in Jesus and I believe in God'.

Such people do not need God's word or consent.

They say, 'I believe it will happen' as they want, and beg God.

This is not a personal fellowship with God that takes place in a heart that loves the Lord by keeping the commandments that have become one with the Lord through the Spirit of truth in Christ.

Some churches value gifts, but what the purpose of the gifts is for God or for people is more important than the ability to display.

You should not boast about the gifts the Lord has given you to awaken your ignorance.

Therefore, as a born-again person who understands the meaning of baptism united to His death and resurrection in Christ and who commemorates the cup of Christ's blood and his body (1 Corinthians 10:16), become a spiritual Christian and  must have the ability to discern spirits which serve the Holy Spirit or serve the devil.

So, taking Israel's failure as an example, Paul is exhorting the Corinthian church to avoid worshiping idols (1 Corinthians 10:14).

If the target becomes as high as God in your heart and takes away your heart, that is idolatry, and at the same time, it will become the object of adultery serving  God together.

If a woman is criticized for being dirty, it's not because she hasn't taken a bath for a long time,  if she say 'Mr. Kim is okay and Mr. Lee is okay', then she's a dirty woman.

If so, wouldn't the words to avoid Christian idols to the Corinthian church, which do not believe that Christ is in them (2 Corinthians 13:5), apply to the Korean church of this age?

It is not that we are condemning the New Apostolic Movement with gifts and blessings with material blessings, but fundamentally through conversion and baptism following the Lord Jesus who suffered and Christ who gained glory after suffering,  as one who gains forgiveness of sins, regeneration, righteousness, holiness and eternal life, we are asking if you are sanctified through the truth and look to the glory, having the mystery of faith that allows us to become one with Christ in the Holy Spirit and look up to God the Father.

We are a new creation by being born again through the atonement of the cross of Christ (Galatians 6:15).

Babylon feeds us with wine from the earth, receives the cup of God's wrath for fornication, and makes us suffer with fire and brimstone (Rev. 14:8,10), but we receive the cup from heaven in Christ.

As we drink the blood of Christ as the cup of promise and eat the body of Christ as the bread of life, remembering and commemorating it with the word, as our daily bread, since we love together the world and the things in the world, we should not say blessings to those things.

If it is a true blessing, it is the sacrament of drinking the blood as the cup of promise in Christ and breaking bread to become one life with Christ and participate in the body of Christ.

That is why the Lord does not bless you during the sacrament, but congratulates you.

This means that the Lord celebrates that we are blessed with participation in his life and body.

Therefore, let's keep the blessing of being united with the Lord in Christ and always receive the Lord's congratulations.

Written by Ptr. Yohan Kim.

Translated by  Nancy Chung

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