When my schedule allows, I attend a local Pastor’s luncheon. It’s purpose is to encourage, pray for, and minister to pastors in Wise County. We usually gather at a local pastor’s church, have lunch, and hear a word of encouragement from a member of the group.

A Trip to India

Yesterday, we heard from two pastors who just returned from India. Through their preaching many were saved, challenged, and taught. There are many things I could share with you about their trip, but one thing that stuck out was the Hindu idea of many gods.

As they ministered to the people, they quickly realized there was an openness to hearing about Jesus. Not only was there an openness to hear about Him, but there was an openness to worshipping Him. Sounds like a win, and it was, until they realized the people weren’t turning from their gods. They were just adding Jesus to the long list of gods they currently worshipped.

Their message then shifted slightly. They began to explicitly denounce the Hindu idea of worshipping multiple gods and told the people to turn from their gods to Jesus. People listened and acted. They turned from idol worship to Jesus. Many families removed idols from their house, smashing them at the local church. For the first time, these people were truly worshipping Jesus. Praise God!

The American Church

The American church is similar to Hinduism. Just like they are willing to add Jesus to their list of gods, we are also willing to add Jesus to our list of gods. The only difference is that we are not as open about it.

We, in America, are fine with Jesus as long as we don’t have to give up anything. For that reason, we have placed Jesus right alongside our other gods. Pornography, sexual satisfaction, drugs, drunkenness, materialism, power, status, acceptance, approval, family, and sports are some of the gods we worship. As long as we can add Jesus to the mix, we are fine saying we are a Christian.

Exclusive Worship

Jesus, however, demands our exclusive worship. In Exodus 20:3, we read,

You shall have no other gods before me.

If we are going to turn to Jesus, we must turn away from other gods. We must give them up.

Conclusion

So then, the message these pastors preached to those in India is also a message needed in America. We need to quit putting Jesus among our other gods and worship Him exclusively.

Question for Reflection

1. Are you putting Jesus among other gods, or are you worshipping Him exclusively?

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