The Exchange We Don't Want to Make

Romans 1:25 - "because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature than the creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."

It's disturbing when so many evil things are going on around us, but then we take a deep look inside ourselves only to discover that the greater evil is in our own heart (Genesis 6:1-8). The idolatry spoken of by Paul in Romans 1 is deadly, damaging, and destructive. And, we are all prone to stumbles into this idolatry, including Christians. We all have the potential to "serve created things rather than the creator". This can happen within the church as well. We have the potential to serve our traditions, our man-made systems & structures, our own methodologies, our programs, as if they are "ends" in themselves. Now, is it wrong to have traditions, or structures or systems or methodologies or programs? No, as long as they are "servants" to the mission of the church and do not become masters. Instead of these "things" being "tools" & "servants", they can become the masters. And, as I am learning, they make terrible masters. They distract us from that which is most important to our lives as Christians and as churches. These things become what we focus on even if they no longer function in a way that serves the mission of the church, and therefore, the mission takes back seat. They also become the triggers for quarrels and backbiting and power struggles (James 4:1-2) within the church, which fuels broken relationships and unnecessary conflict.

How can we detect that these things might becoming masters instead of servants? Think about what would happen if we try to change one of them in the least little bit. Our idol becomes threatened and we get defensive, we try to hold on to our idol for security and stability and significance and meaning. All of those things we are supposed to find in Jesus, and in Him alone, aren't we?

Certainly, we can all agree that this kind of mentality is not "healthy" for the church, her mission, nor God's kingdom. And, unfortunately, the change that is necessary is not external, but internal. We may change the "way" we do things, but if the heart does not change, the "new way of doing things" will eventually become a "new master" one day--a vicious cycle that only has one cure--the gospel--a consistent exposing of ourselves to the gospel of God's sufficient grace demonstrated most completely and fully in the person and work of Jesus, a consistent calling back for us to be gospel-centered and cross-centered in everything we do and every decision we make.

I read this quote this morning from James Montgomery Boice: "Our hope, then, is Jesus, the Son of God. His death was for those who deserve God's wrath. And his death was fully adequate, because Jesus not need die for his own sins--he was sinless--and because, being God, his act was of infinite magnitude"

We all have the potential and propensity toward this kind of idolatry, including pastors, maybe even especially pastors. For us pastors, it probably takes a different form, but nonetheless, it is "crouching at the door". It is crouching at the door of many churches today. And, unfortunately, it has already pounced on some churches and they are being strangled to death by its grip.

For the sake of His mission and our assignment...