Q. How can I worship idols and still stay on God's good side?A. Dear reader,
Thank you for the great question! Worshiping idols as a believer is easier to do than you might think. The important thing is to remember that you must worship only Christian idols. A Christian will never bow down to stone or wood. A Christian will never reverence an image of a person or animal. A Christian will not sacrifice his children to a fiery god or scar his body to pacify a deity. However, there remain many things a Christian may worship and still feel good about his faith. Let's review a few of these options:
1. Your money. Let the wealthy give their resources to the cause of Christ. You can barely make your car payments, your house payment, and your credit card bills as it is. Yes, if you had more money you would certainly give it to others, but God understands if you have insufficient funds. You are only required to give of your excess, and while you are living up to your means you are hardly left with any excess to give. It is perfectly acceptable for a Christian to be unwilling to sacrifice his comfort to reach out to others. Do not entertain the thought that perhaps you could do more good if you did not have two car payments and a nice house to keep up with. Remember, these things are necessities for the American Christian.
2. Your time. You have to work untold hours each week just to put food on the table. At the end of the day, you are simply too tired to do anything for the kingdom. You certainly would feed the hungry and love the lonely like Jesus did if your life just wasn't so busy. Though you must still go to church at least once a week and read your Bible for two minutes a day in order to please God, do not feel guilty for doing no more than that. In order to worship this idol, it is important that you never allow yourself to believe that God is able to give strength to the weary. He would rather you rest so that you can stay refreshed by your own resources.
3. Your comfort. Sometimes it's alright to splurge. Get that leather sofa you have been saving up for. Buy your new name-brand apparel that you have so wisely found on sale (being a good steward is always relative). It's important that you don't even consider that most people on this earth live on only a dollar a day. Never stop to think that instead of paying $60 for designer jeans you could feed a hungry child for two months. It is always okay for the American evangelical to live comfortably and with no concern for others.
4. Your popularity. Remember that you always want others to think favorably of you. Your primary means of accepting yourself comes from the approval of others. Do not stand up for what is right if that will make you unpopular. I am certainly not suggesting that you should fight for what is wrong, but sometimes it is appropriate to hold your silence and so save your reputation. Sharing the gospel has never been popular; and besides, no one is going to come to faith if you are all talk and no walk. Focus more on how you are living and the rest will fall into place. If people are not asking about your faith, they probably are not interested in the gospel anyhow.
5. Your safety. In addition to making you unpopular, the gospel may even endanger your very life. It is never God's will for you to be put into a position that may harm you. If this is the result of living a godly life, you may be certain that you are doing something wrong.
6. Your happiness. God wants you to be joyful, and what is joy really but happiness? You must always act like your temporal happiness is the fundamental reason you were placed upon this earth. Spend your resources or money, time, and energy on entertainment and material possessions. Never let your faith put you into a position of displeasure. Of course sinning is wrong and a Christian must never do so, so be creative in how you live to please yourself. Some examples of less blatant forms of self-gratification include loving people for what they can give you, controlling situations so that they ultimately benefit you, and giving only when others will recognize you for doing so. This will ensure that you benefit the most from surface-level spirituality.
7. Your holiness. The true believer must be very careful to always guard his purity and Christlikeness. The best way to do so is to isolate yourself from the world. The book of Proverbs warns us that bad company corrupts good morals. If we avoid contact with the world we will certainly avoid the pitfalls contained therein. Do your best to avoid socializing with unbelievers, as they will drag you down spiritually. By surrounding yourself only with other believers and by living inside of the Christian subculture, you can be sure that you will not be put into a precarious position.
Though this list is by no means exhaust, I'm sure it has benefited you in discovering ways to creatively worship idols in the 21st century and still live in the sunshine of God's approval. For other ideas simply look at the church around you, observing how the typical Christian is living. You will certainly see many more ways to serve idols and still serve Jesus. God bless!
