Warnings by Isaiah Saldivar
https://www.youtube.com/live/URF3wPeuVyY?si=gGsMjXCYCGIs-akI
https://youtube.com/shorts/-PD8T1uXgfQ?si=HnN4AwaT368H69OK
https://www.youtube.com/live/m2VvOBY3los?si=4Pd2buvtdwb--XBj
Welcome!
Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For this week, there won't be any video teaching. Just read through all of the week 5 pages. I want to acknowledge that these are a lot to digest. Implementing these practices and living in full obedience to the Word is an ongoing process and not easy. These teachings will thoroughly test you and challenge you to examine your heart. I personally had to humble myself and repent in every single one of these areas, and still fail daily. Praise the Lord for offering us daily forgiveness. I encourage everyone to write down questions; sin the Holy Spirit reveals to you, and other examples you're willing to share with the group.
Let's talk about the uncomfortable stuff:
Idolatry.
To start we need to establish a understanding how deep the first commandment is. Above you find a screenshot of the shema (first and most important commandment). It's out of the video teaching series linked on the bottom of the page for anyone who desires to explor the topic of idolatry deeper. Understanding how we are called to love God is essential to identify our shortcoming and idols.
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. Little children, keep yourself from idols.
1 Corinthians 10:21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
Paul implies that idolatry is participation with demons, so it's relevant for our subject. Quote by Nathan Johnson.
Acts 15:28-29
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials:
that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Paul tells us idolatry is a salvation issue, so we all need to continuously examine our lives for idols and also be aware that idols are not always just golden statures.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
I will try my best to summarize the teaching so it maintains its substance and is understandable. However to gain the full understanding of the depth of idolatry I recommend to watch the full teaching.
To prepare please read 1 Corinthians 10.
- Golden Calf: What was the issue at heart?, People became impatient. Impatience can be idolatry.
- Sexual Immorality: is one of the clearest signs of idolatry. Instead of looking to Jesus to meet my need and operating within His boundaries, I am looking to someone or something else to meet my need.
- Testing Christ (Test comes from the Greek Word ekpeirazō, it means put to the test in order to ascertain the nature of something, including imperfections, faults, or other qualities, entrap; examine. Biblical examples 2 temptations of Christ (Matthew 4), the lawyer testing Jesus (Luke 10:25), and 1 Corinthians 10:9. (Bronze is a symbol of judgement and salvation) Seeing how much you can get away with, is a sign of idolatry.
- Complaining: When I look to someone or something besides Jesus to meet my need, I am guaranteed to be disappointed. No one but God can meet my need. When my "idol" does not meet my need. I become angry and frustrated with it/him/her. I will complain about and against it/him/her. My complaint is a sign that this thing or person was an idol for me and that I was expecting something more instead of looking to Jesus to meet my need. (John Juneman)
In 2 Peter we are told that God provides everything for both life and godliness.
2 Peter 1:3–4 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
1 Corinthians 10:6 (ESV): Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did.
1 Corinthians 10:11 (ESV): Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Things that have been Idols throughout my life:
- Celebrities (throughout my childhood and teens, I was more focused on becoming like them, than God)
- Relationships (I assumed it was other people's responsibility to make me happy. Love and joy are fruits of the Spirit; God provides me)
- Sports (consumed large amounts of money and time) Nathan Johnson also draws the parallel on how similar sporting events are to ancient idol worship. People dress in the jersey of their favorite athlete, paint their face, chant and scream. Same would probably be true for concerts.)
- My dog (God created animals for a purpose, that purpose can't contradict the things God provides to me. Genesis 2:20 says none of the animals were suited companion for Adam!)
- TV (never missed my favorite shows; watched things that contained content God disapproves of. Watching TV took up hours of my time daily, vs. maybe 1 hour dedicated to God.
I am just giving these as examples, so people can see on how I personally weigh things against Scripture. These are my personal convictions, that I have received through revelation of the Holy Spirit. Everyone will have different things that are idols to them. Pray for God to search your heart and reveal to you anything in your life that is an idol.
Idolatry teaching by Nathan Johnson from Ellerslie Discipleship Training:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUDMFfXmx0d11E3j8yeGeAt2A1TWCwld1
(In case anyone chooses to go through the full study on Idolatry. I would like to mention that my personal believes slightly vary from his. I believe there are multiple Elohim, however God is the Creater of all these Elohim and while they are gods they are not God.)