ARE YOU PLAYING IN THE CHURCH?

I was recently at a church service, and the actions of the people caused me to wonder if they were playing church. The incident that took place in Exodus, which I will discuss further below came to my mind, and I wondered how God was viewing us. Was He pleased that we took the sacredness of our place of worship lightly? Did we feel that we could pollute our atmosphere and then expect Him to manifest Himself with His presence in a manner that people were saved, delivered, healed, and restored? Have we been subtly ushered into a time of folly which blocks the move of God? Have we been lulled into deceptive sleep where we believe God does not find our behavior offensive?

After 430 years, God delivers Israel out of Egypt, and they are on their way to Canaan. In their third month of traveling, they encamped at Mount Sinai where all the events are written from Exodus 19 to Numbers 10 occurred. It is here that God started giving Moses laws, commandments and statues, Moses shares these with the people, and they answered, “All the words which the Lord said we will do” (Exodus 24:3). God then tells Moses, “Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them” (Exodus 24: 12). Moses complied and was in the mount forty days and forty nights communing with God. During this time, God instructs him on the building of the tabernacle and its’ furniture, the Urim and Thummim, the office of the priest, burnt offerings and the law of the Sabbath. At the end of their time together, God gave him two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Meanwhile, back at the camp, the people became impatient and anxious over the long absence of Moses. They came to Aaron who Moses had designated to be in charge while he was gone and requested that he make them a god. They easily forgot their, “We will do,” the visible pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire which represented God being with them, and the many miracles that God had performed on their behave. Aaron acquiesced and told them to give him their golden earrings which he used to make a golden calf, and when it was made the people said, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” When Aaron saw what he had made and heard the response of the people he built an altar before it and proclaimed, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” Exodus 32:6 states, “And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”

Consequently, Israel’s actions displeased God and He was ready to destroy all of them. It was Moses’s intercession that saved them; however, on that day under the direction of Moses, the children of Levi killed about three thousand men. Plus, God told Moses, “Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them” and He plagued the people, because they made the calf (Exodus 32:34-35a).

In this chapter (Exodus 32), the children of Israel disobeyed the commandments that God had given them and reverted back to the idolatry and customs of the Egyptians. Commentators believed like the Egyptians they engaged in licentious dancing, sexual indecencies and immoral sex play which accompanied the Egyptian’s festivals. The fact that Israel had just concluded offering sacrifices to a god and then proceeded to act like their former oppressors showed the corruption of their hearts and minds. They had not learned to come out from among them and be separated.

Unfortunately, in our churches, some have adopted the dance moves of the world and incorporated them in their praise. Have these moves become acceptable because leadership has not condemned it? Have leaders become like Aaron who gave in to the pressure of the people instead of cautioning them on their request and actions? Though we are worshipping God, we are acting like these Israelis, do you think God views us differently?

As I end this blog, I believe these questions are what each one of us needs to soberly ask ourselves and remember the words of God, “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).

I was recently at a church service and the actions of the people caused me to wonder if they were playing church. The incident that took place in Exodus which I will discuss further below came to my mind and I wondered how God was viewing us. Was He pleased that we took lightly the sacredness of our place of worship? Did we feel that we could pollute our atmosphere and then expect Him to manifest Himself with His presence in a manner that people were saved, delivered, healed and restored? Have we been subtly ushered into a time of folly which blocks the move of God? Have we been lulled into deceptive sleep where we believe God does not find our behavior offensive?

After 430 years, God delivers Israel out of Egypt and they are on their way to Canaan. In their third month of travelling they encamped at Mount Sinai where all the events written from Exodus 19 to Numbers 10 occurred. It is here that God started giving Moses laws, commandments and statues, Moses shares these with the people and they answered, “All the words which the Lord said we will do” (Exodus 24:3). God then tells Moses, “Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them” (Exodus 24: 12). Moses complies and was in the mount forty days and forty nights communing with God. During this time, God instructs him on the building of the tabernacle and its’ furniture, the Urim and Thummin, the office of the priest, burnt offerings and the law of the Sabbath. At the end of their time together God gave him two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

Meanwhile back at the camp the people became impatient and anxious over the long absence of Moses. They came to Aaron who Moses had designated to be in-charge while he was gone and requested that he make them a god. They easily forgot their, “We will do,” the visible pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire which represented God being with them, and the many miracles that God had performed on their behave. Aaron acquiesced and told them to give him their golden earrings which he used to make a golden calf, and when it was made the people said, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” When Aaron saw what he had made and heard the response of the people he built an altar before it and proclaimed, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” Exodus 32:6 states, “And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”

Consequently, Israel’s actions displeased God and He was ready to destroy all of them. It was Moses’s intercession that saved them; however on that day under the direction of Moses the children of Levi killed about three thousand men. Plus, God told Moses, “Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them” and He plagued the people, because they made the calf (Exodus 32:34-35a).

In this chapter (Exodus 32) the children of Israel disobeyed the commandments that God had given them, and reverted back to the idolatry and customs of the Egyptians. Commentators believed like the Egyptians they engaged in licentious dancing, sexual indecencies and immoral sex play which accompanied the Egyptian’s festivals. The fact that Israel had just concluded offering sacrifices to a god and then proceeded to act like their former oppressors showed the corruption of their hearts and minds. They had not learned to come out from among them and be separated.

Unfortunately in our churches some have adopted the dance moves of the world and incorporated them in their praise. Have these moves become acceptable because leadership have not condemned it? Have leaders become like Aaron who gave into the pressure of the people instead of cautioning them on their request and actions? Though we are worshipping God but we are acting like these Israelis, do you think God views us differently?

As I end this blog I believe these questions are what each one of us need to soberly ask ourselves and remember the words of God, “For I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).