Image Not Images
7 min read
29 In the thirty-eighth year of Asa king of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria over Israel twenty-two years. 30 Ahab son of Omri did more evil in the eyes of the LORD than any of those before him. 31 He not only considered it trivial to commit the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, but he also married Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and began to serve Baal and worship him.
— 1 Kings 16:29-31
We continue to see the downward spiral of Israel. The people are being led further and further away from God by the idolatry of their kings—each one worse than the next.
The sin of Jeroboam was that he set up false images of God and led the people in worshiping these false idols. But Ahab went even further and straight-up started worshiping other gods that were not gods at all. And he set up temples and shrines in the capital itself so that the people would worship these no-gods too.
Idolatry is like a black hole that sucks in everything around it, even light. Idolatry seems spiritual, and as more pageantry and ceremony and resources support idolatry, the more important and significant it seems. If the king is expending so much effort and resources to worship such a thing, it must be real!
But all the resources and pageantry and ceremony really amounts to nothing. The spirituality that all that “worship” supports amounts to nothing.
And even worse than nothing, the spirituality of idols and images sucks us and the world around us deeper and deeper into the black hole of hell. The nothingness of idolatry does not result in a net zero but adds to negative infinity.
A lot of the “worship” that churches do today is like the sins of Jeroboam. Many churches create “images” that are supposed to embody or represent God. Jeroboam built his “worship” centers to keep his people from going to Jerusalem to worship. In a similar way, some churches may set up their “Images” to entice people to come to “us” and not go to “them.”
The main problem is that the spirituality of the community becomes built up around these “images” instead of on relationships—our relationship with Jesus Christ and our relationships with one another in Jesus Christ.
We are created to be the image of God, not to make and chase images of God.
Churches commit the sins of Jeroboam when do NOT consistently and repeatedly lead the community away from the “worship” of “images”—when we do NOT lead the community toward worship of God in the Spirit and in truth (the word of God).
When churches commit the sins of Jeroboam, and when we think that “worshiping” these “images” is not only no big deal but the right way to worship, it is only a matter of time before straight-up idolatry is born. At the very least, many lives become lost.
The “images” that lead people away from God can be anything—a charismatic preacher and leader, great music, professional-grade worship production, well-run ministries like children’s, youth, and house church, a clean and well-designed sanctuary and building, and on and on.
As the shepherd of this Canvas community, does that mean I should pursue sloppiness in ministry in order to lead people away from idolatry and toward worship in the Spirit and truth?
No way. God desires our excellence in worshiping Him. At the same time, it is my calling from God to continually remind this Canvas family (especially myself!) where the true temple of worship is located—in Christ crucified, resurrected, and returning. Us in Christ and Christ in us.
Father, You are so gracious, patient, and kind with us. We are a people prone to wander. We link our spirituality to people, programs, and things instead to YOU and YOU alone. I pray that You would protect this community from developing a spirit of “image” worship and idolatry. Make us a people who worship YOU and YOU alone in the Spirit and in truth. In Jesus’s name. Amen.