Idolatry?

In the sermon on Sunday, (Mark 13:1-23), Don said, "The temple [in Jerusalem] had turned into a thing of idolatry for the people. There is a fine line between honoring the God of the temple and honoring the temple."

We like to think of idolatry as an "old world" problem, yet what do we today honor above God? We may have many idols in our lives, our families, our jobs, or our reputations, but what religious idols might we have?  What aspects of "church" are more important to us than God Himself?

Don mentioned the "worship wars"  which were particularly heated in the '80s and '90s, where church-goers fiercely debated worship music.  What ways of "doing" church have become sacred to us?  Are we as fervent for worshiping God as we are for "going" to church? Are we so attached to the "way we do things" that we are missing a new work of God in our midst? Could a visitor tell the difference between our church service and a community club meeting? How are we allowing the living God to reveal Himself in our church?  Are we church attenders or disciples of Jesus Christ?  Ask God to reveal to you any religious idols you may have.

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus replies (Matthew 22:37-39): “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”