In Biblical times people used statues to worship the various gods or goddesses. Greeks had many gods such as Artemis, Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, Nemesis, & Nike. Paul spoke about them in the scripture:
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription:
TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you: Acts 17:22-23
The Greeks had to ensure that no powerful “deity” was left unacknowledged, hence they even had an inscription to the “unknown god”. They believed that every one of these gods had some sort of super power to provide for their needs or desires, so they chose to worship numerous gods in fear of not leaving any of them out.
In our modern days, we don’t necessarily worship fictional gods, but we can look up to people as our source of wisdom, identity, lifestyle, & purpose. Musicians, actors, politicians, and spiritual leaders are looked up to as if they have an answer to every problem in our lives or a solution for the society.
Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:12-13
Paul noticed that this idolatrous attitude had crept up in the church. The new believers who formed the Corinthian church had started walking in carnality. While they were no longer worshipping fictional gods, they had developed special affinity towards their favorite spiritual leaders. Paul had to remind them that he and the other leaders were not the ones who were crucified for them but Jesus was!
Regardless of a person’s giftedness, sacrifice, or anointing, they are not meant to take the place of Jesus. They may be great preachers, prophets, or pastors, but they are still flawed and imperfect people who are not meant to be placed on any divine pedestal. As people, we have a tendency to get lazy about seeking the Lord for ourselves because we feel that this person has a direct line with God. Eventually, when things don’t work out or we get a bad counsel, we get upset with the leader becausehe/she is either too controlling or not as anointed as we originally thought!
We need to allow God to recalibrate our lives in areas that are prone to idolatry and allow Him to be back at the center of our attention. God doesn’t need for us to perform to show Him that we love Him, but He chooses to use us when He wants to. If our identity is tied to our performance, our education, our entertainment, or our relationships with spiritual leaders, it is built on shifting sand, and someday it will come tumbling down. God is too loving and kind to let us live with counterfeits. Here is a song to remind us of the greatness of the God we serve! He is the only one worthy of our worship.
