A Church Centered on Anything but Christ and Him Crucified is Man-Made Idolatry

We like to stroke our own egos, don’t we? Humans are notorious for building monuments to themselves: military victories, sports accomplishments, discoveries, Tik-Tok/Youtube and other videos and so much more. Often times, we don’t grow past the toddler’s desire to show mom and dad their newest accomplishment (no matter how mundane) by saying “look what I can do.” Church is no different. Often times, people go to or plant churches with a “theme” in mind. This “theme” becomes the focus of the ministry. I’m going to give ridiculous examples here, most of which are contrived, but I hope the idea doesn’t lose you.

If I started a Church for baseball lovers, for example, our gatherings would be more about baseball than Jesus. A Church that loves baking, well I think we’d get caught up in pastries, though we’d say we love Jesus. The Artists Church would likely focus on beauty and music, whereas the Builders Church would likely focus on architecture and the like. Or, what about a Church that focuses more on justice, or social welfare, or trauma? Those churches could easily say they love Jesus, I’m sure, but the focus would be on issues concerning justice, social welfare or trauma, rather than Jesus Himself. Anything church built on anything apart from Christ and Him Crucified is a form of man-made idolatry.

Loved ones, the Church shouldn’t be centered on interests or issues. Christ is the Head of the Church. Rather, the Church should be focused on Christ and Him Crucified, proclaiming Him through the Scriptures and faithfully serving Him. This doesn’t mean that baseball lovers, bakers, artists and architects aren’t welcome! Use your gifts for the glory of Christ and Him Crucified! We should also seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with the Lord Our God. As for trauma, Jesus still raises the dead! We cannot fix the world through the Church, but Jesus still calls people from death to Life, and the Church in the World proclaiming His excellencies will call whosever will to Jesus Christ. Jesus died on the cross, paying our sin-debt by taking the wrath of God WE incurred on Himself. He rose again, sealing us with Him in eternity. There is equal footing and plenty of room at the feet of Jesus. Stay focused on Him, and everything else will fall in line.

Ephesians 4

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says,

“When he ascended on high he led a host of captives,

and he gave gifts to men.”

 (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!— assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.