IDOLATRY IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

According to Webster’s dictionary, idolatry is “the worship of idols or excessive devotion to, or reverence for some person or thing.” An idol is anything that replaces God.

THE WORSHIP OF MEN OF GOD

The main drive of idolatry is to distract us from the true worship of God. There is a subtle form of idolatry that I am going to address, it is the worship of Men of God.The placing of leadership upon a pedestal is actually idolatry. In the early church we see some glimpses of this, the good thing is the apostles would always reprimand and correct people when they would do this to them. In Acts 10:25-26 it says:

And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man.

The points to take note of here are that Cornelius viewed himself as a lesser man than Peter, and saw Peter as some form of god. Peter immediately corrected that misconception: He says stand up for I also am a man. Whenever leaders start claiming that they are better than everyone else, and claim that they are the ones who can hear God that’s a dangerous place to be for it encourages in the followers a sense that they are lesser people.

In Acts 14: 11-18

 And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men. And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker. Then the priest of Jupiter, which was before their city, brought oxen and garlands unto the gates, and would have done sacrifice with the people. Which when the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heard of, they rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, crying out, And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein:Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.  And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

 

There are men of God who are endowed with the power gifts: healing, miracles and power just as the Apostles of the early days. Unfortunately for us men because of our fallen state, the moment we see a man who can perform these miracles we start worshipping them instead of worshipping God. There need to be men of God who arise and inform people that it is God who is working to do these things and they are just vessels.

Here are some warning signs that can indicate idolatry in the house of God:

• The congregants have to stand/ kneel every time that the pastor/men of God enters the room. Those who do not stand/kneel are branded as not following God’s will
• When the man/woman of God starts taking the place of Jesus in people’s lives
• When the man/woman of God starts saying that they are the only ones who can hear God accurately and every decision in your life has to be run past them for guidance.
• The congregants no longer read the bible for themselves but only rely on hearing the word from the man/woman of God

WHAT CAUSES IDOLATRY IN THE HOUSE OF GOD

In 1 Kings 11:1-10

But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites; Of the nations concerning which the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart.For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father.For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods. And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the LORD commanded.

Idolatry just does not happen, there is a cause. In Solomon’s case it was his love of strange women that led him into idolatry. What are some of the causes that have led our modern day church leadership to build idols or for themselves to become idols?

• WHEN A MAN/WOMAN OF GOD MAKES THEIR WORD INFALLIBLE

It’s sad that so many leaders in the church today now treat their sermons, prophecies and things they say as infallible. If a congregant dares question anything that is said on the pulpit or by a preacher they are told that they are now messing with God and they are in danger of judgement. How different from the biblical pattern where in Acts 17:11 we are told that the Bereans where more noble than the Thessalonians for they searched the scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true. Acts 17:10-11 says

And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who      coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

The greek word translated searched is anakrino ̄ (an-ak-ree’-no )

properly to scrutinize, that is, (by implication) investigate, interrogate, determine: – ask, question, discern, examine, judge, search.

Paul is one of the greatest apostles that ever lived, he was a man mightily used by God who did extraordinary miracles, he was an educated man who wrote most of the New Testament and yet the Bereans just did not blindly take what Paul was preaching to them. They scrutinized, they investigated, they judged, they discerned. And the bible speaks highly of them for such for God was pleased with them.

What we have to understand is that God cannot make mistakes, his words are true and he is perfect in all of his ways. On the other hand men of God are vessels of clay who can make mistakes. The moment a man/woman of God wants to be treated as if he is perfect and gives the impression that everything that they say or do is flawless they have made themselves idols for they have equated themselves to God!

WHAT CAUSES IDOLATRY IN THE HOUSE OF GOD?

• BOOTLICKING

This one applies to the lower level leaders. In an attempt to gain promotion in the ministry lower level leaders will bootlick their seniors, doing everything they can to advance in the ministry through hero worshipping the Pastor/ Worship leader and praising every decision that they make. This type of leader idolises position and serves at the altar of ambition making decisions not based on the word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit but based on what will make them to be promoted by the senior leadership. This type of leader has forgotten or does not understand that promotion comes from the Lord (Psalm 75:6-7) and so he/she unwittingly/knowingly chooses idolatry as a way of rising through the ranks in the church.

• TRYING TO BUY/SELL THE GIFT OF GOD

In Acts 8:9-24

But there was a certain man, called Simon, which beforetime in the same city used sorcery, and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one: To whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. And to him they had regard, because that of long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. And when Simon saw that through laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Ghost was given, he offered them money, Saying, Give me also this power, that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the Holy Ghost.But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.Thou hast neither part nor lot in this matter: for thy heart is not right in the sight of God.Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee. For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.  Then answered Simon, and said, Pray ye to the Lord for me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me.

This is a modern day tragedy in the church where people think they can buy the anointing. And preachers now sell anointing oils for healing, they sell seats that are close to the pastor were the anointing is said to be stronger.

• A FEAR OF LOSING CONGREGANTS/FOLLOWERS/INFLUENCE

1 Kings 12:25-33

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.  Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

Jeroboam feared that he might lose the people he had now becoming king over, but how foolish of him to forget that it was God who made him King in the very first place. Now he worships fear more than he worships God and he devises a wicked plan, he makes idols and instructs his flock to worship the creature instead of the creator.

A Jeroboam type leader worships fear and insecurity, fear is their idol, they think that they own the congregation so decisions are made to protect his position and influence rather than based on the word of God and the leading of the Holy Spirit. Such a leader will dominate the flock, demand that they attend no other fellowship/church even if they are just visiting because their hearts might then go to that fellowship. Any leader who is seen as doing a good work apart from this leader is demoted since this person will be deemed as a threat. If it’s a worship leader they don’t want anyone they might feel has a better voice than them in the worship team. Such a person will be doomed to just sing in the choir and will never be given a song to lead or worse still they can be frustrated by the worship leader so that they leave the worship team. In 1 Samuel 18:5-29 we see that Saul had such an attitude. He idolized himself and feared losing his kingdom hence could not stand it for someone else to be doing great feats even if his kingdom was benefiting from David’s work. The leader that idolizes themselves have to be the ones that come up with the ideas for the church, they have to be seen doing everything that’s significant, everything has to be attributed to them lest if someone else do that the flock would then fail to see them as a leader and maybe start going after this other person.

The word of God lets us know that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind. Whenever a leader starts making decisions based on fear, fear has become their idol and their heart slowly turns away from God.

• PUTTING TOO MUCH IMPORTANCE ON A CHURCH BUILDING

In Acts 17:15-34 while Paul is in Athens his spirit was stirred in him when he saw that the city was given to idolatry. In verse 24-31

God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

Is a church building bad? Certainly not. We need to have beautiful church buildings and I think amazing edifices where we can worship have been erected all around the world but then the moment the building starts taking the place of God, we have lost it.

• FAME AND PRIDE

Fame is not a bad thing, we see it throughout the bible how God made Joseph, Joshua, Solomon, David e.t.c famous. Even Jesus himself was famous. However when fame gets to the head it breeds pride and a prideful person worships self, is pompous and arrogant no longer taking heed to the advice from fellow brethren, becoming a law unto themselves. When pride comes this person no longer seeks God, God is no longer in all this persons thoughts as Psalm 10:4 says

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.

Now we have celebrity preachers and celebrity worship leaders and unfortunately most of these celebrities are not basing their actions on the model from the word of God but are rather copying the world which has its root in an idolatrous system.

• THE DESIRE TO BE HONOURED AND FEARED

Jesus never said to people you have to honour me and yet our modern day preachers have now created a doctrine of honour that is preached from the pulpit more time than is even necessary. Yes those who labour among us are worthy of double honour but that honour should not be demanded, it should not be a law: it just has to be freely given. In Mathew 20:25-28 Jesus says

But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Men and women of God should be serving not lording it over the flock. The moment we treat them like lords we have made them idols.

• THE LOVE OF MONEY ( COVETOUSNESS )

Money in itself is not a bad thing but the love of money is the root of all evil as 1 Timothy 6:10 tells us

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

When a man/woman of God is driven by the love of money they have made money their idol and because they now worship that idol they will also lead their church in this path. In such a church there is a continuous and unreasonable call to be always sowing to the man of God to get their blessing.

The love of money is covetousness which essentially is idolatry as stated in Colossians 3:5

Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry

Jesus lets us know in Luke 16:13-15 that you cannot serve God and serve money, you will hate one and love the other.

No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.  And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

In Jesus day the Pharisees where the religious leaders/pastors of that time and the bible lets us know that they were covetous, they worshipped money. There is another warning in  Ephesians 5:5 & 2 Peter 2:1-3

For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

• REBELLION AGAINST THE WORD ( WALKING IN THE FLESH )

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. ( 1 Samuel 15:23 )

What happens when a pastor/ worship leader is no longer obeying God’s word is that they start worshipping self or they worship other people opinions or they worship what they deem will be the outcome of their actions if they choose to obey the word thinking that they can make decisions in their flesh. This is exactly what happened to Saul and God immediately rejected him as King because he had shifted his allegiance from the worship of God. You can read the whole of 1 Samuel 15 and also read 1 Samuel 13:8-13 to get the context of the whole story.

Saul was walking in the flesh and Romans 8:5-8

For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

IF THE WORK OF GOD IS DONE IN THE FLESH IDOLATRY IS BOUND TO BE THE RESULT FOR GOD IS SPIRIT AND THOSE THAT WORSHIP HIM MUST WORSHIP HIM IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH

• SERVING THE MAN OF GOD EQUATES SERVING GOD

Is serving the Pastor/man of God bad? Certainly not. On the contrary it is good for you to serve your pastor but make sure you do this out of a love for your pastor and not because you think that you are doing God a service. God can also tell you to serve your pastor, this is for your benefit, and there might be some skills or some lessons that God wants you to learn.

Modern day idolatry is so cunning. We can never and should never equate a man of God to God. Actually some people serve their pastor with the intention of rising through the ranks and unfortunately some pastors use this as their thermometer to measure those who should be given leadership posts in church instead of seeing by the Spirit and identifying the gifts of a person.

• THE DESIRE TO HAVE THE FAMILY RUN THE CHURCH

With this one the ministers idolizes his family. Now don’t get me wrong they are times that God will use the whole family in ministry but this is the exception and not the rule. Unfortunately today the moment someone is a pastor’s wife/husband/child they automatically qualify for church leadership and church positions regardless of character, knowledge of the scriptures and calling. The prophet Samuel when he was old tried to have his kids take over the ministry with disastrous results ( 1 Samuel 18:1-3 )

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

At least Samuel was a good leader. When the elders told him what his sons were doing he did not try to defend his family, he corrected the situation though it caused him much grief which he would have never had if he had not made his sons judges in the first place.

Eli the priest however did nothing about his sons. By right the sons of priests would also be priests in the Old Testament. However Eli’s sons were wicked and Eli knew it but did not take decisive action because he was blinded by the family element. If these were not his sons he would have had them killed for this as the law was very harsh in the Old Testament and this was what was required. Eli knew this and yet just gives them a light reprimand. God eventually killed them but the bible lets us know in 1 Samuel 2:12-17 & that

Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the LORD.  And the priests’ custom with the people was, that, when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither. Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.

 

Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.  And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people. Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the LORD’S people to transgress. If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD, who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of their father, because the LORD would slay them.

 

In 1 Samuel 2:29 God tells us the problem:

Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

Eli was worshipping his sons, God says he honoured his sons more than he honoured God. His sons were more important than the sanctity and holiness of the sanctuary. Also the people now abhorred the offering of the Lord. In a church were the pastors family is worshipped people end up despising God, speaking ill of the church or just becoming passive in their worship as they will be feeling that their contributions to the body of Christ do not matter as it is not their church but rather the Pastor’s church. The church belongs to Jesus Christ and pastors are just stewards. You can read the whole of 1 Samuel 2 & 3 to get the whole context of the story.

Idolatry is no small thing. Solomon the wisest man that ever lived fell prey to it, countless leaders in the bible were held captive by it, and it is a recurring theme in both the old and new testament. We should not take it lightly.  The moment you start worshiping idols your heart is no longer devoted to God and the decisions you make start to be influenced by those idols that you worship. The nation of Israel was now in turmoil, there was a crisis. Because of Solomon’s idols God had to tear away the kingdom from his son and raise another leader Jeroboam. Now this Jeroboam lost his way and he led the nation of Israel into sin. From there on we see the nation of Israel spiralling further and further into idolatry. As I said when a leader worships idols, or worse still creates an idol the result is the congregation will follow where the leader goes and it gets perfected by the generations that follow.

Let us take the warning of Jesus seriously that he gives us in Mathew 7:21-23

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

This scripture used to trouble me because I did not understand how Jesus could say he did not know people who had done all these works in his name. It is because modern day idolatry is all masked under the guise of worshipping Jesus. People have built church buildings in Jesus name and yet idols not Jesus is worshipped in those houses. Some people are doing miracles in Jesus name yet using magic and not truly it being the spirit of God. I can go on and on. Revelations gives us the final warning

We need to be like King Josiah who in 2 Kings 23 brought an end to idolatry after the word of God had enlightened them of how Israel had degenerated into idolatry to their shame!

Take Pauls warning in Romans 1:18-25

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:  Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

THE SELF RIGHTEOUS PROBLEM

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. ( Luke 18:9-14 )

Self-righteousness is a hindrance that affects true worship of God. In this parable Jesus shows us a Pharisee who has gone to worship at the temple. Now I want you to take note that the objective of the Pharisee when he went to the temple was to worship/pray. However when the Pharisee gets to the temple he strays from his objective because of self-righteousness.

Self–righteousness (also called sanctimoniousness, and holier-than-thou attitudes) is a feeling or display of (usually smug) moral superiority derived from a sense that one’s beliefs, actions, or affiliations are of greater virtue than those of the average person.

A self-righteous person acts superior to his peers because he believes his moral standards are perfect. This “moral smugness” is condescending by nature and is usually found offensive by others.

So this Pharisee starts showing off to God, meticulously explaining why he is better than other men. But hey wait a minute, I thought the objective was to worship God. That is the problem of self-righteousness. Self-righteousness is in effect worship of self, it’s a mockery of the cross and the grace of God. LET ME BE CLEAR, BY OUR WORKS THE ONLY THING WE DESERVE FROM GOD IS DEATH. It’s a shame that this Pharisee did not understand that:

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9 )

The Pharisee however thought that his fasting and tithing where what justified him to come before the presence of God. He was way off the mark. He thought he was worshiping God but all he was doing was boasting to God of how good he was. But we know that Isaiah says our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). In being self-righteous we fail to submit to God’s righteousness as Paul indicates in Romans 10:3

For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

The second problem of self-righteousness is in despising others. In this parable Jesus explains how the Pharisee compares himself with the publican who is also in the temple at the same time. Today self-righteousness can exhibit itself in the person who looks next to the tattooed person in church raising their hands during worship and starts asking what right that person has to be in the presence of God. Well because in that persons mind they are better and deserve to worship God because they have never got a tattoo in their life. But hello have you not forgotten that the reason you went to church was so you could worship and not to look at the next person and deride them for what you think is wrong with them.

Self-righteousness can exhibit itself when we get so wrapped up in our own opinions that we begin to think we are better than others, that ours is the right way, even in insignificant matters. It exhibits itself in a person who thinks that because they have been doing something for x number of years then there is nothing you can tell them or teach them. There is such an account in John 7: 32-53

The Pharisees heard that the people murmured such things concerning him; and the Pharisees and the chief priests sent officers to take him.Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come. Then said the Jews among themselves, Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? What manner of saying is this that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come?  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet. Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? So there was a division among the people because of him.  And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him. Then came the officers to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why have ye not brought him? The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. Then answered them the Pharisees, Are ye also deceived? Have any of the rulers or of the Pharisees believed on him? But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed. Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet. And every man went unto his own house.

The problem in the above passage is that the Pharisees thought their position was the only correct and since Jesus was speaking contrary to what they taught then he was in error. A self-righteous person always thinks that they are right, gets angry if anyone questions their way of doing things. Even after the Pharisees sent people to arrest Jesus who came back convicted by the way he spoke for they had never heard anyone speak like that before, the Pharisees derided these people as fools for they said: ‘Have any of us believed in him’   That’s self-righteousness right there. If I don’t believe what anyone says then it means they should be wrong! And that self-righteous attitude made the Pharisees miss God, they missed an opportunity to submit and worship the king of kings!

Another indicator is a questioning of the actions of others and the lack of compassion and mercy. Also shown in constantly looking out for the faults of others.

      And it came to pass, as Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat down with him and his disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?But when Jesus heard that, he said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. ( Mathew 9:10-13 )

 

At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. ( Mathew 12:1-7 )

So here was the issue: Why was Jesus associating with sinners. How foolish that is for them to forget that they were sinners themselves. Self-righteousness blinds you to the depravity that you yourself suffer from. In the second passage Jesus disciples were hungry but the Pharisees could not see that. All they could see were people breaking the Sabbath. They lacked compassion and Jesus said if you knew what it means for God to say he desireth mercy

I believe all of us should beware of self-righteousness, it’s a plague, it hinders us from truly worshiping God and we go home without having received from God’s fullness because of being so full of ourselves.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY MUSIC TEAM

• They are highly motivated – a healthy music team will find it easy to get its people to do what is required as everyone is enthusiastic about seeing things get done and God be exalted. Productivity is high and events are enjoyable and successful.
• There is freedom to express the gifts – In a healthy music team every individual is able to creatively express the gift/talent that God has bestowed on them. The spotlight is not limited to any one individual but everyone has the same opportunity to bring what they have on the table.
• Growth- A healthy team will grow in numbers, it will grow in skill. It will actually look for opportunities to grow, constantly going to seminars that will make them grow, sometimes even inviting those who are doing exploits in the Praise and Worship scene to come and teach their team.
• Attracts talented and skilled individuals – even prominent and established musicians want to join this team because there is a positive vibe about the music team, there is something good going on and everyone wants to be a part of it.
• Constantly innovating and doing new things- healthy teams know how to recognize and seize good opportunities, they know how to adapt to technological and operational changes and are constantly innovating their processes, stay ahead or in line with current music industry trends.
• All age groups are represented – In a healthy team both the young and the old play and sing in the band and choir.
• There is good leadership – Good leadership is one of the main characteristics of a healthy team. The music team will have a good relationship with the worship pastors and deacons, there is trust and when correction is needed the music team readily accepts it as it is given in love and without malice! There is a clear defined structure and the music team does not mind complying with any instruction given as they understand it and see the benefits of its implementation.
• Works as a team – there is cooperative effort to achieve the common goal!

THE SYMPTOMS OF A SICK MUSIC TEAM

• Highly demotivated – a sick team does not love what they do and just show up because they have no option or because you are paying them. It’s hard for any work to be done and people are usually threatened or arm-twisted for work to get done.
• Constant excuses – the team constantly gives excuses of why they can’t make services or practices.
• Absenteeism – the team is constantly not available for various ministry events even if notice is given way in advance before the event.
• Attracts untalented and unskilled individuals – the new people who come to join the music team might just be people who are learning or people who can’t even sing or play.
• Focused on an individual – only one person is dominant in the singing or giving of ideas and all other people are just there to do what the dominant individual require.
• Focused on past exploits and no longer innovating – you constantly hear about the past and how things would be done in the past or how an awesome album was done in the past but then there is no mention about the future and how the team can innovate to be better and do new things.
• Leans towards a particular age group – an unhealthy team will have one age group represented. Maybe it will just be the old folk and the young people won’t want to be a part of it because it will be old fashioned. The other extreme is just young folk and the old people won’t want to be a part of it because it is just noise and a lot of guitars.
• There is no confidence in the leadership – Once a music team loses faith in its leaders or in the direction they are taking, then their loyalties are fray and they cease to wholeheartedly follow. There is no trust and the leaders themselves might not have a care and concern for the team but just a care for getting the work done.
• Poor Communication and Blurred chain and unity of command – the music team is constantly confused, frustrated and are constantly guessing. There is no avenue to communicate back to leadership for clarification. Instructions come from different leaders and sometimes those instructions will be conflicting with each other and the music team does not know which to follow.

How To Let Go Of Your Employees In A Godly Manner

It naturally follows that if you are going to hire someone there is a possibility that you will have to fire them. Now as Christians we are not prohibited from firing people, it is not ungodly, however when you do fire someone you want to ensure that it is done in a way that will bring glory to God and not cause scandals and or divisions. As Christians we should be sensitive to how firing someone will impact an employee, impact the employee’s family and most importantly how it will impact the church!

Let’s look at some reasonable causes for firing of musicians within a church or a band:

• Breach of Contract
• Involvement in illegal acts
• Poor Performance
• Not reporting for duty

Having looked at the reasons the next thing is the issues you need to consider before you fire your church musician or band member (I call it a termination checklist)

• Justification for dismissal- the decision to fire someone should be based on objective facts and it is wise to put such facts in writing. This is especially so if the reason for firing is because of poor performance were you will need supporting documentation of performance appraisals, employee goals along with supervisor’s communication notes.
• Timing of dismissal – you cannot just remove someone from their job unless if it was an act that requires immediate removal in which case you will require solid evidence or else it becomes a messy court case.
• Communication of dismissal – Communicating that you have fired someone is probably one of the most complex and fragile things that an employer has to do as this is a life altering event for the employee. Also for us as Christians everything we do has to be done in love so the way you communicate that dismissal and your actions after that communication have to be in love. Furthermore you have to communicate to the staff, other band members, fans and the church about the termination. When you communicate the termination to everyone else do not lie as this is the fuel for gossip and a lack of respect from those who remain as they will be most likely aware of the events that led to the termination. Put everything out in the open so that the devil is not given any room. One thing the devil likes to ride on is a scandal so do not create one.
• Procedure for dismissal – people are just not fired, a procedure has to be followed. Unfortunately the people who head churches do not understand this and usually fire their staff not based on procedure but emotions and in the spur of the moment. This of cause has disastrous consequences. If it’s a big church that has a human resource department, that department should have a dismissal procedure in place. If you are just a worship leader who has contracted a band member you should consult with some experts and have a documented dismissal procedure with you. In developed nations this is not mostly an issue but in Africa a lot of haphazard things are done.
• The Labor laws of your nation

There are times when unjust decisions are carried out. If you are a church employee or a member of the band and you are fired unjustly there is reprieve for you in the law. I will look at the following cases:

• Constructive Dismissal

In employment law, constructive dismissal, also called constructive discharge, occurs when an employee resigns as a result of the employer creating a hostile work environment. Since the resignation was not truly voluntary, it is in effect a termination.

It is important to note that with constructive dismissal the employer does not dismiss the employee but the employers conduct is such that no reasonable employee can be expected to put up with it i.e the employee is left with no other option but to resign.

Constructive dismissal is hard to prove though and the employee has to prove beyond a shadow of a reasonable doubt that this was the case.

• Unfair Dismissal

Unfair dismissal is a term in labour law to describe an act of employment termination      without good reason, or contrary to the country’s specific legislation.

I will dwell more on this one. This is very common in churches and Christian bands as many decisions are made based on feelings and sometimes erroneous doctrine with no regards whatsoever to the laws of a nation, objective judgement or the employee’s welfare.

As an employee this is what you have to do if it’s unfair dismissal. You have to notify your employer/supervisor/ the HR Department of the act. I advise you to use an email that you can then use as evidence in the labor court if the matter fails to be resolved. With church things we don’t want to be taking one another to court, it’s a poor witness to the world but if your employer is unreasonable you will be left with no choice especially if it’s done by your leadership who you should go to for arbitration. 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 lets us know

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

If your leadership is the one which perpetrates the illegal act then it is not wrong for you to seek an arbitrator of your issue outside of the church as Romans 13:1-4 lets us know that rulers are not a terror to good.

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

 PAYING MUSICIANS

There are people who believe musicians should not be paid because music is a ministry and therefore it must be done with volunteers. For others they claim that they are small churches and their budget does not allow them to pay anyone. Topics that have to deal with money are never treated lightly and people become emotional when it comes to money issues.

Some people claim that it is the devil who has swept through churches causing musicians to want to be paid for their service of playing. Some musicians go to the extreme of not playing if the money is not there. Though I do not advocate for such an attitude, I believe that musicians should either be paid, receive a love offering once in a while or at least transport money to help them in the work that they do.

It is biblical to pay musicians for the work that they do in the church. I believe this helps the musicians to focus on the ministry and prayer as they are not busy trying to make money and serve God at the same time. In some churches they pay their musicians and have no problem doing so. However in Africa that’s not the case. Musicians are not paid and yet expected to be fully committed to the ministry. This does not make sense.

1 Chronicles 9:33 says and these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night. And in Nehemiah 11:22b-23 says of the sons of Asaph, the singers were over the business of the house of God. For it was the Kings commandment concerning them, that a certain portion should be for the singers, due for everyday.

Yes these guys were employed to do God’s work. It’s not about doing it for the money but let’s face it no one can live without money!

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 9:9-10

For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

Some will argue that this scripture is talking about teachers of the word and does not apply to musicians. A musician is actually a teacher of the word through song when you actually think about it. This I have put for those who would us that argument.  

The question arises: When should a church/ministry start considering to employ full time musicians?

1. If the church desires to maintain and establish a prestigious standard of music (especially churches that write and record their own music ). Such churches have a music director, several instrumentalists and choir members on a payroll to be able to achieve this because when a person is paid, the church has a right to expect a higher level of commitment and excellence
2. If the amount of time needed to do the work of the ministry exceeds what is reasonable for a typical church member to give then the church should definitely consider employing
3. If the churches musicians are constantly giving excuses that they cant make it to practices and services because they are looking for money a church might want to consider paying. There is an insight in Nehemiah concerning this particular situation. In Nehemiah 13:10-11 it says And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.  Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.

If you start paying your musicians:

1. Please pay them on time
2. Do not promise what you cannot deliver
3. Review their salary with time depending on value and where they are in life ( e.g if you employed the person while they were young but now they are married and have a family you need to consider that their needs have changed, also maybe you employed them when they had no qualification and now they have attained a musical qualification or skill consider that )

GUIDELINES YOU CAN USE FOR EMPLOYING MUSICIANS

• Ensure the musician has your church at heart and is not just in it for the money- this is very important because you need someone who loves the church and wants to serve. In this regard it will be wise to employ from within the church, from someone who has been serving already on a volunteer basis because you know they should have a genuine love for the ministry otherwise they would not have been in the church in the first place. I strongly advise against hiring a musician who is not even part of your church even if they might be a professional musician because most of the times the only reason that person will be coming through is because of the paycheck and not out of a love for the church and they will have a lower commitment and loyalty to the church than a volunteer who can then be trained to get to this professional level.
• Establish a mentoring program- even when you employ musicians you need to be constantly training more musicians, especially the younger crop so that there can be continuity if the employed musician desires to move on with their life. You might even make training the next generation part of the employed musician’s job description. Ensure though that the employed musician does not see his mentee as a threat to his job security because then the employee will struggle to build a culture of development as they might see this person as a replacement.
• Clearly define your musicians Key Result Areas. Many churches after employing musicians start feeling as if they are just paying people to sit and practice then play in a service. You have to lay out your expectations and to avoid just paying people to sit I advise you add some administrative duties on top of the obvious one of playing and singing in a service. Get the musicians to draft reports and plan services way in advance and then also doing things like chord charts. Also for songwriters they can start writing songs for your church for the purposes of recordings that you can then use to raise money to pay the musicians.
• Find out the vision and direction of the musician you want to employ. As much as we might not like not everyone is meant to stay, certain people come into our lives for a season. Before you employ someone find out what they want to do with their lives, find out if they feel called to the music ministry and if they are called to your church for good or they are available for a season. Even if they are going to leave after a season don’t use that against them so you don’t employ them, just employ them on a short contract. This applies especially for kids who have just left school and are looking for something to do before they go to varsity. In the case of such an individual ensure that they train a replacement who can do the same tasks they were doing.
• Some musicians will want to do their own recording projects. This is not a bad thing. So many ministries might feel threatened by someone who is entrepreneurial fearing that they might eventually leave the ministry or have their commitment waver because of their projects. This is not even the case, it’s actually good to employ such people. I do my own projects but am fully committed to my church, I think also of Israel Houghton who travels all around the world and has done various projects and yet is committed to his home church Lakewood!

CONTRACTS

A wise musician will seek a contract if they are employed or if a church starts to desire paying them unless if the church is working on a love offering basis. This is because without a contract you will be taken advantage of, yes even churches can be oppressive and you will become a slave if you are not wise. The bible says be wise as serpents and yet harmless as a dove.

Why contracts?

1. A contract clearly sets out what is required from you as an employee and also what your employer will do for you
2. A contract gives you security, you are assured of income for a specified period of time.

THE SOUND OF HEAVEN

Heaven is a glorious place. I may never have been there but from what I see in the bible I can only imagine. As a worship leader/ instrumentalist/vocalist/choir member our goal should be to hear from heaven and echo what we hear in our worship. We have to be like a power cable that connects to the source and transmits that power on earth.

In Revelations 5

And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.  And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;  And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.   And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.  And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.   And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

Here are some observations I made from this scripture:

• The 24 elders are musicians, they all had harps. That lets me know that music plays an important part in the worship in heaven. As such music should play a pivotal role for us to be able to release that sound of heaven here on earth!
• The new song is a vital part of heavenly worship. As such I encourage worship leaders to start believing God for new songs, there is a heavenly atmosphere that a truly God inspired new song can bring to our congregations and to our worship experience!
• There is the voice of many angels, it was not just the 24 elders singing but many angels singing with a loud voice. If in our worship we can get every individual involved and singing with a loud voice that is near to the example set for us. Worship is not just for those on stage, everyone has to be involved; singing with a loud voice!
• There is a lot of bowing and falling face down that takes place in the heaven. I think this is a lost art in our worship.

The most amazing thing for me though is that as all this is taking place in heaven, at the end of the scripture it lets us know that every creature on the earth, and under the earth and in the sea responds to this worship that will be taking place in heaven. Nature itself responds in praise as worship takes place in heaven. That just blew my mind!

Every Christian should be in tune with what God is doing. It’s time we start listening out to what God is doing and move with that tide. We can’t let the rocks cry out in our place! We have to hear the sound of heaven and respond in resounding praise to the King of Kings!

For worship leaders the ability to be in tune with heaven will enable us to pull down and write amazing songs that come straight from the throne. For instrumentalists this will lead to us discovering amazing tunes and melodies hence creating a sound that pierces through the darkness and releases the glory and presence of God!