Below is an email sent from one of are members Zach Crump. Zach is currently apart of our Matthew’s Table church plant and one of our pastors-in-training. He along side of Trent helps Rick bear much of the teaching load at Matthew’s Table. Take a moment and be blessed by this gospel centered insight.
WHAT UP FAMILY!
HEY- I have been reading through Church Planter by Darrin Patrick, and right now he is talking about idolatry. Really good stuff. He breaks down idols in 2 categories: SURFACE IDOLS (i.e. money) vs. source idols (i.e. comfort). So the surface idols spring forth from the source idols, kind of like how if the root of the tree is bad, the fruit will also be bad. Here are 4 categories of source idols. As church, we need to recognize our own and kill them! Idolatry will divide a church. Take a look at these, please. I would encourage sisters to confess their idolatry to another sister, and for the brothers to do the same. Hold each other accountable. Freely confess your idols. Know that the Spirit of God destroys them, through the Gospel. Here ya go!
COMFORT IDOLATRY
Life only has meaning/ I only have worth if I have a certain pleasure or experience in my life. People with this idol seek comfort thru privacy, and lack of stress. They are afraid of stress or demands. Their biggest problem is boredom, so they combat it with buying the latest things. They avoid people who are obstacles to their comfort. These people lack authentic relationship because they seek their own comfort, instead of knowing others.
APPROVAL IDOLATRY
Life only has meaning/ I only have worth if I am loved and respected by ____________. These people seek affirmation and love from others. They avoid independence. Their greatest fear is rejection. These people are often cowards, because they fear other people. People in this group are not ultimately satisfied by God’s love, but they covet the love of people that they feel are important. People in this group are often insecure in their identity in Christ. They over commit their time. Make too many promises. They over state in order to gain affirmation from others
CONTROL IDOLATRY
Life only has meaning/ I only have worth if I am able to get mastery over my life in the area of __________. People in this group seek control. Their greatest fear is uncertainty. These people often feel worried and condemned. Typically not very spontaneous and are willing to be lonely at the price of them having control. These people obsess over making this go EXACTLY as they plan. Often have the mentality, “If I want it done right, I have to do it myself” tho they frequently say “It’s my way or the highway”. This type of idolatry is exposed during unexpected events.
POWER IDOLATRY
Life only has meaning/ I only have worth if I have power and influence over others. People in this group seek success and influence. They seek to win. Their greatest fear is humiliation. People around them often feel like they are being used. These people can be easily angered. People with power idolatry fear losing just as much as they want to win. This may manifest itself in comparing yourself to others, i.e.- as long as I make more money and spend more money than the next person, I have worth. People in this group can be addicted to gambling or any game their choice that allows them to win. Losing exposes insecurity. They get angry at people who “cost them the victory”.
YO! Praise God for this wisdom. It is found on pages 164-167 of Church Planter, by Darrin Patrick. See Romans 8 for how to kill your idols. Lets be the church! I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH!
