In my youth I had the impression that Americans did not have any idols. There were many idols in China, but my concept was that the United States was a land free of idols. But when I came to this country as an older person, I realized that there are idols everywhere. The idols in China were outward, but the idols in the United States are hidden, concealed. In their intense love of pleasure and entertainment, many in this country are worshipping idols. It is true to say that the United States is a land of entertainment. When many pursue certain forms of worldly amusement, they act without restraint, seeming even to forget their own names. In this way, their pursuit of entertainment becomes the worship of idols. The Lord’s Day was ordained by God for His people to worship Him. But what do most people do on this day of the week? In one way or other, they worship idols. How many genuine worshippers are there of the true God? Surely many more people worship idols today than worship the true God.
We usually think that the goal of the gospel is to turn people from sin to God. But Paul’s preaching of the gospel turned people also from idols to God. It is not sufficient merely to turn others to God from sin. If our preaching of the gospel only does this, our preaching is weak and inadequate. The stronger preaching of the gospel turns people both from sin and from idols. It is somewhat easy to turn others to God from sin, but it is much more difficult to turn them to God from idols.
Do you know what is the beginning of the Christian life? The beginning of the Christian life consists in turning to God from idols. When we turn from idols, we also turn from sin, for sin lurks behind idols. In today’s entertainments and amusements there is a great deal of sin. Those who do not worship idols may not sin. But whenever someone is worshipping an idol, it is impossible for that person not to sin.
Idols are actually parts of the Devil. They are demons. Behind every idol there is at least one demon. This means that there are demons behind the scene of today’s entertainments, amusements, and pleasures. Therefore, the Christian life must be a life that begins with turning to God from idols.
Many of us still need a further turn from certain idols unto God. If you want something other than God Himself, that thing is an idol. Anything other than God that draws our attention or anything that distracts us from God is an idol. Any who are distracted in this way need a further turn to God from their idols. The Christian life must have the turning to God from idols as its first characteristic. The Christian life is a life without idols.
In verse 9 Paul speaks also of serving a living and true God. Literally the Greek word rendered serve means to serve as a slave. The living and true God is in contrast to the dead and false idols. In this verse the word living is mentioned before the word true. It is rather easy to serve a true God; it is not so easy to serve a living God. Nevertheless, we need to serve a living God. God must be living to us and in us in our daily life. He should be living in our speech, in our behavior, and in every aspect of our daily life.
How can we prove that God is living? We prove it by our daily life. If God were not living, our daily life would be very different from what it is. Our present living is a testimony that the God whom we serve is living. He is living in us, and He controls us, directs us, and deals with us. He will not let us go. Rather, in many matters He corrects us and adjusts us. The fact that God controls us and directs us, even in small things such as our thoughts and motives, is a proof that He is living. Furthermore, it is by our daily walk that we can prove to our relatives, neighbors, and friends that our God is living.
We live under the control, direction, and correction of a living God. An idol, however, does not direct or correct anyone. In the presence of an idol someone can gamble or steal without being corrected at all. But we cannot do such things before a living God. For example, if God is living in us, He would never allow us to tell a lie. If our God is living, we cannot lie in His presence. Serving a living God is the second characteristic of the Christian life. We must live a life which bears the testimony that the God we worship and serve is living in the details of our daily life.
Years ago, when I was in Manila, I learned that certain people could steal and then immediately go into a cathedral to worship. Some repented of their thefts and then immediately went out to steal once again. Some robbed others even in the cathedral. Surely such people do not worship a living God. On the contrary, the god they worship has no life.
What about your God? Is He a living God to you? The proper Christian life should bear a testimony that God is living. The reason we do not do or say certain things should be that God is living in us. The God whom we worship and serve is living not only in the heavens, but also in us. We have turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God. No doubt, when God is living to us in our experience, He is also true.
A third characteristic of our Christian life is that we are waiting for God’s Son from the heavens. As Christians, we must live a life that declares to others that our hope is not on this earth or in this age. Instead, our hope is in the coming Lord, and our future is in Him. On this earth we do not have any destiny, destination, or future. Our future, our destiny, and our destination are altogether focused on the Lord who is coming. He will be our hope, our future, and our destination. We are going to the Lord, and our destiny is to meet Him. Worldly people, on the contrary, have the kind of living that gives others the impression that their future is on earth and that their hope, destiny, and destination are all in the present. Although their future is thoroughly related to this age, our future is not. Because we are waiting for the Son of God from the heavens, our future is focused on Him. We have no hope on this earth and no destiny in this age.
Genuine Christians do not have any idols, they live a life that testifies that their God is living, and they declare by their living that they have no hope on this earth, but only in the coming One. We should not have anything other than God, our God should be living in our daily life, and we should declare that we are waiting for the coming of the Son of God from the heavens. I hope that those who are working with new converts and young believers will render them help concerning these things from 1 Thessalonians. Furthermore, even some of us who have been in the recovery for years still need to be helped to make up things lacking in the Christian life. Some of us may still be clinging to certain idols, to things other than God Himself. Moreover, our daily life may not testify that the God whom we serve is living, for we still may do many things without His direction, control, or adjustment. If this is our situation, then we have a negative testimony that our God is not very living to us day by day. If He is living to us, we shall surely be under His control and correction. If our God is living, He will correct us and not allow us to be careless in our living. Many of us may also lack a waiting spirit, a spirit waiting for the Lord’s coming back. Our living may not declare or testify that we are waiting for the Lord’s coming. We may lack this kind of atmosphere in our living. May we all see from 1 Thessalonians that a proper Christian life for the church life is a life without idols, a life that testifies that our God is living, and a life waiting for the Lord’s coming back.
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