How the Church Becomes an Idol

The first occurrence of the word church (ekklesia) in the New Testament is found on the lips of Jesus in Matthew 16:18 — “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church…” From this point forward it is clear that God’s grand plan was for Jesus’ disciples to establish the church after His ascension.

And this is exactly what they did. If we fast-forward to Acts 2, in fulfillment of Jesus’ statement above, it is Peter who stands up to give his famous Pentecost sermon (v14), leading to the salvation of many (v41) and the establishment of the church (vv42-47).

This is the church that the apostles continued to grow. This is the church that the Reformers fought to preserve. This is the church that so many have been a part of throughout the centuries. This is the church that you and I are a part of today.

But I am afraid that this church, fashioned by the hand of God, has in some ways replaced God.

Allow me to share with you four ways in which the church becomes an idol…

1. When the happenings are more important than the Head

We are taught very clearly in Ephesians 1:22 and Colossians 1:18 that Christ is the head of the body, the church. But do all of our church’s events, programs, and happenings point to the head? Do they point people to Christ? Do they result in the changing of lives and the growth of the kingdom? Or do they merely result in our happiness and contentment? Christ must be the center of everything the church does.

2. When the work is more important than the Word

You may think that pastoring a church is simple. After all, pastors only work on Sundays and Wednesdays, right? Wrong. The work of the church, led by the pastoral staff, is a huge endeavor. There are meetings to be held, prayers to be said, visits to be made, songs to be sung, meals to be cooked, and events to be planned. But none of this should outweigh the studying, the preaching, the teaching, and, as a result, the exaltation of God’s inspired Word.

When the focal point of a worship service is not the preaching of the Word, something has gone wrong. When the word of man is given more emphasis than the Word of God, something has gone wrong. When meals and meetings take precedence over meditation, something has gone wrong. When more time is dedicated to event planning than exegesis and exposition, something has gone wrong.

Let Isaiah 40:8 remind us that “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.”

3. When the building is more important than the body

Buildings are important. Buildings are needed. Churches today are constructing multi-million dollar facilities, and are putting them to great use. But we cannot forget that the church is not the four walls and the steeple (wait, do churches even have steeples anymore???). Even though Webster’s dictionary primarily defines the church as “a building that is used for Christian religious services,” the Greek word ekklesia refers to the “assembly” or the “gathering”—the people in the pews.

So while buildings are important, we shouldn’t sacrifice the needs of the people for the sake of our building projects. A strong body ought to be valued more than a state-of-the-art building.

4. When money is more important than ministry

In no way am I suggesting that money is unimportant. Giving financially to your local church is important. The way the church manages the money given is extremely important.

But here is what I’m getting at: The way a church spends its money needs to reflect its devotion to ministry. The church needs to focus on serving its members and reaching out to the lost more than on how much money is in the bank account.

After all, the church doesn’t have a 401k. While a church should put some money aside for emergencies and for the future, it should also be willing to spend money for the sake of the kingdom. Money should never hold a church back from doing the ministry God has called it to do.

In conclusion, let me ask you this: Do you see how easily the church can become an idol? Do you see how the line has been blurred between worshipping Christ and worshipping His church?

Remember, we can keep the church from becoming an idol when we:

·      value the Head more than the happenings

·      highlight the Word over the work

·      care about the body more than the building

·      focus on ministry more than money