Idolatry In Israel — "Then And Now
Paul warned the Corinthians, "Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." (I Cor. 10:7) Feigning service to the Lord, Aaron made a proclamation to which the people eagerly responded by rising up early and doing "service" to God. (Ex. 32:5,6) However dedicated and sincere may have been the aims of some, their activity was vain, for they, well knowing God's righteousness, went about to establish their own righteousness, and refused to submit themselves unto the righteousness of God.
We slowly shake our heads with even a casual reading of Exodus 32, but I wonder if a parallel passage has been written on the mind of God by the events in Israel over the past several years? Do "Church of Christ" camps, retreats, educational, recreational facilities, and other similar activities constitute sitting down to eat and drink and rising up to play? If not, what would it take? Seems that today we have fallen, perhaps unsuspectingly, sincerely into the lure of pleasure and fun in the work and worship of the church. How, though, can we convince a denominationalist that we belong to a spiritual body and not a social organization when he sees the "fun and games" approach in use?
Famous singers and sack races appeal to the flesh and draw crowds, but they do not save souls. A church might as well use topless Go-Go dancers as to advertize a personality whose sole purpose is to attract numbers, but are either of these the power of God unto salvation?
Let us all go back to using the treasury of the church for scriptural, soul-saving purposes and then we won't have enough money to build dining rooms, kitchen, and recreation areas. Consider this: does the church you are a member of stress eating, drinking, and rising up to play more than they do their local programs on the radio and in the newspaper? Read I Cor. 10:7.
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