Most people in society would quickly deny that they worship a false god. While we may not worship statues, many other possessions and practices have captured our hearts in a posture of worship. It doesn’t take long for money, jobs, hobbies, fame, reputation, and stuff to sit on the throne of our hearts.
So what would happen if we made these “gods” irrelevant? I’m not saying that we don’t need money, or that we should quit our jobs, or that it’s a sin to have a hobby. And I’m not suggesting that your reputation is pointless or that it’s wrong to have material possessions. I’m simply asking, “What would happen if our love and commitment to Christ dethroned our 21st century gods and transformed how people view the Christ we serve?” Regi Campbell, author of Mentor Like Jesus, captured this really well when he wrote:
About 350 years after Christ, the Roman emperor Julian (AD 332-363) wanted to reinstitute faithfulness to the pagan religions of Rome but struggled because Christians were doing such good things for people, even strangers, that they rendered the Roman gods irrelevant.
Wouldn’t it be cool to render the pagan gods of the twenty-first century irrelevant by having millions of Christ followers become so genuine in their faith that they changed the world with their kindness, mercy, and generosity?
What in your life has become a god? What is preventing your faith in Christ from transforming all of who you are and mobilizing you to make a difference in the world? As Rick Warren observed, “The church has amputated its hands and its feet, and all that’s left is its mouth.” It’s time that the beauty of the risen Christ make our 21st century gods irrelevant.
