Insanity In The Church Book Timothy Williams

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Table of Contents

1. Pleasure Madness

…lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— (2 Timothy 3:4)

Come get your fun, food and salvation.
Join our church for pack-the-pew day followed by an ice cream social.
Attend our seminar, where we feature great speakers with recreational facilities and fine restaurants in the area.
Come to a pig roast and baptism at the lake.
Mothers’ night out.
Last days cruise in the Bahamas.
Taco night, pizza night, movie night.
Adventure Tuesday.
Bowling, music, video games, and movies.
Sports preview night.
Men’s prayer breakfast.
Summer camp with us as we visit all the theme parks in the state.
Big screen TV, swimming pool, a great time together.
Church times will change to accommodate the Super Bowl.
Two sanctuaries, one traditional the other with cappuccino and a big screen TV.

Look at any church bulletin and it is not hard to see how much the insanity of pleasure grips the church. The church is mad with the love of food and fun. Ads promote last days seminars that talk about the anti-Christ and the mark of the Beast while they brag about the eating, fun, and pleasurable things to do in the area. Everywhere you look the church is turning into one pleasure-mad social club, and with the stamp of approval called, “Fellowship.”

No longer is the church a sanctuary from the pleasure and feasting of the world. Instead, Christians try to demonstrate that they can have fun too. The church stays too busy having fun to really do much of anything of value for Jesus. Certainly they perform token good deeds to feel spiritual, but never have a quiet, holy life separated from the world. Indeed, even if God were to speak in these busy, fun-filled churches, they could never hear Him—there is just too much noise.

One whitewash justification of such madness is to invite people to church by offering them fun and food so we can share Jesus with them. In reality, such offers entice and tempt people to come to church, something Jesus never did. Satan, on the other hand, did offer such pleasure in the garden of Eden.

2. Satan’s Trap

Man fell over food. In order to cause sin, Satan tempted Adam and Eve to first look at the fruit in the garden. He enticed them to come to his church. Once they turned to go into Satan’s church, they saw the “fruit” was “good for food and pleasing to the eye.”

First, the church gets people’s attention by saying the key words, “Fun and food.” Once they get to church they discover it isn’t so bad, in fact, the food is “good” and pleases “the eye.” The false church is a “good” thing and fun to attend. It even gives a person “wisdom,” as did the fruit at Satan’s church. This “wisdom” looks and sounds godly, but only an outward form of being religious.

Satan works this appeal for pleasure with great speed in the last days. Notice the elements of Adam and Eve’s first worldly church service:

They “saw” they could obtain “wisdom” about life. They could see the power and authority to Satan’s message. There was something different about this church.
They saw that it was “good” food, making one healthy with a well-put-together life. It felt personally “good” for them to go to church, and enriched their spiritual life.
It was “pleasing” to attend, it was fun and felt good. Eve had a good feeling about what she did. It didn’t look like a cult or some weird group. It made one feel spiritual and comfortable.
It was “desirable” and they wanted to attend church. They couldn’t wait to get to this church service.
It even focused on evangelism with Eve giving “some to her husband.” At this church everyone reached out to the needs and wants of others.
It was contemporary, meeting the needs of the moment.
And of course a woman did the preaching. She now fulfilled her calling, using her new found wisdom to influence Adam into following in her footsteps.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her hus-band, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:6)

3. Terrible Times

Of all the things Paul warned Timothy about the last days, nowhere did he mention earthquakes, wars, famines, or some bad political group. The “terrible times” we must “mark” or take note of, is a “form of” Christianity that claims to be godly but really loves pleasure. “Mark” well the things we have touched on in this book listed out in the next Scripture.

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (2 Timothy 3:1–5)

This Scripture says that the only safeguard from such churches, ministries, and works in the name of Jesus is to have “nothing to do with them.” Let me repeat that, we, those who live the message of the cross, must have “nothing” to do with them. We need to do as Paul says and “mark this” or be prepared to take the mark of the Beast.

4. A Hungry Crowd

We must understand that Jesus did not promote His teachings, or a relationship with God, by saying “Come get your free food.” In fact, the people did not even know Jesus planned to feed them. As we shall see they had followed Jesus all that distance, listened to his teachings about denying self and the love of God; they had gotten themselves so far out with Jesus that they would have “collapsed” on the journey home. This “large crowd” had listened to Jesus for “three days” with “nothing to eat.” At this point, after days without food, Jesus told the disciples to give them something to eat. Jesus had not gotten the crowd out to Him by promising a fun filled, action packed, belly satisfying miracle revival time.

During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.” (Mark 8:1–3)

Until Jesus had them “sit down” the crowd did not know what they would eat, and fun was the last thing on their minds. They were so busy feeding on what Jesus had to say, seeing how to hate their lives, that having fun never occurred to them. I remember when I first started the church in Washington state, most members had come out of a Powerful Delusion church, and pleasure and feeding the flesh came naturally. Everyone came to our first church services with coffee cups in their hands, passing out mints, and talking about food. I never rebuked them for this, but just preached the message of the cross as Jesus worked it. Naturally these activities and seeking to have pleasure all the time began to die away. I didn’t lay down rules but just preached the gospel of loving God wholeheartedly and slowly the Holy Spirit began to do the work. Now we serve much simpler meals during our fellowship time and we talk less about feeding the belly and our plans for fun. Our Body has found their pleasure and food in doing the will of God—food most know “nothing about.”

5. Simple Meal

We should also take note that Jesus fed the people a simple meal of fish and bread. As all the people sat down on the plain “green grass,” Jesus fed them a simple meal. The green grass was not used for golfing, sun bathing, or tables with cakes and fine foods, instead for contemplation and serious thought. Jesus did not promise the crowd a fun time or tell them that all their needs would be met. Indeed, the miracle happened so quietly that, most probably didn’t know a miracle took place. Jesus simply said a very short prayer to bless the food and thousands were fed. Contrast this with what happens today. We invite thousands to a miracle feeding time. Sitting down in “green grass” is not enough, we promise fun and food for all—a pot blessing. We bring out the insane clowns so the children do not get bored. We offer up long-winded prayers for God to work a miracle on the food. Lots of fun, music, and shouting keeps everyone hyped up. Certainly our church meals do not consist of simple fish and bread, but BBQ beef, ice cream topped with whip cream—all you can eat. In short, everyone has a really good time of “fellowship.” How the church today defiles itself by eating the rich food of kings. Better to have a knife applied to the throat than to sin in the manner which takes place in most churches today. Let everyone “note well” what is put “before” them and if it be the rich food of a “ruler” and you are “given to gluttony,” put the knife to your throat, not the food.

When you sit to dine with a ruler, note well what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony. (Proverbs 23:1–2)

6. Lift Up Jesus

The vast crowd that claims to know Jesus seems willing to do about anything to get people into church. They constantly advertise in small and great styles that they provide fun, food, recreation, child-care, and a rich spiritual time for all—for a nominal fee of course, discounts for those who register early.

Again, the love of numbers and money motivates this corruption of fun and food. In fact, the reader might ask, “Well, then how can we get people to church? How can we win souls?” By now you know the answer—by the work of the cross. Preach the gospel, as the Holy Spirit instructs, and leave the drawing of men to God. We have used the worldly enticements and advertisements for so long that we have forgotten that the weakness of man allows the cross to do its work in the heart of man. Notice that Jesus said when we have “lifted him” up on the cross, He, not us, will “draw all men” to Himself.

But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. (John 12:32)

When we preach ourselves, we use worldly means to attract. When we rely fully on the Holy Spirit we know that only God can draw the heart, and all we can do is “water” or “plant.” In short, all we can do in our human effort is appeal to an individual’s flesh. Therefore we must die to that flesh and rely on God to do the work. For this reason, Scripture draws a distinction between those who believe in Jesus by the effort of man and those who believe by “grace.” It is God’s work to “open” the “hearts” of people to His gospel, not man’s responsibility.

7. True Altar Calls

Plus, think about it. Does it really make sense to entice people to come to the Lord using entertainment and food, and then tell them they must “hate their own life,” “deny self,” and pick up a cross? After all, how can a man count the cost when the church that represents Jesus requires so little and when the cleaning up of one’s life includes no more than what the world expects or demands. We very seldom present Jesus’ true altar call. We motivate people in the power of the flesh by singing “Just As I am” over and over until we get the desired response. Our flesh loves bringing people to God through the “Romans Road,” ask-Jesus-in-your-heart, sign the back of the book, raise your hand, speak in tongues, or attend discipleship class methods. We write off Luke 14 as if it means “love less,” and think that if we love other things less than God, then it is okay to have other loves.

So many millions become Christians while having many loves (idols), in their lives. The end-time church has lost most of its “saltiness” and will soon be “thrown out” into darkness. All gospel calls that do not reflect the Scripture below will be thrown out. For a detailed look at Luke 14:26, read my book The Essential Piece. For now, let us underscore that when Jesus confronts us it causes all to “sit down” and do some very serious contemplation. Jesus turns to the “large crowds” in churches and declares the following:

Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” (Luke 14:25–35)

8. Belly Belief

Jesus wants all of self crucified, not just some aspects of self cleaned up. See the absurdity? The Powerful Delusion succeeds in making it seem holy to entice people with fun, entertainment, and food. Churches even make spiritual gifts appear fun in order to attract new members. The church must come to realize that they do not save souls, but prepare a people for God to judge and send to hell. A people, as Jesus said, “twice as much a son of hell as themselves.”

When push comes to shove those who embrace the Powerful Delusion do so because they use Jesus to puff up their ministry and to satisfy their flesh in many ways. They want God on their side in case something goes wrong; they do not want to go hungry or unsatisfied in this world. Jesus tells them in no uncertain terms that they look for Him, not really because of the “miraculous signs but because” they “ate the loves and had” their “fill.” They follow Jesus for the free food and fun. Jesus added a little more excitement to their life and their flesh liked it.

Many go on short missionary trips just for this reason. It makes them feel spiritual and adds a little more spice to their lives. But they do not follow Him in order to be fit for the kingdom of heaven. They are belly believers who follow Jesus because their faith is for their sPaulachs. Indeed, such believers call others brothers, but they are really just belly brothers in the name of Jesus. They have a belly belief as described in the book of Philippians.

Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their sPaulach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. (Philippians 3:17–19)

Paul gave them a pattern of denying self, being crucified to self, and suffering on the cross to be dead to sin. He taught how to be dead to the world and know that food was for the “sPaulach and the sPaulach for food.” Paul spoke of a cross that separated us from the pleasures and fun in the world so that we might enjoy life with Christ for eternity. Paul considered the cross such a treasure that he wrote these words with “tears” and pleaded with us to “take note” of those living the crucified life. How many churches are “enemies of the cross of Christ” as evidenced by how they misuse food and fun. Their lives declare what they really worship even though they mock the words of the cross.

Look again at the crowd following Jesus. They were eager to find Jesus and put forth great effort searching for Him. They felt excited to find Jesus and asked, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” They come calling Him “Rabbi” or Teacher. They come with false respect and false sincerity undetectable to even themselves. Just like millions in the church today, they pack the pews and call Jesus “Lord,” but all with wrong motives and desires.

Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus. When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” (John 6:24–27)

Jesus told them they only looked for Him so they could get something from Him. The “miraculous signs” attracted the crowd as they hoped to get something for themselves and claim a miracle for their life. Jesus fed their bellies and made their lives easier, therefore they looked for Him. For the same reason we see mega-churches today and flourishing ministries—they feed the bellies of men and women. Many signs, wonders, feelings, and a sense of spirituality confirms this belly belief. The Powerful Delusion happens before our eyes as we promise people great things in the name of Jesus.

9. Share In His Suffering

No greater question can a man ask himself in our time period than this: Why do I follow Jesus? Do I follow in spite of the sufferings of the cross, or do I follow to try and get away from the sufferings of the world?

We are discussing a true cross that takes all of a man’s life, not a cross that delivers a person from the sufferings of Christ. For only those who suffer with Christ are children of God. Only those who suffer with sin and overcome will live with Jesus in heaven. Everyone else lives a delusion and the Powerful Delusion seeds live in their hearts.

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. (Romans 8:17)

10. Festival To The Lord?

If a man can discern the golden-calf worship happening on a large scale, there is hope he might pick up a cross unto salvation. As Moses came down off the mountain with the wonderful Law of God in his hands, he found sin in the camp. Let us remember what the Israelites experienced. They were a people delivered, separated, and soon to become priests. They experienced miracles and divine revelation and were declared a special people. However God was not pleased with them, and they perished just outside the promised land. Let us jump in and view this revealing moment.

As Moses descended the sound of the camp filled his ears, and he heard the sound of great “fellowship.” The people had become restless and bored and went off in search of a power-packed worship time. Indeed, many today feel bored with traditional church services, which is a direct sign of golden calf worship.

The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.” Moses replied: “It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear.” (Exodus 32:16–18)

Moses descends the mountain with Joshua carrying the “work of God” in his hands, but the people became too bored to wait. Joshua heard the sound of war and Moses declared it was “singing.” Both were correct, a spiritual battle was taking place and one group chose to have a little fun. Like in Moses’ day, today’s spiritual battle comes with singing and shouting all in the name of the Lord. Its musicians look, speak, and act like the world, and boast of trying to crossover to the secular market, thus making themselves enemies of God. Today golden calf worship music comes shrink wrapped in the name of revival music. Church services in reality are just stage productions rather than true worship. All of this insanity in the church comes in the name of the Lord but comes from the pit of hell. Like Aaron, rather than calling people to repentance, we whitewash their sin and call it a “festival to the Lord.”

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Paulorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” (Exodus 32:5)

It was a “festival to the Lord” in name only. The real motivation, the real god, what they really worshiped was their sPaulachs. Their whole goal was to sit down and eat, then get up and play. They “indulge[d] in revelry” after they sang songs and praised God.

Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. (Exodus 32:6)

First, they got “church” out of the way. They sacrificed “burnt offerings” and presented “fellowship offerings.” Their offerings came with fire and sacrifice, looking so holy as they raised arms to God. I’m sure they talked about where they planned to eat after the sermon. If possible, they would have had a coffee shop in the lobby and their church calendar would have been dated with one fun event after another. People lined up “early” to get a good seat at this church for golden calf worship, which is called a revival service today.

So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry. (Exodus 32:6)

The people “rose early,” did the church thing, sat down to eat, and then got up to play, all in the name of the Lord. It was a corruption of God’s ways, with elements of Truth and worship, and we see it in abundance today as the Powerful Delusion does its deadly work.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ “I have seen these people,” the Lord said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people.” (Exodus 32:7–9)

11. Promoting The Lie

As the Powerful Delusion settles more and more on the church today, the number of “stiff-necked people” increases. People become increasingly hardened to the Truth and in the end persecute those who know the way of the cross. Indeed, my first book about the message of the cross was thoroughly slandered by a group that shows others the way to believe the Lie. They stand at the forefront of the Powerful Delusion and it is natural they would fight against the message of the cross. Indeed, God works in their lives and allows Satan to confirm the Powerful Delusion. They have the numbers and the money to promote the Lie in ways unheard of before our time. After all it is easy to get people to sacrifice and give when the golden calf of self is fed.

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” (Exodus 32:1–2)

Feed the people’s flesh and they will “take off the gold earrings” that their “wives,” “sons” and “daughters” wear. After all, who doesn’t want to give to a good cause that feeds your flesh. What men will not sacrifice for Jesus by way of the cross, they will sacrifice for self in the name of Jesus. When fun and food are a goal men will sacrifice much. With great care these preachers and leaders will fashion something that will please the eye of man, look spiritual, and have a lot of fun to it.

In our time, tongues, healings, being slain in the Spirit, miracles, signs, wonders, dreams, and visions have become our golden calves. They give new pleasures to eating and drinking and having fun because the cross is absent. Even those who did not go for the outlandish things still like the food and spicy worship. Moderate sinners in the church have a false sense of security because they are not like the wild bunch.

For example, tongues, while a genuine gift for today, has become an idol. So much so that you cannot preach in a certain denomination if you don’t speak in tongues. Even the youngest children are told to practice speaking in tongues. This denomination believes the sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit manifests by speaking in tongues. This idolatry, which started out small, ushered into the church such things as barking in the Spirit, holy laughter, and other nonsense. Combine this with fun and food and it becomes a very deadly mix of worldliness. There is nothing worse than a man puffed up in self-righteous zeal confirmed by outward manifestations that confirm his lies and delusions.

12 Sexual Immorality

These false manifestations are “fashioned” with great excitement, promotion, and zeal. We call it a revival meeting but God still sees it as golden calf worship. Deep inside many preachers of today know all these styles of worship are false and ungodly. Many preachers declare this hype false, but if they do not allow it they will lose members, popularity, money, and their reputation. All of this love for fun and food has led to unprecedented sexual immo-rality and godlessness.

If we had the eyes of Jesus we would see millions sell their birthright in Jesus for a “single meal.” You don’t have to be a dancing golden calf worshipper to have sold your heritage in the Lord. Many times it all comes down to a single, simple meal. Just as it did for Esau.

See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. (Hebrews 12:16)

Few people today “see that no one” falls into this sin in the church. People are told over and over not to judge and to be more loving, so no one is permitted to “See that no one is . . .” We don’t have time to examine how eating and drinking link with sexual immorality, but the church gives the perfect example. As the eating, drinking, and fun increase, so does sexual immorality. Indeed, if we had eyes that could see behind the scenes, we would be appalled at the sexual immorality taking place. If what we can see is this bad, one can only shudder at what God will do when He exposes the hidden behavior. For now just look at the dress, con-duct, eating, and drinking that goes on in the church—it is appalling how far the church has fallen.

13. King’s Kids

If you do not think this is true, just look at the church bulletins or read ads placed in magazines that advertise revival and seminars. Take a day and just listen to what others talk about in church. See how much conversation has to do with fun and food. The usual questions of the day at church services is, “Where are you going to go eat?” or “What do are you going to do today?”

The church has grown arrogant and prideful, boasting repeatedly that its members are kids of the King. How little the church knows today that Satan tempts it, so dull are the souls of men in the church. As Satan came to Jesus saying, “If you are the Son of God” eat. So too Satan comes to the church saying, “If you are a child of the King, then it is your right to eat, drink and be free in Jesus.” We, however, eat when Jesus did not.

The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:3–4)

14. Cleansing Drink

To escape this insanity, one must begin to swing the sword of the Lord. Not a physical sword, but the sword of the living Word of God that reveals such false worship and motives as sin. Just like in Moses’ day, you must decide, is this cross stuff correct or not?

Which side will you go with, for there is no middle ground on this issue? We must do what Moses did to purify the church.

Let every preacher everywhere stop the dancing and show the people how they have broken the work of God into “pieces.” Let the sin be looked at clearly and focused on until it is but a “powder.” Then let us put this sin in cleansing “water” and make the people “drink” it until they understand. Grind the gold, shiny, attractive sin so fine until the blood of Jesus purifies it. For this is exactly what Moses did.

If you grind gold into a very fine powder it will turn water blood red when mixed together. Indeed, even doctors use finely ground gold for healing purposes. The blood of Jesus is more precious than gold and when God strikes at our sin, no matter how shiny that sin, if we apply the blood of Jesus it heals.

When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. (Exodus 32:19–20)

To escape this delusion one must drink deeply of confession for this sin. We must “drink it” before the Lord if we hope to be cleansed and forgiven of our love of pleasure. No casual repentance will cure the church of this sin. Every excuse must be dealt with that causes the corruption to get out of hand. We must expose and rebuke the Aarons in the church today. Church leaders must demolish every pretension and argument used to justify sin and grind them to a fine powder. The argument of justification must be stripped of its power, as the gold was stripped off the calf.

He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?” “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” (Exodus 32:21–24)

15. Nothing “Just Happen”

The love of pleasure must be exposed and rebuked. Look at how Aaron minimized this sin just as the church does today. He made it sound like this thing just happened and was a “God thing.” He declared, “I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” Aaron never admitted to planning, building, or fashioning to prepare the food and the idol. How the church likes to make such foolishness sound like it just happens, but in reality carefully plans such events.

The sin of pleasure in the church doesn’t just happen, people plan it. In fact, people love to plan a golden calf church service full of fun. There is nothing more fun than being on a golden calf committee. Who doesn’t want to plan how to have fun in the name of the Lord? Golden calf worship produces quick, easy unity, but unity by the cross is slow, hard, and laborious. Men don’t want to pay the price for holiness. Let those willing to stand at the door of the church say with Moses, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me,” and then set out to destroy the golden calves.

As you read the passage below notice how Moses was also concerned because Aaron let the church become a group of fools, a “laughingstock to their enemies.” When people look at the church today their reaction is laughter, and rightly so. Too many insane men preach from the pulpits. Too many people dance around a golden calf for the world to take a few true Christians seriously.

Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. (Exodus 32:25–26)

Let those who rally to the cross go throughout the camp looking for things that cause this sin. Let the righteous strike at the self in the congregation and if their brother, friend, or neighbor refuses to repent, have nothing to do with them.

Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” (Exodus 32:27)

God will call you “blessed” because you love the Lord more than approval of men. By the way, the Levites became priests of God because they stood against their brothers and sisters.

The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.” (Exodus 32:28–29)

For all the boasting and bragging in churches about being priests of God, people certainly do not stand against their “sons and brothers.” After all, who wants to do this when you feel so blessed and are having so much fun. Indeed, it is hard to fight a battle with bellies so bloated and overfed. It is difficult indeed to have our minds on things above when entertainment fills our thoughts. Just as Moses found the people “running wild and out of control,” we too must put a stop to this insanity.

Endnotes

8. Pleasure Madness

Luke 9:14
John 4:32
Mark 6:39
Mark 8:6
Acts 18:27
Acts 16:14
Luke 11:25
Matthew 23:15
1 Corinthians 6:13
Hebrews 11:25, 1 John 2:15
Revelation 21:7
1 Corinthians 10:5
James 4:4

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Insanity In The Church, Pleasure Madness