Who are You Worshiping?

I was listening to John Piper one day and he talked about how we worship what we spend our time think and worrying about the most. What we occupy our minds with is who or what we truly worship. We are called to love the Lord God with all of our hearts, with all of our soul and with all of our minds. So what we spend our time with, thinking about the most and talking about more than anything else is who or what we are worshipping. A disturbing trend in the Christian community these last few years is the excessive focus on what the President is doing, or not doing. When I look at Face Book, Twitter or other social networks, it seems to be the talk of the town. Christians spend more time discussing what our leaders are doing more than they do talking about Christ. How much time do we spend on watching the news, reading the paper and listening to talk radio about what is happening in Washington?

While Christians wouldn’t admit this, he has become their new savior. Going back to Piper’s definition on worship, he fits into many believers lives. How the enemy doesn’t need to trap us in sin, or keep us fearful in sharing our faith. He just needs to put someone in front of us who we disagree with, and we will spend our time focusing on what they are doing, verses focusing on what God is doing in our lives. Jesus said to go into all nations, making disciples and baptizing them, He didn’t say, go into the workplace, your homes, your communities, and tell everyone what you oppose, baptizing them in your opinions. How has our preoccupation with nation leaders stopped us from carrying out the Great Commission? Do people around you know more about what you are opposed to, verses what you believe in? Do people tend to avoid you because of you constant conversation on politics. Do they see you as a Democrat or a Republican, verse a Christian?

I wonder what would happen to the church if we even spend a third of our time in prayer and study, that we spend on reading the paper, Face Booking or listening to talk radio. I have been reading a biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He lived in Nazi Germany, and opposed to what Adolf Hitler was doing. The thing about him is that he spent the majority of his time working in the Confessing Church, not wondering and focusing on what Hitler was doing. He focused on the Kingdom of God, and how to develop leaders in the church. While he was not ignorant about the political movement of his time, his energy was placed on what God was doing in Germany. Bonhoeffer did what he could when it came to opposing the Nazis, but he didn’t lose focus. He used his time building the Kingdom of God, verses watching, and knowing everything the enemy was up too. His focus and goal was to glorify God.

Another figure was the apostle Paul; he lived in the time of Nero, one of the most ruthless emperors of the Roman Empire. Paul only mentions him once or twice, and what he says was to pray for him. Paul’s goal and mission was to spread the Gospel to those who were lost. What is your mission today? Is it to spread the new of what you  are opposed to, and most likely with only those who agree with you, or is it to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to those who are lost and perishing? This doesn’t mean we oppose what is wrong in the world, but have we lost track of what is important? Do we fight flesh and blood, or do we fight against darkness in the heavenly places? Is our focus on the temporal or on the eternal? Do those around you know what you are opposed to verse what you believe in? Are you carrying out the Great Commission or are you living out the great omission? Who has your attention today, Christ or our President? Spend some time thinking about John Piper’s definition on worship and look deep down inside yourself and ask the burning question, who I am worshiping today?