Pop religion?

Most pastors have one heartfelt desire: to be "liked" by the people they serve. If you are not careful, you end up pleasing people more than serving the cause of Christ. This is not only true for pastors and leaders, but for every believer!

Aaron was a priest who gave in to the pressure of the people when Moses was on the mountain to receive the Law. His task was to keep people focused on God, but he wasn't able to.

The Israelites asked him: "Make us some gods who can lead us" (Ex 32:1 NLT). So Aaron had a bright idea: "Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me" (Ex 32:2 NLT). And then he melted all the gold and molded it into a calf and told the Israelites that this was the god who led them out of Egypt.

When Moses came down from the mountain, he saw how Aaron caused things to get out of control. He got really angry and asked him: "What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?" (Ex 32:22 NLT).

Then look at Aaron's lame excuse: "You yourself know how evil these people are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!"

Yeah right... the calf created itself. Aaron only gathered the gold. Aaron is a great example of a weak spiritual leader. He was all about pleasing people. He would fit well with the contemporary pop religion adherents who choose to worship whatever they want.

What message do you share with people when you talk about Jesus, when you talk about the God you serve?

May 2 Tim 4:3 (NLT) never be said about us: "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear."

Let's help people to know the truth, because the truth will set them free (John 8:32)!

Looking for more inspiration, leadership thoughts and sermon videos from the perspective of a European pastor and church planter? Be sure to check out my blog: www.vanwessem.org.

Created over 1 year ago