There are many aspects of false worship but one area that has
proliferated in more recent times has been that of the celebrity
culture. It has always been there, of course, but celebrity and hero
worship seems to have become embedded in a society where entertainment
and the media take center stage.

Recently in the UK we had the
spectacle of the funeral of an outstanding footballer [soccer player
for our American readers] who, by common consent, was one of the best
that the country had ever produced. He was just 59 years of age with a
chequered personal history of alcoholism and other problems, and yet he
was worshipped like a god. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the
funeral route, a motorcade escorted the hearse, and there was huge bill
for policing. A massive amount of flowers was laid outside his former
football club, and a minute’s silence was observed at football matches
throughout the land. Perhaps this was hardly surprising as
football is the new religion.

We had a similar outpouring of
grief when Princess Diana died a few years ago. One Church minister
said about this event: “Yes, ‘we all’ had shared the grief at Diana’s
death, ‘we all cried’, we all laid flowers, went to the funeral and
sang along to Elton John. But actually, by trying to pretend that Diana
was something other than human, we were guilty of ‘paganism’,
attributing the characteristics of holiness to an insufficiently worthy
vessel. We had worshipped the wrong thing, and worshipped in the wrong
way.”

Diana, it was implied, had been melted down and turned into
a golden calf. A former Prime Minister said that his perception was
that because we have become a secular society, the outpouring of grief
for Princess Diana was a manifestation of the worshipping of
celebrities.

These two events were linked in many people’s minds
here in the UK. One commentator wrote: “Not since that distant late
summer day when Princess Diana’s coffin was borne through the streets
of London have so many people turned out to demonstrate their surging
affection and sense of loss.”

And yet the Bible is very clear on
this issue: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3) and:
“You shall not bow down to them nor serve them (verse 5).” Although
specifically referring to carved images, the worship of anyone or
anything can be covered by this verse. Aren’t we most blessed to
understand that, while we can admire others, only the true Creator God
is to be worshipped, and not flawed human beings?

Finally,
let us not forget the false worship that is currently in full swing
with the inevitable Christmas celebrations. Much has been
written about that matter over the years and the recent member letter
discussed the “spirit” of Christmas. But only God is to be worshipped,
and only in the way that He has prescribed, and nothing else will
do!

In an editorial a while ago, I discussed briefly the fact that our only security is in God. I mentioned that the Bible is replete with information on our need to trust in God for safety and security. This becomes even more apparent when suicide bombers are close to home.

In a trial at London’s Old Bailey in October this year, details were given about a man from Derby, trying to blow up a busy bar in Tel Aviv, Israel, in April 2003, with the aim of carrying out a suicide bombing. His accomplice managed to detonate a bomb killing three people and injuring 65, while the Derby man failed in his attempt and fled the scene. Not only was he from Derby where I have lived for most of my life, but some of his family live only about 100 yards from where I used to live with my parents many years ago. Those family members were also in court, accused of failing to disclose information about a terrorist attack. Even now, they are only about four or five miles away from where I currently reside.

And just last month raids were made on addresses in Derby, Wolverhampton and Croydon where suspected terrorists were living. Neighbors told of their shock at finding out what was going on, unknown to them, right in their midst. One said: “You just don’t know what could be going on right on your doorstep.” It can be a shock to find out these people can be close to home.

We recently held the Feast of Tabernacles at Chatsworth House, just thirty miles away from the city of Derby. The Peak District area where Chatsworth House is located includes other counties, but it is mainly situated in Derbyshire, which is one of the most beautiful counties in the UK. It is the second most visited national park in the world (the most visited is one in Japan). The comparison between suicide bombers in Derby and a millennial Feast site in near-by rural Derbyshire is stark. It serves as a reminder that wherever we are, there may be those, not knowing or appreciating the true way of the great Creator God, who would try and wreak havoc and cause mischief in the guise of religion.

The Feast of Tabernacles pictures a still future time when suicide bombers and false religion, amongst many other things, will simply not be tolerated. In the meantime, we need to put our trust and faith in God for protection and guidance, irrespective of how close to home are those who perpetrate such evil acts of murder and terrorism.

Many of us may have favorite Scriptures for a variety of reasons. One of mine is Ecclesiastes 8:11: “Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.”

Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. soldiers in a raid on December 13, 2003, after he had spent nine months on the run. The once-defiant Iraqi leader was apprehended, without a shot being fired, near a compound of ramshackle buildings outside his ancestral hometown of Tikrit. Now, nearly two years later, he is still held in custody.

On July 7, 2005, a series of four bomb attacks struck London’s public transport system during the morning rush hour. The bombings caused a number of deaths and a severe, day-long disruption of the city’s transport and telecommunication infrastructure. Subsequently, suspects have appeared in court and have been remanded in custody until November 2005.

These are just two of so many examples of Ecclesiastes 8:11 being totally ignored. Why does God, in His revealed Word, give such instruction?

Since sentence against evil works is not executed speedily, the criminal fraternity may think that it will never be executed, and therefore they can treat the law with utter contempt. There is no concentration of the mind about the law exacting its full toll because it is a “given” that the law grinds exceedingly slowly. In addition, it sends out the wrong signals to others who may themselves be encouraged to act in a similar manner.

The passage in Ecclesiastes 8:11 contains so much wisdom that, if implemented correctly, it would send out completely different signals to those intent on mischief. The Bible is replete with such advice. For instance, the book of Proverbs is a storehouse of wisdom. But as society “moves on,” any reference to God’s Word becomes more and more a rarity. Instead of man learning from the One who created us all and gave an instruction manual for our benefit, he makes up his own mind and develops his own ideas and systems–usually at great cost to society. Proverbs 1:7 sums this up very eloquently: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.” That is the motto of the book of Proverbs.

If we engage a lawyer, an accountant or any other professional, we invariably take note of what they say. After all, they know or should know their job, and we pay them to provide us with advice. In God’s Word, our Creator has all the answers, and He provides us with the best possible advice.

Whenever we see the many different ways of society, it is a wise thing to try and look at them from God’s point of view. What does His Word say on this, that or the other subject? When applying the Word of God, we will usually find that the approach of man is rarely in accord with divine instruction. But we should be different.

Let us all be properly advised!

The UK was recently hit with terrorist bombs in London when many were killed and hundreds were injured. Two weeks later, further attempts were made to repeat the exercise by those intent on causing maximum mayhem, having no regard whatsoever for innocent lives. Similarly, bombs have recently exploded in both Turkey and Egypt where tourist resorts were targeted. And yet these instances pale into insignificance with the daily bombs that have become a way of life in Iraq. It seems that not a day passes without a news report of further blasts resulting in death and injury.

The politicians and the police in the UK have been doing everything they can to both look at legislation and implement existing laws in order to apprehend the culprits and negate any future attacks. So many of these terrorists have no regard for the lives of others or for their own. They have a mistaken view that by taking such action they will end up in “Paradise.” Nothing could be further from the truth as God’s Word clearly shows.

Interviews with members of the public reveal an anxiety for their own safety and for those around them. When one suspect was rounded up, a neighbor indicated that these events had become real to him because it was no longer elsewhere that it happened, but had arrived on his own doorstep.

But what about the people of God who live in these troubling times? While we may appreciate the efforts of those empowered to look after our welfare, our true security is in the Creator God. One of our elderly members, a Japanese prisoner of war in the 2nd World War, states it very simply when he says that he keeps faith in God. And so should we.

The Bible is replete with information on our need to trust in God for safety and security. Proverbs 1:33 states: “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, And will be secure, without fear of evil.” Two chapters further on, in Proverbs 3:24, it states: “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; Yes, you will lie down and your sleep will be sweet.” In Hebrews 13:6, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, writes: “So we may boldly say: ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What man can do to me?'” This is paraphrasing Psalm 118:6.

We need to keep our faith in God irrespective of the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Terrible times are ahead, and we are instructed to “Watch therefore (both world events and our own spiritual condition), and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36). This is primarily talking about end-time events but the principle surely applies now, as well. And, most importantly, as we pray for God’s Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10), we can be assured that when that joyful day arrives and Christ sets up the Kingdom of God on earth, no more suicide bombers and terrorists will be permitted to operate. We have hope in the veracity of God’s Word; therefore, we can look forward to that day when everyone will be safe from the sort of atrocities that have become all too commonplace in the world today. God speed that day!