Is your Church Practice Now Idolatry?

This teaching is in response to the concerns of a brother who has been in church meetings where the whole congregation is instructed to take off shoes, where anointed water is sprayed to induce demonic manifestation and ‘deliverance’ and where yearly candle night services are held.

These practices can have a biblical basis, and if done by the leading of the spirit can be holy, but they can easily turn into idolatry, and become the entrance point of demonic influence into the church.

This teaching aims to empower you with bible based tools, to discern if certain practices are idolatry.

Taking Off Shoes

When Moses and Joshua first encountered the angel of the Lord, they were asked to remove their shoes, because the place where they stood was considered holy. [Exodus 3:5, Joshua 5:5] 

What is worth noting is that, they were never asked again to take off their shoes as a prerequisite for entering into the presence of God. Moses went on to meet God on Mt Sinai, to build the temple and do many mighty things, yet he was never asked again to take off his shoes. The priests would enter into the temple of God with their shoes on.

Anointed Objects

In the book of Acts, handkerchiefs from the body of Paul were taken to people who could not attend his healing services, and when the sick touched them they would be healed. The bible calls this, unusual miracles.

Acts 19:11-13 (NKJV) 

11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

This means people brought their aprons to Paul, and he would touch and pray for them, and when these aprons were returned and placed on someone who had an evil spirit, the evil spirit would come out.

We see that when the apostles were sent by Jesus to cast out demons and heal the sick, they would also anoint the sick with oil, for their healing.

Mark 6:13 (NKJV)

13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them._

Even Jesus himself used water as a healing agent in some cases.

John 9:6-7 (NKJV)

6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. 7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.

So, indeed there is biblical precedence for these practices within the church, but the bible has examples of how a good divine practice can turn into demonic idolatry. We shall look at the case of the Brazen Serpent.

The idolatry of the Brazen Serpent

The people of Israel were plagued by poisonous vipers in the wilderness. God then instructed Moses to make a brazen serpent and place it on a pole. If anyone had been bitten by a snake, if they came to the place where this brazen serpent was, and looked at it, they would be immediately healed.

Numbers 21:8-9 (ESV) 

8 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

Hundreds of years later, King Hezekiah had to destroy this bronze serpent made by Moses, because it had now been turned into an idol. 

2 Kings 18:4 (ESV)

_4 …And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan)._

This brazen serpent became an idol, when it began to receive the honor that is due to God, when people’s faith for healing was now in this serpent and not in the God who gave it, and when it took up the place of God’s spirit in Israel.

How Anointed Objects Become Idols

An idol is anything that takes the place of God in your life. Just like the Israelites, you can take something that is of God, and turn it into an idol.

I remember when I was a teenager, I bought this bible, that I loved very much. I would write my notes in it and read it regularly. I began to feel like, if I keep this bible close to me, I can have spiritual protection from evil. In fact I began to put this bible by my pillow when I slept because I felt I would receive good dreams, and spiritual covering when it’s close to my head.

I had turned this bible into an idol. One day, a thief broke into our house, stole my clothes, and stole that bible. I was so heart broken, and when I asked God why he would allow that bible to be stolen from me, he replied by showing me, that it’s because I had turned it into an idol.

A bible is a book, it can not save me. What’s important is to believe in the person of Christ whom it talks about, and it is he who saves me.

Here are three ways we can turn anointed objects into idols.

1.) Through Praise

From the book of revelation, we learn that by saying certain words of praise to a thing, we are actually worshipping it. This is how people shall worship the beast and the devil, by praising his abilities.

Revelation 13:4 (NKJV) 4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

In the same way, when you begin to talk about how powerful a certain oil is, or a certain water, or a certain mountain is, then that oil, that mountain, and that water has become an idol to you. You are now worshiping the oil, and the creation rather than the creator.

So if you hear a Man of God, boasting about how great his anointing oil or anointed water is, then he is setting up that oil or water as an idol into your life. All glory belongs to God. All praise belong to God. 

Whenever an object has been set as an idol, demons begin to operate through it.

1 Corinthians 10:19-20 (ESV)

19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.

2.) When it takes the place of the Holy Spirit

When Jesus Christ went to heaven, he gave his spirit to the church. This Holy Spirit is our guide, our comforter, our protector, our companion, our deliverer, and it is the Holy Spirit who casts out evil spirits when Jesus name is spoken.

It is easy to take a poster or an oil, and put it in the place of the Holy Spirit. For example, if you feel that you need a poster in your house, to keep you safe from evil attacks, then that poster has taken the place of the Holy Spirit. 

3.) Through Your Faith

Your faith for salvation and deliverance should be in Christ and Christ alone. 

Acts 4:12 (NIV)* _12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

If you begin to feel that your problem can not be solved, until you receive oil or water or whatever anointed object, then your faith is now in the oil and not in Christ. That object has become your saviour, it has taken the place of Christ and is now an idol to you.

If a man of God tells you that you can only receive deliverance through his specific oil, then his oil is now another Christ, and has become an idol to him and to those who accept his words.

4.) Through Merchandising

You can not acquire the gifts of God by paying money for them. 

Acts 8:20 (ESV)* 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!

When a man of God begins to package and sell anointed products, then they seize to be the gift of God, and become an idol that he is setting up. The spirit, anointing and power of God can not be branded and placed on a shelf to be sold like a product.

2 Peter 2:3 (KJV) 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:

That is all for now. 

Stay Blessed