Here in south Texas, during the winter months - when the sun sets ear ly - I often found myse lf driving home from work after dark. One night, as I was leaving the city lights behind and getting further out into the country side, I could really see the bright stars in the sky. You could look out on this absolutely clear night and see the sky full with brilliant, beautiful stars.

When you look up at all those millions of stars, you can easily understand why King David often paused to meditate on God and His purpose. I too, was thinking on God and His creation and it struck me that Christianity is really very simple - it's not all that complicated. The big question for us though, is where is our focus? Is it truly on God, or, are we, as a Christian today so comfortable with the world we live in, that we have lost our true focus?

There are many factors that can cause us to lose our focus. Many times it is a trial or a series of trials. It could be that we have "grown weary in well doing." Many of us have been associated with the Church of God for most of our life. Some of us are just lazy, others may have "quenched" the Spirit of God, but what ever the reason, our focus can began to wander or drift.

During the Passover season, we are commanded to "examine" ourselves, but self examination should be on- going throughout the year. If we are truly examining ourselves as we should be, we can't help but eventually ask - where is our focus as Christians? What should it be on? How much are we affected by the world around us? Is there something in our life that could divert our focus away from why God called us, gave us His truth and put us where we are in His Church?

I suggest that during this past year, we may have been more affected by the world we live in than we fully realize, especially when it comes to our focus and the simplicity of God's way of life and focusing on God. Could we be deceiving ourselves? "But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor.11:3). Isn't it a natural proclivity of humans to allow our focus to be shifted away from the simplicity of God, who He is, what He has done and what He plans to do?

Christianity has become overly complicated. After Mel Gibson's movie "The Passion of the Christ" came out this spring, I was amazed at the comments from the people who were interviewed coming out of the theater. It seems that people generally believe in Jesus the Christ, but He is described in hundreds of different ways - enough to confuse anybody. When it comes to God, Jesus, and the resurrection, there are many views and opinions - with very few of them being correct. Various religions have different views of God, but very few know what God is truly like. To most, God is confusion.

Everyone's view of God can't be real. The Muslim view can't be real if the Christian view is correct. The Buddhist view can't be real if the Mormon view is correct. The American Indian can't be right if the Jewish view is correct. No wonder it all seems so confusing. And yet, for those God has truly called, formal education isn't necessary to understand the truth of God. God's calling, His Holy Spirit and our total dedication are!

But even in the Church we can't help but be affected by the multi-religious society we live in. The world promotes God occasionally, but what "god" is being promoted? The question for us today is, are we still properly focused on God? Have you taken your focus off God? Could you be guilty of shifting your focus and how far does your focus have to shift before you become guilty of the sin of idolatry - by compromising with the world and society that we live in?

The holidays of Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day, Easter, Halloween, etc., are just visible signs of a very pagan influenced "Christianity" and society, but there are more concerns than that. I'm not really concerned about all the symbolism that may be seen in the world - there is something much more profound than that, that the Bible warns us about.

So, Who or what do we serve? Prior to entering the Promised Land, Joshua gave instructions to Israel. Notice what he said in Joshua 24:14. "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth. ." There is a simplicity about God's word and His way of life that should not be lost on any of us. ". . and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt and serve you the Lord." In other words, put aside the false gods, put aside the society that you lived in while in Egypt and serve the true God in sincerity and truth.

When we study in the Bible about the end time and what the future holds, we begin to realize that when Christ returns to this earth, not only is the world in a terrible mess, but we also see that God is very angry with this evil generation. What is it about the world that is going to make God so angry? Not only is God very angry, but the title or name of the very last period of time leading up to the return of Christ is called "The Day of God's Wrath," in Revelation 6.

Why is God so angry with this world? What is it about this world that upsets God so much? The society that exists when Jesus Christ returns will be a society that has an appearance of godliness, but is actually steeped in pagan rituals and idolatry - many having turned away from the true God. "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" (2 Tim. 3:1-5). God tells us, "come out of her My people and do not participate in her sins!"

Any worship by the world's religions that goes on during this period of time is not worship of the true God, no matter what "Christian" sounding name may be attached to it. This is a world that is awash in evil and idolatry and for that reason, God is very angry. In fact, there are several places in scripture where we can read that God was angry and virtually every one of them is associated with idolatry - not that God looks with favor on adultery and murder and lying and cheating or stealing - they all violate God's law as well, but God seems to pay particular attention when a nation or a people, that claim to be His people, focus their attention away from the true God and introduce idolatry into their lives.

If you look through history, there is no doubt that man has strayed from living by God's righteous laws. The entire population of the ancient world was destroyed except for Noah and his family in the time of the flood. The city states of Sodom and Gomorrah were likewise destroyed by God because of their blatant evil. It should be obvious that God condemns evil. God condemns immorality - whatever form it takes. But what is so evil and so bad about this end-time generation that it is going to be in for the wrath of God as has never been seen before? The sixth chapter of the book of Revelation speaks of the world today - at the time just prior to the return of Jesus Christ. This is the 6th seal: "I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" (Rev. 6:12-17).

We can look at one more relevant scripture in the book of Revelation. In Revelation 18, the Bible describes a religious/political system that comes into existence in the end time, that will be not only thoroughly pagan, but will be worshiping another "god," - not the true God. As I mentioned previously, there will be an outward appearance of righteousness, but the focus of this society is not on the true God and His ways.

Revelation 17 describes a great Babylonian religious "whore," and in Revelation 18, an angel announces her destruction: "And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen'" (Rev.18:2). Actually, this whole final society is represented as "Babylon." If we continue reading, we see how the whole world is affected - so much so, that God issues a special warning to His people: "...and has become a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, ‘Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues'" (Rev.18:2-4).

The term "My people" is used for two groups in the Bible. The nation of Israel is referred to as "My people" and the Church of God - true Christians, are referred to as "My people." So here is a powerful warning to the people of God in the very end time. Hopefully, we will have already heeded the warning prior to this time, but it is obvious from this scripture, that there will be some that have not! When the wrath of God comes on this earth, you had better hope that you will not be a recipient of it!

There are also many warnings in the Bible to us in the Church of God regarding what we do with God's truth. Again, I'm not concerned that you are going to go out and celebrate Easter instead of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, that's too obvious. But what about other parts of your life? What about things in your life that cause your focus to shift from God? How many things in your life divert your focus, interfere with your relationship with God? Is that not, at least to some degree, a form of idolatry?

It isn't the outward pagan symbols of Christmas, Easter and other "Christianized" holidays that is the main problem for God's people in the end time - it is going to be our lack of proper focus on and the worship of the true God! It is this slow drifting away from God, from His ways, His truths - the drifting away from what is really important - those things that prevent us from worshiping God in sincerity and truth.

The apostle Paul provides a warning to Christians of that time, and us: "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away" (Heb.2:1). It could happen to any of us. It's sometimes very hard when you are in the midst of a trial not to get diverted - not to let your life become cluttered to the point you lose your focus. Your attention is taken away from what is most important. It is diverted away from the simplicity of God's word, the simplicity of worship, the sincerity of worshiping God. Paul continued his warning in Hebrews, "For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation" (Heb.2:2-3). We have no excuse for allowing our attention to be diverted away from what is most important. We should have our priorities straight as a Christian.

What should be our first priority? "...seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness," (Matt.6:33) Christ expands on that thought in Matt.22:36-38, "‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?' Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the foremost and great commandment.'" Our first priority is our relationship with God. Yes, our families and our jobs are important. There are many important things, but if your real focus isn't on God, your worship of God isn't "in sincerity and truth," because something has interfered with that relationship and come between you and God.

The apostle Paul clearly contrasts the world in general with true Christianity in the book of 2 Corinthians. He is not speaking of what most people would call "Christianity" today. Christianity today, as it is called, has not developed from the church that was founded by Jesus Christ. The original apostolic church would not recognize the "Christian" churches of today! "Therefore Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you" (2 Cor.6:17). If you study the apostle Paul and his warnings to the Church, you will see that he is concerned with much more than just symbolism.

In fact, Paul is the one that introduces the idea that if you covet something, you are an idolater. I don't think Paul's message to the Church had anything to do with Christmas trees, Easter eggs, Valentine's day, or other symbols. I think Paul is addressing a much deeper subject concerning true Christians. He's talking about what is truly important to you. If these worldly things are more important to you than your relationship with God; you are an idolater whether or not you kneel down and worship before a rock, a tree, or whatever. If you allow your focus to shift away from God, you are in danger of becoming an idolater - in the sense that something has come between you and God. Idolatry, in its purest form is nothing more than that. It is anything that is more important to you than your relationship with God - and it can be just about anything.

The warnings found in the pages of your Bible are to the Church, not to society in general. Most of them are many years after the founding of the Church and personally, I don't think that the apostles were overly concerned that the early Christian church was going to return to Judaism, or the type of pagan religion some of them came out of, where they were actually kneeling down to idols. Both Paul and James, are speaking to the Church on a much deeper, spiritually mature level - that of what is going on in your heart, or the focus of your mind. James gives us a pretty straight forward definition of what our focus should be: "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).

We have to live in this world, but how much does the world influence us? I would say that by the shear number of the warnings, and we have only read a couple in the New Testament, that it was a genuine fear in the time of the apostle Paul, James, Peter and the other apostles - of the Church drifting back into the world and allowing their focus to shift, so that their focus was not on what it should be - not on God and not on worshiping God with sincerity and truth.

>From our perspective today, we can look at the results of a couple more thousand years of human history and it shows that mankind, whatever his position or place, is subject to drifting and allowing their focus to be shifted into a worldly focus that is geared more toward the "god" of this world and not on the true God. We see that happening all around us.

There are many occasions where we find that God became very angry with Israel. Exodus 32 records an amazing event that gives some interesting information regarding how God views things. The children of Israel, at this point, have left Egypt, they had crossed the Red Sea only a few weeks previous. Moses goes up to the Mount to receive the Law - the Covenant between God and the new nation of Israel. But while he is up on the Mount, guess what happens? "Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ‘Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him'" (Exodus 32:1). So Aaron placates them. He asks them to bring all of their gold jewelry that he might make this golden calf out of it.

Let's notice the detail of the story - because it's important, "And he (Aaron) received the gold from their hand and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt'" (Verse 4). This calf was obviously something the people were familiar with back in Egypt, but notice Aaron says, ‘they' said; this wasn't Aaron speaking - this isn't a quote from Aaron, we are going to see something from Aaron in a moment, "they said, ‘this is your god, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!'" The people proclaimed this to be their god, not Aaron. Aaron obviously knew better.

Yet, God is very angry with Aaron. Why? What did Aaron do? Well, obviously, he allowed this calf to be made, but notice, we don't hear Aaron proclaiming this calf to be "God." Let's look at what Aaron did say in verse 5, "So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.'" So Aaron compromises himself, because this is a pagan god right out of Egypt. Aaron knows better, but he reasons much like the various "Christian" religions do today with their holidays, and he says, "Well, if we can put God's name on it, we're not really worshiping another God. We'll just call it ‘God's feast' tomorrow - that will legitimize everything."

Not a lot has changed in human reasoning in all of these years. You can see what we are faced with today with popular holidays like Christmas or Easter. The people reason, "We're just worshiping Christ on His birthday." "What is so wrong about giving children gifts?" Or, "Oh, you mean it's wrong to have ‘good will' and feed the hungry - that's what happens at Christmas, isn't it?" "What's wrong with letting the children participate in hunting for Easter eggs - it's just innocent ‘fun.'" Or, "The witch and vampire costumes we dress our children up in on Halloween aren't hurting anyone." Do you see what I mean - how easy it is to compromise God's ways with the ways of this world?

Is what the churches of today do really any different than Aaron saying, "Let's put God's name on it? Let's proclaim it a feast of God and then we can have the golden calf and all the fun and feasting associated with it." As if that somehow makes it all OK? Can you also see how we can apply this same principle to those who continue to keep the Jewish postponements, even though they know they are wrong? "Surely God doesn't want us to be inconvenienced by a double Sabbath," they say. Or, "God gave the Jews the right to change [read "postpone"] His appointed times [feasts] if they fell at an inconvenient time, didn't He?" Well, did He??

What was God's reaction to the whole Israel/Aaron/golden calf thing? We can continue in Exodus 32, "And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!' And the Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them'" (Exodus 32:7- 10).

Now a lot of other thing happened with this celebration - it wasn't just a simple party - there was lewd dancing and immorality of every conceivable nature. Obviously God wasn't pleased. But what was God most upset and disappointed about? It was the idolatry. And it wasn't just the golden calf - it was Aaron and the people's decision to place the true God's name on it! That went over like a lead balloon with God, because that was the worst kind of idolatry. Aaron and the people lost their focus. They shifted from the true God, to the gods that they supposedly had left behind in Egypt.

There is a similar lesson recorded in the book of 2 Kings. Just like Aaron and the golden calf, the people here in 2 Kings try to make everything all right by saying, "Well, we'll call it a day for God and that will make it OK." Well, that didn't make it OK - not then and not now. And I don't care if you are talking about Easter, or postponing God's true appointed times for your own convenience. You tell me what the difference is! God is very unhappy with either one.

2 Kings 21 is the story of Manasseh, king of Judah. Manasseh really started the downhill plunge to captivity for the nation of Judah. Most all the kings of Judah after Manasseh continue in Manasseh's evil way. There is a short interim when Josiah comes on the scene and brings about a revival, but it a very short lived revival. Notice what Manasseh did. "Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Heph'zibah. And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to the abominations of the nations whom the Lord had cast out before the children of Israel. For he rebuilt the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; he raised up altars for Baal, and made a wooden image, as Ahab king of Israel had done; and he worshiped all the host of heaven and served them" (2Kings 21:1-3).

But that wasn't all, verses 4- 6 record, "He also built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord had said, ‘In Jerusalem I will put My name.' And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger." But the ultimate insult - he puts a graven image - an idol, in the very temple of God!

God is very angry with Manasseh, king of Judah. Now, in fairness, Manasseh, later in life repents and tries to undo much of the evil he had done. Josiah comes on the scene and brings about a real revival - although short-lived. For the most part though, idolatry permeates the lives of the people of Israel and Judah, as well as their kings. First we see God's anger toward Israel when He sends them into captivity because of their idolatry. Then we see it toward Judah, when He sends them into captivity for the same sin of idolatry. For hundreds of years, the two primary sins that we see dominate Judah and Israel, is idolatry and Sabbath breaking.

Is there a not so subtle lesson for those of us in God's church today? The scriptures tells us that the things we read of in the Old Testament are for our example today. In fact, the verses we are about to read specifically mention the events associated with the golden calf incident: "Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, ‘The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.' Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor.10:1-12). "Lest we fall," or lose our focus, and allow the mundane affairs of life to interfere with living God's way of life and to honor, respect and worship of God on His Sabbath day. Israel and Judah consistantly violated those two laws and both were sent into captivity.

The whole chapter of Ezek. 20 has to do with this subject. You should read the complete account, but for brevity's sake we will skip through parts of it, beginning with vs. 5: "Say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘On the day when I chose Israel....'" God says in vs. 6, that, "I lifted My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt." God tells them in vs. 7, to "throw away the abominations which are before His eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt." Verse 8, "But they rebelled against Me and would not obey Me."

Then Ezek 20:10-13, "Therefore I made them go out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgments, ‘which, if a man does, he shall live by them.' Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them. Yet the house of Israel rebelled against Me in the wilderness; they did not walk in My statutes; they despised My judgments, which, if a man does, he shall live by them; and they greatly defiled My Sabbaths." God repeats it in vs. 16, "They despised My judgments and did not walk in My statutes, but profaned My Sabbaths; for their heart went after their idols."

Is there really anything "new under the sun" - has anything changed in all these years, or are God's people still profaning, changing, postponing, His Sabbaths? In vs. 27, God says they "...blasphemed Me, by being unfaithful to Me." God completes the chapter by showing how He is going to bring all Israel to repentance and restore them to the land of Israel.

God's reaction to idolatry, as you read through the Bible, is very severe. God, as we saw, was very angry with Aaron, ancient Israel, Judah and most of their kings. When Jesus Christ returns to this earth in the end time, He will be very angry and His anger will be toward a world that is gone wholesale to idolatry and a religious system that is filled with idolatry.

There are more warning for us in the book of Ephesians. When the Bible in the New Testament warns Christians about idolatry, I personally don't think it is talking about blatant, idolatrous symbols or graven images, which are obviously condemned in the Old Testament. Let's look at what the Apostle Paul says about idolatry. Paul warns the Ephesus Church, "For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God" (Eph.5:15). Paul makes a similar statement to the Colossians, "Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry" (Col.3:5).

To put something ahead of God is idolatrous. Also, to take your focus off God is idolatrous. Our focus must be on God. Our goal must be the kingdom of God. We must be looking ahead. We must be focusing on purity of religion, worshiping God in sincerity and truth. But, we live in a world that can easily distract us from that focus. How many people in the last few years, in the Church of God, have been distracted from purity of religion and have found themselves affected either by the world, or their jobs, or their families, or finances, or any number of things, that takes their focus off God?

The Apostle John tells God's called out people to flee from idolatry. He says simply at the conclusion of his first epistle, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols" (1John 5:21). What is John speaking about? I don't think that John is concerned about Christians going and worshiping in front of trees, or carved stone idols. I believe that John is warning the Church about drifting away or losing their focus and that is exactly what we see happen in the New Testament Church - both then and now! They didn't erect idols and go fall down and worship them - they slowly allowed themselves to be reabsorbed into the world around them. They lost their true focus and drifted away from the truth of God! The Ten Commandments condemn idol worship, they condemn having other "gods" before the true God. But, there is something more subtle being addressed in the scriptures for us as New Testament Christians. Our focus, our sincerity in obeying God and making God the central part of our life - is vital, if we are to worship God in sincerity and truth.

If you look around today, we have to ask ourselves, how much idolatry - and by that, I mean covetousness, or putting something ahead of God - how much of that is in the world today? How much of that is in the Church today? Do we have "eyes to see" the evil? Do we see the idolatry that is so prevalent in our country today? In the prophetic book of Ezekiel, God tells the angel with the ink horn, to mark those to be spared by the death angels. "...and the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it" (Ezek.9:4). Do we "cry and sigh" over all the evil and injustice we see in our nation today? or do we welcome the ways of this society into our life? Have we adopted a "ho-hum attitude toward sin?