“Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (1 Corinthians 10:21).
TEXT — 1 Corinthians 10:14-30
Message
Human beings are often presented with many ideologies and belief systems of the world that tend to influence their lives and eventual destinies. One of this is syncretism, a system of belief that reconciles or fuses different ideas and practices. It attempts to combine different worldviews and various schools of thought as a unified belief system, which has made people in societies more confused and legalistic rather than being liberated.
In our text, the apostle explained to the Corinthian believers that their conversion experience had united them with the body of Christ, typified by being partakers of the Lord’s Supper. He then pointed out that “the things (food) the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God.” Therefore, he taught that believers must flee from all forms of identification with idol worship. Mixing idolatry with the faith in Christ is an aberration, and God forbids it.
Paul urged the believers to eat without asking questions about the source of the food so as not to defile their consciences. But he also cautioned that food known to have been sacrificed to idols should not be touched by believers so they do not become partakers of the table of devils while also dining at the Lord’s table and, in the process, become stumbling blocks to brethren who are still weak in faith. God forbids all forms of idolatry and we must never attempt to mix it with the true worship of the Lord. Believers must shun syncretism like a plague. All old ideologies and idolatrous practices must be purged out of our hearts so that our worship will be acceptable to God.
Thought for the day
Like water and oil, Christianity and idolatry are strange bedfellows.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
