Popularity Worship

​Luke 6:26 ~ “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.”
 
How is it that so many Christians venture out upon the stage of the world in the hope that they will be well received by the mass of humanity that despises and rejects the LORD? There is a marked difference between having a good reputation and being so welcomed by the world that they consider you to be one just like them. It is a good thing to have a good reputation, for even Proverbs 22:1 says, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, and favor is better than silver or gold.” A Christian ought to bear a testimony of one who is repentant of sin and pursuing righteousness. It should be that a believer in Christ is counted the one who’s name demonstrates the stamp of belonging to Christ. So, then, why is there a condemnation spoken against those who have all people speak well of them? Simple: when “all” people speak well of a person, it illuminates the fact that the person is fully engaged in the things of this world rather than the things of Christ. Jesus stated in John 15:19, “If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”
 
Dear reader, it is easy to fall into the trap of “popularity worship.” That is to say, when your pursuits and inclinations, your decisions and directions are all made with the hope of garnering greater popularity with a broader collection of people. Politicians fall into the trap rather quickly when they look upon their constituents as the governing measure of how they should respond to any and every situation—that is, they look to see if the majority is for or against any given idea. But there is no “majority rule” in the kingdom of Christ. It is the rule of the King of kings that directs and determines the steps His children are to follow. Exodus 23:2 says, “You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice.” If, as the Scriptures say, the whole world is under the control of the wicked one (see 1 John 5:19), then it is easy to estimate where the majority will eventually go. But it must not be for the Christian. If you are a born-again believer in the LORD Jesus, you have one Master, one Rule, and though all the world assails you and rails against you for your faithfulness to Jesus, you must not comply with them.
 
And, in the first word of our text today, “woe,” we hear the unutterable expression of undeniable loss. It is a statement of great grief, a statement used of Jesus when He proclaimed the seven “woes” on the scribes and the Pharisees (see Matthew, chapter 23). This is the calamity of the one who desires to please the world rather than the LORD. The loss is far greater than many might imagine. It is described in James 4:4, “You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” The loss of friendship with God is an eternal loss that, without repentance and true faith in Christ, a person will suffer that loss for all eternity.
 
It also puts the one who loves popularity into the category of the false prophets. As our text today says, “for so their fathers did to the false prophets.” The world loves the false prophets for they will always find themselves in agreement with each other. God, through the prophet Jeremiah rebukes them, “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction; my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes” (Jeremiah 5:31).
 
Oh, dear friends, heed the warning in this text today and do not pursue those things that are of worldly fads or popular opinion. Jesus has already given us His word to govern our understanding of things. He has given us His commands to provide us the necessary direction we need to live in this world. Let us leave off the pursuit of popularity and hold fast our faith in Christ, following Him even if it means we do so alone.
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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