What idols might we worship this Sunday?

How much idolatry do you and I practice in a normal corporate worship time on the Lord's Day? Yes, idolatry -- even while attempting to worship the one true God.

"[O]ur greatest problem when it comes to worshiping God doesn’t lie outside us, but within our own hearts. It’s the problem of idolatry," Bob Kauflin says in a recent post at Desiring God.

Kauflin, director of Sovereign Grace Music, writes:

Idolatry can be active in my heart even when I’m gathered with the church. Whenever I think I can’t meet with God unless “X” is present, I’m making a profound statement. If “X” is anything other than Jesus Christ, and his Holy Spirit, I’ve moved into idolatrous territory.

Of course, God uses means to reveal himself. We encounter him through his word read and preached, the Lord’s supper, fellowship with one another, and our songs and prayers. But when we make those means — or more specifically, the execution of those means — the basis of our fellowship with God, we’ve added an unnecessary barrier to meeting with him. We attend the gathering of the saints as idolatrous consumers and judges rather than grateful receivers and servants.

Those idols we may bow before during corporate worship include, Kauflin says, musical excellence and preference, preaching skill, creativity, experiences and liturgy.

The whole post, which you can read here, is well worth your time before this Lord's Day.