Sacred Cows or Pets | Church? |
PDF of this information
Sacred Cows or Pets?
sacred cow: noun
an idea, custom, or institution held, esp. unreasonably, to be above criticism
Actually, God has revealed that many of us have “sacred cows” in our lives. One of mine was just an untrue idea I had about Bibles (see truth in - About This Site). I have underlined an idea in the definition of sacred cow.
Most of us have things we don’t want to let go or deal with in our lives. I suppose a “sacred cow” could be termed as a “pet” we don’t want to get rid of, but the term sacred suggests worship so there is a difference. What do we hold sacred saying, “Don’t touch that?” What do some Christians have in their lives that they (unknowingly) worship as a sacred cow?
In India they worship real cows, making them sacred or holy to them. Cows are usually docile and produce milk. So it is interesting when God sometimes uses a cow symbol to represent different denominations of churches. I have also underlined or institution held in the definition of sacred cow.
In the Salvation movie there is a section where a man had gone to all the churches in this little town wanting to get saved. God showed me he was not saved after being to all of them. In the movie I talked about doing the impossible by reaching through a small hole, just big enough for my arm, and then getting a hold of this man to pull him through that same hole.
What I didn’t mention in the movie was that the hole I reached into was a cow’s throat. In the original scene given by God I pulled the man through the throat of a cow. The symbolism is simple; God is revealing that all these churches this man attended, who didn’t get Him saved, were sacred cows (holy cows) of God’s people. Those sacred cows had rendered this man to hell through their different customs and doctrines of men. I have also underlined custom in the definition of “sacred cow.”
“There could not be that much wrong with my church because these people love the Lord,” is a common idea in a lot of people’s minds. Is it a sacred cow? I actually know of a case where a man helped start a church years ago, whom God revealed wasn’t saved until right before he passed on. The church thought he was saved all that time, but in fact he wasn’t! It’s serious business!
“The Spirit moves here; there couldn’t be that much wrong,” is another false idea, another “sacred cow” thought. We assume a lot of things (ideas) in our lives that are simply not true. We have been taught things concerning church that comes from man, not God! The question is, are these thoughts, customs, institutions, “sacred cows” to us?
I don’t think the following were my “sacred cows,” nor my “pets,” because I didn’t hang onto them. Hanging on to something, like, “Don’t touch my belief,” brings it into being a “pet” or a “sacred cow.” There are a lot of assumptions that could have been my “pets” or “sacred cows” if I clung to them. For example, I assumed at a young age that, ”I was alright” because I had heard the voice of God and He had answered my prayers. In truth, I was not saved at the time! Assumptions can be very dangerous!
Later in my life I had “the idea” I didn’t need to be concerned with the “book of Revelation,” after all, I was saved and the Lord would take care of me if those things began to happen! That assumption was really ridiculous, as are a lot of other ideas we have as Christians.
God says, “Let us reason together,” certainly revealing we are to use our minds and let the Lord be our counselor. He wants to be everyone’s counselor everyday, but a lot of times we can’t hear Him or we hear Him but don’t do it because of our “sacred cows.”
|