SPEAKER_02 0:00

Live from Las Vegas, yes, city, where people lose sleep, money, and sometimes their luggage. It's taken up ministry. But here you only win. And then that comes up to women. And now, with no further ado, here is Roy Underbody.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Throughout recorded history and across civilizations, humanity has search for meaning, asking who we are, why we exist, and whether a higher power recognizes each and every one of us living on this vast world that stretches nearly 24,901 miles around the equator. Behind every idol, altar, temple, ritual, sacred text, incense offering, mountain shrine, or painted image lies the same deeper question. Is there one true God or many powers competing for human devotion? That question is not buried in the ancient world because it's still alive today. At some point in life, many of us have wrestled, are wrestling, or will wrestle with the possibility that a God, creator, or higher power may exist. It is a question deeply woven into human thought, culture, fear, hope, suffering, and purpose. And it is within that tension that our fight continues. Welcome back to Kickoff Ministry. In chapter one, we looked at how different worldviews approach God. In chapter two, we explored how biblical monotheism began to take shape through Israel's early encounters with Yahweh. And in chapter three, we followed Israel's story through deliverance, failure, and restoration, watching their faith in one God move from flickering belief to anchored conviction. Now, in chapter four, we step into the world around them, a world built on polytheism, the belief that many gods exist, each ruling over different parts of life and the natural world. Polytheism was the dominant worldview across most ancient civilizations, from Egypt and Mesopotamia to Greece, Rome, India. People believed in spiritual realms filled with divine beings, and many still do to this very day. There were gods of the sun, the moon, the harvest, the sea, love, war, and death. These gods were tied to nature, survival, politics, and national identity. Cities were built around them. Kings ruled in their names. Festivals, rituals, and sacrifices shaped everyday life around these spiritual powers. The ancient world was not secular, it was very religious. And everywhere you looked, people were worshiping something. Many cities even had what were called patron deities, which means each city believed it had its own guardian god or goddess who protected it, brought success, and fought on its behalf. The people saw their god as their defender, their provider, their source of power. Babylon had Mardu, Thebes. In Egypt, honored Ammon Athens was named after Athena. Ephesus was devoted to Artemis, also called Diana. In fact, in the book of Acts, chapter 19, when the apostle Paul preached the gospel in Ephesus, the people were so upset that they rioted because their identity, economy, and spiritual pride were all wrapped up in the worship of Artemis. And in the Philistine city of Ashdon, the people worship Dagon, commonly associated with grain and fertility. To understand how Dagon's temple enters the biblical story, we need to go back to a crisis in Israel's history in 1 Samuel chapter 4. The Israelites were at war with the Philistines, and after suffering defeat, they brought the Ark of the Covenant from Shiloh to the battlefield, believing it would guarantee victory. The Ark represented God's holy presence among his people, but instead of trusting and obeying God, they treated it like a good luck charm, thinking they could force his hand, and that decision came at a painful cost. When the Philistines faced Israel again, they fought fiercely and captured the Ark of the Covenant. For Israel, this was more than a military defeat, it was a spiritual crisis. In 1 Samuel chapter 4, verse 22, Eli's daughter-in-law names her son Ichabod, saying, The glory has departed from Israel. Capturing the heartbreak and despair of the people who believed God's presence had left. The Philistines saw this as victory and placed the Ark of the Covenant in the temple of Dagon, believing their God had triumphed over Israel's God. But in 1 Samuel chapter 5, Dagon's statue was found face down before the ark, and by the next morning, its head and hands had broken off. God was making something crystal clear. He does not share his glory and no God and no God, no matter how praised or worship, can stand in his way. So when I say cities had patron deities, I'm literally talking about entire civilizations built around false gods, socially, politically, and spiritually. That's what made Israel's faith so uncommon, set apart and chosen for blessing in a world filled with many gods, declaring there is only one true God challenge the entire structure of society. My goal is not to insult others, but to honor the truth and to point people to the same God written in our Holy Bible. Because today we face spiritual challenges that the Israelites faced more than 3,100 years ago. We need God just as much as we need food and water. Medical research suggests that a person may survive several weeks without food if water is available, though survival varies greatly. Eventually the body begins to shut down, muscles waste away, organs begin to fail, death follows. And yet many of us go weeks, months, and even years without feeding our souls through God's word or speaking to Him through prayer. Just like our physical body cannot survive long without nourishment, our spirit cannot thrive or survive without God. Jesus made this crystal clear in the gospel of Matthew chapter 4, verse 4, when he said, Man should not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Today, Christians may not see golden idols on every street corner, but polytheistic thinking and the spirit of idolatry are still alive and just as poisonous. Polytheistic thinking emerges whenever people begin looking to multiple sources for truth, identity, security, purpose, or salvation instead of God alone. Modern idolatry often reveals itself through the worship of status, power, political identity, wealth, physical appearance, influence, sexual desire, personal ambition, celebrity culture, social media validation and approval from others. These idols, modern idols, may not may no longer stand inside ancient temples made of stone, but they often live in our screens, our bank accounts, our ambitions, and in our heads. Trust me when I say this, I'm all for success. I'm all for striving for more and pushing forward in life. But scriptures like Deuteronomy chapter 8, verse 18, keep me grounded.

SPEAKER_00 10:05

But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the power to get wealth.

SPEAKER_01 10:13

The temptation isn't always to bow before a statue, it's allowing our hearts to slowly drift away from God. That's how prayers fade. As Romans chapter 1, verse 25 says, they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator. That's why we must stay grounded. Keep our hearts fixed on Christ. And remember Jesus' words in Matthew chapter 6, verse 33, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. When Jesus says, seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well, he's responding to people's natural worry about their basic needs like food, clothing, and shelter. Just a few verses earlier in verses 25 through 32, Jesus is telling the crowd not to be anxious about what they will eat, drink, or wear. He reminds them how God takes care of the birds and dresses the flowers in beauty. And then he asks, Aren't you much more valuable than they? So when Jesus says all these things will be given to you as well, he's saying that if we prioritize God's will, his values, and his ways first, then God will provide what we truly need. Not always everything we want, but everything we need to live, serve, and flourish according to his master plan. It's a promise of provision, but with a condition in fine print. Put God first and trust him to take care of the rest. That is wisdom. It is learning to trust the designer of life rather than blindly walk through it on our own. Reflecting on the loss of the Ark of the Covenant, we see that Israel had reached a spiritual crisis. They didn't just lose a battle, they lost sight of what the ark truly represented. Instead of seeking God and repenting, they treated the ark, as I said earlier, like a good luck charm, believing it would guarantee victory. But their trust was no longer in God, it was in a man-made object. Remember, scripture shows that God didn't need an army to defend his name. In 1 Samuel chapter 5, Dagon's statue fell and broke before the ark, and judgment spread through the Philistine cities until they returned it. God made one thing clear: He is the living sovereign Lord, and no idol can stand in his way. But as the ark returned, it wasn't just Israel's treasure coming back, it was their wake up call. And 1 Samuel chapter 7, the people mourned, repented, and put their foreign gods away and turned their hearts back to the Lord under under Samuel's leadership. That was the turning point. Their restoration didn't begin with weapons or power, but with humility, repentance, and hearts returning to God. What pulled them away from polytheism wasn't just fear, it was the realization that God had remained faithful. The gods of the nations were powerless, but the God of Israel had shown his glory even without an army or a people honoring him. That truth broke through their pride and through leaders like Samuel and the prophets. The people remembered God's covenant, his word, and his faithfulness. Even when they failed, God never stopped calling them back. I plead with you not to forget what the Ark of the Covenant teaches us because it is not just a story written by some spiritually mature person, but a demonstration of God's heart. The Ark of the Covenant was never meant to be a panic button or silent alarm, but a sacred symbol of God's presence. And while the covenant began with Israel through Christ, it extends to all who believe. That includes you, and that includes me. Maybe you think you're not good enough, smart enough, successful enough. Maybe you feel like you don't fit in because of your past, your upbringing, your criminal background, your doubts, or even your beliefs. Maybe you've never read the Bible, maybe you've never prayed, maybe you're agnostic, atheist, unsure. Maybe you believe in multiple gods or in a God that isn't the God of the Holy Bible. Let me tell you this respectfully. If you believe God has forgotten about you or doesn't know you, you're wrong. Because the truth is God knows everything about you. Everything. In the book of Luke, chapter 12, verse 7, Jesus said, even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. That's how deeply your heavenly father knows you and loves you. So why not do yourself a favor? Because it isn't about doing God a favor. And take a moment to get to know Him. Visit kickoff ministry dot com, click on the Bible tab, and start reading. It's free and it could change your life. Trust me.