The Idol of Power, Influence & Control, Part 2

February, 2010

by: Chriss Barksdale

• Hollywood Church

Here in Hollywood we have seen, just this week, this idol of power, influence and control at work. As people have written and talked about the life of Michael Jackson they have unwittingly noted this idol at work. You see, Jackson wanted power, influence and control so badly. They were just a few of his many idols. And sadly he tried with all his might to use fame as the vehicle to worship at the feet of these idols in hopes of bringing applause and protection! One article said “he relied desperately on fame to protect him from further pain. In the end, that overriding need for celebrity was at the root of his tragedy.”

Probably the most prominent place the idol of power, influence and control shows up is in the area of leadership. In C.S. Lewis’ book “The Great Divorce” he describes Napoleon in Hell being so far away from everyone else that it takes 15,000 years just to reach his house. He was so consumed with ruling, dominating and having power that when he didn’t get it he was not “defeated” but rather “obsessed”. He lost his whole sense of self and his identity was completely in this idol of power.

Lewis says the following about Napoleon: “His house is a little pin prick of light and nothing else near it for millions of miles. Upon observing him in his house he is walking up and down—up and down all the time—left-right, left-right—never stopping for a moment. And muttering to himself all the time. ‘It was Soult’s fault. It was Ney’s fault. It was Josephine’s fault. It was the fault of the Russians. It was the fault of the English.’ Like that all the time. Never stopped for a moment. And he looked kind of tired but he didn’t seem able to stop it.”

You see idolatry starts with sacrificing a little to worship but in the end it will cost you everything to worship. It is rooted in our unwillingness to find joy in living our lives under the authority of Jesus. And because we were made for something outside of ourselves, we will turn to idols if we don’t turn to Jesus. We can’t remain neutral! The idol of power will eventually rule you and as Harvey Dent’s character in “Dark Knight” aptly put it: “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”

Thus you lose your identity and sense of self. The idol of power takes over. Arthur Miller’s classic play “Death of a Salesman” gives an excellent illustration of the corruption of this idol. In the play the son reflects on the suicide of his father by saying “He never knew who he was. Charles, the man didn’t know who he was.” His father’s obsession with power and control was the death of him. Vaclav Havel, a Czech political leader, gives great insight on the corrupting power of this idol: “There is something treacherous, delusive, and ambiguous in the temptation of power. On the one hand, political power gives you the wonderful opportunity to confirm, day in and day out, that you really exist, that you have your own undeniable identity, that with every word and deed you are leaving a highly visible mark on the world around you. Yet within that same political power and in everything that logically belongs to it lies a terrible danger: that, while pretending to confirm our existence and our identity, political power will in fact rob us of them.”

So how do we use power, influence and control to make much of Jesus and not ourselves? One way is in giving credit to the glory and grace of Jesus for our power, influence and control. This comes in the form of thankfulness. Are you a thankful person? Only truly humble people are truly thankful people. There is no such thing as a proud, thankful person. When you are applauded or praised, do you give credit to Jesus? In Acts 4:7 the disciples were faced with that dilemma after they healed the beggar. They said it was by the power of Jesus that this was done, not of them. 2 Corinthians 4:5-7 says that we are to be proclaiming not ourselves but Jesus to people. In doing so, we are showing that all glory and credit belongs to Him. This doesn’t mean we don’t thank people for their kindness to us. It also doesn’t mean we ignore opportunities to have influence or power. It means we must use our God-given talents and gifts to make much of Jesus.

We must keep our eyes on the cross for as 1 Corinthians 1:18 says, it is the power of God. It is in seeing the cross that we see Someone who saved us not by being strong and taking power but by being weak and giving up power. The kingdom of Jesus cannot be advanced in this city through arrogant people who think they can enforce change. It only happens through people who acknowledge that change must first happen within them and then seek to use their power to serve instead of to gain. Without the cross, power will become an idol to us. It is being brought into that greatness by submission to Jesus and confession of inability that creates world changers! People can freely give, serve, have influence and possess power because their identity and name is wrapped up in Jesus’ performance, not theirs!