WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?
I’ve been using a term recently—Christian consumerism. I’m not using it
to describe what Christians buy; rather, it describes the attitude of many 21st century Christians with what they want both from Jesus and His church. To be sure,
well-meaning church leaders have contributed to this mindset by championing the
cause of a seeker-driven philosophy; say what you need to say, do what you need
to do, offer what you need to offer to reach seekers. Along the way, followers
of Christ have taken note and decided “I want to get in on that.” One of the results is what I refer to as “church shopping.” Instead of
seeking a church on the basis of "Where does God want me to be?" it
has become “What can this church do for me?”
What’s more, it doesn’t stop with shopping for a church; the mindset is
even applied to God. Jesus said in Matthew 22 that we are to “Love the Lord with
all your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength. This is the first and
greatest commandment.” Every preacher proclaims, “We are to love God!” However,
it’s what follows that violates the implied meaning of the Scripture. When a
so-called preacher says, “We are to love God AND God wants you to be healthy,
God wants you to be wealthy, God wants you to be happy, God’s want you to be
successful,” and listeners buy in to this message, the result is someone who
does not truly love God—they lust God. When you love God, He is the object of
your affection. When you lust God, you are the object of your affection.
When you love God, it doesn’t make any different whether you’re happy,
healthy, wealthy, successful--you get the
point? All that matters is knowing God’s will for your life and doing it every
day. Remember, it’s all about God and not about you and me.
I suspect I’m going to preach on this…a lot. I know it’s
countercultural and not at all popular. But I’m right and you know it.
