Beating Christian Consumerism
Acts 20:35:
I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Consumerism is rampant in heathen society. “It’s all about YOU” slogans cater to the self-centered. This attitude has crept into the church, which often advertises with a “what’s in it for you” message. It’s not wrong to let people know what you offer so they can make an informed decision, but we need to teach people to be good givers, not just good receivers. It doesn’t matter how much of a Bible expert you are if you don’t walk in Jesus’ compassion enough to be willing to give of your time to help others who need healing.
I told our churches that we are NOT a filling station. (It was fun watching people’s faces at that point.) We are a huge tanker truck that fills up THEIR filling stations where others around them can get filled up during the week.
Consumerist Christians want to pay the preacher to do the work of the ministry. Biblical Christians want to pay the preacher to train THEM to do the work of the ministry. Our job description as pastors is to train the saints to do the work of the ministry. The Greek was unpunctuated and I believe that the King James Version translators should not have put the first comma in the verse below that describes the reason that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers were given to the Church:
Ephesians 4:12:
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
I believe a better reading is “For the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry…”
God doesn’t just want us to teach; He wants us to raise up other teachers! Consider Paul’s command to Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:2:
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
The message of healing is too good to keep to ourselves. We must urge people away from the mindset that they just need to learn how to be healed. That’s a start, but they need to learn to heal others. (If you didn’t like that phrase, please read YOU Can Do Miracles next!)
Some Christian ministries allow only their leaders to flow in the gifts of the Spirit during services. If you aren’t in charge, you get to watch those leaders flow in the gifts, which can give you valuable insights but no practical experience. That is teaching but not training or discipleship. If someone isn’t comfortable in a “safe space” at church laying hands on the sick, how will that person be comfortable in public where the people next to him might be unbelief factories rather than fellow Spirit-filled believers?
We get people involved in laying hands on the sick and flowing in the gifts of the Spirit at church for that reason. I still catch myself wanting to do it “well” based on my experience, but if only experienced ministers flow in healing, when our generation is gone, NO ministers will flow in healing! It takes faith on your part to trust the Holy Spirit in someone else!
That means that we have to leave room for people to make mistakes and grow. I’ve told our churches that I want a church full of people who make mistakes! The only people who make mistakes are those who actually attempt to do something, as opposed to those who are 100% successful at doing nothing, which is actually the biggest mistake of all! If someone says or does something that could be harmful, it is my job to stop it on the spot. Anything not pressing can wait for a private conversation later so that no one is embarrassed.
I told our people that if they miss God, we’ll let the local newspaper know about it. Of course, I immediately assured them that I was kidding! I stressed that church is a safe space where you can miss God without being hung out to dry. People need to know that they will be loved, not judged, even if we have to judge a prophecy as being “off.” That gives them the freedom to try stepping out.
Churches should TRAIN, not ENTERTAIN. Entertainment is for consumerist Christians.
The attitude of wanting to give to others has to be modeled at the top, not just taught in sermons. Jesus didn’t say that your followers will be like what you teach; He said that your followers will be like YOU! That is sobering.
Luke 6:40:
The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
The New King James Version reads, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.”
So if you’re the pastor, the first step to beat Christian consumerism in your church is to beat it yourself! Be the example.
1 Timothy 4:12:
Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
All those characteristics are important, but since this book majors on faith and healing, I will highlight the need to be an example of faith. If you are bold to lay hands on sick people, your people will get bold to lay hands on sick people. If you “teach a good game” but chicken out when someone at a store tells you how awful his body feels, your people will chicken out too. Your testimonies will encourage them to do what you’re doing. It is important to foster an atmosphere where you celebrate each other walking in faith – not just the leader walking in faith.
You have to keep the vision before the people of reaching out to others with the fullness of the gospel, as it is counter to our end-time culture, which Paul described accurately a long time ago:
2 Timothy 3:2-6:
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
(Note: “Incontinent” above means “without self-control” and it is so translated in most modern Bibles. It is not a reference to digestive or bladder issues, though some people have them in these last days and they can be healed!)
So the best way to beat Christian consumerism (which is of course an oxymoron) is to be a model yourself of what it means to love others and to keep the vision before the people of reaching out so that they don’t get complacent and treat church as a “bless-me club” or a mere social gathering.