An Age of Crass Materialism

Prophetic warning to the church

We are living in an age of crass materialism and ungodliness. The church, as the Corinthian church of New Testament times, has embraced worldliness and greed and has justified this with a whole new brand of teachings, which bear little resemblance to the teachings of Jesus or the apostle Paul.

Christians have emphasized “Being in the world but not of the world”, not for the purpose of being a fragrant of Christ to those who are perishing, but rather so that the pleasures of the world may be indulged in with the sanction of the church.

Fear of being accused of legalism has caused teachers to compromise the Gospel teaching. The call of Jesus Christ to self-denial has been eliminated from the teaching agenda. The consequences of this error are to be observed all around us in shallowness of spirituality, greediness, immorality, and lack of love.

Most sadly, fellowship languishes due to the missing presence of Christ who has been elbowed out by the presence of so much self-life

This “Being in the world” teaching, for all its right intentions, has failed miserably because of the low spirituality of those being taught to be in the world. Instead of influencing the world, Christians have been consumed by the world. Of course we should be in the world, but not of the nature of the world. The disciple who is right in the midst of the world and lives a life of humility, sainthood, and self-denial will be to the world a fragrance of Christ and a source of hope to those caught up in the mad rush of selfishness and pleasure seeking. But those who are to weak to resist this worldly miasma would be better advised to flee from temptation.

Satan has engineered a society that chews up Christians and reduces them to limp and cowering slaves of the system. If the salt has lost its saltiness it is not even fit for the dung heap. If our doctrine of “Being in the world”, was accompanied by;” Take up your cross, deny yourself, and follow Me”, then we might have changed society and social structures. As it is however, the church is doing precious little to reverse the downward spiral of decadence.

We must call the church of God back to the teachings of Christ and the practice of the early church. We need to boldly preach a gospel that deeply changes the way we live our lives. There should be a difference between the Christian church and the world. Obedience to Christ’s teachings would render the church salt in a rotten society. It would not take much saltiness to savour the whole pot. Our missionary movements are insipid and ineffective because the sent are merely a reflection of the senders.

The body of Christ has lost its iron in its haste to enjoy the passing pleasures of this life. Whatever happened to eternity? Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15 that he is more to be pitied than all men if there is no resurrection. How many of us can say that with him? He said: “I die daily”, and he did die daily, because his eyes were fixed on the hope of an eternal weight of glory which was weighty by virtue of his contempt for earthly gain. If today’s Christians make it into eternity by the grace of God, they will weep and lament at the opportunities they have lost.

Let us not loose any more opportunities. Let us face up to Christ’s commands as a cancer patient submits to the knife of the surgeon.
The very commands that we fear are those that have the power to resurrect us from the corruption that is among us and by God’s power will transport us into heavenly places.

What price will we pay for the fellowship of the saints?

Let the man who has two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise.
This is John’s teaching on what repentance is. Repentance from a life of self-indulgence and covetousness.
“Weep and howl”, says James, “for the miseries which are coming upon you…You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure, you have fattened your heart in a day of slaughter”.

This is the word of the Lord to the church in this age. We would be well to heed it. It breaks the heart of Jesus to see Christians rushing to squander their hard earned money on trifles while those whom they call their brothers are living a short distance away in poverty and deprivation

“Those who are rich in this present world”(1 Tim.6: 17) would do well to live simply, be frugal, despise fashion without forsaking beauty, and use their excess of wealth for the extension of God’s kingdom, laying up their wealth where no rust can destroy”. It is shameful to see those who are called to be saints, playing with expensive toys, and to see this squandering amongst the leaders of the church is inexcusable.

If the teachings of Christ are not allowed to enter these shrines of covetousness, then it is no wonder that it is not Christ but mammon that is ruling Christians lives.

Let us make friends for our selves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness. Let us act wisely as the sons of light.

“Sell your possessions and give to charity…” Do it. Be freed from the tyranny of the world. It is obedience to Christ’s commands that frees us from the tyranny of self.

No wonder “Christianity didn’t work” if you never practiced it. No wonder you never received the pearl of great price, because you never paid the price.

“No one of you can be my disciple who does not give up all his own possessions”. If these words have become an offence, then they serve their purpose in showing where the offended one is standing. No true disciple of Christ can be offended by these words. If they are new to your ears, then the Christ that you serve is not the one that Paul preached of. Let us return to the Christ of scripture whose words hurt but heal.

“Blessed are you who are poor. Woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full.” Why are Christians running away from the very thing that is their deliverance? Jesus commanded us to embrace a life of suffering, knowing that this was the door into the kingdom of God. “Through tribulation you must enter the Kingdom.”

No one in their sane mind searches for suffering, but if it comes as a consequence of obedience to Christ’s commands, then it is a privilege and a means to glory. Unfortunately most of us have not caught sight of that eternal glory and any of Christ’s commands that compromise the enjoyment of earthly glory is dispensed with.

If you had to become poor for Christ’s sake what is that? Did you not know that God has chosen the poor of this world to become rich in faith and inheritors of His Kingdom? (James 2:5)

How many do you know who can boast of having become poor for Christ’s sake? The great in faith you wouldn’t know because of the social barriers that have been erected to protect those who have, from those that have not. Invisible barriers not to be mentioned divide the church. The ones who erect the barriers deprive themselves of fellowship with the saints of God. It is not poverty itself that enriches these saints but it is the spirit of Christ in those who are suffering that becomes abundant life indeed.

Our role model should be Christ Himself and not a clone of what the world perceives to be success. Why should we attract the world by imitating the scions of Hollywood or the corporate business world? The very success of this kind of motivation is the death knell of the church, as the pews fill up with those who seek after the glory that is below. This strategy is natural, carnal, and demonic. It is the wisdom of the world. The truly wise would better follow the Man of Nazareth.

“He who is wise among you let him glory in his humiliation.”

If this kind of teaching is foreign to your ears then it is because the church has drifted so far from Christ and substituted His teachings with modern quick fix business strategies designed to give easy returns.