Merchandising Spiritual Things

For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things. (Philippians 3: 18, 19)

Over the years I have been becoming increasingly unsettled by the way ministers (at least they call themselves so) have been violently robbing worshippers under one pretext or the other. I have become very uncomfortable at the myriad of spiritual games we are playing with those seeking God and His experience. People are being fleeced in the name of spirituality, if I may put it bluntly.

Many ministers have become writers. Many pastors are pursuing writing for purely commercial reasons. And I have no problem with that, at least not violently so. I also am one and encourage and assist pastors to write books.

What I have a problem with is when a pastor brings his book at par with the Gospel of Christ. I have a problem and a major one when a book forms the basis of his sermons. And I am riled when he will never preach without making a pitch (or clever hint) for the hearers to buy his book to help them understand his sermon.

Over the years I have noticed that the pulpit has become the greatest marketplace for people with ‘spiritual’ merchandise.

Again I will say I have no problem with someone selling their products. What I have a MAJOR problem with is making the pulpit the marketplace. We have sunk miles lower than the crowd Christ was whipping out of the temple.

Why is it important to keep my book open in the process of my sermon? Have I forgotten what I wrote that I must read it again in front of people I should be sharing Christ with? Or is it an intentional ‘game’ to show them how immensely useful my book will be to them if they bought it?

Why leave gaps that can only be filled with my book? Why must I make it essential that one buys my book to appreciate/ understand my sermon? Has it become impossible for me to complete my sermon in the time allotted that I must give the congregation that expensive assignment that I will mark with my pocket?

We decry those who sell everything from soil to oil to anointing to prayer. How different are we from them if people must buy our books to understand what we preach?

Suppose Jesus operated like we do; He would heal a blind man just about halfway and then ask him to buy the anointed ointment Jesus would then be selling for a ‘small fee’. Or He would multiply the bread and ask that they give Him a love offering commensurate with how their stomachs were feeling. He would have scribes recording every sermon so that anyone needing to understand His doctrine would get a free copy after they gave a huge thank offering.

Yet that was not how He operated. He gave complete sermons all the time. He performed complete miracles all the time. And He never asked anyone to give anything in return. In fact anyone who needed to give was sent to the temple to give offerings to the priests who were opposed to His ministry.

Let us think of the efficacy of our kinds of sermons in Christ’s eyes. Suppose I preach to ten thousand people a half baked sermon that can only be understood by reading my book. Now let us assume that one person is unable to buy that book. This means that he will not understand the message God gave me for him. Do you know that in Gods eyes I have completely failed? And why so? A good shepherd leaves the ninety nine for the one. And I am convinced that no excuse we conjure can satisfy Christ who gave His life for that one person you left floating in your greed.

Preach the whole Gospel. And forget those books; however anointed you may have been when you wrote them. Advertise them on the media if you must. But please, and I repeat please never make the pulpit your advert and bookshop. You will face swift judgment from the one who has entrusted you with that pulpit. God is angry with making the pulpit a marketplace.

I also am a writer and not writing this in a vacuum. I must separate my calling and my pocket or need if I will remain relevant to the One who has called me. I have my orders, orders that I will not ask you to pursue. Seek for your own orders concerning that book you think or are convinced God gave you. But what I can tell you with certainty is that God is about to bring swift judgment on people who are using the pulpit to market their books. In fact it will be worse than the whipping He gave to those who had turned a scripturally sanctioned practice into a business venture when He walked on earth.

Singing is another thing that is raising a stench to the throne of God for the same reason. Have you realized that most of what the church (certainly not the church of Christ) calls worship is a performance? There are times I really struggle to fit in worship sessions of a service. I would just follow the motions until it openly became pretence to me because my spirit experienced such emptiness. There was a time I tried even that pretense and failed and simply walked out of the ‘worship’ part of the service. Yet as a musician (I was one and am in the process of recording a couple of songs if God gives me the go ahead) the musical part is excellent.

Many churches hold auditions to raise ‘worship’ teams. In other words only the ones with the best voices and can play instruments best are allowed to lead worship, whatever that means. Worship pastors or whoever leads the teams will be an accomplished musician with no demand for spirituality. And we still think we can defeat worldliness and sin!

What most call worship is entertainment, paid entertainment.

But it gets worse. Guest singers for the most part are accomplished recording artistes. And like the preachers I have mentioned will use their time in the pulpit to market their albums. Sadly you may see them hiring teams to harass people all over the church compound to buy them like hawkers do.

If that is leading worship, then I am a spiritual illiterate. If that is a worship leader, then I have not read my Bible.

The worship experience is another thing. A worship leader is invited for a worship concert. But there is a catch. That worship experience is only available for those who can buy it. Is that worship?

Recently I was offered tickets to such an experience and simply turned them away. I could not attend a paid for worship because it is not worship, at least not scripturally sound worship. It is simply entertainment carefully camouflaged otherwise for monetary gain. Or if it must be called worship it is the worship of self. And people are making loads of money selling that kind of worship.

Again let me say I am not opposed to paying for a concert raising money for a cause because it will convince some stingy characters to produce that coin. And this of course because pastors are so engrossed with their interests to preach scripturally sound giving or generosity. And I am not opposed to charging to entertain people with Christian songs. Only do not call that worship. Incidentally there is more worship in one’s prayer closet than in worship services. So stop defrauding people.

Again I will say; stop using the pulpit and songs dedicated to Him for personal or corporate gain because judgment is coming swiftly. Again I will repeat that God is very angry with spiritual gymnastics, angry enough to bring judgment on those doing it.

Then there is the appearance or other hidden charges for ‘ministry’. Ever wondered why renowned pastors, bishops and ‘worship leaders’ will never go to minister to impoverished locations or small churches? Is it that those small churches are not interested in learning the secrets of your success? Or if I may be plain rude those churches and locations will not offer a worthy appreciation, maybe they may offer ‘just prayer’ for your expensive ministry.

Why can a tycoon see a pastor at no notice whereas one without the money or title may have to wait for weeks, even months before being able to secure an appointment, let alone seeing these serious pastors? Does it mean that the rich have more desperate and urgent needs than the poor? Or is it not bluntly saying that he has something to grease those meetings?

Do you remember what Christ was anointed to do?

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. (Luke 4:18, 19)

How come your anointing is aimed at those who can have a positive impact on your greed. The reality is that you are the one who is looking to be ministered to materially instead of ministering to them. Sadly you make them to think otherwise in your crafty ingenuity which might be more demonic than anything you can imagine.

And I will not leave the evangelists. Who between the one who is surrounded by churches and one so remote from anywhere is more desperate for the Gospel? Why then are we spending so much money organizing ‘Gospel’ crusades in stadiums of major towns and cities instead of taking it where people are crying for it? At one time I would become so riled on seeing a crusade banner and poster because simple math will show that the money used to organize that single mega crusade would be enough to pay more than fifty pastors and evangelists for an unreached people group for a year. The sad fact is that history has demonstrated that there is an almost nil impact from those crusades except on the pockets of the organizers and performers. Interestingly you will find that even in those towns and cities there is a near nil outreach to the slums and areas with low financial prospects.

Yet why do we continue doing it, even inviting believers for them yet the Gospel is meant for the unreached. Offerings! Crowds in a wealthy area will of course come with offerings which will more than compensate for the investment of the preparation. If you are honest you will tell me that you are in it for the money. A crusade is a front you put to bring in those offerings.

Stop selling God’s gift and calling. You will pay dearly for it soon if you do not repent.

You can choose to listen and act on what I have written or dismiss it as the ranting of a radical Christian that I will not deny I am. But you will not say you were not warned.

Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. (Malachi 3: 18)