Have you ever found it difficult to talk to someone about God? You know, someone that is down on their luck, someone in a bind, someone in trouble...and what you have to offer them might not meet their immediate needs? I have been here before. Why do you think that is? Mainly because when we talk about God, we speak of One that no man has seen or can see (1 Tim 6:16; John 1:18; 1 John 4:12) and at that moment the person in question might just need something tangible. Let me ask this, have you ever felt that offering God to someone was simply not adequate...like, "I wish there was something more that I could give?"
I have felt this way at times and I often wondered why. It dawned on me that the reason we feel so inadequate is because we focus on the physical needs of people without ever wondering if their soul is saved. We want to come with a package deal of an instant fix and salvation at the same time. This is because we live in a consumer driven society and really, no one wants to merely hear words- they want something else with it. Surely, mission work, feeding the poor, assistance for the downtrodden, helps ministries, etc. are a vital part of the church but the first mission of the church is to preach the gospel.
I submit today that, in many cases, Christianity has shifted from giving those in need the hope of a resurrection to a "self-help" genie-in-a-bottle mentality and it has people looking for stuff rather than looking for God. Hebrews 6:19 says that the "hope" is an anchor for the soul. 1 Peter 1:3,4 says this those that have accepted Christ are given a "living hope" with the promise of an incorruptible, unfading inheritance that is stored up in heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:19 sums it all up neatly, " If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." These three scriptures remind us not to store up treasure here on earth nor to promise those that we are trying to lead to Christ that treasure! These scriptures remind us that the old soldiers of the faith did not look on the things that were temporary but to those things that are eternal! They tell us that the hope is not of houses, cars, great jobs or boatloads of money...the hope that was promised was the hope of a resurrection and eternal life.
Old Christians had a singular focus...heaven. They lived as "sojourners" by faith knowing that this was not the final destination. Let's see what Hebrews 11 has to say and be encouraged by it:
Hebrews 11: 13-16 "All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them."
This is one powerful passage of scripture that smashes the whole theology of consumerism and accumulation. These people looked to the true purpose of their redemption, heaven! Many died or were martyred before ever seeing what God had promised them. There is a final salvation saved up for the last days where Christ will return and gather up all of his children (1 Peter 1:9). Peter says it best when he tells those that he's writing to that "though you don't see Him, you love Him..." Can we get back to that? Can we love God although we don't physically "see" him [although the earth speaks of Him every day, see Psalms 19, Romans 1]. While these folks were awaiting heaven, they weren't sitting idly by either! They were loving one another, helping each other, meeting together to exhort one another (Hebrews 10:23-26) and in the process, spreading the gospel to the world, even at the expense of their own lives. They were loving their neighbors telling them the good news, that one day all suffering will end for those that are in Christ! They were giving the gospel and introducing people to Jesus because they did not have silver or gold to give (Acts 3:6)! They were sharing the "worlds goods" (1 John 3:17) with one another as they had need (Acts 4:32-37).
So, don't fall into the trap of consumerism. Are there blessings associated with following the Lord? Absolutely. But that's not why we signed up, at least that should not have been our motivation. I accepted Christ because I realized that my soul was in peril and there was no way that I could pay the debt that my sins had created. That's what drew me to Christ, knowing that he paid my sin debt in full and that I couldn't pay it no matter what I offered! That's what we need to get back to; saving souls and fixing our eyes on things above, not on the things of the earth (Colossians 3:2). If it is possible to assist someone with a needs, please do not hesitate to do so but never feel like God is not enough or that merely witnessing to someone about His goodness is inadequate. He is more than enough. He earned the name Jireh because He is the Great Provider. He blesses those that follow Him (Psalm 84:11) but the primary goal of the believer should be heaven, not material blessings. Hope in those things that we cannot see (Romans 8:25) and be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in the works of the Lord knowing that our labor is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and peace that surpasses all understanding be with you all.
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