Haggia 1:6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.
Consumer Christianity is described as a modern approach where faith and the church are treated like commercial products. The focus is on personal satisfaction, convenience, and entertainment, rather than self-denial, sacrifice, and service to God’s Great Commission. Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Consumer Christianity has become more burden than blessing because, over the last few decades, walking with God has dissolved into a soft existence where erroneous beliefs have entered many Christians’ psyches, stating that they should never experience discomfort or suffer anything detrimental within their lives. The topic of suffering in the faith is a historic concept not found in the daily devotions, nor is it thought to be something we need for maturing in Christ.
I’m not saying we need to crawl on a hundred yards of broken glass or punish ourselves with self-flagellation to prove we are living a sacrificial life in Christ; I’m saying we have become complainers and grumblers when any type of obstacle breaks the schedule of our day. Consumer Christianity says come to Jesus, and your troubles are gone. Not true. We will encounter suffering all the days of our Christian lives while we are on this earth, and we will need the grace of God to overcome the problems we face. The Apostle Paul says we need to endure suffering that comes as a result of a Christ-led life and the message of the cross. 2Tim. 2:3 You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. How can we learn to endure hardship when we never face up to anything resembling hardship?
People are drifting through life with no anchor to hold them in the presence of the Lord. They interpret the smallest unpleasant emotional feeling as a bout of depression coming on; therefore, they reach for a numbing medication while deciding not to be part of the church anymore, because the pastor has suggested that putting on the armour of God to fight the temptations of life should be our duty. Others only focus on how their feelings are hurt; therefore, they need some counselling to stay in a state of harmonious happiness. Some feel rejected, so they join a group that makes them feel included and necessary to everyone around them. These emotional help-aids that are reached for in themselves are not bad things, but where did we get this idea that we were supposed to have perfection in life at all times? The Word says that Jesus learned obedience through what He suffered. Heb. 5:8 Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.
Another ugly side to Consumer Christianity has opened the door for political parties to acquire access to a pool of voting blocs within church membership. This becomes a conflict of interest because the Lord is our source and provider, and not a politician or any organization. Isa. 41:13 For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand, saying to you, ‘Fear not, I will help you.’ If we become dependent on a political party for our freedom to worship, then we slip into being consumers of moralism, rather than devotees of Christ. Without noticing, we relegate Jesus to being a social cause rather than our Lord of Salvation. When this happens, it is easy to become gullible to the dialogue of political talking points, where we can become offended by how neglected and marginalized we are as voters, forgetting the reason for assembling at church in the first place was to praise and worship God.
Consumer Christianity allows others with political agendas to come into our sanctuaries and pitch their own version of Christian Nationalism because Christians are seen as an easy mark to leverage and be manipulated by these political marketers who pretend to be the caregivers of society. They are creating false values that support man’s machinations rather than God’s Word. Jesus said that in this world there would be troubles to overcome, and that includes depression, rejection and loneliness. John 16:33 I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world! The blessing that we have is that Jesus has overcome the world we live in, and when tribulations of all kinds come (which they will), we have through faith in Christ the help to overcome what comes our way.
Many members of the church have become disillusioned with listening to another somnolent sermon that gives no life to the heart or mind, because they have been taught to become consumers of Christian values rather than followers of Jesus Christ. This lifestyle places more burdens than blessings on them because it is practiced religiously through the flesh, resulting in empty holiness that yields nothing for authentic living. Hag. 1:6 You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. We need to pick up the burden of the cross and face the truth of what God expects of us. The Lord wants a willing relationship that flows from our hearts and not just an automaton reaction to His rules.
Love is alive, and love gives to one another. God is alive, and we are living His life in our being. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. This everlasting life is not something that is attained through rote rituals, but rather is something of infinite living worth that we receive through God’s loving grace that He has given us freely. For us to turn Christianity into something that focuses on personal satisfaction, convenience, and entertainment is an indictment against the martyrs of our faith who gave their lives so that we, too, could choose a life in Christ that reaches the core of our hearts. Let us wash our lives with the cleansing blood of the Lord and be a blessing to Him who first loved us and gave Himself for us all. Heb. 6:3 And advance we will, if God permits us to do so.
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