The one thing we, as a Christian community, have forgotten all about is the sin of consumerism.
We’ve got an eye on the rise of Islam. We’re well versed in diverse eschatological, end time, views. We analyse every word a presidential candidate says, doing a deep exegetical thesis on every word, being able to identify whether the newly elected president is the Antichrist or not. We’re well versed in our superficial, middle class, values. Yet, how did the sin of consumerism run away so unchecked in the church?
Mike Frost, in a series of sermon messages on Youth Ministry, calls consummerism, the most pervasive religious world view, and the largest, unchecked threat to youth. It offers everything a religion offers:
- A community to belong to
- A sense of well being
- A purpose
- Something to do with your time, money and energy
Mike’s words really bite, and though his talk was on Youth Ministry, I can really see how it is even more pervasive from the standpoint of a church service worship leader. In youth ministry, you can argue that there is a level immaturity that we’ve all been through, but in worhsip, there’s no one to blame but mature, Christian adults.
Our church environment has been literally co-opted by the spirit of the age. You can see it very evidently at the end of any given Sunday morning church service:
“What did you think of the service?“
“I wish they played more hymns“
“The pastor should really be wearing a tie“
“The worship minister should play this or that song“
It is even more evident in the minds of Christians choosing a church. Their decision is based purely on their own well being (and that of their family’s) and not on the direction of where God wants them to be (or they convince themselves that their well being is God’s direction). There is a list of expectations that need to be checked before we choose a church, and that list is based, in most cases, on purely personal motives. It is about being served in manner that is worthy for me to pay for it. If the product is not good, or not to my satisfaction, I express my dissatisfaction and expect either a refund or an apology along with a prompt adjustment to the service. If we don’t feel that our satisfaction was met, we then enlist people around us to our cause. Even though we may not see it as such, we undermine the product (or leader/s) by expressing our feelings to those who we feel understand our plight. It’s not about being a servant, it’s about being served!
And then we wonder why our kids grow up to be self serving!
Paul says in Philippians 2:3
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit..”
Selfish ambition and vain conceipt are mortal enemies of unity and harmony in the church. They are the main reason kids fight with their parents and why husband and wives fight. They are the instigators of ugly arguments during church meetings and the lingering gossip in the church halls. They are also the pillars of consumerism.
“…but in humility put others before yourself”
Paul tells us what our attitudes should be… humility and putting others before ourselves. If we set that standards, everything changes. Church becomes place where our first thought is:
How can I serve?
And not:
What about me?
Posted by down2earth 
