Modern Gospel: Easier to Believe, a God Easier to Love, and a Whole Lot of Nothing.
"God will never let you go hungry". "God will never let anything happen to you". "As long as you have enough faith God will come through". "God loves it when you are happy". "God really wants to heal you, you just need to have faith".
There are so many lies we tell ourselves, our children and everyone that we come in contact with. Seriously, when did God say He wanted the people that to serve Him to be happy? Or that we deserve to be comfortable? That His blessings always come sugar coated in the form of a gift, and not a trial? What Bible are you reading!?!?!
I have to laugh, if not I'd cry, when I hear people tell their kids that God will never let them go hungry. Really? Why not? Maybe because you are American, or because you have a credit card, you have a wealthy family that will take care of you or so much in savings that you could buy your way out- but certainly not because God said it to be true. How can we say this when most of the world is hungry, and many of them believe in Christ? We tell our kids these lies, these lies that God is going to keep and then wonder why they find God so different when they hit those college years and God just doesn't come through the way we promised He would. He never promised, we did that all for Him. We are liars, thus making Him one by association.
What about trials? Okay, brace yourself: trials are the single biggest blessing from God- when do you hear that? They are though. They are the times when you are closest to God, the most dependent on Him and the least secure in yourself and what you have to offer. God cuddles, embraces and would love to fill in every gap of need with Himself- but we so seldom allow that or even want it, we have other things that make us "happy". Even those of us who brace for trials have a problem, we power through them, beat them back by our own strength reading self-help books, coping and "getting stronger because of it"- that is not what God intended either. God just wants us to give up, to surrender to Him the day no matter what it has, to not trust ourselves, to not power through but just to lean into Him and not resist His embrace. Through each trial HE should become stronger in us. Why? because the bigger you are, the smaller your God is, "He must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less" (John 3: 30).
Why are so many disillusioned with us churchies? Well because we tell them "God is going to make your life better", and when they see the trials that come they think we are the biggest liars there ever were- and God gets clumped into our sorry little lot. But why do we feel the need to add a spoonful of sugar to our message? WHY? I guess maybe it is because we don't trust the real God. We have made God who we want Him to be, we've stolen the divine nature of Jesus Himself and allowed ourselves to make up who He should be in our heads. We rob God, ourselves and those we come into contact with when we do this- but it is a church epidemic. We don't let God make us, we make Him. It is easier that way.
We are mis-representing Christ, we are preaching the modern day gospel, the gospel that it would be easier to believe, a God that would be easier to love, and a life that would be worth crap even on the best of days. There are so many well intentioned but incredibly ignorant preachers, teachers and church-goers who steal God's glory, Jesus' power and the divine mystery of the Holy Spirit and give you a placebo, one that leaves the taste buds with a fruity taste but with nothing substantial to nourish the spirit within each man that cries out.
God does heal, He does desire us to be filled with faith, He longs for our love, He desires to be our hope, He wants us to trust Him- but not because He is predictable, or loving on OUR TERMS but simply because He is God and we are clueless. He is God, He is not how our minds entrap and create Him, He is God and I have just recently come to terms with the fact that I know so little about the one I should know the best.
Enjoy this article?
The Latest Posts:
- Mrs. Wanda Wilson’s Spicy Pickled Asparagus {Recipe}
- Off To The Oregon Coast
- To Open My Hands
- The Strength that Moves Me
- He Wished for Snow for Christmas, He Got it For His Birthday.
- Oh I Wonder, How I Wonder…Who Would You Be, Shiloh?
- Reminding My Heart to Be Thankful
- What Love Looks Like
I (adoringly) HEART—>
July 21st, 2011 - 16:38
I appreciate this post! The other night my husband and I were having a little debate about salvation/the Holy Spirit/the nature of God and he was making the point the people take a verse out of context from the Bible and use it to argue their point, when there is surely a verse to contradict their point also from the Bible. He said “The Bible is a story about God, and we should use it to know him better.” Your last line reminded me of what my (dreadlocked) husband said – and I thought I’d share!
July 21st, 2011 - 17:48
Bethany…The older I get the less I understand about this all-knowing being I call my Heavenly Father.
July 22nd, 2011 - 09:16
Great post! :)
July 24th, 2011 - 18:06
This is good! God is good all the time – not just when I get what makes me happy!
July 25th, 2011 - 16:08
God is not a puppet-master although many believe this and preach this. I believe God is loving guidance and we only need to love God, to pray and to listen. Life is full of trials, yes. God does not fix them for us, true. I will never teach my kids that God will fix everything for them if they pray enough, act good enough, etc. I will teach them to pray and to love God and listen for his voice/nudging/instinct that helps them choose the right path.
August 4th, 2011 - 06:55
Amen! Thats just what I needed today :) I remember reading a few(sorry mostly American)Christian books on if you were thinking positive enough-seems a lot like modern thinking of that we can shape our own lives without God, not, and if it doesn’t work out you people are named losers- and pray to God your life would go just like you wanted it; they were sold at my old church which indeed mostly had rich healthy persons in it and were mostly blind to the times I was struggling to survife each day and I felt very lonely there. I threw those books out. In my new church we stick with 2 feet on the ground and look out for each other so God can work through us to help others.
October 1st, 2011 - 15:10
Thank-you for this post Bethany. I agree with you, I believe many walk away from God when to many hardships befall them, so many of us where raised on false believes…we are not more privileged in God’s heart then a starving people in a war ravaged country. Yet I hear neighbors talk about how we are blessed by God in this country ( US ), which drives me up the wall……what on earth have underprivileged people done to deserve starvation, unacceptable living conditions and so many ills we witness on this planet…the answer is nothing, they have done nothing to deserve the wrath of God.
The sad thing is, if we looked a little closer God is showing us where we need to help, rich out to people in need…not feel as if we are somewhat deserving of privileges.