By Pastor Tee, Pastor of Outreach

“The Church does not exist to simply fulfill our personal needs. That’s what cults, tv commercials and many politicians promise.“

    Twenty three years ago, Rick Warren wrote a book called The Purpose Driven Life. How many of you read it? Well I didn’t. The summary of the book is, God created you for a purpose. That’s it. See, instead of buying the book, you could engage in the 3 Cs: Just asked me (competition), I would have given you the shorter version (comparison) and you could have given me $10 (consumption).

But it wouldn’t be the same, right? I mean, I cannot compete with the former megachurch pastor, his version is more detailed and you get more for your money. What I just offered you is a consumer approach to his book: your choice of a consumer good/service based on your personal desires which probably are comfort and convenience. Goods and services like tax preparation, a stove or a fridge have made our lives easier. But comfort and convenience can also get us in trouble outside of the will of God. Lets see what happens to Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8:9-25.

God the Father shows us the way through his character: He is righteous, just and merciful. In John 1:12, all those who believe in Jesus are given the right to become children of God. You never get any sense of confusion, neediness and anxiousness from the Father, Son or Holy Spirit when you read the Bible. Although God seeks us, we are the ones Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it. Prone to leave the God I love. When we wander outside God’s will, we begin to redefine reality for our own comfort and convenience. Israel did this when they made the golden calf after they left Egypt in Exodus 32, when they asked for a king to be like the nations around them in 1 Samuel 8 and when King Manasseh of Judah led his people into idolatry in 2 Kings 21. When what we want becomes more important than seeking God’s will, our need to consume increases while our relationship with God and others decreases.

Even today, the consumer driven life is everywhere in American culture. It encourages us to reduce the Bible, the Christian faith, the Church and life to serving only our personal needs. Some Christians embrace Jesus and reject Paul while others believe it is not necessary to be a part of a Church. Do you know how radical it is to consistently meet together to worship God, do His will, wrestle with the Scriptures and practice honesty and transparency with each other in a world that makes our personal desires and identities the standard? This is so radical that some abandoned Jesus because they felt his demands were too difficult. Peter was willing to lose Simon by telling him the truth: Your heart isnt right!!! Our heart says something about our character.

This past election revealed a lot about American character. I have friends who voted for President Trump, those who did not and those who voted for neither candidate. If I put them in a room, this group would probably be suspicious of each other. You know why I am thankful for all of them? Because Jesus’ disciples were like this. Jesus was patient with them and challenged their ideas of how they understood God and the kingdom. He did not tell them that following the Law will get them the political outcomes they wanted. Its challenging because I risk being isolated for telling an unpopular truth: Voting is not a spiritual discipline but praying and fasting are. If we want God’s guidance, then we need to humble ourselves and listen to God. Hold your elected leaders accountable but Kingdom work is not solely dependent on them or your vote. Jesus did not have Satan’s support or Rome or Jerusalem. The conservative and progressive leaders of his day did not like him. But the Spirit of the Lord was upon him. The Bible is not about Philip, Peter, John, Simon or even us. This is about God and his character. Let that sink in.

Simon was more focused on the miracles Philip performed even though he had no desire to be great. He fulfilled his purpose by bringing the Gospel to a place that his own people avoided. But honestly, my heart is prone to wander and like Simon, I want to be great.

We must give up what our heart wants and practice being like Jesus everyday. This is the only way we can be available to each other and the world when people are sick, lonely, struggling, angry, going without, abused, rejected, etc. A consumer driven life believes that the rewards Jesus has promised us in heaven aren’t better than the ones offered in this life. It means we limit our commitments to what is comfortable. We choose spaces and devices that we can control that make us feel powerful. Here is how you can spot a consumer driven life. In Simon, you see an absence of gratitude and an abundance of fear. Jesus preached a purpose driven life anchored by the Gospel of Peace that was for his friends and his enemies. Let’s pray and fast thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.