Consumerism is a curious thing. It creates a free market where competition is healthy and business center their strategies around winning our hearts and wallets. Yet over time, we become accustomed to having our desires met. We are drawn to things based on how they line up with our tastes. Sadly, there are some tell-tale signs that we’ve adopted this world view when we think of the local church and the messy Christians inside it.
The problem with “Consumer Christianity”
Consumer Christianity is just what it sounds like – we treat Christ and His bride like commodities that exist to serve our wants. We treat believers and the church as things that need to impress us. If they don’t, we’ll harbor bitterness in our hearts or, more often, simply leave and find a group that gives us what we want.
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to agree together, to end your divisions, and to be united by the same mind and purpose. (1 Corinthians 1:10)
Of course, there are some situations that demand us to confront others or outright leave a church. Yet the vast majority of people who take issue with fellow believers do so as consumers. They take problems that aren’t necessary for harmony with other Christians and turn them into primary issues. We risk allowing pride and self-righteousness to come between us and obedience to our savior.
For many live, about whom I have often told you, and now, with tears, I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, they exult in their shame, and they think about earthly things. (Phillippians 3:18-19)
This is no light warning. To submit ourselves to our own desires over Christ is to act like an enemy of God (James 4:4). So how do we know if we are thinking like servants of Christ or worldly consumers?
Consumers say “I want a church with things I like”
Imagine you have to move to a new area across the country and you’re looking for a new church in the area. There are several churches within driving distance of your new home. What are some things you would look for when finding your new church?
Here’s an exhausting (though not exhaustive) list of what people tend to look for:
- The building’s visual appeal
- Music
- The pastor wears a suit to preach
- Bible version
- The church’s name
- They raise their hands during worship
- The pastor makes jokes
- Amount of children
- Amount of people our own age
- The youth pastor is young and relevant
- They host fun events
- The types of groups offered (youth, singles, women, men, etc)
Yet all of those things are all based on what we like or don’t like. It’s so tempting to place ourselves in comfort, settling into a place that doesn’t push us like it’s a comfortable chair meant to relax us. Yet biblical truth, not comfort, is what we must always surround ourselves with.
For there will be a time when people will not tolerate sound teaching. Instead, following their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves, because they have an insatiable curiosity to hear new things. And they will turn away from hearing the truth, but on the other hand they will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
As servants of Christ, there’s one primary question we should ask about any church, including the one we currently attend: Do they understand, teach, and practice the truth of Christ? In other words:
- Do they believe in the horridness of sin; the importance of trusting in Christ’s death on the cross to pay the price of that sin; and the need to repent and follow their savior? Or do they focus on feeling good about ourselves, practicing moral living, or the importance of following Christ to gain health and wealth? (Galatians 1:8)
- Does the preaching focus on the historical meaning of the text before applying it to our lives, or does the preacher spend more time telling stories and giving empowering speeches rather than explaining the text itself? (2 Timothy 2:15)
- Do they encourage growth in theology, helping their members understand the Bible so they know why they believe what they believe? (1 Peter 3:15)
- Is the church concerned about bringing Christ to the lost because they’re enemies of God, unable to do any amount of good to save themselves from God’s wrath? (Mark 16:15)
A consumer is concerned with preferences; a servant is concerned with the truth of Christ being taught and lived.
Consumers ask “What do I get out of church?”
It can be difficult to muster excitement about regularly attending church. Often, this can stem from a wrong focus. As with the rest of life, we often think of church and ask “Why should I go to church? What’s in it for me? What will I get out of it?”
It’s easy to sit down for an hour and demand to be entertained, self-empowered, or pat ourselves on the back for ticking a box to earn God’s favor. We focus on how the church can meet our non-spiritual needs, and find fault when pastors or other church-goers don’t reach out like we feel they should.
For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)
We are commanded to serve, not be served. Even in this command, our sinful hearts make us want to say “Why should I bother serving if they aren’t?” Yet whether others walk in obedience to Christ has no bearing on our call and desire to love our brothers and sisters.
A consumer wants to know what they get; a servant wants to serve others for the glory of God.
Consumers say “I want Christ, just not the church”
There are many people out there who are hurting. Thousands of people walk away from the church because of how other Christians treat them. They feel abused, ignored, manipulated, judged, and often very angry. These people will often label themselves as atheistsor “spiritual, but not religious.”
However, there is a problem when we want Christ, but not His bride. Christ didn’t die for individuals, nor did He save individual people for them to live better lives on their own. He made us part of a family.
Yet this family is filled with ugly, wicked, sin-loving traitors who share one thing in common: we’re all sinners who are saved by God’s grace. Sadly, on this side of Heaven we’ll still fail Christ and one another. We may even have long seasons of foolishness where we hurt others, thinking we’re doing the right thing. We will undoubtedly sin against others because we are wretched people trying to exist alongside other wretched people.
And others will do the same to us. Perhaps an entire local church will sin against us, tempting us to abandon Christ’s bride will still trying to keep Him. Yet Christ doesn’t call for us to simply be part of the universal church of all believers, but to be a part of His visible, local church as well.
And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
When we are hurt, we must forgive. When we are mistreated, we must turn the other cheek. When someone sins against us, we need to go to them to resolve it biblically (Matthew 18:15). And when we sin against others, as we will if we’re walking close together, we hope they’ll be obedient enough to Christ to do the same.
If we must abandon a church, then it should only be to find one that truly follows Christ. Never should we abandon His bride altogether.
I give you a new commandment—to love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. (John 13:34)
There is simply no way to love Christ without loving those He saved, and we can’t love His people without being around them. If He gives us His undeserved love despite our multitude of sins that nailed Him to a cross, how can we do any less for those He also died for?
A consumer abandons the people of God; a servant understands they’re surrounded by people just as broken as they are.
Consumer or servant?
When Christ took the penalty for our sin, He also took our enslavement to following sinful, misleading desires. He set us free so we can pursue God and walk in line with His desires.
God doesn’t call us to comfort. He calls us to surround ourselves with biblical truth. He commands us to follow our perfect, wonderful savior alongside imperfect, sinful people who are just like us. And in walking with Christ and His bride, we will love Him even more.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16)
