April 26, 2007
Gullible
My adult Sunday school teacher recently cautioned the class, “There’s a lot of money to be made in faith issues. People [we] want to do right by God and many are making money on our desire to please God.” When we hear reports of financial improprieties in churches, it’s hard to contemplate the same might occur in our church and with people we know and trust. However, in reality it is happening in my church, your church and the early church. Paul mentions those who want to peddle the word of God for profit in 1 Cor 2:17. Expounding on the verse, the NIV Study Bible footnote says, “Paul is referring to false teachers who had infiltrated the Corinthian church. Such persons – themselves insecure, self-sufficient and boastful – artfully presented themselves in a persuasive manner, and their chief interest was to make money from gullible church members…” I think we should be on the watch for false teachers and those who want to make money on the church – if for no other reason than to avoid being labeled ‘gullible’.
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Gail;
-----Allow me to suggest the other areas in which we fall prey to those who would seek to take advantage of us. Those who would serve the gospel for the financial benefit are enslaved to the lust of the flesh. There are also those leaders who are enslaved to the pride of life. They have an ambition to see as many people as possible agree with them and doing things their way. I am not certain, but I believe these leaders feel they obtain some sort of spiritual endorsement with every person they can convince to think like they think. The more you learn the Word and learn to think with it, the more you begin to recognize ideas flowing down from the pulpit that are second and third cousins to Biblical principles, rather than direct offspring.
-----Also the lust of the eye overcomes many leaders. God gave man one innate quality that also has become a trap - the desire to conform to widely accepted social norms. In many ways the Word asks us to walk against social norms. This can become hard to do when we see so many well respected members of society walking in the opposite direction. Weak leaders want to walk with these icons. And they need your company to do so. The other variation of the lust of the eye is keeping up with Rev. Jones's church. We certainly don't want to be the second biggest church in Montrose. We want the biggest band, the groviest tunes, the most casual audience (audience?!). Well, you get the drift, and unfortunately, the congregation also gets to drift. This form of envy is also related to conformity, but cross-bred with the pride of life. It will net the big-buck salary for the part-time "full-time" position.
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