Christians, Not Consumers

American Christians have a real hard time being just Christians.

We live in consumerism. We like that businesses spend lots of money to make us happy. It’s gratifying to know that LendingTree.com is making banks compete for what? My busniess. In fact, we realize, as consumers, that we are lusted after constantly for the power we wield and what power we can give to the various businesses that lust after us. Frankly, it’s pretty gratifying to be that important. We expect to be flirted with, flattered, and praised. We are the customer and we are always right.

Now, when our church does not treat us the same way businesses do, we gripe that we are not respected. When our church does not lust after us like corporate a|America does, we Christians feel neglected. Our entitlement has been infringed upon and we, in business like fashion (at first) assert our right as the customer. That might “work” in our favor and change may occur that provides some temporary happiness. If it does not work, then more will is asserted on the church or the church is abandoned for a “better” church. When we don’t like the product, we shop.

The problem here is not so much that a person might move from one church to another. If it were only that shallow. The problem is that we Christians view ourselves as the one’s being served. When we willingly take on the role of the one being served, being pleased, being catered to, then we have a real hard time serving, pleasing, and catering to.

When we Christians look to the church to make our dreams come true, then we forfeit the role of making other people’s dreams come true. When we lean on the church for our consumption needs, then we drain it of the resources that could be helping someone come to know God.

Yes, church to the rescue is many, many cases. We need to take care of our own. But let’s face it, God’s taking care of millions of Christian’s needs through other means. and we’re just gathering together, filling our minds with knowledge we’ll never use jst to make ourselves feel better about ourselves.  

What we need to do as Christians is to become producers, not consumers. A producer’s mentality is totally different from that of a consumer. We are to be givers and creators. We are to think that way. When we begin to think like producers, creators, givers, then we will lose our entitled status and be glad that it is gone. Happiness through gratification is fleeting at best. Happiness through sacrifice, creation, and production has more legs.

Thoughts?