COMMERCIAL CHRISTIANITY: THE BURDEN OF DOING GOOD ONLY TO THE ANOINTED.

It is not my intention to make long posts always. But as one graced with the teaching gift, I understand the need to be elaborate so that my writings are properly understood. So bear with me once more.

While playing the role of a comedian, I once made a joke about commercial Christianity the day I moderated a final year sent forth service at All Saints Chapel Futo during my undergraduate days. I described how Christians are more willing to do a thing(like clapping in Church) only when they are told the blessings attached. It was later after school that I would discover what I joked about really existed deeply amongst believers.

Sometime ago, a close associate of mine, a lady wanted to do something for the Lord. She specifically bought a Generator and was going to take it to the church we both attended at the time as it was a harvest Sunday.

I carefully pointed out to her that the gesture would be more appreciated if she gave it to a Christian sister who was struggling with a small scale laundry business without a reliable alternative power source. I even reminded her that the church had sufficient alternative power supply. But she wouldn’t listen to me. To her, God can only receive her thanks if her gift was directed to the ‘church’ building and not a church member.

True to my word, the Generator was auctioned in the bazaar that followed. Obviously the church didn’t need it badly…..

You see, same thing that made that my sister insist on directing her gift to the ‘altar of God’ is the reason why someone reading this post, after service today will drive his car home, empty and alone while waving ‘bless you’ to the trekking brethren of Jesus Christ, his blood-covenant brothers and sisters.

But if he mistakenly sees the resident pastor or regional pastor or the G.O going home on foot, that same brother will suspend his life and destiny temporarily just to drive home the man of God. He wouldn’t mind emptying his car of his immediate family. His motivation is that at the end, the man of God will bless him or God will bless him more for driving the anointed. And this blessing, he cannot receive if he had driven home ordinary members of the body of Christ.

This is commercial Christianity, a false sense of making merchandise of the anointing.

Let me be more practical with a figure that is well respected as an example. If Pastor Adeboye today at redemption camp announces that he needs a brand new Range Rover 2018, there would be over 1000 congregants who will line up to meet this man of God’s demand immediately. The man behind does not care if the man in front will give same car, he must do it for the man of God. This is wonderful of course, no doubt. But same people who are willing enough to buy Range Rover for daddy GO cannot buy tokumbo Gulf car for the jobless familyman in the church to start a transport business and help his family. Mbanu, doing it for the man of God is more profitable……

As someone born in the Anglican communion, I could recall this happening regularly in my local assembly while growing up. I saw rich men who could not help the poor around them, making public donations in church, buying cars for pastors and raising buildings for the church single handedly, just to be recognized with titles such as Knight. Yet, the idea that giving to the church or the preacher attracts more blessings than giving to the needy is both false and fraudulent. It is unbiblical, product of commercial spirit.

This is the singular reason why you often find some very poor and wretched hungry brethren worshipping God inside expensive and lavishly furnished buildings.

Therefore beloved, let it be known to you that giving is not a native of the church buildings neither is ‘God bless you’ the exclusive preserve of the men of God. What happened to the words of Christ…… ‘whatsoever you do to the LEAST of my brothers, that you do onto me….’

If you can do for your pastor what you cannot do for a brother(who is family just as the pastor), then there is something wrong about your motive.

It is imperative to know that God’s blessing attached to doing good is same when we do it to our immediate neighbors. In Galatians 6, the Bible provided that the preacher as well as the brethren should benefit from our generosity, not just the preacher alone.

Some on their way to church today will ignore many opportunities to do good, reason simply because the money in their pocket is designated CHURCH OFFERING. Thus, they preferred giving to the God they don’t see, while ignoring the God amongst men……

Except for the purpose of bringing it to the church so that it can be distributed amongst the needy, anything that tells you to ignore the immediate need of your blood-covenant brother so that you can attend to the need of the ‘church’ or the anointed is not of the Lord. It is a commercial spirit, the same kind of Spirit that Paul cast out of the man who priced his anointing.

Should I talk of wives who honor their man of God more than their husbands or husbands who honor their woman of God more than their wives for same reason of the blessing attached……

Let the willingness and zeal with which we attend to our Papas be same with our neighbors. For we are blessed as much when we do it to the poor and needy around us.

God bless you immensely as you do this!!!

© Obinna Asole, a Christian brother, born again, writing from my heart…….