Schoolyard: Lunchroom: the Dangers of Consumerism as a Christian
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CIT: the culture of consumerism that has infected the church will only cause hurt and division. Therefore, we must serve, not be served.
CIT: the culture of consumerism that has infected the church will only cause hurt and division. Therefore, we must serve, not be served.
What is consumerism?
Why consumerism is anti-Kingdom of God.
How to fight back against consumerism in the church.
What is consumerism?
What is consumerism?
“The preoccupation of society with the acquisition of consumer goods.”
Our society tells us that we need more of everything. We need more phones. We need more clothes. We need more shoes. We need more money. We need more followers. We need more time for ourselves. We need more _______.
Consumerism runs deeper than just acquiring goods.
But truthfully consumerism isn’t just about goods/physical items. Consumerism is also about a preoccupation with self. A preoccupation that oneself is inherently more important than another, therefore we think, most of the times subconsciously, that everything is meant for or about ourself.
We get mad at an overworked waiter getting our order wrong rather than being patient and understanding. We come to church only to hear a sermon and make some face time rather than seeking to build up those around us.
We live in a steakhouse culture. The kingdom of God is a soup kitchen culture.
Have you ever been to a Brazilian Steakhouse? They’re pretty cool. They’re also very expensive. You pay $60 for a plate, not including drinks and dessert, and you are given a card. With that card you can have it on green or on red. Green says I want all the meat, bring me all the meat. Red says mah I’m good for right now. you are constantly being served. ***Talk about the waiter at my bachelor’s party who served us so well and picked up trash with the card.***
This whole model of restaurant reflects our culture to a “t” though. An expensive exclusive culture that only wants to be served and cannot bother to serve others instead.
The Kingdom of God however id different. Have you ever been to a soup kitchen. It is people volunteering their time to feed those who have nothing but an empty stomach. At a soup kitchen you don’t pay to get in, you also don’t get paid to serve. You serve at a soup kitchen because you recognize that there is a need that must be met and you consider those in need more significant that yourself. This is the Kingdom of God. That Jesus considered our need for salvation so significant that he came to die for us and give us salvation so that we could then go out and bring others to him because we consider their need for salvation so significant.
Why consumerism is anti-kingdom of God.
Why consumerism is anti-kingdom of God.
What we treasure is what we worship. What we worship is what we obey.
Exodus 32 tells us the story of the golden calf.
The Hebrew people told Aaron to make the gods like they had in Egypt. Meaning they wanted comfort like they had in Egypt, even though they were slaves, and not in the wilderness.
This golden calf, a god of Egypt, a god of comfort caused them to act like Egyptians and not the People of God.
What they worshipped is what they obeyed. The same is for us.
This was my story in 8th-10th grade. I worshipped the idea of being “popular”. I changed how I looked, how I acted, how I talked, and who I hung out with all in the name of being popular. Unsurprisingly this lead to me wandering away form my relationship with God and as I chased after this god I obeyed this god, and as I obeyed this god not only did my behavior not reflect Jesus my anxiety and depression was worse than ever before. This is because the satisfaction I wasted to consume from this god was not there.
Are you worshipping the God of the Bible or the god of the culture?
Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 6:19-21, 24 that we cannot serve what we treasure on earth and God. We must ask ourselves what we are consuming. Our actions and desires reflect what we are consuming. Now let us ask ourselves how we may consume and worship God.
Culture says to comfort yourself. Jesus says to crucify yourself.
When we are consuming what culture tells us to consume we are chasing after comfort.
If we truly want to consume more of Jesus we cannot chase comfort, we must crucify ourselves like Jesus tells us to in Luke 9:23-25
How to fight back against consumerism in the church.
How to fight back against consumerism in the church.
We follow Jesus.
Luke 9:23-25 tells us how to follow Jesus. Leave everything behind and follow Jesus.
We consider others more significant than ourselves.
Philippians 2:1-11 teaches us that the way to be able to pour ourselves out into one another is through following Jesus’ example.
We seek to serve, not be served.
Matthew 20:26-28 commands us to serve like Jesus. Jesus didn’t come to be served like a king, he came to serve like a servant.
How can we begin to serve?
First, we repent of our sin unto faith in Christ.
Second, we ask others what we can do for them.
Third, we sacrifice our time and priorities for the sake of the church and the Kingdom of God