who brings home the bacon?

I have often been guilty of pointing the finger at churches within other cultures where bad cultural practices have been allowed to co-exist with the gospel.

I think its always easier to make a fuss about the speck in someone else’s eye!

But it has become more and more clear to me that there are some serious planks and even logs in the eyes of the “western” church.

By western I am referring to churches within what is generally know as western culture or more specifically the materialistic and humanistic culture of 1st World countries and countries, like South Africa, where the culture is heavily influenced by the developed world.

These serious issues are matters of faith – who or what do we place our trust in. It’s one thing to say that we trust God but it’s another thing altogether to really trust God by the way we live our daily lives.

There are a few areas where this problem is most evident in our western way of living. In this post I will simply outline the first of these areas: Provision – who brings home the bacon?

1. Provision

I believe that the single most pervasive form of idolatry in the western church is the lifestyle of serving the “gods of provision”. One might also calls this serving “Mammon” or money. But it goes beyond simply money itself.

It’s the notion which we live with and which we teach our children: that if you want to get ahead in life and make a success of life you need to use your talents and abilities to their full potential in the act of gathering provisions.

This sort of thinking goes directly against the Biblical teaching that we should use our talents and abilities to their full potential to glorify God who then supplies our need out of his abundance. God says that he is “Yahweh Jireh” – The God who provides. Everything we have and receive comes from him.

People think this sort of notion is only for those desiring full-time service in the pastorate or in the mission field. No wonder pastors struggle to get their congregations on board with a Kingdom vision becuase the pastor has had to deal with trusting God for provision but the majority of the people in the congregation still trust their training, their abilities, their gifts, their investments and their job for their provision.

We live in such a materialistic world that it is very hard for Christians to fully come to grips with the extent of this syncretism in their own lives. Sundays and after hours they will put time aside for God but Monday 8-6 they have to bring home the bacon. Saying it like that even sounds rational becuase we have been so brainwashed by our culture. I am not saying that people should sit on their behind and wait for manna to fall from heaven. Notice the difference: “I will spend my whole life and all my abilities and talents to glorify God in whatever he gives for me to do, at work, home, church, community etc. And God will provide my families needs”.

Its a simple difference in the words but a huge difference in the emphasis of faith. And to make that shift takes a huge step of faith in ones heart becuase if you say that then you open yourself to God for him to change your plans!

Unless the church takes this leap of faith, I fear we cannot go where God is leading us becuase we will be tied up in our allegiance to our “gods of provision”.

It is interesting to note that of the gods whom the Israelites served in their idolatry the Canaanite fertility gods where most prominent. According to Canaanite customs these gods promised to give fertility to you and your crops when you sacrificed to them. Seems like things haven’t changed much!

Your comments please!

November 17, 2008 | Categories: Gospel and Culture, Idolatry, Missional living, The Kingdom of God, Worldview | Tags: Faith, Idolatry, Provision, Syncretism, Western Culture, Yahweh Jireh | 18 Comments »