Subprime

“It’s the subprime Christians that are causing the meltdown,” said Ima Watchman. “The church of Jesus Christ is mandated to make disciples and instead what we have done is create a multilevel marketing scheme that produces fans of Jesus. They might as well worship Elvis.”

While acknowledging that his rebuke stings, Watchman laments the low state of the Body of Christ. He said, “The church is filled with people who came to a minimalist mental ascent kind of faith but have not become disciples of Jesus. Why? We preach anything but the crucified life, repentance from sin, and the renunciation of the love of this present world system which is at war with God.” 

He is referring to those who “converted” from the Sunday golf leisure crowd to the Sunday leisure faith and prosperity commonly heralded by satellite on The Blasphemy Network. 

Watchman said, “The subprimers have caused a massive bubble in church attendance. Numbers and money have begun pouring into church coffers. The problem is many of them have believed a Salvation Lite message and not really been confronted with the cost of following Jesus. Death to self is as foreign to them as renouncing sin. When confronted with the real Word of God, or trials, riches, and the cares of this life, they fall away – hardened to the grace of God.” 

Watchman lamented that Jesus has a fan club. Jesus has groupies. Jesus even has girlfriends. What Jesus is looking for disciples, those who will pick up their cross and follow him. Many in the modern church have never really repented and turned from sin and turned to God. When the staggering cost of discipleship suddenly balloons up faster than an ARM interest rate, most subprimers turn away in disillusionment defaulting on their end of their covenant with God. 

It’s a mess. 

“Subprime converts are causing the name of Jesus to be blasphemed in the world,” said an angry Watchman. “Most of what passes for the Gospel is not. You cannot be greedy for God any more than you can be lustful for him. There is no such thing as holy sin. When the bubble of life bursts, those falsely converted by a subprime Salvation Lite message die in their sins and run amuck in the dark corridors of hell looking for the preacher who lied to them. What a needless tragedy.” 

If your faith is in meltdown because no one explained the fine print of exactly what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, we advise you shut off the “God wants you rich” goons on The Blasphemy Network and start prayerfully reading through the Gospels. Take Jesus at his word. Chose this day whom you will serve. Remember: if you default on this agreement, it’s not just your house you loose, but your soul. Default will be your own.

What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16: 26.

Bryan Hupperts © 2009                                                                             

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