Millionaires

We should all be millionaires, right?

I was at a conference today, where the speaker said everyone in the Western world has the potential to be millionaires, and really, if we aren't millionaires by the time we're 40 we must be somehow oppressed or just dumb.

You'd probably guess I considered this a load of ____.

He was a Christian speaker, but his message was pure rubbish, no offense dude. It was centred around two statements.

1. Our business on earth is affluence (ie. gain more money, more resources)
2. Our purpose on earth is influence (ie. influence more people for God)

His point was that our priority is to build our affluence (money and possessions) so we can influence more people for God. Sadly, many people at the conference were nodding at this point. He of course threw out a few Bible verses to back up his point, but both verses he used (Jn 10:10 and Eph 3:20) actually make an entirely different point when read in their proper context. And he also said that if we do everything right (ie. live life right, with the right priorities), then God will give us more affluence. And further still, he said that if God does not make us affluent, then we are obviously poor Christians.

Codswallop.

The Bible clearly does not say this at all. Our influence for God has nothing to do with our affluence. The amount of money/possessions we have has nothing to do with our quality of character. In fact, Jesus says that the more rich you are, the harder it is to be a good Christian. There are a lot of rich Christians with pretty poor character, and I've met some very poor people who are incredible Christians.

I wonder how Mother Theresa would have felt hearing this message? She is widely regarded as a very good person, and yet she has no money or possessions and lives in slums. And what about other missionaries? Jim Elliot and his four friends could have had very successful careers if they had stayed where they were, but they decided to fly to a hostile tribe in Ecuador to tell the tribespeople about the love and grace of God. They were killed shortly after setting foot on the ground. But they had their priorities absolutely correct. This is what it means to be a Christian. Not living selfishly to gain more and more for ourselves, but giving everything we have for others. As one of Jesus closest followers said in 1 John 3:16...

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers."

I don't want to be a millionaire, thank you very much. I'd rather live my life for other people, like Jesus did.

Trapped Miners

I would hate to be stuck in my house for two full weeks, let alone trapped in a mine.

Last week two Aussie guys, Brant Webb & Todd Russell, escaped from a mine that had been their horribly small home for two full weeks. I just read a UK news report that said it was the most famous resurrection since 33AD.

This is such an amazing story - and I'm sure the celebrations are still going strong down in Beaconsfield, Tas!

I've just had a thought that this might be quite a good illustration of what spiritual rescue is like as well. We all start out as if we're trapped in a mine. It's dark and cramped, but it is our entire world, so we have to live with it.

And then we hear distant calls, reports - the news that there is a way out to a vastly different world, much bigger, much more exciting, much more colourful, where we can live life to the full. All we have to do is call for help and we will be rescued.

At this point, what we call "free will" kicks in. You can choose. You might decide that, actually, you're quite happy where you are - this is what you know and you don't need anything more - and besides, who wants to live a more exciting life...? So you don't call out, you just make yourself more at home in the cramped, smelly hole.

Or you might decide that, even though you've gotten used to the dark, smelly hole - and the thought of light and a bigger world scares the living daylights out of you - it just might be worth the trouble. So you call out, and you are incredibly RESCUED. The open, unfiltered sunlight burns your eyes, and the fresh air sears your lungs.... But after a while you find you can see and breathe infinitely better than in the hole, and the bigger world is so beautiful, and the colours so vibrant, and the life so rich. You wonder how anyone could choose to live in a cramped, smelly hole....

It is impossible to know the richness of life until you call out for help. There is no real life without God. Look up and see.

Bibles

Should Bibles be allowed in hospitals?

Recently there has been a bit of debate over whether or not hospitals and schools should allow the Gideons to deposit Bibles around the place. A few hospitals have taken the holy books away from bedside tables, so as not to offend people. It's a move to be more "multicultural".

What I want to know is: who is offended by a Bible in the first place? Basically all the major religions regard the Bible as a sacred book - Islams, Mormons, JWs.... Even people who believe in nothing at all still generally think the Bible is a good book. Sounds pretty multicultural to me.

For goodness sake, our entire legal system is grounded in Biblical principles: "Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not commit adultery...."

The Bible is widely regarded as a great book, and still tops the best-seller lists, in front of The Da Vinci Code. Now there is a book that offends people. Actually, if we're talking about hospital waiting rooms, I think maybe even the Woman's Day magazines generally contain more offensive material than the Bible.

(I wonder how Woman's Day would stand up to the Ten Commandments?: "Thou shalt not lie... Thou shalt not covet...")

And if it's because Bibles can carry germs, what about the lampshades, or the TV remote? Are they going to remove those as well? And what about all those flowers that come in? Many people are actually allergic to flowers, but I haven't met anyone allergic to Bibles yet. Maybe I just haven't lived long enough.

Interesting decisions, people.