Rise of the Merchandise Church Machine 12/6/13
http://www.ephesians511blog.blogspot.com/2013/12/rise-of-merchandise-church-machine.html1 Timothy 3:15 – “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
2 Peter 2:3 – “And through covetousness shall they with feigned (counterfeit) words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”
Acts 20:30 – “Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”
America’s House of Merchandise Church
Only 3 cents of every dollar go towards benevolence
-Based on a recent ECCU (Evangelical Christian Credit Union) survey-
https://www.eccu.org/resources/advisorypanel/2013/surveyreports20 What if?
What would happen if Christians just stopped “tithing” at the merchandising “church machine”, started meeting in homes or places that require no money, and praying/seeking the Lord as to where to give their tithe, either to brethren in need or the poor in Jesus’ name?
What would happen if Christians just stopped buying all the multi-billion dollar “Christian” junk merchandise being pedaled by the merchandising “church machine” and started using that money either for the brethren in need or the poor in Jesus’ name?
Christians don’t need the junk merchandise, they need the Word of God and obey what they know. That’s it!
The House of God (Christians) in America and the west in general has become a House of Merchandise Church, the present day “Merchandising Church Machine”.
The “Merchandising Church Machine” is not interested in truth because it covers up the exposed liars INSIDE the machine.
The “Merchandising Church Machine” is not only the sellers, it’s the buyers too!! Sellers and buyers keeps the “Merchandising Church Machine” running.
When Jesus overturned the tables twice during His ministry (once at the beginning in John 2, once towards the end in Matthew 21), there were buyers AND sellers doing business in the temple as stated in Matthew 21:12.
Using Jesus’ grace and suffering to make and give a buck
So Jesus lovingly stepped off His throne in Heaven, lovingly comes to earth where there is deceit and violence, declares the works of the world are evil, has no place to lay His head, is beaten, crucified on the cross, and the “Merchandising Church Machine” sells & buys on the whole event of His grace and mercy.
That is the image unbelievers see. People claiming to be Christians making money on what Jesus did.
What does the Lord see? Especially when He overturned tables TWICE?
Example of how far out of whack the church in America and the west is
Based on the ECCU survey, only 3 cents of each dollar given goes towards benevolence.
If a church of 100 each gave $100 dollars each week, which would equal $10,000 each week.
That means $300 dollars would go towards benevolence each week.
If those 100 people decided to stop going and start meeting in homes of 10 people each, that same $100 each tithe would be 100% of the tithe going towards benevolence.
Instead of $300 coming from a church of 100 people, there would be $1000 coming from a home church of 10 people.
Multiply that times 10 home churches and it would be $10,000 going towards benevolence each week all in Jesus’ name.
None of us in America has seen the way the church is really supposed to operate.
We were all handed this unbiblical “church machine” that requires money to operate. This “machine” is where careers are made and the truth is threatened.
That’s right, the truth is threatened.
A current scenario all over America
A “church machine” is a church that receives tithe money and will not expose certain wolves inside the church because they are afraid the church members will stop tithing (stop or leave).
The “church machine” has a paid staff, provides the product (message, music, social) all for tithes and offerings.
The “church machine” needs money to operate or else the “church machine” shuts down.
It’s a business where the offending truth will be concealed either consciously or unconsciously. The truth that rubs our sinful flesh will be the victim due to the “church machine” requirements.
The “church machine” will preach the Gospel but will disobey Ephesians 5:11 or disregard Matthew 7:15-20 and Acts 20:28-31 and think everything is OK since they are still preaching the Gospel.
The “church machine” will also have little to no spiritual discernment due to their willful disobedience.
The Gospel will be preached, people will be saved ONLY because of the Word of God (not the “church machine”) and the baby Christians are immediately inducted in to a spiritually dangerous “church machine”. Baby Christians are born again but blinded from the “church machine” not realizing they are blinded.
The thought of obeying Ephesians 5:11 isn’t even on their radar,
thus the “church machine” is producing Christians that will not expose wolves (Unless it’s Rick Warren of course. Rick is on the “OK to expose” list, of course nothing is happening to Rick is it?).The “church machine” needs tithe money & offerings to keep the whole merchandising thing going.
The way the church is set up in America and the west is out of whack!!
The “church machine” sells a “program” that involves salaries, buildings, and other expenses – it’s a product in exchange for tithes and offerings.
Then the pastors and elders will say at the pulpit something like “Worship God with your tithes and offerings” which actually means “Pay our salaries, our building expenses, and anything else we need”. They equate worshiping God with whatever they are doing, even though they may be promoting wolves or covering up wolves.
What if the pastor is covering up guys like exposed liars Ergun Caner or David Barton or things of that nature? How is that worshiping God with your tithes and offerings?”
This is happening all across the nation and in the west.
Christians are giving tithes and offerings to churches, institutions, “Christian merchandisers” (AKA The “church machine”) that are covering up known wolves by staying silent on them. The “church machine” is operating on the “tithes and offerings” that could actually be used for brethren in need or the poor in Jesus’ name.
Giving tithes and offerings to these “merchandising churches” or the “Christian merchandisers” in not worshiping God.
There are many sorrows that lay ahead for the “Merchandising Church Machine” AKA “The Church of Merchandise”.
1 Timothy 6:10 – “For the love (Greek root = philos, a friend) of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”