The promise of a better life?
I must admit, much of modern evangelism has a very clever method going on in order to get ‘decisions’ for Christ. Numerous televangelists stand up and say things such as, “Accept Jesus and get a new car! Accept Jesus and get lots of stuff! Accept Jesus and all your problems will go away and you will have never-ending happiness!” A couple months ago, I am sad to say, I saw a church which was promising that if you come to Christ God will give you a, “more fulfilling sex life.”
And hey, if you look at the fallen world, what more does it want? Promises of material possessions, physical pleasure, and absolute happiness, those are exactly the things that the world wants, so why not use those things to bring people to Christ? Because telling the world such things is nothing short of lying. First off, we need to be made righteous, not rich. We need mercy, not material possessions. The Bible is very clear on these points. But, for this article, I do not want to concentrate on those issues. I want to concentrate on one promise that is being given to the world: come to Christ, and you will live a life free of suffering and full of happiness.
Such a promise is going out to countless people. The story is going around that if you become a Christian; all of your troubles will go away. All of your pain will be eased. Let’s see what God’s Word promises to faithful Christians:
- “Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and insult you, and scorn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man.” Luke 6:22
- “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” Matthew 10:22
- “Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.” Matthew 24:9
- “And you will be hated because of My name.” Luke 21:17
- “Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” 2 Timothy 3:12
These are only a couple of the many scriptures that promise persecution, hatred, and tribulation to those who live the Christian life. So, if the Bible promises hate, tribulation, and persecution; why is the world being promised happiness and prosperity in return for their ‘decision for Christ’?
Recently, I have been reading Fox’s Book of Martyrs. Please read the following accounts of the pains that fell on our brothers and sisters in Christ:
- “Romanus, a native of Palestine, was deacon of the church of Caesarea at the time of the commencement of Diocletian’s persecution. Being condemned for his faith at Antioch, he was scourged, put to the rack, his body torn with hooks, his flesh cut with knives, his face sacrificed, his teeth beaten from their sockets, and his hair plucked up by the roots. Soon after he was ordered to be strangled, November 17, A.D. 303.”
- “Peter, a eunuch belonging to the emperor, was a Christian of singular modesty and humility. He was laid on a gridiron, and broiled over a slow fire until he expired.”
After reading these accounts, I did a bit of research on some of the devices Fox referenced:
- A gridiron is a, “Another execution method akin to burning, but much slower and excruciating for the victim. To die on the gridiron is to be literally broiled to death. Gridirons were generally metal frames to which the victim was bound, then a fire stoked beneath them. Alternatives to this design were metal chairs that were heated by fires beneath the seat platform.”
- A rack is, “A fearsome device used as both a torture method for interrogation and as a method of execution. There are many different versions of the rack, some being as simple as to suspend the victim into the air with taunt ropes, but all produced the painful torture of stretching the culprit to the point of dislocating the limbs. Some racks were equipped with spiked rollers which tore the flesh from the victim's back as he was being stretched across it.”
I cannot even imagine what it would have been like being tortured and murdered by means of one of these horrific devices. Is this really what the world would call never-ending happiness? Are those the lives that most people would call prosperous? Of course not. Going through things like these are the exact opposite of prosperity and happiness (physically). How can people today be promised by Christians such a ‘wonderful life’ when faithful and obedient Christians were put through such horrific experiences? Unfortunately, the pain and suffering of our brothers and sisters did not stop hundreds of years ago. Today, hundreds of Christians are burned, beaten, raped, beheaded, stabbed, imprisoned, and shot for their faith in Christ.
By the way, if you do live in the United States, have you thanked the Lord for the blessings he has given you? We have freedom of speech and religion. When we go out witnessing, the worst we have to worry about is getting cursed at, not getting beheaded or brutally beaten. When we go to church, do not fear that the building will be burned down while we are worshipping. Most of us own dozens of Bible, while brothers and sisters overseas live their entire lives without ever owning one they can call their own. Thank the Lord for the freedoms and blessings we have. And exercise those rights by getting out and boldly standing up for Christ. And, when you are finished thanking the Lord for your blessings, be sure to lift up those who are not as fortunate. Pray for those who are being persecuted for their faith.
I beg you; preach the Law and the Biblical gospel. It is enough. We worship a God who did something so incredible for our sins that we do not need the promises of prosperity and popularity. We have something so much more valuable to offer: forgiveness and righteousness in the eyes of Almighty God. What more can you ask for? What more could somebody possibly want? The promise of a new car is nothing compared to the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.