Rich Christians should repent

Why is the Dead Sea dead? It is because, although the Jordan river flows in, there is no outflow.

The water runs into this great lake, but there it stays until it simply evaporates under the heat of the middle-eastern sun. The Dead Sea is left with high concentrations of salt in which nothing can live. Its salinity is something like 34%. Instead of being a place of life it is sterile.

Rich churches

When churches fail to give to the poor and the Lord’s work elsewhere they, like the Dead Sea, lose spiritual life. God’s blessing flows in, but they keep it all for themselves. They build a bigger sanctuary. They pay larger salaries to their staff. They make things very comfortable. ‘Business’ appears to be booming. But it is a church that is declining spiritually. It is taking a very different path from the way of the Saviour who calls us to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34). Many churches are rich, while others cannot even afford a pastor and many different Christian works barely survive. Research indicates that today’s younger people – Millennials – are good at giving to causes which touch them emotionally. There is nothing wrong with that. They will give when they are moved by footage of starving children in Africa – as we all should. They like to give ‘one-offs’ and to things that aren’t ‘boring’. Okay. But step back a moment. If this is true, such a pattern of giving is not going to provide for a pastor and his family or keep a missionary on the field. These things are just too everyday. This is very serious for the long-term future of the gospel.