Saturday, July 28, 2018
Religious profit
Acts 19:23,24
And about that time there arose a great commotion about the Way. For a certain man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Diana, brought no small profit to the craftsmen.
False religion is big business. False religion exists primarily for the exploitation of the vulnerabilities of the adherents and devotees.
True religion is premised on the fact that the one true God who made the world and everything in it desires to have a relationship with men who are at the pinnacle of His creation. So that the concern of true religion is to bring people into relationship with God.
People everywhere have concerns about their souls, about their fortunes, about their health, about their children and so on, and often would do anything to have a sense of security about these things. False religion will provide rituals and practices that give that sense of security at a price.
Today, when many are bold enough to declare that there is no God and that they are not religious are still being exploited by things like the atheist church. They are still meeting and singing and receiving a word of inspiration and importantly, giving. They are just not mentioning any gods in their songs and rituals but songs and rituals they have.
The spread of genuine faith in God is always a problem for false religion because it undermines the systems of exploitation and profit in fake faith. It’s not that in genuine faith we don’t also give, what is different is the motive. People, in a relationship with God, give because of a belief that God is the giver of all things in the first place and that giving reflects that.
In our passage today, Acts 19:21-41, there is the story of a riot in the city of Ephesus started by a religious tradesman named Demetrius. This Demetrius seems to be a man who was not necessarily religious himself, but a for-profit businessman who exploited the religious beliefs of his community.
Demetrius had grave concerns about the spread of Christian faith, being preached by the apostle Paul, because of the negative economic impact on his industry that was tied to the fake religion. “He called them together with the workers of similar occupation, and said: “Men, you know that we have our prosperity by this trade. Acts 19:25
Of course, he couldn’t talk only of money, so he threw in a dose of religion for cover. “Moreover you see and hear that not only at Ephesus, but throughout almost all Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away many people, saying that they are not gods which are made with hands. So not only is this trade of ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificence destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship.” Acts 19:26,27.
The silversmiths were the ones to confront the commercial challenge that true faith, the Christian faith in Jesus, presented to people. Sometimes, however, the commercial challenge needs to be brought by those who are practising true religion. For there are many charlatans, even within the boundaries of true religion, who seek to exploit the vulnerabilities of the faithful.
The apostle Peter addressed this in one of his letters to the church. He warned of false teachers who will find their way among the faithful, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” 2 Peter 2:1.
Peter goes on to add what drives these false teachers, “By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.” 2 Peter 2:3.
Religious exploitation for profit is not a new phenomenon. The only time we see Jesus in a rage is in the face of the obvious exploitation of the poor and vulnerable for religious purposes. “And He found in the temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers doing business. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changers’ money and overturned the tables. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!” John 2:14-16.
The introduction to genuine faith in God has multiple effects, one of them is the recognition that idols are not Gods at all, Demetrius understood this. People were turning away from the worship of the Roman goddess of fertility, Diana (also known by her Greek name Artemis), because of the recognition that “they are not gods which are made with hands.” Paul had established this earlier in Athens, “God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” Acts 17:24.
We must always be careful though that, people are always seeking to profit from both our fear and faith. The wicked sons of Eli did this (2 Samuel 12-17) and people are doing it today.
Think on these things:
- Have you ever been exploited because of your faith?
- Were you ever persuaded to purchase artefacts or special things produced by a church or ministry in order to receive some blessing?
- Do you ever feel that your church or leaders are seeking to profit off you through the things asked for or demanded?
Prayer focus:
Let us pray today that we would be able to discern any false teachers in our midst, and also that we would be able to help those who are taken captive by ministers who are seeking to make a profit from their faith.
In His Grace
Pastor Alex