Hammer on Anvil '

A work of fiction.

Chapter 1: Wealth

Nick, a servant of Christ Jesus,

To all the saints in Christ Jesus in America:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This letter is different from many others in that I currently dwell among you.  I write to you not as one above reproach.  Rather, I write to you as one who has humbly recognized many of the pitfalls of faith in our great society.  I seek to overcome these pitfalls in my own life and to increase your awareness of them that you may retreat from them yourself before it is too late.

I have seen how God has blessed you greatly among the nations.  Your wealth is unrivaled.  Why then are you not following the commands that have been given to you?  Do you not remember the admonition from James that “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”?  Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules?

“But,” you offer in defense, “we have tithed upon every dollar, nickel, and penny we have earned.”  I applaud you for your faithfulness and your reward will surely be in Heaven.  However, Jesus sees your offerings today just as he saw them during his time on Earth.  Many rich people threw in large amounts, but it was the poor widow who gave less than a penny who drew Christ’s praise.  When she gave, it was a sacrifice – something our society teaches should never be done intentionally.  She trusted the Lord with her whole heart and leaned not on her own understanding, or the understanding that her culture impressed upon her.

And look where you are spending God’s money that has been entrusted to you!  You, who are already blessed beyond measure, use God’s money to bless yourselves further still.  Places of worship have become theaters and churches have become social gathering places!  You celebrate spending millions of dollars on brick and mortar and then pat yourself on the back for investing a paltry percentage of that on the true Church – helping the helpless, the widows, orphans, and needy, and putting into practice Christ’s Great Commission.

Consumerism is consuming Christ’s Church in America!  You want more because American society demands that you should.  But that is man’s wisdom, not God’s.  God’s wisdom teaches us that true sacrifice is of greater value than gold.  You love God.  Good!  But you have allowed American wisdom to convince you that you need more because God wants you to have more.  But do not be fooled – like many lies, this is veiled in a half-truth.  God does indeed want you to have more.  He wants to bless you with treasures beyond compare.  But He wants to bless you with treasures that moth and rust cannot destroy and thieves cannot break in and steal.

Now is the time to step out in faith, to prove that we truly are ambassadors to this country with our citizenship in Heaven.  It is time to shout, “We will no longer be waves in the sea, blown and tossed by the wind!  We are going to look into our mirror, the Word, and remember what we look like when we step out into the world.”  Christ died for far more than brick and mortar and white picket fences.  He died for people.  Let’s follow His example by making our own sacrifices.

(see also Chapter 2: Relevancy, Chapter 3: Priorities, and Chapter 4: Love)