I am at odds with myself as I write this piece. On the one hand, I am aware that as the body of Christ we all have different Ministries and all of them are by no means meant to perform similarly. After all, each is supposed to work together to show the Lord in His full glory. In that respect, I don’t want to tear down anything that may be ordained of God but darkened to me. Pon the nedder hand (On the other hand, for my non West Indian readers), I can’t let this slide because when I compare it to scripture there are so many off things that it bothers me. I need to get this off my chest. You can chime in whether you think I’m wrong or I’m right in my way of seeing this issue in the comment section below. I am open to EDIFICATION.
There is this advertisement by a church on an American station. Now mind you, I live in the Caribbean and God Bless the man who was inspired enough to invent satellite/broadband television because now I have options and I can see some of the things that you watch if you live in the States or Canada. So the ad is about miracle water and I am going to try my best to walk you through what the ad contained. Maybe you’ve seen it, maybe you haven’t. So the ad starts off with a quote on screen. 3 John 2 – “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health” and the voice over says, in essence, that it is God’s will for us to be prosperous and in good health…..
Now, I know God will never allow his child to suffer needlessly but I have a problem with the above statement because it perpetuates an incorrect message. The person speaking in 3 John 2 is John the disciple of Jesus and it was a salutation to whoever the letter was for i.e. the churches and ultimately followers of Christ. That was John’s wish for us. Let’s be completely clear about that. For me, as a church, you want to sell Jesus as is and not as a gimmick that people will be into for a season. And while God will never withhold any good thing from His children, it is imperative that we understand that there are times when we will be broke. You may be broke all of your life. There are times you will be sick. You may be sick for most of your life even while you’re a Christian. But that’s when you need to put your faith into action and trust God so that He can show you that He alone can give you these good things.
The ad moves on and voice over starts talking about a water that they have that can bring health and prosperity if you drink it. It’s a tube of water the size of an ice pop tube (pennycool pack, for meh West Indian people), it’s blue and I suppose Miracle Water is written on it. And you know this ad will not be complete without testimonies, y’all.
I drank the water and got a cheque for $25 000 (forgive me if the number is slightly off) and then got a cheque for $30 000 the next week………I drank the water and God healed my heart……….I drank the water and got a cheque for $100 000…………I drank the water and stopped smoking soon after….
These are some of the things that people have claimed that this water has caused God to do for them. Am I doubting that God may have opened doors in their life? Of course not. God may have very well opened a door for them after a long season of drought. Guess that’s why they needed the water. My issue lies with pointing people to the wrong source. Basically, this church is telling people “God won’t work unless you get this water. There is no other way but this water. That’s the only way God will listen to you.”
Added to that they are also saying “If you get the water, we guarantee that you will get money (which seems to be the biggest hook of the ad because the majority of testimonies have money involved in some form or fashion) and you will be healed. You will be saved from disease, addictions etc” but the condition is get the water.
That is an incorrect message. Its intentions may be pure. They may be trying to point to The Source but they are basing it on A source.
For anyone who may have seen the ad and are thinking about going that direction, or just for anyone who is reading this and they feel as if they have nowhere to turn, there is no pack of water, or amount of alms giving or amount of seed sowing (God knows I abhor this seed sowing thing but that’s another rant) or amount of good things we can ever do to get the favour of God and cause Him to grant us blessings. This is because the blessings of God are free to those who trust in, believe in and serve the true and the Living God, Jesus.
Getting blessings from God requires faith in Him and His Word and His Promises and obedience to Him. Sometimes, He grants good things to us without even that. Think about it. You are alive. You are alive now. You can read, you have breath in your body, you live in a country that is generally safe. No wars, no turmoil, no mad men bombing your home and creating havoc every week. You aren’t lucky, you’re blessed because God still provides things that some people wish they had. God’s grace is not based on a condition. God’s grace has nothing to do with you doing something. He says if you do your best to serve Him and seek after righteousness, he will give you everything. His preference is that you prefer him.
That’s how you get what you need. That is the God that I serve. No filter. And don’t be fooled by this “I can get” attitude. Yes, you can get. You do get. But it is a combination of getting. So you get money, health, good job, good home, good food and generally a good life. You can also get laughed at, bullied, beat up on, rejected, called out, blocked from and generally horrible things from people. I’d like to think that they would put that as fine print on the water but probably not.
The good from Jesus outweighs the bad tenfold. But it doesn’t mean we ONLY highlight the good things that we receive from Christ because that is sending in soldiers half-prepared. Half-prepared is not prepared at all and that’s unfair to the people coming into faith. Teaching them to only expect good doesn’t prepare them for the rainy days and that is the time that they will need the true Miracle Water to make it through rather than get a quick fix.
Know this. Jesus is the only source of water that you will ever need. When you drink of Him, a fountain will well up within you and you will never thirst meaning that you will never lack. You will never want. You will always find yourself being filled and you won’t know why. The woman at the well in John 4 found that out for herself so much so that she told her neighbours “Come see a man who was able to tell me all about myself” and in addition fill the void that was in her soul. He became her source and that is who we as Christians should be pointing to. We should practice the true Faith of Hebrews 11 and not try to find a physical thing to attach God to just that so the World can be comfortable.
You can’t package The Source. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.
Textbook Rantings 