Struggling With Blessings

One challenge of getting involved with a ministry based on its mission techniques is that there’s no guarantee that you’ll be in agreement about all sorts of issues with everyone involved. I’ve really started to feel this in India. The ministry tends to lead towards more a more Pentecostal outlook on a range of issues. Mostly this is in terms of worship and prayer and is still pretty tame to my Anglican eyes. The one issue I have really started to struggle with lately though is that of the Lord’s blessings and it’s enough of a struggle to force me to write what’s a ridiculously long article.

Increasingly I am beginning to realise that many of the churches in India interpret the promises of God as material blessings and a more comfortable life. This has become most apparent with the start of the new year. Time and again I have heard preachers (both live and broadcast on television) speak of how 2007 will be the year of abundance, the year of blessing, the year of glorification, the year of increase. Taking small old testament verses from Isaiah and Psalms they have prophesied promotions, better health and growing businesses for 2007. Not once in January so far have I heard either a talk based on the New Testament or a warning that perhaps the new year might bring with it troubles and struggles like those faced in the old.

I am confronted by this on so many levels and have really been at a loss to know how best to react. What makes responding well even more of a challenge is the fact that most of the Christians I encounter have no idea that there is an alternative view point. They expect me to get as excited when the speaker prophesies promotions and being glorified in the sight of those around us as they do.

Now I think that taking Old Testament passages out of context is always dangerous and I think the picture we get of the early church in Acts and the letters of the New Testament don’t let us look for God to provide us with comfort. In fact, given that the history of Christianity from basically beginning to end is about facing persecution and sacrifice I feel angered (I like to tell myself it’s a righteous anger but I’m not sure) by the suggestion that new revelation reveals that God has changed tack and now wants a life of material ease for those members of his church (in stable and usually wealthy countries). However, what saddens me most about the teaching that is so prevalent here is the fact that it seems to so ill equip people for the troubles that do come. I’d like to share two examples that I have been wrestling with.

Robin has been working hard with the Eagles over the last 5 or so years. There have been a lot of challenges to overcome and being unwilling to bend principles for the sake of points has cost the team in terms of both promotion and income. However, a couple of the other older Christians involved in the program are convinced that the Lord will bless. Not just in terms of spiritual growth and providing the strength to witness but in onfield results. Now I believe the Lord may or the Lord may not. It depends on what his plans are for the team not ours. All this talk of the Lord guaranteeing us promotion makes life difficult for Robin. Only recently he shared how a number of the non Christians he knows in other clubs have started to ask: “you’ve been doing this team for so many years and not been promoted to the top division, what’s going on?” Now I think this should be a great opportunity to share about the things that are more important that results but Robin struggled. On the one hand he has a sense that the decision’s are in God’s hands on the other hand he kind of thinks maybe God should bless us for being a strong Christian team and help us get promoted. He shared with me that he had no answers to those friends.

On an even sadder note one noted local evangelist I spent time with recently has written a couple of books and speaks regularly. Recently though tragedy struck his family and his daughter died. Now this is an incredibly tragic thing and I don’t want to diminish the aching hurt he must be feeling. Even more tragic, I think, in the eternal picture is the fact that his Hindu neighbours have been asking him “you do all these things for your God, why doesn’t he protect your family?” and he has no answers. A chapter in one of his books is titled The Blood of Jesus Protects Us and it reads “those who are covered by the blood are protected both in the spiritual and physical realms”. Based entirely on stories from the Old Testament and promises to Israel found in the Pentateuch I found the chapter difficult reading and saw something of the struggle that he must be going through. He writes of the physical protection available but his own family suffers. Where does that leave him in his relationship with God?

Now I am often meeting Indian Christians who make this out of work Australian look very wealthy indeed and my heart goes out to them. I’d love them to receive even a tenth of the promises that are being given them. The part of me that’s tired, that’s anxious, that’s worried about the future would love the Lord to tell me life would be easier this year. Yet I don’t think he will. In fact I hear him tell me that “if they persecuted me, they will persecute you also” and it leaves me unsure how best to love my local brothers and sisters. How do I fully love those waiting for the Lord’s physical blessings and healings this year when I’m not as convinced that God’s work in their lives will look as they think it will?