A Worldly Gospel

By Dr. Suhento Liauw translated by Yusdi & Jessica

"For many walk, of whom ha!e told you often, and now tell you e!en wee"in#, that they are the enemies of the cross of $hrist% &hose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose #lory is in their shame, who mind earthly thin#s." 'hili""ians (%)*+),

Idolatry
Let-s sto" for a while and consider the real meanin# behind the word "idolatry". .he /erriam+&ebster dictionary defines "idolatry" as "the worshi" of a "hysical ob0ect as a #od". &hy do "eo"le still want to worshi" these so called idols, when these worshi" rituals often in!ol!e satanic rites and sacrifices1 n the letter to the $olossians, 2"ostle 'aul #a!e a !ery succinct definition of idolatry% "/ortify therefore your members which are u"on the earth3 fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, e!il concu"iscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry% For which thin#s- sake the wrath of 4od cometh on the children of disobedience%" $olossians (%5+6 'aul, throu#h the ins"iration of the 7oly S"irit, defined idolatry as covetousness. &hy is this so1 $o!etousness, the inordinate desire to "osses material and "hysical blessin#s, is the underlyin# moti!e for all forms of idol worshi". Let me illustrate my "oint with an e8am"le. /any "eo"le in ndonesia tra!el to /ount 9awi, a "a#an sacred "lace in :ast Ja!a. .hey do not #o there because of their lo!e and de!otion for the s"irits inhabitin# the mount. ;o< .hey do it to #et the material rewards "romised to all who come. n fact, that "lace is known in local ton#ue as ""esu#ihan", which means "the "lace that brin# riches". Let-s now com"are idolatry =which we know is co!etousness> and the "o"ular ""ros"erity theolo#y". &iki"edia defines "ros"erity theolo#y =or "ros"erity #os"el> as "a reli#ious belief found amon# many $hristians centred on the notion that 4od "ro!ides material "ros"erity for those 7e fa!ours". 2ren-t they sound 0ust the same1

challen#e you to closely obser!e the sermons "reached in your own churches. Does your "reacher em"hasi?e material blessin#s1 Does he claim that 4od will and shall shower the "eo"le in his church with wealth1 Does he use wealth to lure "eo"le to 0oin the church1 &atch out<

f you answer yes to any of the @uestions abo!e, be weary< Your church mi#ht be "reachin# a false #os"el, a worldly #os"el3 a twisted #os"el which tries to entice "eo"le usin# material blessin#s. /any will come to such churches in the same way that many flocked into /ount 9awi.

don-t mean that 4od will not bless 7is "eo"le with material blessin#s, or that $hristians will always li!e in "o!erty. 4od is all wise, 7e knows the intentions of our hearts. 4od-s blessin#s are #i!en to those who lo!e 7im, not those who are only after 7is blessin#s. .o lo!e 4od and to do 7is will should be our "riority o!er seekin# for 4od-s blessin#s. n fact, our duty as the children of 4od is to lo!e 7im with all of our heart3 the #i!in# of blessin#s is 4od-s so!erei#n ri#ht. ma#ine how would you feel if your children come to you only because of your #ifts, not because they lo!e you. /ore so, it is an abomination to 4od if our moti!e to ser!e 7im is material blessin#s, and not lo!e. .his worldly #os"el is "re!alent in many churches where the "reachers tout the "ros"erity #os"el. 7owe!er, those who come because of the "romise of material riches are more likely to suffer material loss instead of #ettin# richer. &hy so1 .hose "reachers who are so "reoccu"ied with material blessin#s, they are more likely to do anythin# to #ain worldly riches. .hey wouldn-t hesitate "ickin# "eo"le with #reat success story as e8am"les of the fruits of their ministry3 such a""roach is hi#hly sub0ecti!e and mani"ulati!e. .hese anecdotal stories ha!e been the dri!in# "ower that mo!e "eo"le to flock to these so+ called "ros"erity churches. .ake the e8am"le of 'onari, a small !illa#e boy in :ast Ja!a. .he boy and his little stone ha!e been the centre of attention of ndonesian media in ABB, for the alle#ed healin# "ower he "ossessed. .housands from around the country ha!e flocked to his !illa#e to seek "hysical healin# from this small boy.

False Miracles
2nother characteristic of idol worshi", beside the em"hasis on material blessin#s, is the abundance of =false> miracles. .hese "healers" are @uick to #uarantee healin# to those who come, but also @uick to blame other thin#s if the "atients are not healed. /ore often than not, those who #et healed are those who suffer "sycholo#ical or mental disturbance. .hese successful cases are often hand+"icked and "romoted as the "roof of their "ower. .hese healers also often kee" s"iritual "medium", such as stone, animal tooth, oil, or holy water, such are used to influence the "atient with the "ower of su##estion. Dear readers, do you see the similarities between these healers with many su""osedly $hristian "reachers, who "eddle miracle healin# in the name of Jesus1 .hese "reachers work hard to "romote their "ministry", often conductin# a tourin# "healin# ser!ices" across the country, and sometime, there would be "atients that #et "miraculously cured". /ost of these success cases are a#ain "sycholo#ical or stress+induced diseases or unconfirmed or wron# dia#nosis by medical doctors. Similar to the "a#an healers, these $hristian healers would "romote these success cases as a "roof of their "ower.

n A $or )A%)A, 'aul stated that "si#ns, wonders, and mi#hty deeds" =ie, the ability to "erform miracles> are signs of an apostle, which means that they are only "ossessed by the a"ostles. .herefore, if there are no more a"ostles, we would e8"ect that there would be no such #ifts. don-t mean that there is no more miracles in this world. &hat mean is that there is no special spiritual gift for performing miracles. Surely 4od can #rant a miracle to answer a "rayer. n this "resent day, there is no one that can claim that they ha!e a #ift of miracle3 instead, e!eryone can "ray to 4od and 7e will, in 7is so!erei#n will, answer such "rayers. .he word "e!eryone" here includes e!ery child of 4od, not only "reachers or s"ecial healers. f 4od is the one who answers "rayers by 7is so!erei#n will, no one can boast and e8alt himself to be a miracle "erformer, because such #ift is an e8clusi!e #ift of an a"ostle.

Worldliness
2 common trait of churches that "roclaimed this worldly #os"el is their e8cessi!e worldliness. .hese churches conform to the world-s norms and fashions. Such carnal $hristians dress and a""ear 0ust like the world. .hey watch and listen to the same filthy thin#s as the world. :!en more saddenin# is the fact that most of these carnal churches "lay loud worldly music, not much different from a ni#ht club or a rock concert. f the music in your church is !ery similar to the music you can find in a secular radio, there are only two "ossibilities% :ither =2> the world is #ettin# more s"iritual, or =B> your church is #ettin# more carnal.

Sadly, it is !ery easy to find churches that "roclaim this twisted #os"el3 those churches tend to be !ery "o"ular and attract lar#e crowd. Such false churches are e!erywhere. Beware, make sure that you are not in one of those<