Here We Go Again...

 Am I wrong here, or is the evangelical church missing the mark?

Preface: I heard a sermon on this text before, at a church I attended before. I struggled with that message. I seemed to me that the speaker had read the text and then just looked for 3 moral messages that he could preach to the choir. Choose action over apathy, choose faith over fear, choose to give glory to God. All good things. Moral things tend to be good. But is that what God desires us to learn from this passage? Or is it about the Gospel message that follows. Fact is, in his sermon series, he skipped over the verses that come next, in which Peter proclaims Jesus as the healer of the beggar.

So the church I am attending (virtually) was also addressing this text. Ten minutes in, and I have heard the name of Jesus several times. That is a plus. Then he starts talking about Peter and John, and particularly the fact that they had no silver and gold. He talks about their empty pockets. This seems to be the thrust of his message from this point onward. 

Point one: Empty pockets allow us to TRUST God's PROVISION. (His emphasis) Again, a great moral point. Peter and John saw the value of empty pockets. Really? Were they really focused on what was in their pockets? Is the only way we can effectively give out of complete poverty? Yes, I believe that in order for us to best serve God, we need to realize that whatever we give Him is nothing compared to what he has provided us in grace and mercy. But that doesn't quite seem to be the point here. Or is it, and I am just missing it? That is an honest question. He goes on to talk about how in these trying times the church he works for was able to help another church out that had a desperate need. But somehow, even in these desperate times, I do not see this church as having empty pockets. They have a large building, beautiful, with elaborate services put on by multiple staff members. They own several of the properties around the church, which they have purchased over the years. While I do not know their financial status, their pockets do not seem to be filled with only lint. 

Point two: Empty pockets allow us to experience the JOY of WHOLENESS. (His emphasis) What he is "longing for is the day that we value empty pockets enough to trust God to make provision in our life and in our world..." He is passionate. He is emotional. He talks about how this might be the time we will look back to see that this moment might just be what God used to restore wholeness to the world. Is that how it is going to work? What about what the Bible says the end times, and all ofthe challenges that believers will face?  Isn't what is happening now more likely to lead us into these kinds of times? Didn't God send Jesus to restore wholeness to the world? Or is there going to be some kind of prosperity phase prior to that, and we are the ones who get to experience it. Why are we always looking for heaven on earth? Is that even a promise in the Bible? Is the suffering just there to lead us to some realm of prosperity? 

Point three: Empty pockets allow us to be amazed at the POWER of God at work in the WORLD. (His emphasis) God has the power if we will value our empty pockets. If??? So God is just waiting for us to empty our pockets? I am at a loss for what to say regarding this type of theology.

Well, at least he does not skip the next section of the book of Acts. I guess I will need to listen to that now.

PS: I did listen to it. It was not the regular speaker, so I will not post on it, although if I did...