The Invasion of Materialism in the Church

Materialism has unfortunately permeated the churches of today. Taking Nigeria as a case study, it's evident that almost all churches, or about 90% of the messages preached, are heavily focused on material gain. This trend directly contradicts Jesus' teachings in Matthew 6:33: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.” When the Bible mentions "all these things," material blessings are certainly included, promised after pursuing and aligning with the righteousness found in God's kingdom.

However, most ministers have reversed this biblical injunction, preaching and teaching prosperity, often to the detriment of their congregants' spiritual welfare. In Luke 12:15, Jesus Christ, our example, mentor, and Chief Shepherd, warned us to be wise and not to believe that our lives consist of the abundance of our material possessions. Yet, today's ministers go as far as telling their members that poverty is a curse. This wave sweeping across the contemporary church, often labeled as the "new generation trend" or "modernization," has essentially given materialism the front seat at the expense of spiritual concerns within the church of God.

Therefore, we must carefully and studiously analyze this malady to proffer solutions to this cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of the body of Christ.

Definition of Key Terms

Before proceeding, it's important to define materialism. The D.K. English dictionary defines materialism as: “Theory that matter is the only reality.” In this context, "matter" refers to the substances from which physical objects are made.

To fully understand materialism within the church, we must also define what the church is. According to the same dictionary, the church is the place of Christian worship or the whole body of Christians. It also signifies the gathering of the "called out ones" – people separated from the desires, quests, and ambitions of the world, unto totally defined desires, hunger, and ambitions aimed at pleasing our Master.

One might ask, "Is there anything wrong with the church and materialism coexisting, especially knowing that in Acts 5:1-5, members brought their resources together to build the church?" The answer lies in the dictionary definition of materialism: “matter is the only reality.” If you carefully examine the passage in Acts, you will see that Ananias and his wife Sapphira undermined the spiritual constitution of the church, a place where the invisible God is worshiped. They chose matter as their only reality and paid dearly with their lives.

To be continued in our next edition.

REV. CHUKWUEMEKA ASOBIE (a.k.a The Voice of Bitter Truth)

Senior Pastor, Faithwork Believers Mission (Inc.)

No. 1 Church Avenue Umuiku Isi-Asa Ukwa West L.G.A. Abia State, Nigeria.

Phone: +2348168443515, +2348131234050 Email: faithfworkmission@gmail.com