Be The Fruit

I. T. – Gimmick over the Gospel.

by Bill Blair on 24/07/08 at 5:30 am

I was flipping through the channels on the TV the other night and I landed on a preacher channel.  I know, it is always dangerous to watch TV preachers because 9 times out of 10 (maybe higher) such “preachers” typically hold to some sort of heretical view.  In this case, I decided to watch a little bit because I recognized this preacher as a new face on the scene.  I had seen this guy on some other shows, and I have heard that he is not of the “health & wealth” mentality so I decided to stop and see what he was about.

I watched for a little while to see what type of doctrine he might be teaching, but I am not sure I heard much of anything.  The whole show appeared to be highlight reel of his greatest illustrations.  When I first came to the channel he was shooting arrows at a blank profile of a person (think typical target practice), but later he tore off the paper to reveal a person who looked like Jesus.  Later, he went to another highlight where he had motocross racers jumping motorcycles over his head.  The whole stage was decked out with dirt mounds and he stood in between them as the guys jumped over his head.  I have no clue what the point was.  Finally, he showed another clip where someone had built a whole set that depicted an earthquake.  They had hydraulics to tip a car over and all kinds of stuff.  Here again, I am not sure what the point was.  In his defense, he could have made points, but they just did not show them.

After watching this display, I began to wonder if they were’nt putting their gimmicks before the gospel.  In this particular show, the gimmicks were the focus.  After the earthquake scene, the preacher applauded the people who put the set together for being so creative in the way they sought to get the message of Jesus across.  He compared it to Hollywood, who he said “has nothing to say,” but uses great creativity in saying it.  I have nothing against being creative with the gospel, but I think in cases like this, the gospel can get cheapened by the slick presentations or illustrations.

Think about it.  If we “trick out” the gospel with overly elaborate illustrations or slick marketing campaigns, don’t we run the risk of reducing the message of Christ crucified to that of a new car?  Speaking of a new car, I once heard about a church that gave away a new car at the Easter service to bring people in.  Of course, “business” was booming at that church.  Now that is an extreme example, but I think many in the modern church today put their hope and trust in their gimmicks rather than the power of the gospel.  Such gimmicks could be giveaways, elaborate stage setups, slick illustrations, or even the latest greatest church program.  It could be as simple as being overly concerned with wearing the right clothes on stage.  The gimmicks become the god when they become the focus rather than the gospel.

When I think about this, I immediately think of what the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth.  He said the following:

“[Christ sent me] to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power” (1 Cor 1:17). 

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.  And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God” (1 Cor 2:1-5).

Paul’s last line there highlights the real problem with putting gimmicks before the gospel.  It causes people to rest their faith on the gimmick (wisdom) rather than the power of God.  I think that once this is done, it causes a vicious cycle for churches because they fill their seats with people who expect and want new and better gimmicks or programs in order to be happy.  If a church is filled with people who have put their trust in words of wisdom rather than the power of God, the church will be forced to feed them more and greater words of wisdom just to keep them in the building.

What is real idol here?  Ultimately it is the idol of success and it results from a lack of belief.  We long for increased numbers so we worship the god of success by trusting in gimmicks rather than the power of the gospel.  We want success, but we don’t believe the plain gospel will bring it so we go to the gimmicks.

I may just be naive.  Some may tell me that we have to come up with new and better attractions in this fast-paced world we live in to get the gospel out.  But seriously, was Corinth any slower?  I may be naive, but I believe in the power of the gospel.  I pray that I always put my trust in the gospel rather than a gimmick.  I pray that you do the same.

Until next time, put God first and “be the fruit.”