We live in the age of entertainment. Movies and TV shows in America are being produced and released at a staggering speed. You couldn’t keep up with them all if you did nothing but sit on your couch and watch television 24/7. More than that, our lives are consumed with social media. And even if you aren’t on your phone constantly, we live in a culture that revolves around the latest YouTube videos and TikToks. There are many consequences to a culture defined by media and media consumption (some positive, some negative). But an interesting result that has availed itself in recent years is the idea of performance. A culture consumed with entertainment is one that values performances above all else. In many ways, by choosing to spend a majority of our time looking at screens and watching movies, TV, YouTube, TikTok, etc., we have replaced authenticity with performance.

So what does this bit of cultural critique have to do with being a better Christian or becoming a better equipped Faith Driven Consumer? Well, the Bible actually has quite a bit to say about this issue. Of course, scripture doesn’t use the same language or reference the same institutions of 2021. That said, the timeless lessons and the principles apply, nonetheless. In fact, in the passage that we are going to briefly consider today, Jesus teaches a lesson to his disciples (and therefore us) about how to avoid being a performer and what it looks like to be a humble and authentic believer instead.

As we continue from last week, considering what true acts of service and worship look like, let’s turn once again to Jesus’ teachings in the New Testament. This week we are going to examine His words in Matthew chapter 6, verses 3 through 6. Jesus is teaching his disciples about authentic worship, and says:

Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [3] But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, [4] so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. [6] But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)

Last week, we looked at Mark 12:41 and discussed what true giving looks like. One thing we discovered is that Jesus is pleased with sacrificial giving more than giving out of abundance. This week’s passage reveals another aspect of true giving: authenticity, or sincerity. The verses above describe Jesus’ rebuke of insincere acts of worship, as he explains to his disciples what true acts of worship should look like.

What Jesus notices about these “great” acts of charity and grand displays of prayer being committed in the temple is that they are inauthentic and from a heart that is anything but selfless or sincere. Jesus sees the actions of the Pharisees for what they are: a performance. They were interested in the appearance of the giving and the appearance of prayer. They were interested in the acclaims; the “thank yous” and the “oohs” and “ahhs.” They were interested in what these actions could afford them in social credit and in the hierarchy of the temple leadership. The one thing they were not interested in was worshipping their Father in heaven.

The scriptures are full of warnings to hypocrites. Going through the motions or performing for those around you are not the kind of actions that please God, nor will they bring the blessings that He offers. What God wants is your heart. And while we as humans can only make judgments based off of the actions, words and behavior of others (all of which can be scripted or contrived), Jesus sees our hearts and knows the motivations, desires and mental states that ultimately underly everything we do.

Jesus exhorts his disciples to not deceive themselves nor deceive others with insincere acts of “worship” that result in nothing more than self-righteousness and pride, and instead to demonstrate the authenticity of their faith, devotion and worship by humbly worshipping God as if no one was watching. That’s what He’s encouraging us to do when He uses the clever expression “don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” And when He says to pray in private, He is prescribing helpful practices that will ensure that our acts of worship don’t become a performance that is given for everyone except the One for whom worship should be.

We live in a culture where we have replaced authenticity and sincerity with performance and hypocrisy. We find ourselves constantly considering the social ramifications of what we are doing more than we consider what is morally right, or good for our neighbor, or glorifying to God. At some point we exchanged a sincere heart for worshipping and serving, with a desire to be acknowledged and praised by those around us. And when that happens, worship, giving, acts of service and all these good things become ways for us to worship ourselves more than God. That was true of religious people in Jesus’ day, some two-thousand years ago, and it’s still true today. Just as there were many back then whose spiritual lives amounted to nothing more than mere performances, so too are there many today who go through the motions or even offer grand worship performances. Ultimately, however, Jesus’ words ring true that “they have received their reward in full.”

When we give our lives as a performance for others, even if it involves spiritual or religious acts, ironically, we get exactly what we wanted: the praise of others. However, what we don’t receive are the blessings from God which accompany true acts of worship, from a sincere and authentic heart. We aren’t transformed into more Christ-like individuals. And we don’t experience the spiritual fruit of intimate communion with God. Instead, when we live for ourselves, even if under the guise of living for God, we ultimately get a reward that is fleeting and finite, and that won’t satisfy. We as Faith Driven Consumers have an opportunity to demonstrate to the world what authentic faith looks like, through sincere and humble acts of worship, service, and giving, not grandiose and self-serving displays of spirituality. May we heed the words of Jesus and allow the Spirit to refocus our hearts and minds where we have been tempted to perform instead of worship.

Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to look at a few passages in the New Testament and see what we can learn from some of Jesus’ teachings about what true worship and acts of service look like. As Christians and Faith Driven Consumers, it’s important that we stay grounded and biblically faithful in this day and age where we are increasingly becoming a minority and the biblical worldview and way of life is becoming less tolerated. Sometimes we need to step back and evaluate our actions and make sure they are corresponding with biblical values and the teachings of Jesus. This week we are going to consider a passage in the book of Mark where Jesus teaches his disciples that the heavenly exchange rate looks a lot different than the earthly one, and that bigger gifts don’t necessarily equal greater generosity.

Let’s look at Mark 12:41-44:

And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (ESV)

It’s fascinating when you really consider what Jesus is doing in this passage. He’s in the temple and just sitting back and analyzing the way in which the Jews were coming into the temple and giving their tithes. It’s funny when you consider that these people are in God’s house and giving money to God, and Jesus, who is God in the flesh, just sits there and observes. And instead of doing what we might do if people were coming into our house and giving us money (barely containing our excitement and thanking the people profusely), Jesus simply sits and analyzes their behavior and diagnoses their hearts. Where men would see that and say “wow, what a great man and a generous offer,” Jesus is able to see the motivations behind the action, not just the action itself.

After pointing out the many large offerings clanging around in the box, he draws their attention to a place where no other’s attention is directed: a poor woman shuffling to the offering box to throw in a few coins, amounting to less than a penny. Jesus then declares this woman’s meager gift to be worth more than all the others who had heaped treasures onto the offering table. But Jesus says that others gave out of abundance, while she gave all she had. The small gift, which was a true sacrifice, was worth more than the enormous gifts which didn’t even put a dent in the pharisees’ bank accounts.

What can we, as Faith Driven Consumers and as Christians in 2021, learn from this passage today? While there are many observations one could make, let’s just briefly consider the most immediate lesson Jesus is trying to communicate.

The main point of Jesus’ teaching in this passage is to convey the true nature of giving. Giving is about generosity, love and faith. It’s not about the amount. You could say God is more concerned with the quality of your giving than the quantity of it. While there isn’t a set amount of money you should be giving, we learn that God is most interested in giving sacrificially. While these pharisees and wealthy Jews were giving sizable amounts, they were doing so only because they had so much they could give.  Even though the donations looked significant, it was nothing more than a drop in the bucket to them.

But we are called to be living sacrifices. When we become a Christian and make a commitment to follow Christ, we surrender every part of our lives to God and His kingdom. Everything you are and everything you have is supposed to be an offering. So, when you give, God is not interested in the amount of zeros on the check or the amount of bills in the offering plate, He is concerned with whether you are giving out of convenience, obligation, or performance, OR, are you giving out of generosity, love and faith.

Have you been working off of a heavenly exchange rate? Have you been like the poor woman who gave what she had without worrying that she might not have enough for the next day? Jesus teaches us that giving isn’t about the size of your gift; it’s about the size of your sacrifice. As Faith Driven Consumers, we are conscientious about our money and our spending. We exist as the FDC Community to ensure that we are using our dollars well, making an impact in the culture, and glorifying God with our spending. If we are asking ourselves how well we are using our dollars in the marketplace, we should certainly be concerned with how well we are using our dollars in our offerings and our giving. We have a great opportunity, in light of this powerful passage of Jesus’ teaching, to ensure that we are giving in a way that demonstrates a sacrificial love for God and His sovereign plan. And as sons and daughter of the King, we have real skin in the game and an amazing opportunity to invest in the kingdom to come.

(Don’t miss Part 2 of this blog entry coming next week.)

The idea of fatherhood is one that is central to our worldview as Christians. First and foremost, it’s how the scriptures describe God, and our relationship with Him. Although there are a few references to God as the father of Israel in the Old Testament, it’s not until the New Testament that we truly become aware of God the Father. In the revelation and incarnation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, we get a full picture of God the Father. Moreover, we learn the incredible and almost unfathomable truth: that we get to be adopted into the family of God as sons and daughters. We get to call God our father, and He receives us and takes care of us as His children. This is one of the most prominent ways the Gospel is explained in the New Testament and is central to understanding our relationship with God and how we should live.

But, on this side of heaven, fatherhood is also an important idea. And to be clear, it’s more than an idea, it’s a huge responsibility and calling for millions of people. Being a father is one of the greatest gifts God has given men. It’s why we at Faith Driven Consumer™ (FDC) believe in traditional values like family and fatherhood. We believe in them because they are part of God’s plan and revealed to us in His Word. And, while not every man is called to be a father, it remains one of the greatest ways we can reflect God’s plan for His creation and His people. It’s one of the ways we reflect God Himself. In fact, since God is the first father, and indeed, the author of fatherhood itself, we should take this responsibility seriously and recognize it for the spiritual (not just biological, sociological, or economical) responsibility that it is. It also means that in order to know how to be a good father, we have to look to God and His Word to find the specific purpose and design of fatherhood and the family.

Biblical fatherhood, then, is about mirroring God in our actions. It’s about being the leader of our families in a way that reflects God’s design for creation and that imitates God’s actions as our own heavenly father. This is an incredible responsibility, and quite obviously one that we can’t 100% live up to. Still, this is what we are called to strive toward, all the same. But at this point you might be asking, “what can I learn from God about being a father? I mean, being God and being an earthly father are pretty different. And, it’s not like He’s going to take me out for coffee once a week and give me some pointers on being a dad.” That’s probably true (although if God has been taking you out for coffee weekly, please email us and tell us about it immediately…). However, the scriptures reveal the character of God and provide full of stories about how God interacts with us, His children. So although you’re probably not going to get a one-on-one sit down where God gives you advice on how best to teach your son to throw a baseball, we have the words of God Himself found in the bible, and they tell us what kind of father He is, and by extension, what kind of father we should be.

So what can we learn about fatherhood from God in scripture?

Love. First, we learn that God loves. In fact, 1 John 4:8 says that it isn’t just something He does, instead, it says that “God is love.” God is a loving father, not because He sometimes does nice things for His children, or because He sometimes feels loving towards us, but because He is love, itself. Love originates and flows from Him and we get to be the primary recipients of this love as His sons and daughters. This should encourage us to do, and be, likewise. Biblical fatherhood is first and foremost about love. Therefore, we should love our children with an unconditional love that doesn’t disappear when we are having a bad day. And, it doesn’t diminish when they disappoint us or even when we must discipline them. Love is the basis of biblical fatherhood.

Discipline. That brings us to the second thing we can learn from God about being a good father: a good father disciplines his children. Now, admittedly, this one is less popular in our current cultural climate. Our culture has largely rejected the idea that children, or people in general, should experience negative repercussions for their actions, or at least not from any authority figure. We don’t like authority, and we certainly don’t like negative consequences. But, regardless of the method of disciplining, we learn from the scriptures that God disciplines us for our own good. And, in the same way, we are instructed to discipline our children. But we should remember that discipline is not retribution. It’s not an opportunity to get back at your children for doing something wrong or making you angry. Biblical fatherhood and the biblical picture can’t be that because of the first point we mentioned: God is love. So, that is the challenge for fathers: discipline your children in love, for their own good. How can we ever hope to understand that tension correctly and achieve such a difficult balance? By reading the scriptures and learning how God disciplines us, loves us, and redeems us all for His glory and for our good.

Security. One of the most important roles a father plays in the life of his family is that of caretaker. Fathers are entrusted with many responsibilities, but one that is both practical, as well as biblical, is the responsibility to provide safety and security for your family. Now, there are times when bad things happens or accidents occur that can’t be prevented. Further, there may be persecutions or other hardships that extend to the family because of living rightly in a fallen world. These are the areas that we give to God as we trust in Him (the perfect father). But just as God is a father who providentially and sovereignly looks out for us and protects us from evil, so are we to protect our own families. This can be practical like making sure your family is safe each night before bed. Or it can be safety and security in regard to the spiritual health of our families. There are times when a father must consider what is best for the souls with which he is entrusted, and that might occasionally require difficult decisions. Protecting your family could mean making an unpopular decision about what kinds of things you allow your family to be exposed to. But, if you are seeking God’s plan, and not your own, and you are loving your family well, you can feel empowered to take up this responsibility and protect them.

There are countless other biblical principles of fatherhood we could discuss. And, since God’s goodness is truly inexhaustible, we will never run out of lessons to learn about being a good father. But this week we simply wanted to highlight what the bible says about fatherhood in hopes that any father reading this will be encouraged and empowered to be all that God has entrusted you with. At FDC we take fatherhood seriously. We take the family seriously. We believe you are a vital part of what we are trying to accomplish by God’s power and God’s grace. Our culture is suffering from a lack of leadership, a lack of strong families, and a lack of integrity. God has given Christian men an opportunity to shine brightly against this bleak backdrop and demonstrate to the world the love of God the Father. So, to all the fathers out there reading this today, thank you for who you are and what you do, and we pray that you will persevere in the amazing responsibility God has given you.

Happy Father’s Day.

Here at Faith Driven Consumer™, our goal is to make a difference in the marketplace, workplace and culture. One of the primary ways we accomplish this is through engaging the world of commerce in a distinctly Christian way. Our goal is to demonstrate to the world the truth of gospel and the love of Jesus Christ through how we conduct ourselves. Through spending, stewarding and saving in a distinctly faith driven way, we are able to make an impact on our culture and create a more tolerant and welcoming place for Faith Driven Consumers (FDCs) to live, work and do business. This week we are going to highlight a few of the many different avenues FDCs can take in pursuing this goal. Indeed, making an impact in the culture as a Faith Driven Consumer can take many forms, so let’s consider several practical things you can do to demonstrate and live out your faith in your community.

Be Intentional. One way in which we can accomplish this goal is through being more intentional while doing the same, everyday things we’re already doing. Do you have a grocery store you typically go to? Do you get coffee every day at the same coffee shop or drive thru? Do you have a favorite barber or hair stylist you regularly see? All of these are opportunities to build relationships, share the love and truth of the gospel, and make an impact on the lives of people you encounter. And you don’t have to do much more than simply be intentional and take captive those moments that you might normally spend keeping to yourself, scrolling on your phone, or be distracted. For example, make a point to go to the same cashier (even if it means waiting in the longer line at the checkout), remembering their name, and encouraging them or asking how they are doing. This is the kind of small, but faith driven, action that can have a great impact. We should take captive the everyday interactions or exchanges and actively look for ways to infuse the love of God and demonstrate our faith to those around us.

Support Faith Driven Causes. Another way in which we can engage the marketplace, workplace and culture – in a faith driven way that makes a difference – is through supporting causes that promote or defend the values, beliefs, practices, freedoms and rights of FDCs. This can be done through vocal and physical support in your communities, making your voice heard and defending the rights of FDCs. You can petition your local, state and federal representatives, actively promoting the interests of FDCs to your political leaders so that they are compelled to hear the collective voice of the FDC community. You can financially support various organizations which are fighting for these causes on a larger scale. Faith-based legal organizations and law firms are constantly defending the rights of FDCs in the marketplace, workplace and culture. The implications of these legal battles are critical, not just for our generation, but for many to come. But these high profile cases, which can last multiple years and require a team of attorneys, are not cheap. It is up to us to support these causes and fund these efforts. Whether you choose to take up the mantle yourself, or contribute to organizations already embroiled in these causes, supporting the efforts of Christians in our culture is something we can and should be engaged in as FDCs.

Buycott Faith Compatible Businesses. The last avenue we are going to explore is the practice of a “buycott.” Most are familiar with the idea of a boycott and have likely heard of many different groups, including Christians, engaging in this practice in reaction to corporate actions that displease certain groups of customers. While FDC is not here to declare that boycotts are wrong or never useful (there may be specific times when outright boycotts are appropriate), we are here to offer an alternative to boycotts that we think is more appropriate and effective for Faith Driven Consumers: a buycott.

So what’s the difference? Is it just semantics? Well, no, it’s not just semantics, it’s a difference in both motivation and method. Although some may have proper and noble motives in boycotts, unfortunately, far too often these boycotts turn into bullying campaigns motivated by a retributive desire to punish businesses for bad behavior. Furthermore, the method, or manner in which these campaigns are conducted often involves behavior and speech that is un-Christlike and only does damage to our witness in culture. For these reasons we believe that buycotts are a superior way for FDCs to leverage the marketplace for the interests of our community. While a boycott focuses on the “bad” brands and prohibits you from buying their products, a buycott focuses on the better brands.  It’s not about saying “no” to certain brands, it’s about saying “yes” to the brands doing it best and showing your support for their faith compatible corporate actions. In this, we are able to avoid negativity, and instead, positively engage with the marketplace without damaging our Christian witness. This is ultimately more effective in our goal of making an impact on culture for the sake of the gospel and for the preservation of biblical values. If we focus on highlighting and supporting brands that are doing it better, then we encourage the entire industry to follow suit.

There are countless ways to live out your faith in your community, make your voice heard, and effect change in marketplace, workplace and culture. But if you’re looking for simple and practical ways to get more involved and start making a difference, then maybe you can pick one or two of the actions above and see if you can implement them into your daily life. And when you do, Faith Driven Consumer will be here to help you every step of the way!

This week we are going to take a look at the Book of James in the New Testament. We’re going to camp out in chapter 1, verses 2-4 and find a few bits of wisdom contained therein. Hopefully, you will be encouraged by the words of James the Apostle, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So let’s take a look and see what we can learn from this passage, and then do our best to apply it in a way that makes us better Faith Driven Consumers (FDCs).

James 1:2-4. 

[2] Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, [3] for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV)

A lot of us have experienced real difficulties this past year. We’ve endured a pandemic that has touched virtually every aspect of our lives. And many have experienced these effects in intense and negative ways. Some have lost loved ones. Others have endured isolation. And countless individuals’ live have been upheaved in various ways that affect our jobs, finances and families. As a result, many have had their faith tested through these trials and tribulations.

But James 1:2 reminds that we have a stake in something much greater than the sum total of the good and bad things that happen to us in our lives. Moreover, it reminds us that there is a purpose in it. Because we have a God who is sovereign, but who is also our Father, we can trust that we aren’t experiencing these struggles in vain, nor are we experiencing them alone. That’s how we are able to do something utterly counter-intuitive and counter cultural: we can rejoice in our suffering. We can count it all joy when we have troubles and when life gets us down because we know that there is a purpose in it, and that God is in control. He is strengthening our faith, fortifying our souls, and equipping our minds to endure all that God is preparing us for. He is making us steadfast.

We’ve not only seen a terrible pandemic this year, but also, as Christians, we’ve seen the continued rise of a culture and a society that is increasingly hostile toward Christians. It is evident more than ever before in the U.S. that Bible-believing Christians, defenders of traditional morality, and, indeed, Faith Driven Consumers, are a minority in this country. To be clear, we are not being severely persecuted, and we shouldn’t compare the freedom and comfort we experience as Christians in America to the intense persecution of the church in history or around the world today. However, there is a clear and unmistakable trend towards the marginalization of Christians and an adversarial posture toward FDCs in culture, politics and the marketplace. Traditional Christians and their beliefs may not be tolerated in the near future, and with that intolerance will come a host of hurdles and struggles.

But James 1:2 tells us how to respond to these and other struggles that we face and will increasingly face in America. James doesn’t say “Life isn’t that difficult, so put a smile on your face” or “Life is difficult, so vote for the right person to fix it” or “Life is difficult so fight back against your enemies.” Instead, he tells us to respond with something pretty counter-intuitive. He says to count it all joy. That’s a radical notion. But hear what James is saying. He’s not saying you should be happy when someone gives you bad news, or that you should jump for joy when you find out you lost your job. James isn’t telling you to pretend bad things are good or to turn off your emotions and fake a smile. Instead, he says “count it all joy.” He’s saying that when you think about the struggles in your life, and decide how you will respond, consider it all joy. Because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the truth revealed in Scripture, we have the privilege of being able to take a heavenly perspective on the troubles of life. The Apostle James is calling us to put our difficulties and struggles in perspective. He’s reminding us that we have a loving and sovereign Father in heaven who is using all things for His glory and for our good. This allows us to do something that seems impossible in the eyes of the world: it allows us to count it all joy.

So whether it’s the pandemic and all that it has wrought on our nation, or cultural pressure and marginalization, or just plain ole spiritual warfare evident in daily struggles and trials, we should remember that we have a good, good Father who is in control. Further, you should remind yourself that none of it is in vain. The second part of this passage says that all of this isn’t meaningless. Instead, it’s producing something good in us. It’s making us steadfast. It’s equipping us so that we won’t be lacking in any way. As you go this week and experience everything that the world and the devil have to throw your way, tell yourself “Actually, I’m going to consider it all joy, because I know God is working through this and wants to make me better. And that’s something I can truly rejoice in.”