Merchandising Jesus Christ

by Van Robison

Isaiah 55:1 "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk WITHOUT MONEY and WITHOUT PRICE"--King James translation.

Isaiah 55:1 "Wait and listen, everyone who is thirsty! Come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Yes, come, buy [priceless, spiritual] wine and milk WITHOUT MONEY and WITHOUT PRICE [simply for the self-surrender that accepts the blessing]"--The Amplified Bible.

In the New Testament Jesus Christ is clearly identified as the Living Waters of life (John 4:10-14). In no verse of the New Testament is there ever any monetary (money) condition attached to repentance, forgiveness, salvation, or the gift of the Holy Spirit, or of eternal life. The price tag for Jesus Christ is the heart--not man-made money.

And yet in our modern church culture, the world of the institutional church system is a multi-billion dollar business enterprise. The cash flow through "non-profit" church organizations is enormous when taken as a whole. In essence, the world of Christianity is saying to the world that to be a Christian costs money, and plenty of it. Great expense is incurred for land, physical buildings, church furnishings, clergy compensation packages, pastors salaries, and endless material items.

Money is the obsession with religious leaders. There is no end to the organizations who promote "generous giving", tithing and merchandising material objects to willing buyers. While freewill giving is a voluntary decision of the individual, and is between the individual and God (Matthew 6:1-4), the promoters of "generous giving" are in the business of money--not Jesus Christ. The life and teachings of Jesus Christ did not zero in on an obsession with making money as it is with modern day churchianity.

The only way to be free in Jesus Christ is to adhere to the teachings of Christ Himself as taught in the four Gospels, and to question the customs, traditions, and practices of the church leaders and church organizations. The real Jesus Christ, as opposed to the Jesus of churchianity are two different beings. The real Jesus Christ can be learned about in the four Gospels and through the Holy Spirit. The Jesus Christ of the churches is a "money" Jesus. Find out about the real Jesus Christ by reading the four Gospels, not as taught by professional clergy, but by reading it for yourself.

To be a Christian in the world of institutional churches will cost you plenty of money as long as you live in the flesh. To be a follower of Jesus Christ will cost you taking up your cross (Matthew 16:24) and following Jesus, but Jesus is free of charge. The churches may accept Master Charge and Visa, but Jesus Christ accepts repentance (Matthew 4:17).