Sam Smart. He is one of the guys we’ve been living with here in Malawi. His dad is Henry Smart. Henry Smart is the joy-filled pastor of a church in a village 20 minutes by foot from here. Last Sunday we were invited to Henry Smart’s church. A couple minutes into the service Henry Smart took me outside and said, “We’ve decided that you are going to preach today.”
I decided I wasn’t going to preach. I was going to teach. Have you ever pondered the difference between a preacher and a teacher? I think of a preacher as someone who drives home the importance of prayer with profuse enthusiasm and incites the church to pray. I think of a teacher as someone who shows and explains how to pray. So far in Malawi I’ve only been preached to (it feels a lot like getting yelled at) and I haven’t been taught. I think both are important.
Ok, teaching – I’ve crammed for Anatomy exams on short notice but this is taking it to a whole different level. I decided to stick with verses I know by heart and taught on peace (not “the opposite of war” peace but the kind of peace that results from knowing God, knowing your purpose, and knowing your identity): Philippians 4:4-7, Proverbs 3:5-8, Psalm 127:1-2.
Prophets and the Prosperity Gospel
One thing that our host Jarvis said his country needs is truth. I will sidestep a conversation on truth (Is saying “There is no absolute truth.” itself a statement of absolute truth?) and instead say this: Malawi is a land very much imbued with Christianity – churches of all denominations flood the countryside and even secular establishments have not-so-subtle Christian overtones: Try Jesus Hardware or the God is with Us minibus or Psalm 121 Hair Dressing Studio and Cosmetics. But Malawi is also a land overflowing with “prophets” and the prosperity gospel.
“Prophets” is in quotation marks to distinguish from a Biblical prophet. The prophets Jarvis speaks of are people who prophesize a happy prosperous life for personal gain. It’s sort of like a fortune teller who tells you what you want to hear so that his business stays springy.
The prosperity gospel promises that as soon as you accept Jesus as your Savior you will become healthy, wealthy, and wise. Most ostensibly this might mean a preacher promising a shiny new car waiting outside the church tent, as sometimes happens in Malawi. Usually it’s more subtle. “Give to my ministry and God will bless you a thousand-fold.” Sound familiar? The exact same thing happens in America. The prosperity gospel is glamorous and initially alluring, but ultimately disappoints because it is not based on truth. The true Gospel is radical (die to myself) and initially scandalous (God of the universe nailed to a cross), but ultimately gives life.
Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33). If a follower of Christ is living out her faith, then she should expect pushback from society for not conforming to its norms. Many of Christ’s most famous disciples were tortured or killed for their beliefs. Yes, there are often blessings in this life (I’ve seen many) but a Christian’s ultimate hope is in the next life. Two things usually happen when people succumb to the prosperity gospel:
- They start lying to themselves and pretend life is better than it really is
- They become disillusioned and leave
In my experience, following Jesus is both hard and worth it. It’s hard because I give up the things that used to give me security, like the pursuit of the highest-paying career possible or the prison of who people expect me to be. It’s worthwhile because although I’m not guaranteed things like money and hipster friends, I get something better: peace, joy, hope, freedom, purpose, love.
That’s why I taught on peace last Sunday. The preacher before me preached on prayer and how something should happen immediately when we pray. I taught on peace. I didn’t get an “Amen!” or a “Hallelujah!” from the congregation after every sentence like he did, but I do have peace that I taught on what I was supposed to.
Afterwards Henry Smart invited us to his house for pineapple Fanta (YES this exists!) and sweet honey rolls called “Obama.” Sometimes you get blessed in this life also.
