Fear Sells...
Fear sells.
But what happens to your product when fear is overcome?
People stop buying, your subscribers refuse to renew their subscription and
you’re left to start strategizing all over again.
Salvation is being sold cheaply, just like this ofili's drawing depicts....
Source: Ofilispeaks.com |
Sometimes we end up sounding like desperate insurance sales
men, saying just about anything to get people buying our plans, to get a bonus
from the CEO of Salvation & co.
We’re selling salvation based on fear… that’s a very shaky
foundation. What happens when people get over the initial fear of ‘we’re in the end times’ and ‘hell is real’?
Sometimes it takes just an
extra ten-second stare at Bimpe to drive the fear of hell out of a man. It takes waiting for two years and still seeing the world as it is to drive the fear of 'the world is coming to an end' out of a person.
What happens when a man gets saved because he’s sick and
scared of dying and of the unknown? He recovers and soon enough he’s back to
the clubs and the skirt chasing. He can always subscribe to the insurance plan
when there is need. Or whenever he goes to the salvation fair in the place of a church to hear the pastor preach fire and brimstone, or whenever he stumbles
upon one of the numerous blogs to hear one sermon or the other.
So maybe fear pulls you through the door… but it shouldn’t
take long for us to feel the love that fills us with a want
for God based on love and not of fear of the unknown. Some were saved through fear, others come in through gratitude… it doesn’t matter what brought you in, what matters is sustaining
yourself, and the best way is through building a foundation of love. You can only
begin to appreciate salvation when you fall in love with Jesus, when you
realize how deep His love for you is. When you get lost in His love.
In love, you give out of love, not out of fear that God wouldn’t
bless you or He'd be mad at you for not dropping an offering…
”don’t use fear in scaring your
clients into spending money” Okechukwu Ofili… how laziness saved my life.
In Love, you shun sin, because you don't want to hurt the one you love and not because you're scared of hell. We've got philosophers everywhere, all it takes is a day on twitter to sway your belief in heaven and hell. But love keeps you grounded, love doesn't sway you when the trumpet fails to sound tomorrow or next. Love doesn't put you off worshiping with other believers because you hear what one or two pastors do under the cover of church. Fear makes it easy and gives reason to keep drifting away from the faith.
I shouldn’t serve God because I am scared of hell. My love
for Jesus should scare the hell out of me. I should serve God because I feel
his love, because He loved me first, even in my unlovable phase.
Are you driven by fear or by love?
Well written piece. Thanks
ReplyDeleteWe should avoid sin not because of fear of hell cos of our love for God.
Our love for God should make us want to serve him and do all that pleases him.
May we always be driven by God's love, not fear. Thanks for the reminder :)
ReplyDeleteSpot on.
ReplyDeleteThe fire and brimstone technique doesn't work anymore.
We shouldn't serve God because we are scared of hell but His love for us should scare the hell out of us. Nice post.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, If I'm to be honest, I'll say I'm driven to serve God by both...Love because He first loved me and I didn't even deserve it yet He sent His son to die for me plus ...goodness! He's an awesome God, I can't even begin to recount testimonies of His goodness in my life. When I think of all these, I just want to love Him and serve Him forever.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I don't know if I should call it fear or reverence for God.
I definitely don't want to end up in hell and the thought of that makes me sit up sometimes especially when I'm getting lax!
oh yeah, fear of Hell keeps me in check too.But I feel letting love be the dominant factor that keeps us in salvation makes it easier to serve with sincerity and resist temptation, than fear.
DeleteMost def!
ReplyDeleteAs if I read this before I wrote this http://idomagirl.com/. :)
ReplyDelete