Life is often difficult. We face situations that are disappointing. Hardships that cause us pain - physical, spiritual, or emotional - drive us to seek relief. The more intense our suffering, the greater our desperation. The greater our desperation, the more likely we are to become a victim of a humbug. Ask a person who gets a diagnosis of cancer from his doctor. The initial feelings are often near panic, a sense that life is over, the knowledge that what lies ahead has no good ending. There are cruel people out there who prey on those feelings of panic, offering worthless 'cures' for large sums of money. Over the years I've known more than one person who has spent every penny of their savings on some quack treatment that promises much more than it actually delivers. I am not angered by their willingness to suspend good judgment, but I feel near rage at the person who exploits the suffering of another to get rich!
Christianity has more than its fair share of humbugs! These pious frauds prey on the desperate, the sin sick, the sad, and the suffering. They offer quick fixes, instant holiness, and 'miracles' for the asking, in answer to the deep longings that Believers have for relief from temptation and sickness of body and soul. These humbugs dress their message in Bible language, twisting a few passages into something that sounds like the Truth, but which ignores the whole counsel of the Word. All the while, they take in the collections and fed their own appetites for luxury and ease.
Take healing as an example. Does God heal people today? He most certainly does! There are plentiful precedents in the Scripture that would lead us to pray for healing for our bodies. The Gospels are full of stories of Jesus' healing touch for the sick. The Book of the Acts records healings as a part of the Church's experiences. Who likes struggling with sickness? I hate being sick even with a common cold! The desire to be whole and healthy is a perfect set-up for a humbug. Weave together some miracle stories from the Bible. Stir in a highly emotional atmosphere made up of people who gather with great expectations in simple faith. Throw in a dash of testimonies, even if they are unverified. The guy on the stage need not be accountable to anyone, need not live out a day to day Christian life of holiness, need not even have his 'act' subjected to scrutiny before he asks for a big donation to 'keep doing the Lord's work.' He just preys on the longings of the people who gather to find a miracle cure for their 'sickness.'
The genuine life of faith is no easy road. Discipleship is a rigorous choice that calls for us to 'die daily' to self. Following Jesus means engaging sin and evil, often at tremendous cost to ourselves, emotionally and spiritually. Jesus didn't promise we could ride a hammock all the way to Heaven. Instead, He challenges us to "put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will find true life." (Mark 8:34-35, NLT)
Even Paul faced the distress of dealing with humbugs who invaded the churches he had formed. They came with their distortions of the Gospel message, turning grace into a license to sin, destroying the power of the Gospel to transform by making it into a religious system based in human efforts at goodness, even making spiritual gifts into a means of gaining power instead of being a means of self-effacing service. He grew angry at the shamelessness of these charlatans who exploited the good hearts of God's people!
In the book of 2nd Corinthians, Paul's frustration with humbugs is evident in so many passages. ... because we know this solemn fear of the Lord we work so hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we trying to pat ourselves on the back again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart before God. 2 Cor. 5:11-12 NLT
In chapters 11-12 he goes to great lengths to contrast the ministry that is authentic with the 'ministry' that is a humbug. He observes (11:4 NLT) You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
And then he urges them to greater discernment. (2 Co 13:5 KJV) Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? Perhaps his challenge is better grasped in The Message where we read, Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it.
Don't be duped by humbugs! Show discernment. Look long and hard at anyone who claims to have the 'inside truth,' or a 'quick fix,' or a miracle just waiting for you to claim it (right after you send in your offering)! If they live like a prince at the expense of God's people, most likely their heart is in the wrong place, their message marred by self interest.
- "Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed—that exhilarating finish in and with God—he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever.
And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!" (Hebrews 12:2-3, The Message)
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