Dear flamboyant Christian: Letter to the embodiment of prosperity gospel

By Realise Mwase

Dear Flamboyant Christian

Hi. Before I say anything else, I love you.

But I gotta talk to you candidly. I’ve seen a lot and now I’m gonna let you hear my heart. So don’t take it personally.

I’m not out here to hate on you but I don’t think I like what’s going on. You have grown comfortable in what you have and think that Jesus died for you to slay and show off. You’ve even convinced yourself that material possessions are a sign of God being in your life and you gotta brag on it.

You fish Bible verses that support your haughty thinking and don’t bother to win souls anymore. Your burden is to show haters that you got it cause of Jesus. Sensible carnally but spiritually stupid. You’re driving cars with nothing driving you from within to go forth and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

To you, Jesus is a brand that has to be represented well. You’re applying all sorts of marketing gimmicks thinking someone’s gonna envy your lifestyle and fall for your God. You’re constantly belittling others and trying to inspire them at the same time. In what way then does Christ differ from Microsoft or any other business whose image has to inspire hero worship and subsequent loyalty?

Is it still about your swag or Jesus? What’s a two door coupe gonna do when thirty people need transport to church? Don’t flatter yourself into thinking you’re going to inspire people to seek the Lord cause you drove by in the latest Lamborghini. To you it’s about looking on fleek to advertise Jesus. Sit down, boy.

It’s allowed to have fun in the Lord but let’s stop calling it all evangelism. I’m a poet and a writer myself but I’m not gonna say my art is always about Jesus cause that is a lie. It may reference Christianity but may not always have the essence of Christianity. Why then do you call every rap song in the church Christian rap?

A lot of good Christian rap is being sung, even in my church by two or three good guys, but not everything they make is gospel music. A rapper I know has made good gospel and secular songs and I love both. So when I hear a rapper stupidly defend a carnal song about swag with a Bible verse, I stop to think about what’s really going on. You think braggadocio will help the blood of Jesus to deliver people? Your priorities are misplaced.

If what you’re doing doesn’t capture the essence of Christianity and you call it Christian, quoting defensive verses won’t change the fact that you’re wrong. What did Christ come to do? Make us all millionaires? You think Paul and Peter who sometimes lacked are less spiritual than your rich pastor?

You got jokes like Bart Simpson. Jesus wants to save a hurting world before anything else. Money helps people meet their fleshly needs but can’t replace God and His word. The fact that your resources are limited shows you that money isn’t the sole means to preach the gospel. God has no limit like your bank account. Get rich, prosper, but don’t ever think you’re fulfilling God’s purpose as your account fattens if you’re not actually preaching to sinners. Does the money have a mission in the kingdom of God?

Materialism is a cancer that you gotta remove from yourself. You can’t share your faith, you’re an ignorant believer and somehow God loves it cause you can preach through your money. Hahaha. If you show me a person who got born again after seeing a pile of money and no Bible verse/ preaching, I’ll consider your counter argument. Testimonies now supersede sermons in your mind. You’re always thinking of overtaking another believer with a bigger testimony. Did Jesus die for such a love of things?

Let me ask you: if you’re slaying to win souls, why is it that most of your slaying is being done inside Christian circles? Stop dragging Christ along on your selfish agenda.

God’s over everything. Poor preachers are still relevant as well. Help them if you will but don’t you despise what God has put in them.

I’m not apologetic for what I’ve said. Be sober and return to your roots again. Back to when Christ saved with with nothing but His blood. Back to when it was about helping others, not showing off.

God bless you. Keep prospering, you’re needed. But not irreplaceable. Let your heart exceed your wallet in size and influence.

Love

• Realise Mwase is a creative writer, poet and thinker fascinated by God, nature, and humanity. Article appears on Khuluma Afrika.