A Call to Repentance

We write this post as a call to repentance from God to business organisations and individuals who engage in unwholesome market practices. God’s judgment is now imminent on those who enrich themselves – (i) through occult practices; (ii) at the expense of others; (iii) with no regard to assisting the vulnerable in society; and (iv) are lovers of money rather than lovers of God. This is a call to protect you from financial ruin if you belong in any of these categories.
Texts – please read the following Bible passages and the footnotes as you read the post.
Malachi 3:5 – “Yes, I’m on my way to visit you with judgment. I’ll present compelling evidence against sorcerers, adulterers, liars, those who exploit workers, those who take advantage of widows and orphans, those who are inhospitable to the homeless – anyone and everyone who doesn’t honor me.” A Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies. (MSG)
Isaiah 2:1-3 – The message Isaiah got regarding Judah and Jerusalem: There’s a day coming when the mountain of God’s House will be The Mountain—solid, towering over all mountains. All nations will river toward it, people from all over set out for it. They’ll say, “Come, let’s climb God’s Mountain, go to the House of the God of Jacob. He’ll show us the way he works so we can live the way we’re made.” Zion’s the source of the revelation. God’s message comes from Jerusalem. (MSG)
Key Points
- God created the world and its economy, and He set a clear pattern for how the economy should function. We define the economy as the system by which a country’s money, goods and services are produced and consumed. God established the pattern for the economy when He planted a garden in a location called Eden[1]. In this garden were three (3) types of trees – (i) the trees pleasant to the eyes and good for food; (ii) the tree of life; and (iii) the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The established pattern of God for the economy is as follows:
- The economy of the world has both physical and spiritual dimensions. That is, the physical activities of producing and consuming money, goods and services are driven by unseen spiritual forces. The trees pleasant to the eyes and good for food represent the physical dimension (businesses, jobs, and other forms of economic activity). The other two trees represent the spiritual dimension. We know they are spiritual in nature because these two trees cannot be physically seen in the earth today.
- It is the free choice of every human being, business or country to decide which of the spiritual forces will drive its economy – the nature and power of God (tree of life), or dependence on human desires, ideas, efforts and network (tree of knowledge of good and evil)
- God commanded that we ensure our economies, businesses and jobs are driven by His nature and power (eternal life).
- God informed us that an alternative economy is possible – one driven by the knowledge of good and evil. That is, the self-proclaimed views of human beings on what is right to do. God warned that the practices of this alternative economy produce undesirable effects in the long run[2]. They start out as good ideas but end up with an evil impact – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
- However, mankind chose to drive its economy by its own desires, ideas, efforts and network. The progenitors of this alternative economy were: (i) Adam and Eve who ate the forbidden fruit in the garden. The immediate result was that they engaged in an economic activity (sewing of clothes using fig leaves) not sanctioned by God. (ii) Cain their first son who after killing his brother Abel went out of God’s presence to build a city. (iii) The building of the tower of Babel (also called Babylon) – a project God halted when He confused the language of the builders.
- Though the tower was abandoned, the Babylonian project was later revived by King Nebuchadnezzar (c. 606BC – c. 562 BC). And handed down through successive generations to the Greek and Roman empires. The Greeks and Romans, being philosophers, encoded the alternative economy within brilliant works of philosophy and bequeathed it to the modern world. You will recall that Greece is credited as the historical cradle of western civilization. And so today, the global economy is founded on economic theories that are intrinsically driven by the desires, ideas, efforts and network of human beings. There is no place for God[3].
- This alternative economy, on which the global economy is now based, is driven by an inordinate love for physical indulgences, material things, human recognition, ambition, and positions of power and influence in society. This inordinate love controls the hearts and minds of market players in our economy today. It brooks no dissent and shows very little love, In its quest for wealth, it is willing to murder fellow human beings and destroy competing businesses. It disenfranchises the vulnerable in society and turns away its eyes and ears from the pain it causes others. Worse still, we celebrate those who have become wealthy and successful through the nurture of this inordinate affection[4].
- But God is now set to bring the alternative economy to book for its deeds. He will judge this economy severely and everyone who plays by its rules. God has waited until now to make a statement. He will do so by setting an exam for the global economy. This exam will be in the form of an economic crisis that will be global in its impact. Every individual, family, business and country will sit for this exam. You will fail the exam if you choose to love your life (insistence on playing in the economy by your own desires, ideas, efforts and network); you will pass the exam if you choose to lose your life for God’s sake (total dependence on God for direction on what to do in the market)[5].
- This post is a call to repentance. God does not want anyone to suffer financial ruin. However, He will do what it takes to save the poor and vulnerable in society from the hands of those who champion unwholesome practices in the market. He is set to make the knowledge of His (God) economic system widespread in the world!
The mercy and grace of God be with us all. Amen.
[1] Genesis 2:8-17
[2] Proverbs 14:12
[3] Psalm 10:3-4
[4] 1 John 2;15-17
[5] Luke 9:24