Mercenary Christians — Glenn Meldrum

For more messages by Glenn Meldrum and in his presence ministries go to www .IHP min Ist ry .com. You are welcome to make additional copies of this CD for free distribution.

Well, actually, I want to begin this evening with some disclaimers. And this is a message the thought of this message has been brewing in me for a while. I've just in a couple of times and preaching just threw out the idea within a midst of a message but I never preached on it and So I've been working through this thought and I just want to Say a few things because I don't want anybody to be offended with me.

I want you to listen to this message. I want you to listen all the way through and I'm gonna bring out some issues here that are political, but I'm not trying to be political and. And nothing I'm gonna say has to do with being Republican Democrat or anything else.

Cultural Thinking and Preparation for Revival

It just has to do with being a Christian and what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna address some issues of our culture. We say we want to move of God but preparation always precedes revival and If we're gonna see a move God, we got to deal with the reality of our culture.

Guess what? I'm an American. I think you're all Americans, right and you know, this is just simple here. But this is the reality we can't escape it. It may be so simple. Sometimes we don't see it, but we think like Americans.

Because we've been born and bred in America. So we have the thoughts of America and sometimes we think because we think like Americans what we think is, right? Just because that's what we've always done.

That's all we've known. That's all we've been as Americans and There are things within our American culture that are good there are things that are evil and the problem is sometimes we don't know the difference and understand the difference and If we want to see a move of God.

We got to begin to deal with the junk that has gotten into our way of thinking our way of believing. That we might remove them get them aside and remove obstacles that's going to stop us from seeing the move of God stop us from being the men and women God wants us to be and So I just wanted to give a disclaimer there.

So listen to the message. Don't get out get up and walk out on me and get huffy or anything else. If there's something I say that you don't like then talk to me afterwards. But listen to what I'm gonna say.

There's a little different message for me and what I'm gonna be sharing here some different thought and I feel this is the night I need to share it. Let's look to Lord in prayer. Father we come before you now in the precious name of Jesus and Lord.

I'm asking that you give each of us ears to hear Lord help us hear the word and Lord. I'm asking for mercy upon this preacher. That I might share your word and do it with integrity and truth dear God faithfully.

Lord, I ask most of all for the anointing that would touch our hearts that you might bring change to us. And Lord if there's anybody here, that's not a true believer God that you'd bring them home to you in the precious name of Jesus.

Defining Mercenary Christianity

What I want to look at this evening is An idea of my own and so it's not that I've gleaned it from someplace else but it's a term that I Use once in a great while and it's the idea of mercenary Christianity.

I Want to look at mercenary Christianity and what mercenary Christianity is and to help us understand the phrase I'm going to use and I'll go back to again and again through this message I'm going to try and lay out this thought of what a mercenary Christian is.

First let me define what a mercenary is. All right. Let's look at what a mercenary is. A mercenary is a person working or acting for money or for other reward. So it's somebody that's for hire. So it's a hired soldier commonly.

It's a hired soldier and The soldier it will serve in a foreign army or some guerrilla organization and he does it because he does it for pay he is for hire and With this idea of him being a professional soldier for hire.

It means that he doesn't really care about the cause the cause is irrelevant. All that matters is that he gets to pay what he's looking for what he wants. And so he will fight for whatever cause hire himself.

I'll put his life at risk because they're gonna offer max amount of dollars and he could care less whether it's good or evil. Right or wrong. He is a man for hire and he does it because he's for hire.

It's also the idea of putting it on a more general basis moving away from the military idea of just a hireling. Someone who works for pay with little concern for the work little concern for the business.

It's kind of like you go to a McDonald's and have a guy back there flipping hamburgers and he wishes he wasn't there. He's doing he don't care about the business. He don't care about the customers. He don't care about about whether the place makes money or not.

He's just putting his time in because he's a man. That's for hire. That's it. That's all it is has no desire for anything else other than that. So what is a mercenary Christian. Then a mercenary Christian is a person who primarily Serves God for personal benefit with little concern for the work of God.

So they just serve God for what they can get from God. All right there for hire. I will follow you God if you give me what I want. If you don't I may just go follow some other God. Just for hire whoever pays me the best price I'll follow and if it works for me great if it's not well.

Then I'm out of here. I'll go back to drugs. I'll go back to sleeping around. I'll do whatever it is. I want to do because well, you know, I went and tried this God thing and it didn't work for Me they were just the Christian mercenary.

That's all they were. The Christian mercenary is a person who serves God so that God might make them happy. That God might prosper them that God might make them wealthy or healthy or make them an important person and So they're for hire in essence.

They go to God. They may not say those words. But that's what it really comes down to be. I'll do this for you if you do this for me and I'll just I'll go to church on Sunday and put some money in the offering so long as you give me tenfold back and So we're just mercenary and I'll tell you what mercenary Christianity is preached on TBN all the time mercenary preachers.

Tell you give your seed faith put some money in and you'll get tenfold back. They're just they're just breeding a mercenary mentality. That's all it is. They're not breeding that which is giving the God.

They're just they're just hoping that you will gamble that their lottery is better than the state lottery. They're not asking you to give because they love you or because they care for your life they want the new Rolls-Royce and We'll send them money so they can have their private jets.

I Mean something's crazy with us that we would do it. But we become mercenary Christians and we figured we'll do this thing and we'll get something out of it. Here's where I want to touch on some things.

I don't want you to be offended here. I'm not trying to speak politics. I'm trying to speak culture the culture we live in what I'm going to say here has a deal with whatever culture wherever they're at.

And it's in this world, whatever race whatever economic situation. But you see this mercenary mentality this mercenary Christianity is a welfare entitlement mentality. Okay, now you understand what I'm saying here welfare mentality.

I pastored Almost 12 years in a city Detroit in our church in Detroit. We had a very large food pantry. We went through a couple tons of food a month. My wife ran it. She was very evangelistic trying to reach out to every person that came in there trying to share the gospel with him and we saw the horrors of welfare.

Where you would have a mom come in and she'd be pregnant and come in with her daughter. That was pregnant with their granddaughter little granddaughter pregnant as well. The whole curse on the family the whole welfare mentality.

Just give me the handout now. This happened to be with the government, but you see that same welfare mentality is in the church. I'm just coming here to get what I want what I need and I expect you to meet my need if you don't I'm out of here.

You understand that's a welfare mentality. It's a mercenary mentality. It's not about the aspect that we're in love with God and that God has called us to a local body and we will serve. That body with everything that's in us.

We have the mentality that we deserve. They are obligated to meet my needs that they don't make my needs. I will do something about it. We do that with our government. We say our government should be our little sugar daddy.

Meet all of our needs take care of all of our problems and all of our wants and it's a lie. It's a twisted way of thinking that has come into our culture and it's coming a little bit at a time. Not as a flood if it came with a flood man.

Our eyes would open up and we'd say whoa. What is that? They came in with a little bit at a time a little bit and began to saturate more and more of our culture. More and more the way that we think we deserve.

It's this idea that we deserve. This is a great deception. I deserve. I deserve for the government to take care of me. I deserve for this. I deserve a new Ford today. I deserve more money. I deserve and rather than having an understanding.

That says God. Thank you. You haven't given me what I deserve. We think everybody owes us. Now, do you know what I'm talking about? You do you know people that have that idea that people own? I Mean that's in the world.

All right. That's how the world thinks and the world can't stop thinking as the world thinks because that's what the world is. I can't expect the world to think like a Christian because they're not a Christian.

Renewing the Mind and Rejecting Worldly Entitlement

But when we come to Christ There's this thing speaks a very powerfully in Romans 12 1 and 2 that when we give our bodies as living Sacrifices and we're not conformed to this world. He wants to transform our minds.

So that we can walk in God's good and perfect and pleasing. Well, our minds need to be transformed with how we think because we've thought worldly ways for so long. You know, what happens when we think worldly we live worldly if we have a Christian Mercenary mentality it is going to define our faith.

It's going to define how we do church how we do family how we do everything because this way of thinking has crept into Our worldview and that's how we live it out. How are we going to see a move of God when everything is about me?

It's about my happiness. It's about what I deserve. It's about what God is obligated to give me. Well, you can't show me where God's obligated to give you anything. If God is obligated to give you anything then he's not God because he's not free.

He is limited. He is in essence and slave to us. God does what he does because of who he is. Not because of what he's forced to do now. God does do some astounding things where he will bind himself to his promises and fulfill his Promises because he has committed himself to that but that is by his own choice as God not because he was forced to.

Simon the Sorcerer and the Mercenary Heart

I want to look at an example in Scripture of Mercenary Christianity turn with me to the book of Acts to the eighth chapter now, you know, what is really difficult church. You know, it's really hard. It's when we begin to be confronted about the wrong way.

We've been thinking. We're gonna have one or two responses either. We're gonna sit down and say okay, man. This is I didn't understand. I didn't understand how deep it was in me. I didn't understand how it affected my life and God helped me to change and you begin to do what it takes because you understand.

You're not going to change the way you think overnight. It has taken your whole life to get where you are how you think. It's not going to change overnight. God's work of change you can begin tonight and to go deeper in it.

But it's a process still that you got to begin to unfold this more and more in your life and see how is this? Mentality become so much a part of my way of thinking as a human being that it defines my face.

How do I overcome this mercenary mentality that has come into the American Church? In Acts chapter 8 beginning in the ninth verse. But there was a certain man Called Simon which before time in the same city used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria.

Giving out that he himself was some great one. To whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest saying this man is the great power of God and to him. They had regard because there for a long time he had bewitched them with sorceries.

But when they believed Phillips preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. They were baptized both men and women. Then Simon himself believed also and when he was baptized he continued with Philip and wondered.

Beholding the miracles and signs which were done. Now when the Apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the Word of God They sent unto Peter and John. Who when they were come down prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Ghost.

For as yet he was fallen upon none of them only were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus then laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost. And When Simon saw that through the laying on of the Apostles hands, the Holy Ghost was given he offered them money.

Saying give me also this power that on whomsoever. I lay hands. He may receive the Holy Ghost. But Peter said unto him Thy money perish with thee because thou has thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money.

Thou has neither part nor lot in this matter for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness and pray God if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.

For I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of inequity. Then answered Simon and said Pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which he have spoken come upon me.

Let's look at Simon just for a moment before conversion. Let's see what this man was. You see the man was a sorcerer. He was in the witchcraft. He was into the demonic realm. You know if you don't believe in the demonic realm and you don't believe that there's power there than you have never really understood it.

You've never looked very far to see the reality of it. There's a devil now. He's a wee little itty bitty thing like a little gnat compared to God. He's like nothing, but it's not the denial that he doesn't have power.

You go into third world countries and there's those that are into voodoo and other Aspects of the occult and witchcraft and everything else they have their witch doctors and there's power there. There are things that go on and we gotta understand.

That's a reality. It's not make-believe. I know some stories myself. But that you know, there's stories out there that would boggle the mind if we heard what was really taking place. It's demonic. It's from hell.

It is not for the well-being of people. It is for their enslavement their misery their sorrow. It's not for their good. This man had power. He had such power in Samaria that they thought he was a man of God.

He thought that he was the voice of God the one that God was using and they didn't understand who God was and it was All obscured in their minds from their superstitions and everything else. So Simon was a man famous in Samaria for the works when their people were sick.

They came to him and he did his rituals when they had need they wanted blessings, whatever it was. He did the things for them, but it was always about money. I'll take care of your sick. You give me money.

I'll bring the blessing upon your out new home. Give me the money everything about money. Because that's what it was all about for him. And so he was a man that grew wealthy would have been a man of great importance, but he was a man full of self.

He became so full of self because everything in his life was about him, but he wasn't a believer. He was following the devil. And then all sudden what happens a Layman shows up Philip he wasn't an apostle.

He was just a layman. Here's this layman that comes up and God's doing signs and wonders to him. People are being healed blind or seeing lame are walking whatever miracles took place. But these tremendous things are happening and as the people began to see they saw that there was a great difference between the power of God and the occult.

They felt the difference they felt something clean and beautiful with God they still felt the hellish ugly evil dirtiness of the occult and what Simon was doing and what he was giving the people and so they turned to Jesus.

They saw not only a greater power because what Jesus was doing the sorcerer could not do. But they felt the presence and the glory of this wonderful God that was coming down and revealing himself to them.

And so many came and were baptized and began to follow and it tells us that Simon did so let's look at Simon. After his conversion, so Simon came and converted and what does that mean? He believed in Christ and he turned away from practicing magic.

There's some accounts that's in the Bible. But also in history you where so many people came to Christ out of the occult. Huge mounds of occult books and and artifacts are being burned and destroyed. I do not doubt that this man probably burned all of his stuff.

Maybe turned it over to the Apostles or or to Philip the Apostles weren't there yet and turned it over to him. So he could destroy it and be way with. I don't doubt that he did something quite radical with that but when Peter and John show up in Essence the revival that was taking place with Philip was elevated now it went further.

Signs and wonders were there the salvations were taking place now. What happened is people being baptized in the Holy Ghost and you got it? I'm not going to preach on the baptism Holy Ghost here, but it's just a phenomenal point.

That's here. You see people are being baptized in the name of Jesus. There is a distinct difference Presented here in Scripture between those who are saved who've been baptized in the name of Christ. Which is an outward profession of the inward work.

Okay, that's all baptism is baptism doesn't save. It's a testimony of who Jesus is and what he's done in our lives. So here they have come into the faith, but they've not yet had the baptism Holy Ghost.

It's a separate thing and the evidence I believe very strongly that the evidence was speaking in tongues and it was so evident there and Evident with everyone that was filled that Simon is seeing evidence.

Such clear evidence. He says I want that power. So Something was taking place so clear so Undisputable that the man says I want that power. Well, I do not doubt in the least this man being a young convert was missing the praise that he once had.

Missing the applaud of the people that he was some great man, and I do not doubt within him. There was this desire to be great once again. Does that get into the Christian ministry today, huh? All right.

We want to be somebody great we get that we think we can preach it a little bit. Then all of a sudden we think we're gonna be God's gift to the world. You know, we think everything's gonna happen. We got that pride in us that we can be like Simon so easy.

And Simon still full of himself wanted this great power. He was a mercenary Christian. You see the mercenary Christian. It's not that he wanted that power because he loved God or because he cared about the people.

It was all still about him all still about what he wanted still about his happiness still about his his prestige his fame his Pocketbook because he understood how he got wealthy before well, why can't you do it now as a Christian?

Okay, I was a sorcerer and I sold my goods so I could get wealthy. Why not now, you know. It's like what you got out there. You can have your sell a prophecy type of thing you call up the guy and and for 300 bucks to give you a prophecy.

I'm not kidding. It's crazy stuff. That's out there. And so Simon offered him money. Thought he could buy it. No, I can't tell you there's nothing they're told about how he came into the demonic power that he was and I'll guarantee you had to sell his soul.

There was a process. He was probably taught by others before him and maybe he progressed more than others because he gave himself so fully to it. But he is now in this situation. He's seeing these men of God.

These Apostles and the power of God that's manifested there and he wants to buy and he offers him money now here's the problem that we have it's the idea that we can give to get and this just doesn't have to do with the Prosperity gospel has to do with everything in our life.

It's the idea that we give to get and guess what all of life is about this. Okay, all of life is about that. Our entire monetary system is about you you go out there you work you get money when you get money.

You have money so that you can spend it. It's how everything works. It's how it's worked for thousands of years and whatever cult you've been in whether it's Changing paper money or gold or or gems or fish or chickens or whatever.

It's this thing that happened. It's what culture revolves around in this fallen world. People want to get rich and all the things that are about it and some people are just trying to survive. But it's still the idea that we give something to get something if I go to the store and I give you 20 bucks I walk out with this in my hand.

You don't go to Walmart and say here's 20 bucks and walk out not take anything. Right, it doesn't work like that. You go in and you give something and you expect something in return. How does it work with relationships?

Basically the same thing we can have all of our love stories. But it's still the idea that it's gonna be okay. If this is gonna work you're gonna have to give to me and I'm gonna have to give to you because if there's not this Mutual giving it's not gonna work.

Christianity and the Rejection of “Giving to Get”

Everything in life revolves around this idea of giving to get except Christianity. Christianity goes 100 Against that very mentality because he says you can't earn your salvation. You can't give me enough money to spend one hour out of hell in heaven.

You understand we don't comprehend that so that whole process that is defined by this world. Not just American culture. We've just refined it in our democracy in there. But it's been in the world at large for and since we've been around.

But it's not in the true faith. It has become a part of American faith, but not the true faith and How easy it is for us to be mercenary Christians that we become people that we start giving to God whether it's time.

Whether it's money whether it's servants whether it's our talent. Whatever it is, we give to God and we expect now that God's gonna do something in return. That we think somehow we have now Obligated God to do for us.

That's a serious issue. How we ever gonna see a move of God if everything is about trying to earn something and he says you can't earn this. You can't earn the move of God. What have we tried to do? Let's really be honest.

We thought because we prayed God would move so we thought we could earn the move of God by praying His prayer part of it. Yes, it is. But when you look at 2nd Chronicles 714. What is it all about if my people first will humble themselves not the first thing about prayer.

The first thing is about humbling themselves. You see God has a whole different thing about it because in that humbling of ourselves. We're not coming to him say I deserve the move of God. Look at how much we pray.

Look at what we did. We've done all this stuff and we deserve it. Why don't you come down because we've done all the things to make you move. There's no humility in that it's in the humility that we come and fall before me.

We're going to say God we are so desperate. We're so thirsty. We're so needy we cry to you for mercy not because we deserve it. A Whole different mentality comes into it for those who begin to truly pray in the move of God.

Because it's not no more than demanding. I'm not saying faith doesn't have a boldness but true faith has a humility. That's tied into that boldness. And so here we have a situation on how easy it is for us to give to God to get something back.

We work for wages, right? And after we get our wages we buy to receive goods. But we're told in Isaiah that come by for me that which cannot be bought. When he begins to speak of that he says you got to come to me we'd be willing to give up everything.

Everything and if you give up everything you're not buying your salvation. You are just returning to what was the original intent that I had for mankind. That you would serve me with every fiber of your being.

But what we do as mercenary Christians, we only go so far. We only want to go so far in our faith. How many in this church this evening that you have been in the faith for years. And you should be teachers.

You should be serving in this church. But the mercenary mentality that you have had have kept you sitting in the pews and doing nothing with your faith. Because that welfare mentality was about you sitting there to get because you deserve it.

But you don't want to give yourself away. What would happen with this church if the Saints in this church would crucify that? Mercenary mentality the welfare mentality this church could explode. Because what would happen is people would begin to be what God created to be.

They'd begin to serve the church to build the kingdom of God and reach a dying world. It'd be no more Spectator sport coming so that we can be blessed so that life can be happy that I have needs that if you make me happy I'll stay.

If you don't I'm out of here. It's the idea that I've been called to be a son a daughter of God and I'm to give myself away. I am to live for him and for his desire not for mine. You see mercenary Christianity is all about the love of self.

All about me all about my love if it's in ministry. It's about the aspect of me being a somebody if it's the aspect of me. Just coming to church because I want something out of it. And if you don't come in and take care of my needs, I'm gonna be angry.

I don't know. I just know this is a fact it happened to me as a pastor. I know what happens your pastor. How many people have copped an attitude and had a hissy fit because pastor didn't come up and give him a hug after service.

What a simplistic mercenary idea. I'll come to church if I get a hug. If I don't get a hug I'm out of here because well, you don't love me. You don't care. It's not about the aspect I've come to adore you and Lord what I need more than anything is a touch from you.

You see we had a mercenary mentality. We came for higher and says God I will serve you if you bless me. If you don't I'll be out of here. It's not the idea of loving him because you see this Christian life is to be about selfless.

Love that I love him whether he ever blesses me again. He has done more for me right now in my life done more for me if he never blessed me again. He has done more for me to forgive me of my sins and to give me a pathway to heaven.

That is worth the serving of him. Even if I never get one thing and all the rest of my days was difficult and painful and sorrowful. But when we got that mercenary mentality, we have these hissy fits against God.

I prayed and I didn't get. I asked and you didn't do. Why were you in my pain? Where were you in this one? Why weren't you there? And we start copying attitudes at God because we think it's all about a sugar daddy God that's a jump to our attention when we say the name Jesus and as a result.

We think that it's all gonna happen the way we dreamed. You see there's this priceless gift of the kingdom of God. It's paid in full. You can't give once read sent for anything from God. It's either by grace or it's not by grace.

You cannot earn grace. Does that grace cost us everything? Yes. But it's still a free gift. You don't deserve it have never deserve it never will. It's paid in full. Imagine if it's your birthday and you get in the mail a card.

From an uncle that is a billionaire and you're pretty excited. Oh, man, he's never sent me a card before and you open it up and you pull out the card and there's a $10 bill In it you're gonna be happy.

You see you didn't deserve that $10, but because of your mercenary mentality you're gonna cop a big attitude that guy could have put in a $1 ,000 a million dollars and wouldn't even affected him and he gives me a measly 10 bucks.

You didn't deserve the 10 buck and you're grumbling over and you didn't get more. Aren't we crazy? I mean how ridiculous so you don't want to speak to the man again because he gave you a 10 bucks for your birthday.

But you know what if you all sudden you get a Another card in the mail and you open it up and you pull this out and it's by another relative. But this guy's a homeless man. And you open it up and there's 10 bucks in it.

You are humbled. Because you say this man this was costly. For this man to give me this $10. You see Jesus Paid the greatest price. The richest that there ever could be. The God who owns everything. Who became the poorest and gave up everything?

To take upon himself the sins of the world and you see he offers us this infinitely great gift of eternal life and we complain over it we grumble over it. We think it should be more. We think it should be different.

We think it should be easier. We think there should be greater blessings and we complain against God because we don't get we want when we want it the way we Want it and we don't understand that he's given us treasures beyond anything.

We can dream up. It was probably now a couple years ago. One day I was in prayer while I was praying I was just starting to draw near to Jesus and starting to have a good time and I just Started looking at the reality of my sin and just saying God I am so tired of my sin.

God, I just want to be a good son. I'm tired of being a brat and I just began weeping as I'm crying out. I just want to be a good son. You know, we can be some real brats. We can get angry at our kids at their little snottiness, you know all that we've done we've just refined that as adults.

It's not that we've been delivered from it, it's that we just refined it we made it acceptable supposedly as Adults, but we don't like it in our children and so we still have this mentality that is Driving us.

Simon’s Sin as a Character Problem

Let's take a little bit of time and look at Simon's sin. Let's understand the sin of Simon here Peter ended up saying and this is how it reads in the King James Version he says for I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of inequity and Many preachers are wrong with this where they refer to the idea that Simon had a problem with bitterness.

Bitterness is Nothing of the subject at all the way mouth New Testament Brings it out better and it reads like this is for I perceive that you have fallen into the bitterest bondage of unrighteousness.

You see Simon's sin was not bitterness you can't see that what's going on with the man? That's not what it's about about bitterness. The gall of bitterness is what they call a Hebraism and what's a Hebraism?

It is a distinctive Hebrew expression. I have a friend of mine that he went and became a youth pastor in Hawaii and So he's working with the youth on the street the way he talked to me about this. He says they speak another language.

It is street language, you know street language. Okay, they got their own words their own phrase. He says I've been on the streets. I've minister on the street. This was street language like I never heard before and you couldn't talk to them unless you learned the street language.

We have our little Statements our little ways of speaking in our culture right our little phrases and you know. You get somebody that's from another culture another city even and they don't even know what that means.

That little phrase is unique to them. Well, that's what was in the Hebrew language. They had their little phrases and so this was one of them the gall of bitterness. What is gall? Well gall is this yellowish green bile that comes out of the liver very yucky stuff and.