Network Marketing- Plaguing the Church?

If you have been a member of a church, you have probably been approached about a significant opportunity to own your own business and make a little extra income. And on top of this, you are able to spend more time with your family. Who wouldn't want this?

Network marketing or multi-level marketing feeds into some basic desires:

1. Earn money from the efforts of others without having to do a lot of work.

2. Own a "business" that allows you flexibility to work around the needs of your family.

Network marketing promises so much. But does it deliver? This issue is close to me because I have seen family members get sucked into the promises of network marketing and spend many hours and dollars chasing a dream that never materialized. And this is the problem. According to Robert Fitzpatrick who wrote a book titled False Profits, network marketing:

• Promises a lot but the fact is that less than 1% of all MLM distributors ever earn a profit.
• Is an ineffective way to distribute products. Less than 1% of all retail sales are made through multi-level marketing.
• Feeds into basic impulses of living a life of luxury and materialism. In every network marketing organization, there are a chosen few who are making tremendous incomes at the expense of the masses at the bottom of the pyramid.
• Rarely sells more than 20% of its products to people outside the organization.

I will acknowledge that there are probably a handful of decent products sold through network marketing. I have bought a couple. But the system is faulty. In preparation for a sermon that I will be delivering Sunday, I have been meditating on 1 Timothy 6:6-12.

1 Timothy 6:9-10 says, "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

Network marketing at the very core feeds this desire to get filthy rich without having to work for it. Whatever happened to acquiring wealth as the direct result of many years of hard work? The steward realizes that the words of Scripture are true. Proverbs 12:11, "He who works his land will have abundant food, but he who chases fantasies lacks judgment."

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Happiness

I recently re-read a sermon on Happiness by my favorite author- JC Ryle. The text of the sermon can be read http://biblebb.com/files/ryle/PRACT10.TXT

The Pew Research poll at http://pewresearch.org/assets/social/pdf/AreWeHappyYet.pdf tells us that 84% of people in America are either pretty happy or very happy. But my experience leads me to a different conclusion. True happiness seems to be elusive to most people. I don't know how else to justify that the divorce rate is close to 50%, the record high levels of debt and that 80% claim that they are performing daily work that is ill-suited for their God-given strengths.

What is true happiness? How can I be happy? I believe that true happiness must be defined by three traits:

1. Contentment- true happiness cannot be circumstantial. Economic circumstances change, people will disappoint and die on us, our health is fragile. True happiness must be outside all of these things. The apostle Paul said, "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Philippians 4:12.
2. Peace- the truly happy person will be at peace with the past, present and future. They may regret many things, but they will press forward with a peaceful heart. "One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:13-14.
3. Hope- happy people must live independent from this world. They must have their hope set on Heaven. The person who places their hopes in sex, family, sports, leisure, retirement, money, work, vacations, etc... is building on a foundation of sand. All of these things have their fulfillment only in the perfection of the everlasting life. Paul again, "Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there- the Lord Jesus Christ, who by the power that enables Him to bring everything under His control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like His glorious body." Philippians 3:20-21.

I agree with JC Ryle's conclusions on how a true Christian can be truly happy. He offers three suggestions:

1. Work every year to grow in grace. The holiest people are always the happiest. Beware of standing still. Let your aim be to be more holy every year- to know more, to feel more, to see more of the fulness of Christ. Search the Scriptures more earnestly; pray more fervently; hate sin more; become more humble; die to self more; seek more direct personal communication with God.
2. Work every year to be more thankful. Learn to have a deeper sense of your own wretched sinfulness and be more grateful to God you are what you are. Put to practice Philippians 2:14 which says to do all things without grumbling and complaining.
3. Work every year to do more good. Jonathan Edwards said that the goal of his life was to do the maximum amount of good to the maximum amount of people. This should be the goal of every Christian. Psalms 119:68 tells us that God is not only good but He does good. We should seek to imitate Him in every way.

I have some things off the top of my head that I am happy about today:

• Air conditioning- it is 107 degrees in Dallas. I am also thankful for a small house that allows me to pay my utility bills without too much pain.
• Gary Joe Kinne Jr. committing to play football for Baylor. It is has been a long time since a QB this talented has committed to the Bears out of high school- chose Baylor over Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
• Great clients- God has blessed me with some tremendous people to serve.
• A loyal and beautiful wife. A son who brings laughter and joy to every day.
• Contentment, peace and hope. I don't want to imagine my life without Christ. I long for a resurrected body in a resurrected earth serving a righteous King.

Jesus explained the way of happiness to us in Matthew 5:3-12. One of the things that I learned by taking Greek is that although these verses start with the word "Blessed," a better understanding in our day is probably "Happy". We long for happiness. Our deepest need is to be content, peaceful and hopeful. None of this can be accomplished apart from Christ.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge

Heaven- The Steward's Final Destination

When the words are prayed: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven," what does it mean?

For me those words mean that the hope of the Christian is to have paradise restored. The Bible is a simple book in many ways and complex in other ways.

As I study the Bible, I see a consistent framework leaping off the pages. The Scriptures tell a story. The story is summarized by four major themes:

1. Creation- God created all things in perfect order.
2. Fall- Sin has completely distorted this world. There is currently a mixture of the good and the bad in all of creation.
3. Redemption- A Holy God has offered a solution for our sin problem. To throw ourselves on the mercy of God by trusting in His gift of Christ dying for our sins.
4. Restoration- The redeemed man/woman submits to the Kingship of Christ and proclaims that He will return to this earth to judge sin. Paradise will be restored to its perfect state and this earth will display beauty without the decaying effect of sin.

Genesis 1:28 is an interesting verse, "And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth'.”

God created us to be stewards. In paradise, Adam and Eve were commanded to be great managers of God's resources. The potential was astonishing. But something went terribly wrong- sin entered the equation. The results have been devastating. We have now inherited a nature that is anti-stewardship. We have become wasters of resources. We use money, abilities, time and health for our own selfish ends rather than maximizing these resources for the glory of God.

But Christ says we should pray that His kingdom comes again to the earth as it is in Heaven. In this way, Genesis 1:28 and Matthew 6:10 are linked. God created us to be stewards. Sin screwed it up. God redeems us in Christ in order that we would be stewards again. This life we know is stewardship training for the Christian's ultimate destination. Heaven is the fulfillment of the mandate in Genesis 1:28.

In Heaven, we will reach our potential as we learn and grow in the knowledge of God. My vision of Heaven- shaped by Scripture and books like Heaven (Randy Alcorn) and the Chronicles of Narnia series (CS Lewis) is that the resources of money, abilities, time and health will be used for great ends.

Money will be maximized as we learn to use it for purposes that benefit the growth of God's kingdom. Cities will become vibrant as we build in worship of God. I had this thought as I looked at the building of high-end projects in uptown Dallas. There is a Ritz Carlton going up. A W hotel/condo project recently was finished. There are drawings for a great park in that area. As I looked at the drawing of the park, my thought was- doesn't this picture of the park look great before it gets trashed with debris and people passed out drunk or high? The uses of money in this life are always tainted by the effects of sin. But in Heaven, money will be used for noble purposes.

Abilities will be maximized as we use the unique talents that God has entrusted to us for work that glorifies Him and serves others. I believe that all work that is redeeming in value will be continued in Heaven free from the distractions of sin. What great things will be discovered? What will happen when great minds gather and learn from the Creator of all things? How great of a basketball player will I be when I can do the things my mind conceives but my temporary body cannot achieve? I digress. By the way have you seen the video of the guy that did a 720 degree dunk? That was sick. It can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRdpjxIlhvM&mode=related&search

Time will be maximized as we invest time in learning, loving and doing great things. What could you accomplish in this life that you neglect due to time constraints? What if the stresses of life were lifted and you were able to be devote time to projects that were an outflow of how God created you? Imagine the possibilities.

Health will be perfected. A resurrected body in a resurrected earth- that is something to get excited about. No more disease, disabilities or lack of energy. There will be great adventures to be explored. Mountains to climb. Oceans to dive. Rivers to be rafted. Hikes to be taken. Sports to be played. Beaches to be enjoyed. No financial, time or health constraints to hold us back.

Heaven is going to be sweet. Don't allow the culture shock to be severe. The steward's training is now. We say, "Come quickly Lord Jesus." The very best thing that could happen today for those who are in Christ is for Him to return and restore this earth to it's glorified state. But in the meantime, let us learn to be stewards over the resources He has entrusted to us as we pray for Christ's kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven. Heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.

For His Glory,

Ashley Hodge