by Bobby L. Graham
"Is it right to bribe people to come to congregational assemblies with the offer of money, food, or anything of value?"
Our querist identifies a practice employed by a majority of religious people. Most of our religious neighbors, whether they recognize it or not, use carnal rewards to entice people to come to their gatherings. In many instances, the gatherings to which they draw them have precious little resemblance to the gatherings of New Testament congregations and amount to little more than glorified recreation events or entertainment sessions. Without biblical authority they seek to bring them to events like Upward Basketball or Upward Soccer, hoping to slip in some moral principle which will change their lives. Others use their fellowship meals as a drawing card for Bible teaching. A few others indicate a play time or a free meal, which they, thankfully, state is provided by individual Christians, to lure young people to study the word of God. What is the common element in all such efforts? Is it not the offer of something physical to generate interest in the spiritual? Is there a significant difference between any of these reported practices? While some represent congregational efforts and congregational spending, and others do not, the truth is that they are alike in that they depend on offering the carnal for stimulating people to participate in spiritual work.
At the risk of being labeled as old-fashioned and behind-the-times, let me state that this is not the right way to draw anybody to Christ. It was not the way He used to draw them to Himself. It was not the way used by the apostles or New Testament churches to draw the lost to salvation in Christ. You will search your Bible in vain to find even one instance of such a lure or an attraction.
The gospel is the only power God gave for such work (Rom. 1:16). The teaching of that Word is what Jesus identified as useful for such an end (John 6:44-45). Even when Jesus was using miracles, He never used them as a carnal lure to draw a crowd, though crowds did hear of them and seek Him out. He used them to produce faith in Him (Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:3-4). When there was evidence that some were following for the loaves and fishes, Jesus admonished the guilty ones to "clean up their act" (John 6:26-27). Many today need to "clean up their act," because they are encouraging people to follow for the wrong reasons.
It might be true that larger crowds come when there is a physical draw to bribe them, but it will take more of the physical—in ever-changing form and ever-growing measure—to keep them, and they will still stay for the wrong reasons. Only when the gospel is used as the sole filter through which hearts must pass to enter the kingdom of God will hearts intent on loving and serving God be drawn and strengthened to continue in service to God (Luke 8:11-15). Trust in the Lord's Word is sorely lacking in many quarters. God's people ought to have enough faith in Him and trust in the gospel of Christ to do the work for which He designed it that they will depend on it alone!
Author Bio: Bobby actively participates in fill-in preaching, Belize trips, teaching an hour each day at Athens Bible School, and in gospel meeting work. He and his wife, Karen, have three children: Richard, Mary Katherine Winland (Darren), and Laura Paschall (Jeremy). He can be reached at bobbylgraham@pclnet.net.
