Why I will buy nothing (updated 12/19/05)

So because of some heat I have taken for my comments supporting "Buy Nothing Day" (BND) and the ideals behind it I have decided to write an explanation of why I do support this holiday. Not just because of the secular ideals behind it (I am not sure if that is the right wording but I mean that even if I was not a Christian I would support this idea) but also why my faith in Jesus has compelled me to support it. After I wrote this post I realized that it is really long but I hope it is enlightening and challenging and worth reading I think it is one of the best things I have ever written and comes from my heart. The grammar and spelling might be bad but I felt the need to get it up and out now and fix parts later.

American (Western) consumption is out of control. We are killing the earth and the people who will live on it in the future. American’s greed has distorted the word “need” and has lead us to be a culture that consumes unmercifully. If you want to learn more about how this is happening look, you can find the information anywhere (find out when South Africa will run out of water, that one will scare the crap out of you (google south Africa water crisis that’s a start)). So the day after thanksgiving is the pinnacle of Western consumption and it is a day to stand up and say I think this is bad and we should do something about it. Because of those reasons alone I support this holiday but that is not where it ends for me and now my faith takes over and pushes me further.

Now I know many people will say “O.K. I see not wanting to hurt the people who live on the earth but the earth itself doesn’t matter.” Yes God will destroy the earth one day and so if it looks a little dented who cares. Well I believe God cares, at least a little. The world was created out of an overflow of joy and to display His glory. So I feel we should honor the earth, clearly not as much as we honor God, God’s Word, or people but to say it is something that is important to us is not wrong.

Now I think those are great reasons to enjoy BND but I think there are even more. My major reason for celebrating this day is: “I see this day as a great way to protest or make a statement about how we as Americans spend our money.” This day above all others makes the most sense to me. It is the day where American consumerism is not only seen as O.K. it is embraced and glorified. I am not saying anytime we buy something it is bad. I buy things, I just see this day as a day to stand up and set myself apart with an extreme statement that hopefully represents how I live my life and spend my money the other 364 days of the year. I would love to see other Christians stand up and do the same, but in no way do I think they are doing anything wrong by going out and shopping that day, I think when pushed this at first that is what I might have implied and that was wrong of me to do, BUT I think I am really on the right track with the stuff that follows and if you think I’m way off I would love to discus it more because I will be making some strong statements. To stand up and say we have a problem and it’s getting worse.

So the rest of this is basically why I feel we who claim to be Christians need to set ourselves apart from American culture when it comes to our spending habits.
Recently at a church in Minnesota a sermon was given saying “It is O.K. for a Christian to own a Lexus.” I disagree with this idea; I think a Christian should not own a Lexus or a million dollar home. Most people’s first response, “You are judging them.” No, I see their actions and am making a comment about what I see and how it affects their relationship with God. I want what is best for them and I feel they are missing a better blessing form God by using their money in a way that does not bring Him glory.

I believe Jesus was very specific how we should spend our money he did not avoid the issue I think Jesus has called us to a higher standard of living (what a play on words someone buy me a hotdog). Jesus talks about money more than anyone in the Bible so we have a great spot to start from and a great high priest who has not been silent on the subject. I think I could spend weeks looking at every different passage but to keep it a little shorter I would like to just briefly look at a couple of these and let you look at more if you feel the need to. I would like to establish the ideas that 1. Love of money puts us at odds with God. 2. How we spend our money reflects what we find most valuable and ultimately trust money, worldly possessions, or God. 3. It is not how much we give but how we give. 4. God desires for us to live simple lives for His glory and our joy.

1. Love of money puts us at odds with God and diminishes how much we value Him. Matthew 6:24 (ESV) ”24 No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.“ So that is a good place to start you cannot serve money and God. The desire for money will be at war with the desire for God in your heart. Mark 10:23-25 says, “23 And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" 24 And the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said to them again, "Children, how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." Money will make it difficult for some to enter God’s kingdom. Some will find money more desirable then God.

2. How we spend our money reflects what we find most valuable and ultimately trust money, worldly possessions, or God. Matthew 6:19-21 “19 Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The things we own and do are a reflection of what we desire and what we see as supremely valuable. There are other verses that would support the idea that when we trust anything but God it is sin.

3. It is not how much we give but how we give. Luke 21:1-4 “1 Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. 3 And he said, "Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on." Jesus has no concern with how much the widow gave the amount is not important it is the heart behind it. God still loves the giving heart of the rich but the better blessing is bestowed upon the widow.

4. God desires for us to live simple lives for His glory and our joy. Luke 12:32-34 says, 32"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Here is what John Piper says about these verses in a message given on December 14, 1997.
“Focus for a moment on the words, "Sell your possessions." Who was he talking to? Verse 22 gives the answer: "Then Jesus said to his disciples." Now these people were by and large not wealthy. They didn't have a lot of possessions. But still he says, "Sell your possessions." He doesn't say how many possessions to sell. To the rich ruler in Luke 18:22 Jesus said, "Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." Sell all your possessions. When Zaccheus met Jesus, he said (Luke 19:8), "Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount." So Zaccheus gave fifty percent of his possessions. In Acts 4:37 it says, "Barnabas sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet." So he sold at least one field.
So the Bible doesn't tell us how many possessions to sell. But why does it say sell possessions at all? Why? Giving alms - using your money to show love for those without the necessities of life and without the gospel (the necessity of eternal life) - is so important that if you don't have any liquid assets to give, you should sell something so you can give. But now think what this means in context. These disciples are not cash-poor rich people whose money is all tied up in bonds or real estate. Most people like that do, in fact, usually have fairly deep savings. But Jesus didn't say, "Take some of your savings and give alms." He said, "Sell something, and give alms." Why? The simplest assumption is that these folks lived close enough to the edge that they did not have cash to give and had to sell something so they could give. And Jesus wanted his people to move toward simplification, not accumulation.
So what's the point? The point is that there is a powerful impulse in the Christian life toward simplicity rather than accumulation. The impulse comes from treasuring God as Shepherd and Father and King more than we treasure all our possessions. And the impulse is a strong impulse for two reasons. One is that Jesus said, "How hard it is for the rich (literally: those who have things) to enter the kingdom of God!" (Luke 18:24). In Luke 8:14 Jesus said that riches "choke" the word of God. But we want to enter the kingdom vastly more than we want things. And we don't want the word of God choked in our lives. So there is a strong impulse to simplify rather than accumulate. The other reason is that we want the preciousness of God to be manifest to the world. And Jesus tells us here that selling things and giving alms is one way to show that God is real and precious as Shepherd, Father and King.
So the second point is that trusting God as Shepherd, Father and King carries a strong impulse toward simplicity rather than accumulation. And this brings worship out from the inner, hidden place of the heart into more visible actions for the glory of God.”

I agree one hundred percent and believe in a simple lifestyle.

Now back to the Lexus and the American church. Do we live our life like that? Does someone who owns a Lexus or a million dollar home live like that? I just don’t think they do. There possessions speak of what they treasure. They may give away loads of money and then say well this is left over so I’ll buy some extravagant things for myself, and while they may not be sinning they are certainly missing out on a blessing God desires to give them.

So those are big things that's easy, what about the small things? Is it ever appropriate to buy a new car or something that we want? When do we cross the line of simple to extravagant? How do we make judgments about what to buy? Well it's a fine line we must walk. We should think hard and pray hard about every decision I guess I would ask this question as a guideline though. How often do we as a culture and individuals error on the side of being too simple? It is pretty rare and I know there is Christian liberties but I would hate to see us fight for the liberties of the rich while the hungry, needy, and lost of the world continue to fight for food, water, shelter, and even more imporatantly while the lost of the world continue to wander in the dark.

I hope I have not bitten off more than I can chew here. First off I’m the chief sinner, I still buy things I don’t need, I am working on it and praying God would refine my heart in this area, so do not think I’m saying I’m with out guilt.

In the end I ask the question about November 25th, 2005. Where do you want to stand, is it in line to get ten percent off on mittens? Or do you want to stand up and say America, American Christians we have lost our way let us value and trust Christ above everything else! Here is where we draw the line. Here is where the revolution starts…
Godspeed,
Caleb M. Saarela

P.S. Usually I have "cool" lyrics here but this is too long if you are really interested go read the song Vultures below.