I struggle financially. My current income level is inadequate to support my responsibilities, goals, and needs. And, yes, I pray to God daily for financial blessings and his favour towards a better income level.

However, I am sick of a Christianity in which every aspect of its life—prayer, worship, preaching, testimonies, giving, etc.—is oriented towards God’s financial provisions. Do we see no value in God besides his gifts? Do we not savour the excellence of Jesus except as in how he provides loaves of bread and two fishes? Is the Holy Spirit of no benefit except as he supplies miraculous funds or perhaps heals physical ailments? Have we believed aright?

Take a look through the history of Christianity. Material comforts do not take the centre stage, despite the fact that believers have often been from the lower classes. When men are gripped by the love of God, a higher concern simply comes into focus: How can God be king over this land, this nation, this world? How can I bring the greatest number of souls to the Lord Jesus Christ, or how may we bring Christ to them? Even with widely differing ecclesiologies and eschatologies, the burden for the other world, for the life beyond this life, for the kingdom of Christ, has been at the forefront.

As the epicentre of Christianity moves to the Global South (Africa, Asia, Latin America), we must not lose this Biblical and historical emphasis. Indeed, Africa is a relatively poor and impoverished continent. Yet this is not a new development. In fact, Africa has witnessed an economic growth over the years. According to a McKinsey report, between 2000 and 2010, Africa’s real GDP grew at an average of about 5% annually. Even though this has slowed since then, there is much hope of its picking up again.

The modern African also has access to much more in infrastructure, information, and resources than five decades ago. This means that despite the economic challenges of today, we are probably richer than our grandparents. And if we can do a bit of historical digging, we would find that these were the pioneer preachers and evangelists who laboured to consolidate the evangelical faith across the African continent. I think of figures like Bishop Ajayi Crowther, Ayo Babalola, Mojola Agbebi, Henry Johnson, and many others. With all the helps and tools we enjoy today, our spirituality sadly pales before theirs. They were poor, yet were richer.

Perhaps part of what we are dealing with today is not unique to Nigeria and Africa. There has been an unprecedented focus on economic growth since the beginning of the eighteenth century. Walsh and Middleton identify it as ‘Economism’, an assessment of life on purely financial or economic terms. Your balance sheet is what describes who you are. This dovetails with that ascription of status through wealth, which has been so much a part of our traditional societies all along. In such a climate, it is no wonder that the Christian does or values nothing except as it secures him God’s material blessings. He has been captivated by his culture, and the world now sets the agenda even for his worship and his prayer.

Alas, this must not be!

Faith in Christ brings us into a whole new way of seeing and living. It is a life in which we find truth, goodness and beauty, and we never remain the same. And it is a life we have to explore for as long as we live. We have generations of believers who have also walked that path, leaving us a legacy of wisdom, counsel, investigation, ideas, and all manner of intellectual gems to be devoured as long as we live.

While we may lack economic or financial resources, we are never short of spiritual resources, for the Spirit was given to be with us forever. And the joy we get from his presence is more intense than the heaviest bank alert. The excitement that comes when God unfolds his doctrinal truths to our minds far outweighs the taste of the fanciest meal. Nothing on earth rivals the joys and ecstasy the saints have felt when lost in the presence of God. Nothing at all compares.

This is not to deny the reality of economic hardship, like we face in the twenty-first century. The pressures are real. Nevertheless, the Christian worldview invites us to a richer world which cannot be assessed by the IMF or Goldman Sachs. There is a wealth of treasure in Christ (Colossians 2:3) which is ours for the taking. There is an abundance of delights and riches which God offers us as we come into a deeper relationship, riches which are not denominated in Naira or Dollars. All you need is what you already have: God, his word, and his Spirit.

Take and eat!