Central Abbotsford

A couple of weeks ago, one of the handful of remaining telecommunications companies in Canada sent our household a promotional offer – a handful of streaming services bundled together for one low price (at least a low price for a few months, before a considerable increase – as these promotions go). Naturally, being a good steward, I looked through the monthly bank statement to calculate whether this would, in fact, save any money. And that’s when I made the discovery.

Somehow, we had been paying twice monthly for Netflix. Two subscriptions, two slightly different monthly amounts, two different days of the month – how did this happen? Not only that, but it had been ongoing for several months!

My first thought was that somehow we had made a mistake. Did we open a new account for some promotion and forget to close the old one? Did we think that we paused a subscription for a vacation only to start up a second unknowingly? What did we do wrong?

After investigating all possible options, though, it became clear what had happened. Somehow, our credit card details had been unlawfully obtained, and some rogue actor had been enjoying free low-quality television and movies for months as a “gift” from us. Essentially, they counted on the hope that we would not watch our statements closely enough to notice a relatively small monthly charge amidst the groceries, gas, and general expenses. We weren’t watchful enough, and we got burned.

When Peter was exhorting the early church amidst persecution, he gave a warning to them, found in 1 Peter 5:8 – “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” 

There is a danger inherent in this warning – a danger of complacency. Just as I assumed that my bank statements were all in order, because they always had been, and I settled into a rhythm of the busyness of life without auditing or checking them, so too can we do the same with our spiritual lives. Are we assuming that things are in order because they seem “normal”?

Several years ago, I read an old (and not very good) book on approaches to evangelism. The author was making the case that it is easier to deliver the gospel message within the walls of an evangelical church, as compared to out in the world, because, as he argued, “in the evangelical church, as in military training, there is no enemy.” This is the mindset that Peter is warning against. Not that we need to be worried that every person in the seats around us might be a “double agent”, but that we need to be on guard that presence in, or regular attendance at, a faithful church does not insulate us entirely from the attacks of the enemy. Indeed, the rhythms and – dare I say – routine, might instead blind us to an attack.

What does this mean for us? Exactly what Peter says – be watchful. Or, as Paul put it in the passage that I preached out of last week: “let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit.” Let us carefully watch over our lives, with the love and the input of those trusted brothers and sisters around us, so that we are not caught by surprise by sin in our lives. Take care not to give the devil any openings. Gather with the church regularly. Speak to God frequently. Be immersed in His word, trusting the Spirit to guide you and convict you as necessary. Christians are not called to be complacent – we are called to be watchful, for the sakes of our souls.

In His name,

Eric