Soon after moving to Beijing, our friends took us to a wildly popular “discount” market. They have all the name brand products at a fraction of the regular price. Busloads of bargain hunters come to partake in these unbelievable deals. The salesladies speak several languages and will give you their full attention. They call you “my friend” and remember your name if you buy from them. They negotiate the best price and will make any adjustments to make a sale.
The “deals” seem too good to be true and in fact are not “true” because the products are all fakes. One sales-pitch is “the real ones would cost you so much more.” Though purses come with all the labels, the right accessories, and are in the latest styles, Susan told me you can tell the fakes by the low quality of the craftsmanship. A common complaint is that anything you buy there will soon fall apart.
Why are people willing to buy inferior products that won’t last? Can’t they get the real thing? Yes, they can. In fact, we passed by stores selling the “real” products to get to the fake market. A bag at the real shop sells for $600. Walk 100 yards further on and bargain a little and you can get a fake one for $30. They look like the real thing, if you don’t look too closely. People can buy the most popular ones without investing too much. They appear to own genuine items, but they are low-value copies of real products.
A similar logic happens when people choose their religion. They go shopping to find a better deal at a lower price. The popular religious markets are loaded with friendly people that call you “my friend” and will negotiate in your language for an unbelievably low price. They get busloads of bargain hunters; looking for something they can’t find back home at such a low price. The salesperson remembers your name and will give you their full attention to make the sale. They will negotiate the best price and will make any adjustments to get your soul. One argument for their deals, “the real one costs you so much more.”
These discount religions come with all the trappings to make them look genuine and they will add on as many options as you want, but they are too good to be true. You can only tell they are fakes by the value you get from them. With these bargains your heart won’t change, you won’t become a better person, and you won’t get the “peace that passes understanding.” Anything you get from the shallow relationships they offer will soon fall apart.
A real relationship with our Heavenly Father is available; in fact, you will have to walk past the calling of “the real thing” to get to the fakes. The higher price for this relationship has already been paid by Jesus. You won’t get the popular features or the latest fad, but what you will get is real and will last. The cost might seem higher, but what you give up is more than made up by what you get in return, eternal life.
Wayne Lance (2014) – That’s Good News to Share!