Network Marketing is Modelled Upon Christianity

I shared yesterday what the greatest lesson was that I learnt whilst doing network marketing; if you have to say that you are then you aren’t. Well today I share with you the other lesson that I learnt and that is that network marketing is modelled upon Christianity. Now of course I’m not talking about the negative aspects of network marketing (like greed, covetousness, etc). But if you take a moment and think about it, there are many similarities between network marketing and Christianity. Let me elaborate with a few points.

Christianity is about connecting with people and sharing with them the Good News, and encouraging them to tell others about it (see 2 Timothy 2:2). This is done primarily through word of mouth and preferably through relationship (see John 1:41). Network marketing follows the same principle of word of mouth marketing, believing too that their product and method of making money, is good news.

Hype is Social Media’s Adrenaline

I once watched a movie where one of the characters said that mobile devices will change the face of politics. I wonder if the writers of that movie ever thought how ‘prophetic’ their words would ring true. If you really think about it, chat rooms and forums have been around for decades on the internet, but the moment social media capabilities were added to mobile phone devices – BOOM – social media exploded. And with that, a new way of ‘getting high’ – hype.

Take for instance this whole Kony 2012 thing. I must confess that all I know about it, is that there is this guy named Kony who is doing some really nasty things and some people want him ‘taken out’ by the end of 2012. It is not that I am unsympathetic towards the whole situation, but I must agree with Ben that there is more to action than pressing a like button (click here to read his blog). Somehow we think that by forwarding the email, or pressing the like button, or re-tweeting or re-posting the message, we have actually positively contributed to the cause that is being ‘hyped’ about. And then we pat ourselves on the back for doing so.

But here’s a reality check!!! It wasn’t that long ago that we were ‘up in arms’ over Gaddafi and Sadam Hussein. What about Robert Mugabe, the extinction of the Rhino’s, and the Durban couple sold by their pirate captors to someone else? There’s always something to be hyped up about. There’s always something out there *hand waving in the air* that requires our words, our affirmations, our ‘telling others about it’. And all that it actually accomplishes is the drawing of our attention away from what is happening right here *hand pointing to the ground*. So here’s another reality check; tomorrow there will be another one, and the day after that, and the day after that too. Gone are the adrenaline junkies; welcome to the hype junkies.

Biggest reality check of them all; your ‘action’ is not going to save anyone or anything – only Jesus is.

You want to save the people from Kony? Go and evangelise the lost. You want to save the Rhinos from extinction? Go evangelise the lost. Why? Because Jesus said that only once the world has been evangelised, will He return (see Matthew 24:14). And when that happens, then there will be no more tears, no more death, no more mourning, no more crying, and no more pain (see Revelations 21:4). ALL the worlds problems, causes and hypes, fixed in a single flash.

Does that mean you must drop everything and go run into the wild? No! But it does mean that you have to take some REAL action and actually get involved in your church’s mission program. Again this does not mean that you have to personally go as everyone is called differently, equipped differently, and graced differently (and I’ll touch on these in another post later). But you must do more than just talk about it or suggest someone else do it. Get involved.

How easily do you get hyped up about stuff? Is there something in your immediate life, situation, or context that needs you to be actively engaged with it, rather than talking or thinking about it or running off on some other ‘adventure’? You can leave a comment by click here.

my name is darryl
and this is what i have to say

Scripture references:

Matthew 24:14 (NIV) – And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Revelation 21:4 (NIV) – He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.