(Taken from the Bible study The Business Model Of The World In The Church (part 1).)
In John 2:13-25, Jesus confronts the “money-changers” in the temple. He said to those who were selling doves, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” The dove is a picture of the Holy Spirit in Matthew 3:16. This is a picture of the church “merchandising” the Holy Spirit.
Merchandising (from Oxford Languages):
the activity of promoting the sale of goods, especially by their presentation in retail outlets
branded products used to promote a particular movie, popular music group, etc., or linked to a particular fictional character [see the Bible study The Business Model Of The World In The Church, that this came from to see a lot more in regards to the branding of the world that is now in the church.]
Excerpts from the article, “What Is Merchandising?”; (https://www.shopify.com/blog/what-is-merchandising)
“Merchandising is everything you do to promote and sell your products once the potential customer is in your store [i.e. “in your church”]. When we talk about merchandise, we are talking about products available for sale, typically in a retail setting.
Since the sales process often starts with the eyes [Genesis 3:6; Satan’s original appeal to the flesh], retail merchandising typically involves presenting products in a visually favorable light, to try and encourage purchases.”
Benefits of merchandising
Some small business owners hire professional visual merchandisers to come in and spruce up their displays and selling floor, finding that the cost is well worth it [in the church, make your sanctuary more exciting, appealing to the “fleshly” senses like the world’s places of entertainment]. But merchandising goes beyond just moving inventory around, to space planning and product staging. Effective merchandising yields:
Higher sales [Many of the leaders of the “mega-churches” have become multi-millionaires by selling their “products.”]
Faster inventory turnover
Buyers who spend more time in the store
More satisfied customers
Increased customer loyalty [In the church, loyalty to a “religious brand,” rather than Christ. Their slogan is usually along the lines of, “Come and see my church,” when it should be, “Come and experience Jesus” because His presence is tangible in your midst.]
Stores that present products that customers are frequently looking for in a pleasing display, or tucked away neatly, will find those same customers returning for more on a regular basis. [The goal of the so-called “seeker-friendly” church. Make them feel “happy” and “accepted” by appealing to their flesh, while never directly confronting sin in their lives, thereby “loving” them into hell.]
See Revelation, chapters 17-18 about the “Babylon the great, the Mother of harlots and the abominations of the earth,” – “Come out of her [Babylon the harlot] My people, so that you do not participate in her sins and receive of her plagues.” (Rev. 18:4; see the section Becoming One With Christ, Or The Harlot Church in the Bible study The Business Model Of The World In The Church.)
