Clement of Rome: Insatiable desire, no regrets, and prepared

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 2 Corinthians 9:13

“And all of you used to be humble in mind, not arrogant in the least, being submissive rather than forcing submission, giving more gladly than receiving being satisfied with the provisions supplied by Christ. You heeded His words, carefully storing them up in your inner selves. And His sufferings were present before your eyes.

For this reason a deep and rich peace was given to all, along with an insatiable desire for doing good; and a full out­ pouring of the Holy Spirit came upon everyone. And being filled with His holy will, you used to stretch out your hands to the all-powerful God, zealous for the good, with pious confidence, begging Him to be gracious if you inadvertently committed any sin.

Day and night you struggled on be­ half of the entire brotherhood, that the total number of His chosen ones might be saved, with mortal fear and self-awareness. You were sincere and innocent and bore no grudges against one another. Every faction and schism was loath­ some to you. You used to grieve over the unlawful acts of your neighbors and considered their shortcomings your own.

You had no regrets when doing good; you were prepared for every good deed. You were adorned with a highly virtuous and honorable way of life, and you accomplished all things in reverential awe of Him. The commandments and righteous demands of the Lord were in­scribed upon the tablets of your heart.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his first Letter to the Corinthians 2:1-8.

When you read a Scripture like today’s text, don’t you like the know how the story ends. It’s like you are watching a home improvement television show and you see the before and the after.

The before for the Corinthians included instructions about giving and a promise.

The promise was clear an penned in 2 Corinthians around the year A.D. 57 that others would praise God for the their confession and for their collection or their words and their works.

The after is today’s statement from Clement some 30-40 years later.

Clement is writing from Rome about the faith and generosity of the Corinthians. It’s beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. He celebrates their words and their works. And I highly three aspects.

Firstly, the Corinthians had an “insatiable desire for doing good.”

Think about that word insatiable and what it means. Because our doing good flows from God’s abundant provision, there’s never an end to it. We never stop wanting to bless others because God perpetually blesses us.

Secondly, they had “no regrets when doing good.”

This means that they heard the teachings of Paul, put it into practice, and never looked back. This is my prayer for readers today. That they will choose to live, give, serve, and love generously, and not look back.

Thirdly, they were “prepared for every good deed.”

Imagine this. They now live for a whole new purpose. They live to serve as conduits of blessing, ready and prepared to bless others. Do you? Only you can answer these questions.

Do you have an insatiable desire for doing good? Do you have no regrets when doing good? Are you prepared for every good deed?

Believe it or not, I am flying again today. I’d appreciate your prayers.

I fly to Florida to see my parents, my brother and his wife, and a few close friends. I want to encourage all of them to continue to live this way.

I am also encouraging my parents who are brokenhearted by recent news.

Don’t get me wrong, they drip the peace of Christ, but they are sad because their daughter, my sister, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. That’s why from Florida, I fly to Cleveland.

There, I am going to see my sister and her family and to pray for her before her surgery on Monday.

If that’s not all, I will race back Monday because the doctor says our second grandchild is breach so a c-section has been planned for Tuesday.

So, my next few days appear as racing to encourage, pray for, and support family and friends.

I’m thankful for the abundant grace of God who gives us strength for such service. I pray my presence brings comfort and my words deliver love. Make is so, Lord Jesus.

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24

“The beneficent father, compassionate in every way, has pity on those who stand in awe of Him; gently and kindly does He bestow His gracious gifts on those who approach Him with a pure resolve. And so, we should not be of two minds, nor should we entertain wild notions about His superior and glorious gifts. May this Scripture be far removed from us that says, “How miserable are those who are of two minds, who doubt in their soul, who say, “We have heard these things from the time of our parents, and look! We have grown old and none of these things have happened to us.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his first Letter to the Corinthians 23:1-2.

Thanks for your prayers for me in Dallas. The meetings with seminary administrators went great, and I am safely back in Denver. I will turn my attention to the Apostolic Fathers now.

The “Apostolic Fathers” represents a collection of early church letters. Why study them? This line of research comes in response to requests from of persecuted Christians around the world.

Many ask me. “Gary, what do we do if we are not allowed to meet as a church?” And I say to them that I think they need to “be the church” and move toward the brokenness in society and meet up where the pain is!

I get this from watching the example of the early church in the first two centuries. But I want more facts to share.

So, I pitched proposals to deliver two papers in Amsterdam in July 2024 at the Society of Biblical Literature International meeting. They accepted both of my research proposals.

The first is on the topic of “Advice from the Apostolic Fathers on Christian Social Engagement in a Hostile World.” Or to put it another way. How did the early church live out the teachings of Jesus despite persecution?

Today’s post starts to answer that question. Notice at least three things.

Firstly, God is our beneficent Father who cares for those who depend on Him with pure resolve. Secondly, we as His people sometimes wrestle with unbelief. We struggle to trust Him, but we must remember that He stands ready to help us in our unbelief. Thirdly, the early church struggled with the same fears, the same “what if” doubts. What if this or that happens? When “what ifs” dominate our thinking we have two minds. We worry about what might happen and let fear immobilize us.

Let’s pause and remember the Father’s faithfulness to us. Let us move toward brokenness and trust the Father to help us turn it to blessing. And let’s not hold back anything because of fear.

Don’t miss the profound statement of Clement, the first bishop of the church Rome: “We have grown old.” The Father has cared for us for a long. long time.

We can count on Him to care for us today and to sort our tomorrows, so let’s demonstrate that we believe this by living, giving, serving, and loving generously, regardless of the opposition.

Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40

“These are the two things which our afflictions should put us upon.

1. A serious consideration of ourselves and a reflection upon our past lives. Let us search and try our ways, search what they have been, and then try whether they have been right and good or no; search as for a malefactor in disguise, that flees and hides himself, and then try whether guilty or not guilty. Let conscience be employed both to search and to try, and let it have leave to deal faithfully, to accomplish a diligent search and to make an impartial trial.

Let us try our ways, that by them we may try ourselves, for we are to judge of our state not by our faint wishes, but by our steps, not by one particular step, but by our ways, the ends we aim at, the rules we go by, and the agreeableness of the temper of our minds and the tenor of our lives to those ends and those rules. When we are in affliction it is seasonable to consider our ways, that what is amiss may be repented of and amended for the future, and so we may answer the intention of the affliction.

We are apt, in times of public calamity, to reflect upon other people’s ways, and lay blame upon them; whereas our business is to search and try our own ways. We have work enough to do at home; we must each of us say, “What have I done? What have I contributed to the public flames?” that we may each of us mend one, and then we should all be mended.

2. A sincere conversion to God: “Let us turn again to the Lord, to Him who is turned against us and whom we have turned from; to Him let us turn by repentance and reformation, as to our owner and ruler. We have been with Him, and it has never been well with us since we forsook Him; let us therefore now turn again to Him.” This must accompany the former and be the fruit of it; therefore we must search and try our ways, that we may turn from the evil of them to God.”

Matthew Henry (1662-1714) in Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Lamentations 3:37-41.

For 21 years, I have convened seminary advancement workers from across America to “test and examine” our ways and, as needed, return to the Lord. Each year it seems to get better.

I am in Dallas, Texas, at Dallas Theological Seminary (pictured above) and it’s been a rich time discussing the spiritual and strategic dynamics related to growing givers to support seminaries.

Whether I work with new or emerging seminaries or some of the largest ones in the world, many of the best practices transfer to each other and, at meetings like this, I learn new ones.

Pray for us that our reflection will, as needed, lead to conversion, and that God will reset our hearts and equip participants to do more than raise up gifts for seminaries but raise up givers for God’s kingdom.

For the charities you support, encourage them to “test and examine” their ways with peers regularly, and as needed, return to the Lord. We need each other to stay on track and to rally rich generosity.

And let us all return to God with “repentance and reformation” and see Him as “owner and ruler” of all we possess, and in so doing, live, give, serve, and love more generously today and every day.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

“Joy is a sign of generosity. When you are full of joy, you move faster and you want to go about doing good to everyone. Joy is a sign of union with God, of God’s presence. Joy is love, the normal result of a heart burning with love.”

Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997) in Where There Is Love, There Is God: Her Path to Closer Union with God and Greater Love for Others (New York: Image, 2012) 323.

I can relate to this statement: “When you are full of joy, you move faster.” Speaking of moving faster, I returned from the Balkans yesterday and fly to Dallas, Texas, today.

I will to facilitate 24 hours of meetings with senior administrators of a peer group of seminaries at Dallas Theological Seminary. I am excited to serve them for the 21st consecutive year.

Back in 2003, I pulled together a peer group to help seminary administrators move beyond raising up gifts to growing generous givers. It’s been going for 21 years.

Everyone learns things when we come together. We find joy and feel God’s presence.

Likewise, I pray God fills you with joy and helps you move faster to do good to everyone. And I pray you feel His presence and makes your heart to overflow with hope and love.

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

“Riches, both material and spiritual, can choke you if you do not use them fairly. For not even God can put anything in a heart that is already full. One day there springs up the desire for money and for all that money can provide – the superfluous, luxury in eating, luxury in dressing, trifles. Needs increase because one thing calls for action. The result is uncontrollable dissatisfaction. Let us remain as empty as possible so that God can fill us up.”

Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997) in No Greater Love, 78.

Those who think life is found in having, purchasing, and enjoying things choose a path of “uncontrollable dissatisfaction.”

Yesterday’s Stations of Generosity, the first-ever such generosity experience for followers of Christ in the Albanian language for Albania, went fantastic. Thanks for your prayers.

The 36 pastors and trainers left excited and equipped to spread it widely. Today, I return home with thankfulness in my heart for the activation of the accountability and generosity movement in Albania.

I know I will travel through Frankfurt airport today. It has many stores, like a hub of materialism. The storefronts seek to entice our desires.

Whether we hold on to wealth or spend it on stuff, it leads us to perpetual dissatisfaction. But when we give use it wisely or give it, we bless others and position ourselves for God to replenish us in perpetuity.

What pattern is exhibited in your life?

Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18

“Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere you go.”

Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997).

Thanks for your prayers yesterday. Praise God, a task force to draft standards to activate another peer accountability group (like ECFA in USA) was born in Albania.

And it seems that this group may be able to serve the 12 countries of the Balkan region. Praise God!

That includes Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, and Turkey.

Those we served today said at dinner to express gratitude to those who sent us. If you don’t give monthly to GTP to send us to places like this, set up your monthly gift to support “where needed most” here today.

In my meetings this week, I heard Albanian workers say that they will often give time but rarely give money. Then they asked what it was like in my culture.

I said it’s the opposite. People will often give money and rarely give time.

At that point I had one of those “light bulb” or “epiphany” moments. When the gospel touches people, it should change the cultural pattern of giving money or giving time to giving the one thing the world needs…love.

It’s been a blessing to visit the land that celebrates Mother Teresa. I only wish everyone would imitate her. I feel God is nudging me to imitate her heart. What about you?

Today GTP will facilitate Stations of Generosity with about 60 Albanian pastors and trainers. Pray that the have “light bulb” or “epiphany” moments that move them beyond giving time and money and spreading love.

And pray that each one will replicate it among those they serve spreading it to countless others.

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Romans 14:12

“Accountability as a virtue. It focuses on the way in which relationships of accountability can serve to uphold persons rather than threatening to tear them down. In accountability relationships a person serves to bring about the fulfillment of the other by helping them to become all that they should be. The more the person of faith embodies the virtue of accountability to God, the more that individual recognizes the need for and relies on divine assistance.”

Andrew Torrance in Accountability as a Virtue in Studies in Christian Ethics Volume 34, Issue 3, August 2021, Pages 307-315.

Today is a big day in Albania. Pray for us.

GTP will facilitate meetings in Tirana with 60 pastors, ministry administrators, accountants, attorneys, and other professions to activate a task force to start a peer accountability group (like ECFA in USA) for Albania.

It’s a big deal hosted in collaboration with the Evangelical Alliance of Albania.

Notice, in the words of Torrence, that accountability aims to uphold not tear people down. It helps them fulfill their calling. And it reminds them of their dependence on God.

This is what we want for Albania, for churches and ministries to follow standards together with peer accountability.

And it’s cool to do it near Durrës, the ancient city with 2,500 years of history in the region of Illyricum, where the Apostle Paul ministered, likely en route to Rome. In the chapter after our Scripture penned above, he wrote.

“I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done—by the power of signs and wonders, through the power of the Spirit of God. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.” Romans 15:18-19

So, the Apostle Paila likely walked and ministered in this ancient amphitheater pictured above. You can see the Adriatic Sea in the distance on which he sailed. It was cool to walk there briefly yesterday afternoon.

Thanks for your prayers for our team: Ruthie Cristobal (GTP VP of Partnership and Communications), Zenet Maramara (GTP Board Chair), Kehinde Ojo (GTP Board Member), Bezily Varghese (GTP Volunteer), and me.

May God help us activate peer accountability to unleash abundant generosity for His glory.

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Acts 9:13-16

“I am a little pencil in God’s hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more.”

Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997) in The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living.

I can’t believe I have not posted this famous quote before. It’s priceless.

As the conference wraps up today, I’m excited that our group will visit an historical site in Durrës, Albania, where many believe the Apostle Paul ministered. More on that tomorrow, including, hopefully, a new header photo.

But already, I am preparing my mind to shift to thinking about the event to launch a task force to form a peer accountability group for Albania tomorrow. Why am I doing this work? Why do you pursue the things God directs you to pursue?

We are little pencils. He’s writing a story through us like He did through Paul. And we must not question God, like Ananias did, but realize that God can use any person as a pencil. And like Paul or Anjezë, we may suffer when God sharpens us.

As I wrap up this Lausanne Ministry Fundraising Network conference today with my colleagues from all over the world, it seems to me with our ethnic diversity, we are like a box of colored pencils.

May each of us (and everyone reading this) allow God to write with us, to sharpen us, and to use us as He wills with surrender, so that what appears is a beautiful and colorful story of God’s redemption, generosity, and love. Amen.

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. Philippians 2:3-5

“Love is a one way street. It always moves away from self in the direction of the other. Love is the ultimate gift of our selves to others. When we stop giving we stop loving, when we stop loving we stop growing, and unless we grow we will never attain personal fulfillment; we will never open out to receive the life of God. It is through love we encounter God.”

Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997) in Where There Is Love, There Is God Her Path to Closer Union with God and Greater Love for Others (New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2012) 26.

I had never thought of love as a one way street, but it fits. It makes sense. And there are a lot of places like Albania where the streets are narrow and one way streets cannot go both ways.

And notice the role of giving on this one way street. It’s the catalyst. When we stop giving, we stop loving and we stop growing. Think about it. Generous people are full of love and vibrant growth.

What about you? I am giving, loving, and growing this week with a group of colleagues that are serving around the world. By spending time together and encouraging each other, we are growing together.

Is there someone to whom you can give, love, and grow with today? Might this be the pathway for you to receive the life of God, for through loving, we really do encounter God.

Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:47

“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu, also known as Mother Teresa (1910-1997).

I really loved this short statement from Mother Teresa about numbers. “Help one person at a time and always start with the person nearest you.”

I have learned over the years to serve the “receptive” and let God take care of the numbers. Serving the receptive happens one at a time.

Then, the Lord is the One who sorts the numbers, who added to the numbers of the early church and to the work of Mother Teresa and to GTP.

Seriously, click here to see the GTP at 5 infographic. See the meaning of big numbers like 6,986 or 105,932. Because of His love and faithfulness, I resolve to keep trusting Him for provision to do it.

Is God stretching you? Is He leading you to serve a receptive person close by? Is He calling you to trust Him for the provision to do it?

I find that when I look at the numbers He put up in the book of Acts and that He puts up today, it reminds me He can do more than I could ever ask or imagine.