Archives by: Gary Hoag

And [Jesus] said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Luke 12:15

“But now, leaving ancient history, let us interrogate the experience of daily life, and learn what sort of a creature it recognizes in covetousness, and how hard it is to get rid of; for whomsoever it seizes, ever waxing but never waning, it grows old with its victims and abides with them to the end.

The lustful and the lover of his body, even if he be for a long time mad in his desires, when he becomes old, or sees the object of his affection, his body, now aged and the bloom departed, finds that there is a limit to his disorder. The glutton himself withdraws from his indulgence when surfeited, or when his digestive organs become weak, and their intense desire for food is gone. The ambitious man after having attained great notoriety ceases to desire to show himself off.

But the disease of covetousness is an evil hard to rid one’s self of. And just as this ivy, the plant flourishing and ever green, creeping up the trees that grow near, coils tight about the trunks wherever it touches and even if they suffer harm or wither, it does not die, unless some one with an axe severs its serpent-like coils so it is not easy to free the soul from covetousness, whether the body be youthful or beginning to grow old, unless some sober consideration enter in and like a knife cut off the disease.”

Asterius of Amasea (350-410) in his sermon, “Against Coveteousness.”

Coveteousness rears it’s ugly head in many ways. This post gives me much to ponder as I fly to Cleveland, Ohio, today to see family and honor the memory of my aunt and uncle who passed away back in December 2021.

Similar to the lustful, the gluttonous, and the ambitious persons in this sermon by Asterius, we say at GTP in Journey of Empowerment that people pursue possessions (lustful), pleasures (glutton), and power (ambitious).

So whilst times have changed, the traps remain the same that the evil one uses to enslave us and limit our generosity. We must identify and avoid them. But how?

Whatever possessions we are drawn to reveals our idols. Whatever pleasures we pursue reveal our heart’s desires. And whatever power we seek reveals our fears. We must do away with idols, make Christ our sole desire, and not allow fears to guide our decision making.

It’s getting on Spring in USA. Might it be time to weed out the ivy of coveteousness in any of these three areas? Sit with Jesus, follow the leading of the Spirit, trust the Father to care for you.

Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked. “Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’” “By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left. When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” “Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered. But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow. 2 Kings 5:20-27

“The first man was beguiled into the love of pleasure, and by eating the forbidden fruit lost immortality, as Esau afterward lost his birthright for a dish of pottage. And love of more introduced into our life these languages of ours, the many tongues of men. For men who through plenty had become wanton, thinking that the heavens were accessible to them, foolishly made a preposterous tower for mounting up to the sky, and so caused mankind, which had been of one language, to speak with different tongues; in seeking more than they had, they themselves were not only confounded but left to mankind the weariness of hearing unintelligible tongues, and of searching for their interpretation.

And what of Pharaoh? How came he to fall into difficulties and to be afflicted with plagues? Was it not through covetousness, through the desire of being lord over a strange people which by no means belonged to his kingdom? And, since he did not let those go who belonged to another, he lost those who were his own; some in the smiting of the first-born and others in the pursuit through the sea. For I do not mention the rivers flowing blood, and the infinite generation of frogs, and the destruction wrought by locusts, and the eruption of boils, and the death of four-footed beasts, and all the evil to which Egypt was condemned on account of her ruler’s covetousness.

Again, somewhere else I have learned the outcome of this sin, how leprosy in a moment spread over the body of the covetous. Recall with me, if you are historically inclined, and fond of hearing of Elisha’s deeds, how Naaman the Syrian bathed in the Jordan, and was healed of his leprosy, and how his malady passed over upon Gehazi, the prophet’s servant, a covetous and foolish young man, who received raiment and silver for his master’s free act of healing. How did Absalom, that fiery and impetuous young man, son of an indulgent father, become a parricide?

Was it not by prematurely seeking the inheritance of the kingdom and leaping like a robber upon what was another’s? And Judas, also, what drove him out from the company of the apostles, and made him a traitor instead of an apostle? Was it not the treasury at first dishonestly administered, and then the getting of the shameful price? Why does the Acts of the Apostles tell in tragic vein of Ananias and Sapphira? Is it not because they were thieves of what was their own, and violators of their own offerings? The day will soon fail me if I try to enumerate the servants of covetousness.”

Asterius of Amasea (350-410) in his sermon, “Against Coveteousness.”

With thanksgiving to God, I report that I have arrived safely home. Again, if you want a copy of our Palmful of Maize trip report, please reply to this email to request it. Now I want to continue citing from this powerful sermon.

Asterius brilliantly sketches a few of the servants of coveteousness in the biblical record. Notice each one played a part in the ongoing story and was wiped out by coveteousness. If it can happen to Gehazi, I can happen to any of us.

The key here is that those close to God’s people like Judas, Esau, Ananias and Sapphira, can miss out on all God desires for us, when we become consumed by pursuing our own desires. So, what is the lesson for those of us today?

As God blesses us, we must attach to the gifts of God, but to God who is the Giver of all good gifts. To avoid becoming servants of coveteousnss, let us practices disciplines to know God and steward resources in keeping with His will.

Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Psalm 119:36

“There are many kindred Scriptures full of profit for us, into all of which I wished to go that I might show you the abundance of the spiritual feast. But I must fulfil the promise that I made yesterday. For after we had brought many accusations against covetousness, but had scarcely laid bare its vanity, we deferred until today the proof of the charges. Listen, therefore, and show yourselves wise judges of the truth; for your decision affects your own salvation, not that of others; and each of you casts his vote of condemnation against his own soul, as though driving it out of house or town.

Covetousness, then, is not simply being mad for money, and other possessions, wishing to add to what you have that to which you have no right, but, to speak more broadly, it is the desire to have in every transaction more than is due or belongs to you. And you know that the devil was the first to have this fault; for he was an archangel, and appointed to the most honorable life and station; but the arrogant creature conceived of absolute rule, and rebellion against God, and was thereafter cast down from heaven, and, falling into this atmosphere of earth, he became your malicious neighbor. So he did not attain the divinity to which he aspired, and he lost the rank which he had enjoyed of being archangel; an unfaithful servant, changed by gradually increasing audacity into a robber.”

Asterius of Amasea (350-410) in his sermon, “Against Coveteousness.”

As our team members travel back to Australia, Egypt, and USA, I will continue citing from this sermon. In short, Asterius reveals that coveteousness is desiring more than is due or more than belongs to you. It’s the sin of the devil and many after him. But what is our portion?

Throughout Scripture the provision of manna or daily bread comes into view. Perhaps the best way to address this issue is not to point fingers but to hold up a mirror. We must each ask ourselves whether or not we desire more that what is due and what that says about our hearts. Does coveteousness have a grip on you?

As I ponder this on my way home, along with all I have experienced in Malawi, it strikes me that at the core, selfishness is trusting myself to care for my needs rather than God. I can be controlled by a scarcity mindset and become a robber like the devil, or choose obedience and generosity which reply on God’s love and abundance.

We aim to break the power of coveteousness in Malawi through Palmful of Maize, inspired by Handful of Rice in India. If you want to read our trip report, please reply to this email. As this was a massive effort in which GTP invested much of our available resources, please click here make a gift to GTP today to support our ongoing work.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

“Christians and sharers of a heavenly calling, you country folk, and all who come from the towns, you who in concord have gathered at the present feast, for by a general address I embrace you all, has each one of you thoughtfully considered and realized why we are assembled? And why are martyrs honored by the construction of notable buildings and by these annual assemblies, and what end did our fathers have in view when they ordained the things we see, and left the established custom to their descendants?

Is it not evident to one who concentrates his thought on this subject even for a short time, that these things have been given permanent form to rouse us to pious emulation, and that the feasts constitute public schools for our souls, in order that while we honor the martyrs, we may learn to imitate their sturdy piety; that lending the ear to the gathered teachers, we may learn some useful thing which we did not know before, either the certainty of some doctrine, or the explanation of some difficult Scripture, or may hear some discourse that will improve our morals?

But you seem to me to have abandoned your care for virtue, to have forgotten your zeal on behalf of your souls, and to have devoted all your thought to the rubbish of mammon and the business of the markets; some bargaining yourselves; some greedily haggling with competing dealers in order to reduce their prices. But transfer your love to the church. Abandon the love of money, that mad passion of the market.”

Asterius of Amasea (350-410) in his sermon, Against Coveteousness.

The next few posts will come from this powerful sermon delivered long ago but sounding as relevant as ever. Many Christians today have abandoned God for money. They devote all thought to mammon and the markets.

This posture stands in contrast to the effort we just rolled out in Malawi which is sweeping far and wide: “Give to God what you have.” Giving releases the power over those who possess it when they give it.

This abandonment is shocking because we are sharers of a heavenly calling. We get to show that care of virtue and not coveteousness is the force that drives us, and that God and not money is the one who sustains us.

Our work on this trip in Malawi is done. Soon we depart for Ethiopia, and then to Australia, Egypt, and USA from there. The Palmful of Maize vision has been unleashed. Thanks for your prayers for safe travel.

Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Acts 5:1-2

“They did not deposit the whole price of their land, but kept back a little for their own necessary use… The preaching of the Gospel and its wonders uplifted the first Christians to heaven, and men came from all directions to drink of the fountain of grace.

They gave up individual possessions and joined all together, so that personal wealth ceased to exist in this spiritual society. Among others, Ananias and his wife offered their property to the common stock. When once given to Christ, it was no longer their own. It was therefore wrong to keep some back, though merely in itself such a deed does not appear so.

Peter at once cut out this evil, in order that the disease might not spread to the whole body of believers. The deed was not a wrong done to Peter, and therefore it did not receive his forgiveness; but it was done to the Deity, and was an outrage on the faith.

Besides, if no notice had been taken, they would have thought their hidden deed escaped Christ’s notice, and so would have proceeded unrebuked to worse sins, and have infected others, like a pestilence, with the same ideas. To prevent this, Peter checks the disease, and drags up the weeds before they can spread over the field.”

The Apocriticus of Macarius Magnes, translated and compiled by T.W. Crafer (London, SPCK, 1919) excerpt from chapters XXII-XXIII

In this fourth century apology, Macarius unpacks the demise of Ananias and Sapphira as keeping back what belongs to God. Interesting the Greek word used for holding back is actually the word, embezzle, or stealing that which belongs to another. Everything belongs to God.

Today Matthew, Ray, and I are preaching in three different churches in Malawi. My message from Acts 4:32-5:11 is entitled, “Give to God what you have.” Our human tendency is sinful rationalization. “I earned what I have, so it’s mine.” We forget that God gives us the ability to produce wealth (cf. Deuteronomy 8:17-18).

The reason there remained no needy persons among them in the early church was because they were united in treating everything as belonging to God. When one acted otherwise, God rooted out the greedy person among them. Flourishing in commnity was rooted in the gospel and their generosity flowed from God’s grace.

Each of us can be tempted to play the rich fool as God blesses us. Remember, we are not a container, but a conduit of spiritual and material blessings. Ask the Spirit today if there is any cancer in your thinking that needs to be cut out. Do it lest it destroy you like it did Ananias and Sapphira.

God desires not to worry us but uses stories like this to wake us to depend on Him. He also does not want us to hold back anything for ourselves. This is a hard idea for many. It becomes easy when you soak in the gospel. God’s care for us went to the extent of not sparing His own son for us. We can do this. God’s got us.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31

“He who shares our nature should share our love, itself the fruit of nature. Wherefore if a man find it a burden, I will not say only to relieve his brother’s needs, but to minister to his brother’s pleasures, let him mortify those same affections in himself, lest he become a transgressor. He may cherish himself as tenderly as he chooses, if only he remembers to show the same indulgence to his neighbor. This is the curb of temperance imposed on thee, O man, by the law of life and conscience, lest thou shouldest follow thine own lusts to destruction, or become enslaved by those passions which are the enemies of thy true welfare. Far better divide thine enjoyments with thy neighbor.”

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), excerpt from Chapter Eight in his classic work: On Loving God.

Today is the big launch event for Dzanja Lodzaza Chimanga, which in English is, Palmful of Maize. 56 people, two from 28 districts have converged on Malawi. They have come to hear about the curriculum and the program which has 12 lessons, one of which is linked to being generous to your neighbor.

I miss my neighbor, Ken Sharp, back home. Whenever I travel I don’t get to see him, but we always fellowship when I get home. What I love about our friendship is that we share the simple pleasures of life together. That’s how God designed it. We get more joy when we divide enjoyments with each other.

People often ask me what’s a good measure for enjoyment of blessings from God. How would Jesus answer? They say, “Is it okay if I enjoy this meal or this amazing experience?” I think Jesus would say today’s Scripture in reply to love God with what you have first, and then enjoy it with your neighbor.

I am learning that sharing is the pathway to life. Think of someone with whom you can share today. And if you feel inspired to help GTP for the investment we are making in Malawi to teach every child in every Sunday school class to share, give generously here. I am asking God to supply $50,000 for the cost of this trip and project expenses for the year.

For this trip we brought in four workers from three countries. We covered lodging and food for the week. We created a generosity curriculum and mapped the plan for nationwide rollout including printing and getting maize sacks. And we enjoyed lots of chambo and sima (fish and maize flour porridge) together.

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:19-21

“For the pious, my beloved, it is always good to occupy themselves with the holy doctrines, teaching the fear of God and leading us in the right ways which are pleasing unto God. And especially with the stories of the memory of the works of the Saints, who lived well with God and were perfect in the holy service. For there is nothing of such profit to the pious soul as such meditations which show forth the excellent life and holy works and humble habit of monasticism.

For it is well known that there is no small consolation to be gathered from [an examination] as to how they lived and pleased God in humbleness; how they persisted in patience and in that love, which is a perfect sign of being a disciple of Christ, and in great works; how they persevered in steady and long fasting, how they humbled themselves in performing abundant services beloved by God. Not only blessed men have been seen doing this, but there have also been found women in all generations shining like stars in the whole world.”

In the “The Story of the Holy Hilaria, the daughter of king Zeno” translated from the Syriac.

In today’s Scripture, we find the disciples struggling against the spiritual forces of evil. Jesus teaches them that their difficulty linked to the littleness of their faith. Ho can it grow? It grows with prayer and fasting.

The story of Hilaria is about a girl who practiced “steady and long fasting” and did many wonderful services for God’s people, including heal her sister. She was daughter of Roman Emperor, Zeno.

She disquised herself as a man to become a monk. Why? She was pious and her story is recounted to inspire future pious people. In plain terms, she was deeply committed to God and wanted to join a community serving Him.

What about you? Are you around people who are deeply committed to God and willing to sacrifice everything for Him? Do you face adversity that can only be conquered by prayer and fasting?

Any generosity that flows from us must be rooted in deep faith and strengthened by prayer and fasting, so that what we request is a proclamation of what we see in the heart of God and in accordance with His will.

Yesterday we hoped to train 70 trainers with the contextualized generosity curriculum. God brought 118 people to Salima, Malawi (see above). They loved the 3 sample lessons the national trainers shared and the Palmful of Maize vision.

Tomorrow is the Palmful of Maize launch event. Fast and pray with us that 2 workers from 28 districts across Malawi can make it along with influential workers from across the capital city of Lilongwe.

We had torrential rains last night and had difficulty getting into the city. But we made it by God’s grace. Though the rains are continuing to come down and may cause flooding. God help us.

There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Luke 2:36-37

“Let not us, then, who are in Christ — that is, always in the lights cease from praying even during night. Thus the widow Anna, without intermission praying and watching, persevered in deserving well of God, as it is written in the Gospel: She departed not, it says, from the temple, serving with fastings and prayers night and day. Let the Gentiles look to this, who are not yet enlightened, or the Jews who have remained in darkness by having forsaken the light. Let us, beloved brethren, who are always in the light of the Lord, who remember and hold fast what by grace received we have begun to be, reckon night for day; let us believe that we always walk in the light, and let us not be hindered by the darkness which we have escaped. Let there be no failure of prayers in the hours of night — no idle and reckless waste of the occasions of prayer. New-created and newborn of the Spirit by the mercy of God, let us imitate what we shall one day be. Since in the kingdom we shall possess day alone, without intervention of night, let us so watch in the night as if in the daylight. Since we are to pray and give thanks to God for ever, let us not cease in this life also to pray and give thanks.”

Cyprian of Carthage in Treatise 4.36 On the Lord’s Prayer.

Fasting at night is not hard. We are sleeping. By day, of course, is another story. Fasting by day simply teaches us that Christ is the only thing that satisfies. That’s what Anna learned by experience.

There are some who argue that the generous person needs to have a “balanced” life. It looks something like this, they “care for yourself” and then “care for others” but that care flows out of their capacity and depends on self rather than God.

Then there are people like Anna who “without intermission” serve in God’s house, day and night. How did she do it? What sustained or fueled her? The text reveals her secret: fasting and prayer.

If you are reading this, I urge you this Lent to stop pursuing a “balanced” life with frequent intermissions. as your ability to care for yourself is insufficient compared to what God can do for you, in you, and through you.

Instead, without intermission, live, give, serve, and love like Anna. In so doing, when you have desires, give them over to God and ask Him to fulfill them whilst simultaneously fueling you to bless others. See what happens.

You might emerge as a modern day Patrick. His life impacted all of Ireland. That’s my hope for Malawi. Today the national workers we have served will train about 60-70 trainers to spread the generosity curriculum in 28 districts.

My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One… Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth… Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 John 2:1, 3:18, 5:21

“And now, my children, hearken unto me and beware of the spirit of deceit and envy. For envy ruleth over the whole mind of a man, and suffereth him neither to eat nor to drink, nor to do any good thing. But it ever suggesteth (to him) to destroy him that he envieth; and so long as he that is envied flourisheth, he that envieth fadeth away. Two years therefore I afflicted my soul with fasting in the fear of the Lord, and I learnt that deliverance from envy cometh by the fear of God. For if a man flee to the Lord, the evil spirit runneth away from him, and his mind is lightened. And henceforward he sympathiseth with him whom he envied and forgiveth those who are hostile to him, and so ceaseth from his envy.”

The Testament of Simeon 3:1-6 in The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. From The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament by R. H. Charles, vol. II, Oxford Press.

It’s been rewarding to participate in creating a generosity curriculum for the Sunday School programs of Malawi. Each of 12 lessons had a memory verse. One verse we used, above, was 1 John 3:18, about loving with actions and truth. It prompted me to read other “children” verses and to go to the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs.

In The Testament of Simeon, he warns children about deceit and envy. This is a good lesson for adults who want to be generous. Why? Wealth is deceitful according to Jesus and it leads us to desire the wrong things which is envy. What’s the way out of its power? It’s fasting in the fear of the Lord! It’s setting aside your desires and desiring God over all.

Today in Malawi we focus on the parallel idea of accountability that must accompany generosity. If you have not been tracking with us, GTP is rolling out a program called Palmful of Maize for Malawi, inspired by Handful of Rice from India, in partnership with STUM and GenerousChurch.

We created a 16 lesson generosity curriculum for the Sunday School programs of Malawi that will run from 24 April to 7 August 2022 all across Malawi. Now we are working with the national team that will facilitate like Levites the work of training people to give maize so that it can be converted to resources for mission and mercy efforts.

God help us stand on the foundation of the AfCAA standards which exhibit fear of God. God help us set aside our desires and understand your heart for mobilizing the next generation to be generous with what they have. In your mercy hear our prayer in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. Acts 11:27-30

“It is interesting also to compare the custom of the early Christians in the matter of fasting, that they might relieve by their self-denial the necessities of the poor. This is precisely what we find described so fully in the Similitudes of Hermas (Sim. v. 3), where the directions are given that on the day when we fast we are ourselves to eat only bread and water, and calculate the amount saved thereby and bestow it on the poor. Now very many of the later fathers teach the same doctrine, that fasting and alms are conjoined in duty and merit, and that it is proper, under certain circumstances, for the church to call for such an expression of religion. But what makes for the antiquity of the apology is that the whole church fasts, not merely one day, but two or three days, and that not by direction or rule, but because they are poor and have no other way of meeting the needs of those who are poorer than themselves. It is a spontaneous, rather than a commanded charity, dictated at once by love and necessity.”

J. Rendel Harris in the introduction to “The Apology of Aristides on Behalf of the Christians” which he wrote in A.D. 125 to Roman Emperor Hadrian, who reigned from A.D. 117-138 about the Christians (Cambridge University Press, 1893) 15.

What I am seeing in the people of Malawi seems to echo what Aristides reported of the early church. They were poor but they practiced self-denial out of love and necessity for those who were more poor.

It’s a powerful witness.

Our GTP team in partnership with GenerousChurch been working with four influential workers of STUM (Sunday School Teachers United Movement) to create the generosity curriculum for use in churches across Malawi.

So far so good. We work to finish a draft today so it can be translated tomorrow.

Appreciate your prayers for us.

And like the Christians in the early church, as you are able, can you help GTP finish the Trust Fund campaign which ends today. We are so close! We are at $9,710 toward the goal of $10,000. Only $290 to go today.

Click here to learn more about the GTP Trust Fund which will support projects like the work we are doing in Malawi. Thanks in advance for your help. Please give as you are able out of love and necessity.