Archives by: Gary Hoag

“The current church faces a dilemma regarding stewardship and generosity…Investments and savings are more valued than giving based on faith and dependence on God. Due to luxury and the church practicing shallow Christian practices, it has become spiritual lazy with material comfort, corruption, and false teachings have pervaded Christianity such as the prosperity gospel. The church has lost much of its influence and are seen as hypocrites by society for its teachings of modesty and lavish lifestyles…The growing crisis is real and it can only be solved through repentance and denying material dependency over God…

It is time for the church to truly be challenged to repent of its material dependence and go back to God through genuine faith and earnest longing to hear and to be used by God. It must let forgo of material dependence and worldly wisdom. Only then can we truly become the church God has called us to be: the pristine bride of Christ and God will answer and provide when we call out. For if we are to be the true salt and light, only through acts of faith can the world truly see that our God is not dead or false, but very alive and eager to show the church and the world what He will accomplish through His divine providence in His perfect time, with or without us.”

Seung Tae Kim in “Philosophy of Biblical Stewardship Paper” dated 29 June 2015 submitted for PT7054: Biblical Stewardship and Christian Generosity class at Torch Trinity Graduate University. To read more insights from my students, check out my recent CLA blogpost: Six Applications from Asia for all Steward Leaders.

Seung Tae, one of my students back in Seoul, states plainly the dilemma and the solution. The church has stagnated because we have shifted our dependence to mammon. He also rightly reminds us that repentance and obedience mark the only way out.

Seung Tae, thanks for reminding us today that God will accomplish great and mighty things “with or without us” and exhorting us to repent of material dependency and instead to place our trust in Him!

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1). What then does it mean to live by this? The key to this is that it means we are tenants, not owners. Compared to modern western culture, this idea is rather foreign. In a cultural context where personal property rights are held in such high regard, it can be difficult to realize fully the implications of this. This verse demands a reordering of thinking. We do not render to God what is ours, but rather God has given to us from what is His…

This is not a renter relationship. I do not pay rent to God, thus giving me special rights to my apartment. God has shared freely what is His. I may receive my livelihood from God’s land, but I am a tenant, not a renter. This distinction is key. As a tenant, I am caring for the land, for the sake of its owner. Thus, the wealth of the land must be spent according to the owner’s wishes, not my own.

The proper acceptance of this is found in Job’s cry: “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21) Even in his wealth, Job recognized that it had been given by God, and it was his to give and to take. A proper response to this, is to handle wealth in a manner that: does not view gain and loss with an attitude of entitlement to “our wealth” and reflects the generosity we have been shown, by showing the same to those around us.”

Jacob Schurder in “Philosophy of Biblical Stewardship Paper” dated 29 June 2015 submitted for PT7054: Biblical Stewardship and Christian Generosity class at Torch Trinity Graduate University. To read more insights from my students, check out my recent CLA blogpost: Six Applications from Asia for all Steward Leaders.

Jacob nails it when he depicts our role as tenants rather than owners or renters. In so doing he sets us on a trajectory of faithfulness that steers clear of entitlement thinking and leads us to reflect the generosity we have received. His use of the testimony of Job was spot on!

Jacob, thanks for calling us to reorder our thinking and for charting the course for us to live as tenants for God!

“Jesus is the model of generosity…Jesus gave himself to us. The reason why he did so is because he wanted to show how Christians should live and wanted us to follow him…Jesus teaches us to store up treasures not on earth but in heaven through giving our possessions to others (Matthew 19:21). We should not be rich for ourselves but be rich toward God (Luke 12:21). That is what Jesus teaches us.

To be a generous giver, we need to sacrifice. We need to empty ourselves as Jesus did for us (Philippians 2:5-11). That is to say, we should give ourselves first to God…Giving is one way of showing our faith. Believers back in Jerusalem did not claim that their possessions was their own after God’s grace was poured upon them (Acts 4:32-37). They sold their possessions and shared with those who had need (Acts 2:44-47). We need to follow what early Christians did through their faith.”

Moonjung Kim in “Resource Development Plan” dated 8 July 2015 submitted for PT7054: Biblical Stewardship and Christian Generosity class at Torch Trinity Graduate University. To read more insights from my students, check out my recent CLA blogpost: Six Applications from Asia for all Steward Leaders.

Moonjung helps oversee the teaching and care of a group of 80-90 singles at a church back in South Korea. She is passionate about understanding the Scriptures and helping people put what they learn into practice.

Moonjung, thanks for zealously reminding that generosity is sacrifice, following the example and teachings of Jesus. Amen!

“Giving money is more than practical issue, it is a heart issue. I am going to set a yearlong Bible reading plan with students so they can be in the Word more regularly. I would like to emphasize giving money is not done by law but by love and not by percentage but by proportion…My job is to sow the seed of stewardship truths in their hearts. I understand the importance of being a good example of generosity to my students, so I want to grow more in giving sacrificially with my wife.”

Sung Soo Kim in “Resource Development Plan” dated 8 July 2015 submitted for PT7054: Biblical Stewardship and Christian Generosity class at Torch Trinity Graduate University. To read more insights from my students, check out my recent CLA blogpost: Six Applications from Asia for all Steward Leaders. Over the next 17 days, I will share precious treasures I received from my 17 students in Seoul with you in my daily meditations. The photo is from Korea too. Enjoy!

Sung Soo Kim is a youth pastor (in training) who oversees children’s ministry at his church in Seoul. I have hope for the future of the Korean Church because leaders like Sung Soo desire to teach God’s Word to young people and set an example for them to follow (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:1).

Sung Soo, thanks for teaching us the heart of giving: that our motivation must be love and to measure our giving in proportion to that which we have received!

“To pray does not imply that without prayer God would not give us anything or that He would be unaware of our needs, but it has this great advantage, that in the attitude of prayer the soul is best fitted to receive the Giver of blessing as well as those blessings He desires to bestow.”

Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889-1929) Indian Christian missionary in his classic work, At The Master’s Feet, 3.2.1.

We must learn to receive from the Lord in order to be generous distributors of material and spiritual blessings. How can we be “best fitted to receive the Giver of blessing as well as those blessings?” Prayer. Let us pray without ceasing (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18), and trust God for our daily bread (and everything else)!

“When a man gives to his neighbor he lends to God. God is a generous God—did He not give His Son to the world, and why? You never, never think why. No, you are too busy with your little things to think why…God gave His Son to save the world from destruction and the soul from agony, and give the body a new birth…

Most of you would rather let your surplus of things, whether food or clothing, decay as your soul would were it not for Christ, rather than give to your neighbor. When you share with your neighbor you in turn lend to God, and blessed is your soul. God is generous with His love, His Son, and His power, for God is love, and His love is generous.”

Harry Brayton Townsend in Leaves from Heaven: A Message of God, a Word from Heaven (Boston: The Christopher Publishing House, 1921) 30.

Consider the implications of this proverb with me (and Townsend) today: Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17.

Jesus affirms this perspective and extends it to even the most undeserving recipients: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35

When we lend to someone, we expect to be paid back. Solomon is saying that when we give to the poor, when we share our surplus with a neighbor in need, the LORD promises to repay us. Jesus goes one step further and calls us to include even the most undeserving recipients.

So why do so few people follow through with this?

Townsend argues that we are too busy and distracted to take advantage of this promise, and in so doing, we are the ones who actually miss out on God’s generous love in return. I think he’s right. Regardless of what others are doing, let’s serve as generous lenders to the poor!

“Charis always demands the answer of eucharistia. Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo. Gratitude follows grace like thunder lightning. Not by virtue of any necessity of the concepts as such. But we are speaking of the grace of the God who is God for man, and of the gratitude of man as his response to this grace…

Radically and basically all sin is simply ingratitude—man’s refusal of the one but necessary thing which is proper to and is required of him with whom God has graciously entered into covenant. As far as man is concerned, there can be no question of anything but gratitude; but gratitude is the complement which man must necessarily fulfill.”

Karl Barth (1886-1968) in Church Dogmatics: The Doctrine of Reconciliation (London: T&T Clark, 2004) 41-42.

I posted this before my backpacking trip about 8 miles into the Gila National Forest in New Mexico where Sammy and I are camping near Mogollon Creek and it will likely rain on us. When I hear thunder and lightning, this is what I am going to think about: “Gratitude follows grace like thunder lightning.”

When you see lightning this summer, and then hear the thunder clap, join me in remembering this: “Grace (charis) always demands the answer of gratitude (eucharistia)!”

“Grace-oriented generosity is the overflow of a liberated heart…Whether Macedonian or Corinthian, American or Canadian, Asian or Australian, the challenge is the same: first and foremost, we are to give ourselves to the Lord. When we do, our treasure will follow the leading of the heart…what is it that makes all this so addictive? … You can’t help but be generous when grace consumes you.”

Charles R. Swindoll in The Owner’s Manual for Christians: The Essential Guide for a God-Honoring Life (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2009) 207-209.

One of my students back in Seoul talked about how “addictive” generosity becomes when rightly framed in light of God’s grace through the Scriptures. We can’t help but become generous when we consider the grace extended to us in Jesus. Fear often slows us down though. If you are worried about “running out” then perhaps take some time to reflect on God’s grace today. That’s what I am going to do on a long hike.

By the time you are reading this I will have headed out on a deep trek into the Gila National Forest in New Mexico with my son, Sammy, to find and video the Gila Trout, currently classified as “threatened” on the endangered species list. Of course we will practice catch and release fly fishing. No trout will be harmed in the making of this video.

Should God grant us the privilege of catching a glimpse of this rare copper-colored trout, we will enjoy and freely share our experience with the world on Sammy’s website where you can enjoy other videos of rare and beautiful fish. Just like enjoying God’s creation can be addictive, as we reflect on God’s grace, we realize it changes everything, and brings joy and meaning to all of life!

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

“Generosity is more than just the money we give on Sundays; it should permeate our daily lives, defining who we are. As followers of Christ, we should display lifestyle generosity. Lifestyle generosity is showing our love for God and others with our money and our actions.”

Roger Gum in Financial Faithfulness: Unlocking Scripture to Avoid the Distraction of Money (Bloomington: Westbow, 2014) 56.

Generosity as a “lifestyle” represents another favorite expression from my students last week at Torch Trinity. Is your Sunday generosity connected to your Monday through Saturday life?

“Since national revival begins with Christians comprehensively functioning under God’s rule, it is past time for a new declaration. America was born out of a desire for independence from the tyranny of England. But spiritual revival demands just the opposite. It requires verbal and visible dependence on God. If we want God to bless America, then America must first bless God. This means people must first totally dedicate allegiance to Him…”

Tony Evans in America: Turning a Nation to God (Chicago: Moody, 2015) 177.

Today in America we celebrate our freedom from tyranny. “Freedom” was another word my students celebrated last week in Seoul as we discussed the application of biblical stewardship principles to life. “Functioning under God’s rule” as Evans puts it, sets us free to love, serve, give, and live as God intended. What keeps us from doing this? Our own sin and desire to live independent from God’s plan an pattern for our lives does! Join me today in declaring our dependence on God!

My parents, not perfectly but with passion, verbally and visibly declared their dependence on God since my childhood. I will never forget our delivery truck at Hoag’s Greenhouses when I was growing up. My dad had this verse painted on the back door: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14. In your mercy, God, hear our prayer.