Archives by: Gary Hoag

“I’ve always wondered why they call it Good Friday, when in fact, it was bad Friday, dark Friday, evil Friday…Perhaps the Church Fathers wanted to deny Satan any credit of victory in the Easter story. Although it was bad at the time, it ultimately turned into the greatest victory mankind has ever witnessed. Christ defeated death, defeated sin, and won for us eternal life. It culminated on Good Friday. Good Friday gave us the cross of Jesus Christ…We would not know of His ultimate generosity and love unless this story were told.”

Randal Wiedemann, Five Minutes with Jesus: Transforming Power (Bloomington: CrossBooks, 2011) 48.

“We’re most like God when we’re giving.”

Dixie Fraley at Generous Giving Conference 2001, Phoenix, AZ.

“It ought to be the business of every day to prepare for our last day.”

Matthew Henry as cited by Richard J. Krejcir in Contemporary thoughts amongst Evangelical Leaders why Stewardship is Declining.

“In the sphere of material things giving means being rich. Not he who has much is rich, but he who gives much.”

Eric Fromm, The Art of Loving (New York: Continuum) 22.

“Giving produces freedom 100% of the time: freedom from the bondage of things, freedom to receive more from God, and freedom to be a conduit of blessing to others.”

Tricia Mayer as cited by Richard J. Krejcir in Contemporary thoughts amongst Evangelical Leaders why Stewardship is Declining.

“Where riches hold the dominion of the heart, God has lost His authority.”

John Calvin, Commentary on the Harmony of the Evangelists: Matthew, Mark, and Luke trans. William Pringle (Edinburgh: Calvin Translation Society, 1845) 337.

“One of the single-most important tasks of leadership is to teach people to give.”

Rick Warren, Teaching Your People to Be Generous. Exponential ’04.

“The reason Christians don’t give to their church is not because of apathy but because of ignorance. They have never been taught what God’s word says about good stewardship.”

Interview with Ken Williams by Generous Giving. Generous Giving Journal: Pastors Edition, October 2003.

“Jesus didn’t tell us not to store up treasures. On the contrary, he commanded us to. He simply said, “Stop storing them up in the wrong place, and start storing them up in the right place.”

Randy Alcorn, Money, Possessions, and Eternity (Tyndale 2003) 94.

“Growth in faith determines growth in stewardship. That is, the formation and growth of faith produces a firm desire to be faithful stewards of what God gives…the more mature the person is in their spiritual formation, the greater sense to conform to the biblical principles and a greater cheerfulness to give.”

Richard Krejcir, theologian in residence, at the Francis Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership. Findings from Dissertation: “Exegetical Concepts Of Biblical Stewardship As Compared To Postmodern Thinking And Current Trends.”