Archives by: Gary Hoag

They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor. Psalm 112:9

“Why do you think nothing of the future hopes that are stored up by those who despise the cares of the present time? Come, spread your wealth around, be generous, give splendidly to those who are in need. Then it will be said of you as it is in the psalms: He gave alms and helped the poor: His righteousness will endure for ever.”

Basil of Caesarea (330-379) in Homily De Caritate, 3, 6: PG 31, 266-267, 275.

Sitting in Ukraine, which has be ripped by war and difficulty in recent years I find three things today.

Firstly, I find unmatched receptivity to the gospel. Anyone willing to come to this setting can have an audience. Secondly, I see a profound opportunity for those who have been blessed to bless others in their time of need: that may be a message for you. Thirdly, I feel myself convinced that God looks for people willing to despise the cares of this present time and live for eternity.

Give splendidly to accredited churches and ministries wherever you are around the world today. May their accountability inspire your generosity.

And may your horn be lifted high in honor by our faithful God for your sacrifice, which of course pales in comparison to what Jesus did for each of us.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Isaiah 58:6-7

“You are going to leave your money behind you here whether you want to or not. As for whatever share of glory you have received through your good works, that you can take with you to the Lord. All the people will stand round you in the presence of Him who judges you all: they will acclaim you as one who feeds the hungry and gives to the poor, they will name you as a merciful benefactor.”

Basil of Caesarea (330-379) in Homily De Caritate, 3, 6: PG 31, 266-267, 275.

When this posts, we will have arrived, in Jesus name, safely into Ukraine. We will minister in Khust today and tomorrow. Milan Hluchy of Vranov, Czech Republic is with us as our “helper” (Acts 13:5b).

Jenni and I will speak to a large group tonight from the community. Pray for us to bring the good news and a message of hope as merciful benefactors to war-torn people.

We have strategic meetings tomorrow. More on that tomorrow. We have already determined the needs we will face will be much greater than anticipated. Praying for at least another $3,000-$5,000 USD.

Lord have mercy. As you are able, please send a gift designated “Ukraine: Project Structure” here to help resource us to serve as merciful benefactors along the way. Thank you.

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done. Proverbs 19:17

“Give to a hungry man, and what you give becomes yours, and indeed it returns to you with interest. Just as the wheat that falls on the ground falls there to the great profit of the one who sowed it, so the bread given to a hungry man will bring you great profit in the world to come. Let your husbandry be aimed at sowing this heavenly seed.”

Basil of Caesarea (330-379) in Homily De Caritate, 3, 6: PG 31, 266-267, 275.

The economy of God functions the opposite of the economy of this world. The world tells us to hold on to wealth and gain interest here.

Alternatively, Basil echoes Solomon saying that when we give it, we gain a return of interest from the Lord. It brings great profit in the world to come.

As everything we possess, including any measure of wealth, belongs to God, what we do with God’s money determines where we gain interest.

Do you want to gain interest in this life which may last 80 years, in the life to come when 80 million years is only the beginning. Sow what you have. Put it in play.

It will bring you great profit in the world to come. Jenni and I enter Ukraine today with Milan Hluchy. We will sow ourselves in Ukraine through Easter Sunday.

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. Matthew 3:8

“Be like the earth. Bear fruit like her and do not fall short of what mere inanimate matter can achieve. The earth bears crops, not for her own benefit but for yours. You, on the other hand, when you give to the poor, are bearing fruit which you will gather in for yourself, since the reward for good deeds goes to those who perform them.”

Basil of Caesarea (330-379) in Homily De Caritate, 3, 6: PG 31, 266-267, 275.

We safely arrived in Prague. To stay awake we went for an evening walk and took this picture of Prague Castle from the famous Charles Bridge. Heading into Ukraine tomorrow.

And I have pivoted to this ancient treatise by Basil on almsgiving. He puts forth a profound idea: “Be like the earth.” Creation teaches us to bear fruit for our good and for the benefit of others.

Then, notice how he links the work of the land to our work in service to those in need. But when you ponder this topic, sometimes it seems confusing.

Let me shed light on a perceived inconsistency in Scripture that causes many to do nothing for the poor. There are two Greek words for poor with different instructions related to each one.

The word ptochos implies that a person is destitute. The word penes speaks of common person who does manual labor. The former cannot do meaningful work, while the latter must work if they can work.

Whenever we think about almsgiving, the Scriptures exhort us to show our Christian love by caring for the poor (ptochos). This reflects fruit in keeping with or consistent with repentance.

And if we rank among the manual working class, we must work because we can work. And we earn income for meeting our needs and sharing with others.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor (penes); their righteousness endures forever.” 2 Corinthians 9:8-9

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Isaiah 58:5

“Let us fast an acceptable and very pleasing fast to the Lord. True fasting is the estrangement from evil, temperance of tongue, abstinence from anger, separation from desires, slander, falsehood and perjury. Privation of these is true fasting.”

Basil of Caesarea (330-379) in Homily I.

When this posts, Jenni and I will be en route to Prague, Czech Republic. We appreciate your prayers for rest and strength for our service in Czech Republic and Ukraine through 5 April 2024.

Isaiah, the prophet, proclaims that fasting must come into view not merely as a physical act, but as an experience that leads God’s people to spiritual transformation, or more specifically, humbling themselves.

Similarly, Basil calls for privation of evil, anger, slander, and falsehood. These represent spiritual fruits we gain from the physical act of fasting.

I pray your experience of Lent this year has led to less eating or social media and more feasting on the Word of God and prayer. Less spending and more giving.

I pray your privation results in spiritual fruits starting with humility coupled with temperance, patience, service, endurance, and rich generosity.

There, by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, “The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to Him, but his great anger is against all who forsake Him.” So we fasted and petitioned our God about this, and he answered our prayer. Ezra 8:21-23

“Fasting gives birth to prophets and strengthens the powerful; fasting makes lawgivers wise. Fasting is a good safeguard for the soul, a steadfast companion for the body, a weapon for the valiant, and a gymnasium for athletes. Fasting repels temptations, anoints unto piety; it is the comrade of watchfulness and the artificer of chastity. In war it fights bravely, in peace it teaches stillness.”

Basil of Caesarea (330-379) in Homily on Fasting.

Fasting strengthened Ezra and the people for their journey in today’s Scripture. And it aids others as they employ this spiritual tool. But it requires faith, courage, and fortitude to employ.

Notice the nuances Basil draws out. It “gives birth to prophets and strengthens the powerful.” It “makes lawgivers wise.” Ever wonder why more people don’t employ this spiritual tool?

We learn the answer in today’s Scripture. They forsake God and trust their own plans. Perhaps you can relate? I know I can. We tend to make this error in judgment.

We might say, as Ezra could have said, “I can just trust the soldiers and horsemen to protect us.” So the temptation to trust in what we can see in front of us is always there.

We must fast from the tendency to look after ourselves. Fasting serves as a “steadfast companion” that reminds us instead to put our trust in God.

Today Jenni and I depart for Frankfurt, Germany and connecting to Prague, Czech Republic. We are fasting and praying like Ezra for safe travel and fruitful service in Eastern Europe and Ukraine through 5 April 2024.

You can still give in support of this strategic trip by designating your gift to Eastern Europe: Project Order, Ukraine: Project Structure, or Ukraine: Project Tiny Houses. Click here to give.

What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? Matthew 16:26

“The Almighty turns away the gifts of wicked men. He who offers sacrifices from the goods of the poor is like a man who sacrifices a son in the sight of his own father…

Those riches which he has gathered in unjustly will be vomited out of his belly. And now the angel of death comes to drag him away. He will be mauled by angry dragons, killed by the serpents tongue. Moreover, everlasting fire is consuming him.

So, woe to those who feast themselves on things that are not their own. Or, “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and suffers the loss of his own soul?

It would take too long to discuss or argue every single case or to sift through the whole of the Law for precise witness against such greed. Sufficient to say, greed is a deadly deed. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”

Saint Patrick (387-461) in The Confession of Saint Patrick: The Classic Text in New Translation, translated by John Skinner (New York: Image, 1998) excerpts from chapters 8-9.

I love three things about St. Patrick’s Day.

Firstly, the day always happens during Lent. And as a result, it serves as a day to remind me to give my life in sacrificial service to God, like Patrick.

Secondly, when I read aspects of his confession, I see why his ministry had such power and authority. He spoke biblical truth pointedly and prophetically to corrupt behavior.

On this second point, I need to echo his message today. People give their lives to the accumulation of wealth, a behavior that runs counter to biblical teaching.

If that is you, let me remind you that your surplus does not belong to you. God has blessed you to have resources to enjoy and share. Put them in play lest they demonstrate your misplaced trust.

Thirdly, when I consider the impact of His teaching, that is, to win a nation, it gives me confidence that it can happen again today. That’s why with our work at GTP we aim to build into local, faithful servants of God.

I not only want to be like Patrick myself. I want to multiply Patricks in every nation. At GTP, we now have 69 country coordinators, like Sasha Volyanyk in Ukraine, a brother with whom I will serve in Ukraine shortly.

He’s like a modern day Patrick. He has served with YWAM in Ukraine for more than 20 years. And he loves GTP and our resources so he serves as GTP Country Coordinator for Ukraine.

Right now he coordinates efforts that share the gospel, make disciples, and minister to IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) by providing them with a tiny house and a Christian community of support.

On this special day, please make a gift to support our program work in Ukraine from 21-31 March 2024. You can learn more about our work there by viewing these two documents: Project Structure and Project Tiny Houses.

Click here to give. And our greatest need right now at GTP is monthly “where needed most” giving here.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Matthew 6:25

“Christians must always live this way, without any wish to come down from their cross – otherwise they will sink beneath the world’s mire. But if we have to do so all our lives, we must make even a greater effort during the days of Lent. It is not a simple matter of living through forty days. Lent is the epitome of our whole life.”

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) in Sermon 205.

I am preparing the fourth and final zoom for the Journey through Lent with GTP. I am calling it “Life after Lent” because, as Augustine rightly put it, “Lent is the epitome of our whole life.”

This explains why Jesus gave us instructions in the Sermon on the Mount about giving, prayer, and fasting, and why God’s people have observed Lent since the days of the early church.

These disciplines are not formulaic or magical but formational. They transform us as we practice them. Without them we become overcome by worry and sink beneath the world’s mire.

Determine one aspect of Lent you want to continue after Easter. Tell one person to hold you accountable. And remember, Lent is like Spring Training for baseball. The regular season starts on Easter Monday.

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

“Let us therefore approach fasting with a radiant face. Let us greet it with gladness in our souls. And let us not so much abstain from foods as refrain from sins. Let us not appear humble on the outside to men while being shown to be arrogant in our souls to the Master. Let us not give to the poor while acting rapacious with others. And let us not flatter God with words while destroying our brethren with our deeds. Let us always keep in mind the words of the Apostle: Seek peace with all, and sanctification, without which no one will see the Lord. Rather, keeping a fast from both foods and from all evil things, let us say to God: You have mercy on all, for you can do all things; and you overlook the sins of men that they might repent. For to you is due all glory, to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.”

Hesychios of Jerusalem (d. 450) in Fasting.

This represents the concluding statements in the treatise, the last words of Hesychios on fasting. And he seems to have saved the best for last.

This one sentence seems to sum up the discipline: “let us not so much abstain from foods as refrain from sins.” That’s what fasting aims to do.

Read this post again and ask the Holy Spirit if there are any disconnects in your life. Heres’s what Hesychios would say to each of us.

Do you appear humble yet have an arrogant heart?

Do you give to the poor and yet act rapacious toward others?

Do you flatter God with words and harm other with deeds?

Ponder these questions and if you sense any inconsistency in your life, take it to the Lord in confession and prayer. Fast from that habit or behavior, and ask the Spirit to help you chart a new course.

“Let us not so much abstain from foods as refrain from sins.”

The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then Moses would return to the camp, but his young aide Joshua son of Nun did not leave the tent. Exodus 33:11

“Fasting is not only most useful for sinners, but is also advantageous, in certain moments, for the righteous, as we have shown above. By fasting for forty days and forty nights, Moses entered into the cloud and saw God as no one had ever seen him. God himself bears witness concerning this, saying, If there should arise among you a prophet to the Lord, I will be known by him in a vision, and I will speak to him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses: mouth to mouth I will speak with him, and face to face, as if one should speak to his friend. This unique vision was afforded to the prophet by fasting, and the face of the one who fasted was changed into a kind of divine lightning-flash of the unapproachable Light; and it gave to the prophet tablets inscribed by the finger of God.”

Hesychios of Jerusalem (d. 450) in Fasting.

I am having continued issues with my website. On top of that, we are getting hammered with a winter storm. I guess better late than never, here’s today’s post.

Let us lean into fasting, for through it, we shed our fleshly ways and, if the Lord wills, come to a place where we see him face to face.

This is a powerful reality, made possible by the the most useful discipline of fasting. It’s useful for everyone, both sinners and the righteous.

It opens the door for the unworthy to meet the unapproachable, for the supernatural relationship.

And in the Scripture, both Moses and his young aide Joshua come into view. It reminds me to continue to pour into the next generation.

This reflects the focus of my work with GTP. Discipling and empowering stewards to have a deep relationship with God.

And then teaching and coaching them to help ministries follow God’s righteous standards for flourishing and sustainability.

Right now I am praying for support for upcoming travel and program work in Ukraine (Project Structure and Project Tiny Houses), in Eastern Europe (Project Order), and the Eastern Caribbean (Mobilizing Caribbean PAGs).

Click on the words to see how your support could make a difference in those places. And our greatest need is monthly “where needed most” giving here.

And want to know more about fasting? Join the GTP Lenten Zoom on Fasting this Friday at 5am Denver time. Register here to get the link.