Archives by: Gary Hoag

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24-25

“Consider what abundant encouragement the Word of God gives, that you shall be no losers by your charity and bounty to them who are in want. As there is scarce any duty prescribed in the Word of God, which is so much insisted on as this; so there is scarce any to which there are so many promises of reward made. This virtue especially hath the promises of this life and that which is to come. If we believe the Scriptures, when a man charitably gives to his neighbor in want, the giver has the greatest advantage by it, even greater than the receiver.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.V.

Scripture speaks clearly about the paradox of generosity. And we only figure it out as we it out. We don’t become losers by our charity but winners. We don’t end up empty, but rather enriched.

Edwards emphasizes here an important nuance of this point. God’s Word gives us “abundant encouragement” to live this way. He adds that there is “scarce any duty” as insisted as giving.

Why? It’s for our good and God’s glory. It offers promises in this life and the life to come. And it reaps more benefits to the giver than the receiver.

Regardless of where you find yourself today, as you approach this calendar year end, stretch your giving to a level of sacrifice and report back to me what happens.

I predict that the only losers will be those who fail to try.

Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24

“Consider that there is an absolute necessity of our complying with the difficult duties of religion. To give to the poor in the manner and measure that the gospel prescribes is a difficult duty, i.e. it is very contrary to corrupt nature, to that covetousness and selfishness of which there is so much in the wicked heart of man. Man is naturally governed only by a principle of self-love. And it is a difficult thing to corrupt nature, for men to deny themselves of their present interest, trusting in God to make it up to them hereafter.

But how often hath Christ told us the necessity of doing difficult duties of religion, if we will be his disciples; that we must sell all, take up our cross daily, deny ourselves, renounce our worldly profits and interests, etc. And if this duty seem hard and difficult to you, let not that be an objection with you against doing it. For you have taken up quite a wrong notion of things if you expect to go to heaven without performing difficult duties; if you expect any other than to find the way to life a narrow way.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.3.

The biggest thing I have learned about the difficult duties of the Christian life, is that they aim not to take away from us but release us from what seems like good things so we can grasp better things.

But we don’t figure it out until we live it out.

Edwards nails it when he states that our nature leans toward covetousness, selfishness, and wickedness. It does. This leads us to trust ourselves and focus on worldly interests.

So, what’s the lesson today for those who want to grow in generosity?

If there is a difficult duty in the Christian life or a step God is calling you to take to trust Him, then ask God to help you in your unbelief. Then take the step relying on Him and see what happens.

Whoever shuts their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. Proverbs 21:13

“God tells us, that he shall look upon what is done in charity to our neighbors in want, as done unto Him; and what is denied unto them, as denied unto Him. Pro. 19:17, “He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to the Lord.” God hath been pleased to make our needy neighbors his receivers. He in His infinite mercy hath so interested himself in their case, that he looks upon what is given in charity to them, as given to Himself. And when we deny them what their circumstances require of us, he looks upon it that we therein rob Him of His right.

Christ teaches us, that we are to look upon our fellow Christians in this case as Himself, and that our giving or withholding from them, shall be taken, as if we so behaved ourselves towards Him; see Mat. 25:40. There Christ says to the righteous on his right hand, who had supplied the wants of the needy, “In that ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” In like manner He says to the wicked who had not shown mercy to the poor, verse 45, “Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of the least of these, ye did it not to Me.” — Now what stronger enforcement of this duty can be conceived, or is possible, than this, that Jesus Christ looks upon our kind and bountiful, or unkind and uncharitable, treatment of our needy neighbors, as such a treatment of Himself?”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.

These thoughts on Christian charity move me. We don’t hear such strong language often, though all he does is recite what the Word teaches us.

Consider the implications of our treatment of the poor. Proverbs notes plainly that if we ignore their cries for help, our cries will be ignored. That’s significant.

Moreover, Jesus looks on our treatment of those in need as if we do it to Him. Sit with the Lord. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your treatment of those in need as if you serve Christ himself.

Jesus told His disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’ Luke 16:1-2

“Your money and your goods are not your own. They are only committed to you as stewards, to be used for him who committed them to you. 1 Pet. 4:9, 10, “Use hospitality one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” A steward has no business with his master’s goods, to use them any otherwise than for the benefit of his master and his family, or according to his master’s direction. He hath no business to use them, as if he were the proprietor of them. He hath nothing to do with them, only as he is to use them for his master. He is to give everyone of his master’s family their portion of meat in due season.

But if instead of that, he hoards up his master’s goods for himself, and withholds them from those of the household, so that some of the family are pinched for want of food and clothing. He is therein guilty of robbing his master and embezzling his substance. And would any householder endure such a steward? If he discovered him in such a practice, would he not take his goods out of his hands, and commit them to the care of some other steward, who should give everyone of his family his portion of meat in due season? Remember that all of us must give account of our stewardship, and how we have disposed of those goods which our Master has put into our hands. And if when our Master comes to reckon with us, it be found that we have denied some of his family their proper provision, while we have hoarded up for ourselves, as if we had been the proprietors of our Master’s goods, what account shall we give of this?”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.

A dear friend passed away whilst I was in the Philippines, Hugh Fowler. I knew him as the patriarch of our Tuesday morning Bible study. Others knew him as father, grandfather, great grandfather, or senator.

He loved Jesus deeply and was a faithful and generous manager of God’s resources. When I read this post with its deep and pressing words, it moved me to think of Hugh, who has just given account for his stewardship.

I am confident he heard the words, “Well done!” but the question is, will you?

The other place my mind went this morning was the manna story of the Old Testament. God provided enough for each person. Those who tried to hoard for future days had it all turn to maggots.

The word for today’s post is account. Whatever path we choose with the master resources, we will have to give an account for our stewardship. For years I rationalized my disobedience as good stewardship.

Don’t let it happen to you. Put them in play. Map a plan to give generously this year end.

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

“We are professors of Christianity, we pretend to be the followers of Jesus, and to make the gospel our rule. We have the Bible in our houses. Let us not behave ourselves in this particular, as if we had never see the Bible, as if we were ignorant of Christianity, and knew not what kind of religion it is. What will it signify to pretend to be Christians, and at the same time to live in the neglect of those rules of Christianity which are mainly insisted on in it? But there are several things which I would here propose to your consideration.

Consider that what you have is not your own; i.e. you have only a subordinate right. Your goods are only lent to you of God, to be improved by you in such ways as he directs. You yourselves are not your own. And if you yourselves are not your own, so then neither are your possessions your own. Many of you have by covenant given up yourselves and all you have to God. You have disowned and renounced any right in yourselves or in anything that you have, and have given to God all the absolute right. And if you be true Christians, you have done it from the heart.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732) section III.

Edwards calls out the professors of Christianity whose lives don’t match the teachings as pretending. Are you pretending to be a Christian? Do you neglect the commands of Christ?

I did for years. Guilty as charged. It was actually 2006-2008 when I was working on the study notes for the Stewardship Study Bible when I felt convicted. I was a pretending professor.

I stored up treasures on earth just like the pagans and rationalized my disobedience as good stewardship. It was only when we put to work what God supplied when we took hold of life.

Sometimes we use God’s resources to do productive work and other times for giving, but we don’t hold on to them, lest they get a hold on us. Anyone who does is a pretending professor, just like I was.

If you feel convicted, hear this. Neither are you your own, nor are the possessions you have yours. Everything belongs to God. If you call yourself a Christian, have your actions match Christ’s teachings.

He’s not trying to rob you, but help you take hold of life. And if you want to support the work of helping people grasp this truth in the hardest places, give to GTP.

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

“From this account the doctrine is obvious, that it is the absolute and indispensable duty of the people of God, to give bountifully and willingly for supplying the wants of the needy. — But more particularly,

I. It is the duty of the people of God to give bountifully for the aforesaid purpose. It is commanded once and again in the text, “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy poor brother.” Merely to give something is not sufficient. It answers not the rule, nor comes up to the holy command of God. But we must open our hand wide. What we give, considering our neighbor’s wants, and our ability, should be such as may be called a liberal gift. What is meant in the text by opening the hand wide, with respect to those that are able, is explained in Deu. 15:8, “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his want, in that which he needeth.” By lending here, as is evident by the two following verses, and as we have just now shown, is not only meant lending to receive again; [for] the word lend in Scripture is sometimes used for giving; as in Luke 6:35, “Do good and lend, hoping for nothing again.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732).

In the summary section of this treatise, we discover special emphasis on opening wide. God knows our proclivity to open in a manner that may be less than wide.

Interestingly, every day when I walk the dog I think of the open space with the trail between the homes and give thanks for how wide they made it. So thankful for the generosity of the architect. Open wide.

For your children or children’s children, the church you attend, the ministries you support, and the needy in your path, open wide. For the opportunities to give that God puts in your path, open wide.

Do this because God in Christ Jesus open his hands wide and allowed them to be nailed to the cross to pay a debt you could never repay. Open wide.

And when you do, you won’t end up empty, but enriched. God will refill your hands with more seed to sow and more resources to share. Open wide.

Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Ephesians 4:28

“Men are exceedingly apt to make objections against such duties, which God speaks of here as a manifestation of the wickedness of their hearts: “Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart,” etc. The warning is very strict. God doth not only say, Beware that thou do not actually refuse to give him, but, Beware that thou have not one objecting thought against it, arising from a backwardness to liberality. God warns against the beginnings of uncharitableness in the heart, and against whatever tends to a forbearance to give. “And thou give him nought, and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.” God warns them, from the guilt which they would be liable to bring upon themselves hereby.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732).

We don’t often think of the lack of sharing as sin.

We know God loves a cheerful giver. But what does he think of the person who fails to share from a grateful heart. He gives us the answer in His Word. The opposite of righteous in the biblical narrative is wicked.

And, biblically speaking, the person that fails to share is both wicked and a thief.

When we think of wicked in modern times, our mind goes to the green lady with the broomstick and the pointy hat. Few of us think of ourselves as wicked, when often that’s what we are.

When we fail to follow God’s righteous design and desire for living, we take a wicked path instead.

And considering that God owns everything and has given us commands for its use, failure to follow those commands in the example of sharing appears instead as stealing.

So, what’s this mean for us today in modern times?

Watch out for the beginnings of uncharitableness in the heart. It takes shape as thinking we own that which we have worked to earn. From there we keep rather than share material and spiritual blessings received by grace.

Don’t bring guilt on yourself. Don’t choose a path of backwardness to liberality.

I am not trying to rob you. I am trying to help you remove any cultural or spiritual restraints to giving. Generosity flows from the condition of our hearts.

On another note, praise God. Made it home safely from travel, 10 countries in 10 weeks: Costa Rica, Colombia, Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Poland, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Turkey, and Philippines.

God activated peer accountability groups (like ECFA in USA) in three countries: Costa Rica, Colombia, and Jamaica. In other places the work was preparatory. Eastern Europe, Bolivia, Brazil, and Cayman Islands are set to launch in 2024.

The World Evangelical Alliance meetings in early October in Turkey and other networking has set up work in 11 new countries in 2024: Albania, Armenia, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, and Qatar.

And, the recent meetings in the Philippines brought our team together and positioned to divide this work efficiently and effectively.  Why perform this service?

When we form stewards who help ministries follow standards it causes gospel reach and impact to grow exponentially. Thanks for your charitableness toward this work.

If there is among you anyone in need, a member of your community in any of your towns within the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tight-fisted toward your needy neighbor. You should rather open your hand, willingly lending enough to meet the need, whatever it may be. Be careful that you do not entertain a mean thought, thinking, ‘The seventh year, the year of remission, is near,’ and therefore view your needy neighbor with hostility and give nothing; your neighbor might cry to the LORD against you, and you would incur guilt. Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.’ Deuteronomy 15:7-11

“God gives us direction how we are to give in such a case, bountifully, and willingly. We should give bountifully, and sufficiently for the supply of the poor’s need. “Thou shalt not shut up thine hand from thy poor brother; but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he wanteth.” And again, “Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land.” Again, we should give willingly and without grudging. “Thou shalt not harden thine heart from thy poor brother,” and “thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest him.” We may also observe how peremptorily this duty is here enjoined, and how much it is insisted on. It is repeated over and over again, and enjoined in the strongest terms. “Thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother. But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him. Thou shalt surely give him. I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy.”

Moreover, God strictly warns against objections, “Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought, and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee.” The matter concerning the seventh year, or year of release, was thus: God had given Israel a law, that every seventh year should be a year of release; that if any man had lent anything to any of his poor neighbors, if the latter had not been able to repay it before that year, the former should release it, and should not exact it of his neighbor, but give it to him. Therefore God warns the children of Israel against making of this an objection to helping their poor neighbors, that the year of release was near at hand, and it was not likely that they would be able to refund it again before that time, and then they should lose it wholly, because then they would be obliged to release it. God foresaw that the wickedness of their hearts would be very ready to make such an objection. But very strictly warns them against it, that they should not be the more backward to supply the wants of the needy for that, but should be willing to give him. “Thou shalt be willing to lend, expecting nothing again.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity or The Duty of Charity to the Poor, Explained and Enforced (1732).

Notice how explicit God speaks in the Deuteronomic Law to be sure His people follow His ways. He wants soft hearts that give willingly and open hands that give bountifully without hesitation or objection.

What is the condition of your heart? Soft, hard, or somewhere in between? And your hands? Open, closed, or in the middle?

Our last two days in the Philippines have been spent with dear friends with open hands and willing hearts: Anjji and Lyn Gabriel and Joey and Ruthie Marasigan. Let me tell you about them and the impact they have. These two couples have received biblical teaching and practical tools from me and GTP for years and applied them in their setting. At least four forms of impact have surfaced as a result.

(1) Anjji and Lyn help ministries follow standards for accountability and building trust across the Philippines. (2) All four of them receive biblical teaching, put it to practice, and share it widely to bless others. (3) The ministry led by Joey and Ruthie, Manna from Heaven Center, gets 100% of support from local giving. And (4) after Gary had labored in Manila and Jenni with them in Cavite, they asked only to bless us with food, fellowship, rest, and margin to dream. It was priceless time together.

So, their impact is local sustainability and regional generosity strengthened by national accountability, which opens the door for international possibility. What do I mean? Let me explain.

Their hearts are for their needy neighbors and ordinary ministries. Specifically, they care about the ministry needing structure, the rural starving pastor living on a dollar a day, the millions of struggling worker just trying to make a living, and those with severe challenges or limitations.

So we celebrated their local progress, dreamed of regional ideas, and discussed a vision for collaboration in 2024. We will share more on that later. But for now, with these people we anticipate that God will do something big.

And, at the end of our time, we released a message delivering pigeon asking the Holy Spirit to go before us (pictured above). When it made it to its home, we had confidence that God will complete the work He has started in and through us.

Look for us to collaborate to serve the needy neighbors, rural pastors, and struggling stewards in 2024 in ways that can be replicated in other cultures. And open your hand by giving to GTP so that we have the resources to do this with Manna from Heaven Center. Click here to give. Thanks.

Now if your countryman becomes destitute and cannot support himself among you, then you are to help him as you would a foreigner or stranger, so that he can continue to live among you. Leviticus 25:35

“The duty here enjoined, is giving to the poor. “If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren, thou shalt not harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother: — Thou shalt surely give him.” Here by thy poor brother is to be understood the same as in other places is meant by neighbor. It is explained in Lev. 25:35 to mean not only those of their own nation, but even strangers and sojourners. “And if thy brother be waxen poor, and fallen in decay with thee; then thou shalt relieve him: yea, though he be a stranger, or a sojourner.” The Pharisees indeed interpreted it to signify only one of their own nation. But Christ condemns this interpretation, Luke 10:29, etc. and teaches, in contradiction to their opinion, that the rules of charity, in the law of Moses, are to be extended to the Samaritans, who were not of their nation, and between whom and the Jews there was the most bitter enmity, and who were a people very troublesome to the Jews.”

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in Christian Charity (1732).

At the Global Generosity Forum, I got a copy of this little book, and It’s fantastic.

In the opening part of his argument, we find these words, reminding Christians to show charity toward others in difficult conditions. And he brings out the categories of strangers, sojourners, and Samaritans.

We could easily smile and nod and act as though our lives comply readily with this injunction. But do we?

Strangers represent people unknown to us. They might be different or may be like us. We tend to avoid these people because of our fear of the unknown.

Sojourners tend to come from different places. They often wear different clothes and follow cultural patterns that may be unfamiliar to us. We tend to flock with more familiar people.

Samaritans represent people with more than diverse background from us, but a people with whom we have history of racial strife. We often judge or label these people based on collective or past sins.

So now, I ask again. Do we show charity to Strangers, Sojourners, and Samaritans? Who might these people be today in our settings? As I work with people of different cultures, I find it hard sometimes.

But when we follow the biblical pattern of Jesus, we not only move out of our comfort zone, we find blessing. I am so thankful to work with people who are not like me to learn and grow together.

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” Luke 16:8-10

“Given the moral ambiguities and the challenges of this world, intelligence is demanded of the people of God’s realm. What would “street smarts” such as that displayed by the business manager look like, when translated into the values of God’s reign? Luke’s audience leans forward to listen closely for an answer…

Picking up the image of reciprocity and friend-making, Jesus urges his audience of disciples “Make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth, so that when it fails, others may receive you into eternal tents.” Wealth is potentially corrupting and corrosive, yet it can be a means to the accomplishment of good.

Although money and material possessions do not endure, appropriate use of such resources can win one lasting friends… The reciprocal exchange expected by the manager through his debt-reduction scheme takes the form of hospitality, a welcome into the households of the debtors who benefit from his benefaction…

But how may one use unrighteous money and property to make friends that secure eternal homes? Precisely by reducing the debt burden of and sharing economic resources with those who cannot reciprocate. Assured of a place in the divine realm, they will become lasting friends to those who share resources generously with them.”

John T. Carroll in Luke: A Commentary (The New Testament Library; Louisville: WJKP, 2012) 326-328.

It’s been a full week in Manila. I’ve had the privilege of engaging with our board, staff, and regional facilitators in a manner that has strengthened our resolve for global collaboration.

Since it was the first ever time the staff all got together, pictured above, I also believe our teamwork will move to new heights. We live and serve in 10 countries and now with deeper relationships we envision how we will work together more efficiently and effectively in the days ahead.

That brings “street smarts” into view. As today marks the last day the staff will be together for a long time, it’s fun to watch the staff strategize how to work more shrewdly. Join us in this.

Share economic resources with GTP today by making a gift here. From left to right in the picture, your gift will make friends and have this impact for eternity.

You will deploy Prakash (Nepal) to do onsite program work to strengthen gospel ministry in South Asia while also building on demand courses for stewards to grow in their practice of governance, administration, and raising local funds.

You will enable Trevor (Hong Kong / Canada) to oversee GTP operations, manage the global staff, and expand our reach to the Chinese diaspora worldwide. He and I will do program work in Hong Kong and Beijing in January.

You will empower Ereny (Egypt) to serve the training team and inspire GTP-trained trainers all over the world to multiply stewards who follow standards to help ministries flourish with sustainability.

You will send Jon (Malaysia) to do trainings onsite in countries to serve the persecuted church and unreached peoples. Last year he opened Laos and Cambodia for GTP but that was only the beginning.

You will encourage Paula (Guatemala) who has responded to unfathomable global demand and regional interest in GTP programs. We are praying for grant to add another Spanish speaker to expand work in Latin America and the Caribbean.

You will bless me (USA) and join in with the collective vision of faithful stewardship and peer accountability growing local giving in every nation. I believe it will happen in my lifetime with your ongoing partnership.

You will lift up Ruthie (Philippines) who oversees partnership and communications work and helps connect tools with over 6,800 workers in 129 countries and counting.

You will affirm Matthew (Australia) as he stewards our financial resources, manages legal affairs, and helps us maximize the reach and impact of each dollar we receive from individuals and foundations.

You will mobilize Gabrielle (South Africa) as she trains in places like Ghana, Liberia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Rwanda to build up stewards and strengthen gospel ministry with standards so more people come to know and grow in Christ.

You will activate Samuel (Rwanda) who will soon implement a social media strategic to spread the resources it took four years to develop to tens of thousands of people.

Please, click here to make a gift to GTP today. Make friends with our team and the countless people they touch who you will only meet when you get to your eternal tent.