Archives by: Gary Hoag

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

“Cheerfulness consists in not regarding things as our own, but as entrusted to us by God for the benefit of our fellow servants. It consists in scattering them abroad generously with joy and magnanimity, not reluctantly or under compulsion.”

Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022) in “Wisdom of the Saints” posted by the Greek Orthodox Community of Prince George.

Happy Easter. My word for the year is gratitude and I am learning how it connects with cheerfulness.

When our gratitude motivates us to give our lives as generous, living sacrifices like Christ gave His life for us, the motivating factor that surfaces is cheerfulness. We don’t have to do it, we get to do it.

I pray you have a blessed day of celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. But I hope it does not stop there. In response, let us live, give, serve, and love others with cheerfulness.

Everything we possess has been entrusted to us to be enjoyed and scattered “abroad generously with joy and magnanimity.” What will this look like for you in life after Lent?

My prayer is that our Lenten fasting, praying, and serving has prepared us for cheerful and generous living on Easter and beyond.

What does “He ascended” mean except that He also descended to the lower, earthly regions? Ephesians 4:9

“The view of the early church fathers and the consensus view through the centuries has been that it refers to a descent of Christ to the underworld. Although a difficult issue, this view appears to have the greatest amount of evidence to support it. Many theologians refer to it as the decensus ad infernos…

This passage thus has significant lines of correspondence with 1 Peter 3:19 where Peter says that Christ “went and preached to the spirits in prison” following his death… the text speaks of Christ’s descending to the underworld and proclaiming a message of victory over the rebellious demonic powers.”

Clinton E. Arnold in Ephesians (ZECNT; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010) 253-254.

What did Jesus do between Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday?

A few verses give us clues that come together to reveal He was working in Hades. Today’s Scripture places Jesus in the lower earthly regions. And this verse from Matthew locates Him in the heart of the earth.

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:40

It seems He was in Hades proclaiming good news, victory over death. This would explain why saints who had died were raised from the dead.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. Matthew 27:51-53

He also appears to have been preaching to the dead. Perhaps giving them an opportunity to find life. We don’t know exactly.

For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. 1 Peter 4:6

But the cool part for us is that Jesus did not stay there.

Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did His body see decay. Acts 2:31

This relates to our generosity in this way. And don’t miss this. Between His death and the resurrection, Jesus did the proverbial “dirty work” the Father mapped out for Him. He went to Hades to do good work: decensus ad infernos.

Now I realize you and I cannot travel to Hades, but God might have us go to some difficult places to accomplish His plan and purposes. And often no one will see or know what precisely we did. That’s okay, God sees and knows.

And we can proclaim good news in those places like Jesus did. I have experienced this in my recent travels. It’s true, which is why I testify that when we do this, prepare to watch life conquer death. See the evil spirits run and help captives find freedom.

Ponder with gratitude the life you have in Jesus today and where He might want you to descend.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John 11:25-26

“Whoso disbelieves not the Resurrection will take care to live with all heed so as to obtain eternal happiness, of which may we all be counted worthy, by the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

John Chrysostom (c. 347-407) in “Wisdom of the Saints” posted by the Greek Orthodox Community of Prince George.

Jenni and I are happy to have moved into our new home. Come visit us on your next trip to Colorado. But this happiness is nothing like the joy we have because we have been counted worthy to obtain eternal life through our risen Lord.

Good Friday is “good” because of the grace and lovingkindness of our Lord Jesus Christ. Generosity is sharing the opportunity for eternal happiness (made possible on this day) with as many people as possible.

I am thankful to serve with GTP. What excites me most is that when we empower national workers to build trust and grow local giving, it causes gospel ministry to grow and flourish. In short, more people learn about Jesus.

That’s how I actively spread eternal happiness. How are you helping make Christ known locally, nationally, and globally? If you want to be more involved with us at GTP, reply to this email. Happy Good Friday everyone!

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. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:35-36

“The merciful person is he who gives to others what he himself received from God, whether it be money, or food, or strength, a helpful word, a prayer or anything else that he has through which he can express his compassion for those in need.”

Peter of Damascus in “Wisdom of the Saints” posted by the Greek Orthodox Community of Prince George.

On Maundy Thursday we see Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and instructing us to the same kind of service. We get to be merciful conduits of compassion extending to others what Christ does for us.

He stoops to do the lowest of things for us to lift us up. He washes our sin from us and remembers it no more. He lavishes us with gifts we do not deserve. He does so much more when we pause to reflect on it.

This gives us a roadmap for our generosity. Whatever gifts God showers on us, we do well to think how we might enjoy and share them. When we live this way, we imitate the Jesus of Maundy Thursday and appear as children of the Most High.

But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. Jeremiah 17:7

“Completely have trust in God, leave everything in His hands, and believe that His love will act for your own benefit. Then God will take care of everything, because there is nothing He cannot do; everything is easy for Him. The difficult thing is for man to decide to humble himself and leave everything to God’s providence and love.”

Elder Paisios of Mount Athos in “Wisdom of the Saints” posted by the Greek Orthodox Community of Prince George.

It’s Holy Week Wednesday, the day we remember that Judas betrayed Jesus.

I want to shake and wake readers today not to follow suit. Before any gets defensive or stops reading this, hear me out. I am not saying any of us has sold Jesus out for 30 pieces of silver.

What I am saying is that sometimes our behavior does reflect misplaced trust.

At the intersections of life, we have opportunities to choose to trust God and leave everything in His hands and opportunities to take matters into our own hands.

Paisios is right when he reports that the difficult part is humbling ourselves.

So, I suggest that each of us sits in silence for a few minutes today. Let’s ask the Spirit if there are any areas of our lives where we are not completely trusting in God.

Or maybe there is something that comes to mind that you always worry about. Give it to God today.

The God who accomplished our salvation wants us to trust Him to take care of everything. There is nothing He cannot do. Father help us leave everything to your providence and matchless love.

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25

“Unfurl the sails and let God steer us where He will.”

Bede the Venerable (c. 673-735) in The Age of Bede (New York: Penguin, 1998) 250.

GTP celebrated our fourth birthday yesterday. This special occasion led me to think about what’s next. That took me back to this quote by one of my favorite doctors of the church: “Unfurl the sails and let God steer us where He will.”

This idea relates to each person reading this as we think about life after Easter. The Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and giving have been a training ground prepare us for abundant service: “Unfurl the sails and let God steer us where He will.”

These Lenten practices have helped us develop new muscles and taught us many new things to prepare us to go new places and serve in new ways than we have ever served before: “Unfurl the sails and let God steer us where He will.”

When we keep in step with the Spirit, often the Spirit will guide us to engage countercultural practices and go to uncomfortable places to do unthinkable work. God’s ways are not our ways: “Unfurl the sails and let God steer us where He will.”

One fruit of the Spirit is generosity. Don’t be surprised if He calls you to put some of those riches located in the hold of your ship to work through giving. Give generously to GTP or elsewhere today: “Unfurl the sails and let God steer us where He will.”

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32

“Blessed be God, for so bountifully providing for us that He even bestows on us His very Self. The Son is given to us, and through Him the Holy Spirit, and with Them comes the Father. Thus, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit reside within us, and we already have a beginning here of that communion with God which will be perfect in the next life. Let us thank Him for all His mercies and prepare ourselves to receive the favors that still remain to be bestowed on us.”

John of Ávila (1499-1569) in Finding Confidence in Times of Trial: The Letters of St. John of Avila (Nashua: Sophia Institute Press) 139-140.

It’s a special day for many reasons. It’s Holy Week Monday. Jesus will clear the temple on the way to accomplishing our salvation on the cross. Take time today to clear the temple of your heart to receive Jesus afresh this Easter.

It’s also GTP’s fourth birthday. We will celebrate “GTP at 4” in our social media this week. Next week we will share the infographic that celebrates our cumulative impact since the beginning. All glory to God for unthinkable fruits.

And in my daily office, I celebrate the reality that because we have the gift of God with us, we can prepare our hearts to receive favors that still remain. Or in plain terms, the best is yet to come!

I have arrived safely home from Guatemala, and I still can’t believe God gave me an audience of millions to proclaim truth, life, and freedom in a context where people have become fed up with corruption.

It was possible because God was with me and is with me: giving me the words to say, guiding me as I spoke to top government, business, academic and Christian workers as well as TV, radio, and newspaper media people.

And I want to remind you that God is with you too. Because the Son is given to you on the cross, you have the Holy Spirit and you get access to the Father. You have everything we need for generous living and service.

Ask the Father what He wants your life after Easter in 2023 to look like. Sit with the Spirit to consider what things He wants to graciously give you. And thank Jesus that He is with you always cheering you on to do greater things.

Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf. Proverbs 11:28

“Earthly riches are like the reed. Its roots are sunk in the swamp, and its exterior is fair to behold; but inside it is hollow. If a man leans on such a reed, it will snap off and pierce his soul.”

Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) in Saintly Solutions to Life’s Common Problems: From Anger, Boredom, and Temptation to Gluttony, Gossip, and Greed by Joseph M. Esper (Manchester: Sophia, 2001) 165.

This weekend God helped me thrive like a green leaf in Guatemala. News of the conference I was speaking at on “Building a Culture of Integrity” went viral, so every major media outlet called.

With Carla Archila, GTP Spanish Interpreter and Translator, I spoke to millions on five major TV interviews, on the top public and Christian radio stations, and with the top newspaper in Guatemala and all of Latin America. Behind the camera, Paula Mendoza. GTP Global Administrator, did a masterful job handling logistics.

Want a glimpse of our experience? Click here to watch a 20-minute spot on a top network from about the 47-minute mark to the 107-minute mark. But what does this testimony have to do with today’s post?

Money did not open these doors. God did. And the work of GTP over four years (we celebrate GTP at 4 tomorrow), has touched people in 173 countries and territories not because we storied up any earthly riches, but because we put them to work.

Got resources? Don’t sit on them and let them pierce your soul. Put them to work. Reply to this email if you want a copy of the trip report. Click here to support GTP which is helping churches and ministries thrive and transforming nations.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

“All who ask receive, those who seek find, and to those who knock it shall be opened. Therefore, let us knock at the beautiful garden of Scripture. It is fragrant, sweet, and blooming with various sounds of spiritual and divinely inspired birds. They sing all around our ears, capture our hearts, comfort the mourners, pacify the angry, and fill us with everlasting joy.”

John of Damascus (c.675-749) in Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.17.

Anyone who visits Guatemala City (pictured above) knows it’s the land of “Eternal Spring” where year round it blooms like a “beautiful garden” with flowers.

But there’s a garden more beautiful that John speaks of here. It’s the beautiful garden of Scripture.

Upon arrival in Guatemala I met with Kareen Gudiel (GTP Board Member), Paula Mendoza (GTP Global Administrator), and Carla Archila (GTP Spanish Translator) prayed Scripture.

We asked God for favor on this trip on which God opened remarkable media doors.

In short, through TV and radio interviews, we touched an estimated three million people in one day. Want to know more? Reply and I will send you a copy of the trip report.

Our generous God gave us what we asked for and so much more. What about you? What are you asking God for?

Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 1:3

“Return, return, and wait not for the rod of justice, since we cannot escape the hands of God! We are in His hands either by justice or by mercy; better it is for us to recognize our faults and to abide in the hands of mercy, than to remain in fault and in the hands of justice. For our faults do not pass unpunished, especially those that are wrought against Holy Church. But I wish to bind myself to bear you before God with tears and continual prayer, and to bear with you your penitence, provided that you choose to return to your father, who like a true father awaits you with the open wings of mercy.”

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) a.k.a Catherine Benincasa in her letter To Three Italian Cardinals addressing corruption in the church.

Yesterday, God reminded me of the word ‘remember’ for the people of Guatemala. Today my mind goes to the word ‘return’ and my attention went to this famous letter written by Catherine of Siena in a time of corruption in the church.

Sometimes generosity takes shape as communicating the reality that we are in God’s hands either by justice or mercy. And we get to be patient with people even as God has been patient with us.

When we recognize our faults and return, in the words of the prophet Zechariah, the Lord Almighty returns to us and we find mercy. We discover the open arms of the Father. When we don’t. Well, let’s just say it won’t pass unpunished.

So what’s our role as God’s servants? It’s to speak and also to bear people before God with prayers and tears. Lord Almighty, have mercy on me a sinner. Have mercy on Guatemala. Move by your Spirit so people return to You. Amen.

Pray this prayer where you are with gratitude in your heart for His matchless mercy. Shed a tear for those that come to mind who need to return to God. And rest knowing the Father hears your prayers and can work in unthinkable ways for His glory.