Meditations

God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10

“People who practice extravagant generosity change their lives in order to become more generous. They become rich in giving. They do not wait to be asked. When they see a need, they step forward to meet it, offering resources as a means of help. They look at difficult financial times through the eyes of faith rather than of fear. They persist in doing good. They give in all seasons. They enjoy giving. They pray and hope and dream about the good they accomplish through their gifts. They consecrate their giving to God. They delight in generosity. They expect nothing in return.

People who practice extravagant generosity learn to enjoy things without possessing them, to moderate their acquisitiveness, and to find satisfaction in simpler things. They avoid personal debt as much as possible. They save. They avoid overindulgence and waste. Their possessions do not rule them. They aspire, like Paul, to know the secret of being content with what they have. They give thanks in all circumstances. Love is a gift, and life is grace. People who practice extravagant generosity change lives. Their giving knows no bounds. They are rich toward God.”

Robert Schnase in Practicing Extravagant Generosity: Daily Readings on the Grace of Giving (Nashville: Abingdon, 2011) 65-66.

Hat tip to our son, Sammy, who as of today has officially moved into to his own one-bedroom apartment. This post describes his living, giving, serving, and loving. He sees needs and meets them. He inconveniences himself to aid others. He persists in doing good all around. He avoids overindulgence while being ready to serve and share with others.

Would people say you practice extravagant generosity? Pick a phrase in this post that marks an area for growth in your life. Pray and as God to help you grow in that aspect of the Christian faith so that your living, giving, serving, and loving blesses others extravagantly. I did this, and I hope you too find the spiritual practice useful.

After a safe trip to Egypt, I am off to Australia today. God graciously gave me rest though I am only home about 24 hours between trips. Sometimes that’s just the way the schedule goes. I am most thankful that my wife, Jenni, practices extravagant generosity and richly supports me to minister to God’s people around the world.

David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly, saying, “Praise be to you, Lord, the God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.” 1 Chronicles 29:10-14

“Weekly celebrate the offering during worship and always be mindful that giving is an act of worship and an extension of ourselves. The invitation to give creates a sacred, teachable, worshipful moment connecting our faith and money as means of honoring God. Consider reading scripture and offering invitations, showing video clips of [giving] in action, and including ministry moments, skits, and sermonettes before the offering. The offertory time is one of the best opportunities to share how a congregation lives courageously through its generosity and mission support. The offering still deserves to be celebrated even in the midst of a growing trend of electronic giving in which ministry support is given at times other than the traditional offertory time in worship.”

Melvin Amerson in “Give Courageously Through Year-Round Generosity” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewardship in Your Congregation, volume 20 (Richmond: EMS, 2018) 15.

Growing up in the church, one of my first memories was celebrating the offering each Sunday by singing the doxology together after it was collected. Perhaps you sang it too. “Praise God from Whom all blessings flow, praise Him all creatures here below, Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.”

Sadly, I don’t hear it sung very often these days. Many churches have abandoned rich church traditions that go back for centuries, and sometimes I think they have thrown the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. Today Scripture gives us a picture of how King David honored God in an offering celebration.

Too many churches today don’t celebrate the offering. One of my graduate students did a project on “Offering Messages” and found that that Scripture and short moments of instruction weekly caused church giving to go up, and more importantly, helped the members of the congregation build a theology of giving.

Weekly celebrate the offering! Don’t do it to bring in more money. Do it to remind those you serve that God supplied everything we have and all that we give. Do it because theologies are built like the Great Pyramids, one brick at a time, or one Bible passage at a time.

Speaking of celebrating, Sophie and I arrive home this afternoon, and I can’t wait to hug my wife, Jenni!

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21

“Our entire Western economy is based on consumption. One cannot be a successful consumer without adequate resources. When we couple this notion with the idea that scarcity is what gives added value to objects, we create a relentless and self-consuming cycle of desire and pursuit which leads only to hoarding and deep levels of anxiety. It elevates money to a god-like status with the mistaken belief that if we have more of it, we will have a sense of greater worth and experience lower stress. This is the prevailing wind of North American existence. Sailing against it is not easy, especially when it blows at hurricane force.

It takes courage to speak either to the false relationship between wealth and blessing or to address the responsibility and the burden of wealth… The story of the rich young ruler [of Mark 10:17-31] tells both halves of our dilemma. He is both wealthy and intentional about keeping the law — a sure sign of blessing. When he asks Jesus what is truly necessary to experience the realm of heaven, Jesus directly challenges his relationship with his stuff and simultaneously invites him to divest of the concerns of the world in favor of investing in the qualities of the realm… There is nothing that says we have power over our money greater than our ability to give it away. The converse is also just as certain to bear witness to its power over us. When we already have a god, we are rarely willing to be the disciple of the One who really is.

And there is the audacity of what Jesus asks. Give it away. Give it all away? Really? But not just anywhere. Sell what you have and give it to the poor so that you will have treasure in heaven. Take what you have and do the things that give evidence to the unfolding realm of God in your midst. Where need is absent, God is most surely present. To make provision for the poor is to signal that the old age of brokenness and want is passing away and the new age that Jesus brings — one of wholeness and plenty, is surely coming. To give all away is to be unencumbered by its overt and hidden snares and deceitful claims.”

Bruce Barkhauer in “Courageous Conversations About Money” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewardship in Your Congregation, volume 20 (Richmond: EMS, 2018) 8-10.

My daughter, Sophie, and I head to London today to get part way home from Egypt. It has been a privilege to serve Adel Azmi and help birth the NABLA Initiative to offers biblical training on Christian generosity, biblical fundraising, and financial accountability for the pastors, ministry administrators, and professionals from across Egypt.

It’s been a fruitful trip for Valentine Gitoho from AfCAA and me from ECFA because the people who invited us to come have hearts that can only be described as receptive, fertile soil. We have heard of first fruits from Alexandria to Aswan as participants have reported taking what they have learned and teaching others already. Praise the LORD!

We challenged listeners to live Christianly to reflect contribution rather than consumption, giving rather than taking. When we live unencumbered, we “make provision for the poor” and “give evidence to the unfolding realm of God” through our witness. If you have wealth, it comes with responsibility. Show your faith with it! Be unencumbered.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash. Matthew 7:24-27

“I find that our models of stewardship in the church are designed for preservation and limited risk (trust in ourselves) rather than helping Christians to live freely, simply, generously, and courageously (trusting in God). Of course, there is a difference between living courageously and living foolishly. In another of Jesus’s parables, He describes the wise man who built his house upon a rock in contrast to the fool who built his house on shifting sand (Matt. 7:24-27). Wisdom comes from building a solid foundation…

Stewardship is not merely a church word associated with fundraising, pledging, and annual budgets. Stewardship is a theological word that leads us to cling to God’s promise for the future, to announce that vision to the world, and to live into this vision by working for that change right now. When living courageously, we can wait expectantly upon the Lord, risking the safety and comfort of the status quo for the chance to live into the role that God calls us to play in the ongoing creation, redemption, and transformation of this world.”

David King in “Take a Risk” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewardship in Your Congregation, volume 20 (Richmond: EMS, 2018) 6-7.

Is your house built on rock or sand? Rocks and sand are on my mind, as we paused yesterday from meetings to travel just outside Cairo to Giza to see the Pyramids. What an experience to tread where Moses likely trod! Rocks solidly placed together have stood for centuries, while sand blows away (or into your eyes and mouth) with every gust of wind. Those that build their lives on the world’s way of thinking will be blown away. Alternatively, those who cling to God’s promises and trust in God rather than themselves will remain fixed to the only firm foundation!

Our day ended with a dinner meeting and evening worship and communion at Kasr El Dobara Evangelical Church, the largest evangelical church in Egypt and the Middle East. The Egyptian Christians have humbled us by their courageous living and generous hospitality. Perhaps what inspires us most is their willingness to risk “the safety and comfort of the status quo” to follow Jesus. Actually, the greatest risk for Christians everywhere is staying in the safety and comfort of the status quo while sitting on wealth that belongs to the Master, as such behavior reveals misplaced trust.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19

“According to William Barclay, the passage tells us “not that wealth is a sin, but that wealth is a very great responsibility”. The words of 1 Timothy — generous and share — stress that we live in community, with others. Sometimes our understanding of Christian life centers on God and us as individuals, but that is not the vantage point of this epistle.

Sociologists tell us that people today desperately want and seek community, but their experience tells them it is hard to find — in the church or anywhere else… I am increasingly convinced that the task of church leaders is to help nurture a truly welcoming community… To be that kind of church is to live life that really is courageous.

When we live this life, we are guided by our hopes more than our fears. When we live this life, we love and pray for our enemies, whether personal, professional, or political — accepting what is perhaps the most difficult invitation of Jesus (Matt. 5:43–48). When we live this life, we are courageous enough to admit that much of the time we fail to be our best selves and our best community.

So what is Christian stewardship? It is simply our courageous attempt, having experienced the generosity and hospitality of the God we know in Jesus, to live a life that reflects that generosity, the life that really is life.”

Hermann Weinlick in “Reflecting Courageously” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewardship in Your Congregation, volume 20 (Richmond: EMS, 2018) 4-5.

Many phrases in Weinlick’s article struck me this morning in the peacefulness of my Cairo hotel room, juxtaposed against the noise of traffic that fills the air outside. I loved the famous quote from Barclay, “not that wealth is a sin, but that wealth is a very great responsibility.” Specifically three phrases help us unpack the implications of this idea.

Firstly, “people today desperately want and seek community, but their experience tells them it is hard to find.” I concur with Weinlick that our church leaders must be community builders who help people live out the gospel of Jesus Christ in community. We don’t have to make the gospel attractive, it is attractive, but only when lived out in community.

Secondly, “when we live this life, we are guided by our hopes more than our fears.” Notice how we allow our fears to guide us. The Christian life is freedom from slavery to fear and offers the hope the world seeks. So many people around the world feel like life has no hope. In Christ, we have hope! We must celebrate this courageously community.

Thirdly, “much of the time we fail to be our best selves and our best community.” So what should we do about it? We only figure it out as we live it out. Only as we enjoy and share God’s blessings to we take hold of the life that’s truly life. Whatever we hold back stores up fear. Whatever we share creates courageous communities of hope.

Sophie and I have been surprised by hope. I am not referring to the C.S. Lewis classic book by that title. I am referring to friendships with staff from Kasr El Dobara Evangelical church, the largest evangelical Christian church in Cairo and the Middle East. It’s beacon of hope. Like our meeting place this week (pictured above), KDEC, is an oasis in the desert.

Most striking is how this church became so prominent. During the Egyptian revolution of 2011, they opened their church doors to minister to anyone who had been shot or injured. Notice their theme verse, Acts 4:30, on their English website. “Stretch out your hand to heal and perform signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus.”

KDEC is a courageous community of hope and a great example for all other churches around the world!

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:24

“It takes courage to follow Jesus and live a life trusting in God, especially if we’re seeking to be good stewards, or managers, of all God has entrusted to us — including our own lives and the good news itself. When people have courage, they usually show mental or moral strength to venture forth; persevere; or withstand danger, fear, or some other kind of difficulty. Whatever the hazards or calamity they face, courageous souls have developed a firm mind and will that keeps them moving forward, bringing others out safely alongside them as well.

Circumstances don’t make people courageous, but sometimes people find greater courage within themselves when in crisis than they knew they had. Challenges don’t need to be dramatic. They can also be those subtle, long-term situations that deliver toxic messages saying we are on our own, that other forces are stronger than we are, and either that God doesn’t exist or doesn’t matter. Whatever the form of troubling times, it takes courage to reaffirm God’s presence, power and love as the only foundation on which we can stand…

We can live courageously when we recognize ourselves as God’s loved sons and daughters, despite our weakness and frightening circumstances. Such courage prompts us to live free from the love-of-money trap, free to be “rich toward God” (Luke 12:21). Tasting this greater freedom prompts us to live simply, and to cultivate contentment, whatever our context. Such simpler living encourages us to live generously in our personal lifestyle and together as a congregation.”

Betsy Schwarzentraub in “Live Courageously” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewardship in Your Congregation, volume 20 (Richmond: EMS, 2018) 2-3.

Schwarzentraub rightly notes that it takes courage to follow Jesus and live a life trusting in God. Many chose comfort, safety, and the perceived security of money stored up on earth. Don’t go there! Live courageously, live free of the love of money trap as no amount of money can give you the security you seek. Step out of your comfort zone. Live simply and generously.

I am humbled by the commitment of the Egyptian Christians! They are courageous souls whose lives are touching Sophie and me in unforgettable ways.

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. Acts 20:28

“Paul counseled leaders in the church in Ephesus on how to understand their office. “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers” (Acts 20:28). Those leaders did not hold office by apostolic selection or popular election but by divine appointment. They were accountable not only to the church but also to the Holy Spirit. What a sense of assurance and responsibility, what spiritual authority this teaching brought them, and brings to us.”

J. Oswald Sanders in Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence For Every Believer (Sanders Spiritual Growth Series; Chicago: Moody, 2017) 94.

When interacting with pastors and ministry administrators, I often share texts like Acts 20:13-38 to remind overseers of the importance of doing God’s work God’s way because we hold our roles by divine appointment. We must remind one another to remain faithful. At ECFA we call this peer accountability. We do this by adopting standards and holding each other accountable to those standards.

This was so important to Paul, that he made it a key part of his farewell comments to the Ephesian elders. As it relates to overseers everywhere, it will surface in the greeting I bring Egyptian Christians today at a remote retreat center (pictured above). Peer accountability represents an integral part ministry oversight, especially any work related to encouraging Christian generosity and practicing biblical fundraising.

Then he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6

“Zerubbabel undertook the daunting task of governing a region decimated by war and exile, as well as rebuilding a massive temple that lay in ruins. At this critical juncture, he received a message from God: “‘Not by strength or by might, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Zech 4:6). Zerubbabel may have thought his primary concerns were brick and mortar, finances, taxation, and the surrounding enemies. But the deluged governor learned an invaluable lesson: spiritual leaders require the Spirit to work in their lives even when it involves undertaking tasks that appear to be unspiritual. Erecting buildings, administering people, and raising money are all spiritual jobs when the Spirit is involved. Without the Spirit’s presence, people may be leaders but they are not spiritual leaders.”

Henry & Richard Blackaby in Spiritual Leadership: Moving People on to God’s Agenda, Revised and Expanded (Nashville: B & H, 2011) 67.

My daughter, Sophie, and I have arrived safely in Egypt. Thanks to my frequent travel status, the Ramses Hilton upgraded us to the executive level overlooking the Nile River (pictured above) and includes free food for $100 plus tax, and they even put a “Happy Birthday” cake in the room for Sophie who just turned 21 a few days ago ! The city is a buzz at night as this month is Ramadan, when many people fast by day and eat only after sundown over a 30 day period. We are only here one night, and we head out of town for meetings.

Our strategic conversations with spiritual leaders will revolve around “tasks that appear to be unspiritual” or more specifically, those that relate to the faithful administration of God’s work. For many people, conversations about encouraging Christian generosity, practicing biblical fundraising, and exhibiting financial accountability might seem peripheral or incidental to gospel efforts. For Zerubbabel (and anyone administering God’s work today) such tasks are deeply spiritual. They must be handled faithfully with the guidance of the Spirit or God’s work will suffer.

Whether God calls you to tasks that people deem as “spiritual” or “tasks that appear to be unspiritual” don’t rely on your own strength and wisdom. Follow God’s instructions as outlined in His Word and trust the Spirit to help you do whatever work He has set before you. Do this because any work with and for God is spiritual work, and this marks the only pathway for service that is generous and that accomplishes God’s purposes.

Or, in the words of Zechariah, we must get our “might” and “power” out of the way so that God’s Spirit can do unimaginably generous work through us! Father in heaven, empower Sophie and me by your Spirit to serve and bless all those we meet in Egypt for the glory of Jesus. Amen.

By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

“This seems a very odd statement that Paul makes at the very end of his list. We might feel like exclaiming, “Well, of course not! You don’t pass laws against kindness! There are no laws prohibiting love, joy, and peace!” So what does Paul mean here? Is he just stating the obvious, something nobody would disagree with?

It seems very probable that Paul is quoting a proverbial saying that goes back to Aristotle. In one place, after Aristotle had discussed a whole list of different qualities of a virtuous man, he wrote exactly the same Greek words that Paul uses here. And many commentators think that the word our Bible translates as “against” (the Greek word kata) would be better translated “concerning,” or “in relation to.”

In other words, what Paul (and Aristotle) meant was something like this: “In relation to these things, there is no law”… That is, these qualities are character virtues; you can’t legislate to make people behave this way. People will do these things because of who they are, not because there are laws that compel them to.”

Christopher J. H. Wright in Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit: Growing in Christlikeness (Downers Grove: IVP, 2017) 154-155.

Sophie and I made it safely to London. We rested well across the Atlantic, and thankfully, both of us feel great! When this meditation posts we should be somewhere between London and Cairo.

When I open my talks on generosity in the coming days I am leading with today’s Scripture. In every context, whether America or Egypt, I inspire people to live by the Spirit. Not only is there no law against the virtues the Spirit produces in our lives, but as Wright notes, no law could create such beautiful behavior in people. It’s the Spirit’s work in us. Thus, our fruit witnesses to our Christian faith and blesses those around us.

Anywhere in the world, and especially places where people are disinterested in the gospel, the most generous thing we can give, symbolically speaking, is a “basket of fruit” that only the Spirit can produce.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:15

“Pathetic people who simply ‘want friends’ can never make any. The very condition of having Friends is that we should want something else besides Friends. Where the truthful answer to the question Do you see the same truth? would be ‘I see nothing and I don’t care about the truth; I only want a Friend’, no Friendship can arise — though Affection of course may. There would be nothing for the Friendship to be about; and Friendship must be about something, even if it were only an enthusiasm for dominoes or white mice. Those who have nothing can share nothing; those who are going nowhere can have no fellow travelers.”

C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) in The Four Loves (New York: HarperCollins, 1960) 85. Our pastor, James Hoxworth, quoted from The Four Loves on Sunday, so I was inspired to revisit this classic work.

Consider the gravity of these ideas: “Friendship must be about something… Those who have nothing can share nothing; those who are going nowhere can have no fellow travelers.” Is your focus dominoes or white mice? Though I don’t fancy white mice, I love to play dominoes with friends and neighbors (though travel has limited time for that lately). But Lewis is right. Life is bigger than such things.

What does this have to do with generosity? If you generously put to work all you are and all you linked to the Master’s business and two things will happen. Firstly, you will experience the abundant life Jesus promised, and secondly, you will find Friends, real Friends. And I guess if there’s a third thing, it’s that you will avoid ‘pathetic’. Some may think I aim too high, but as God opens doors, I want to spread biblical teaching across the world.

Today I fly to Cairo, Egypt to spend time with a few dear Friends. I will let them remain nameless for safety purposes. They are convening a multi-day gathering of about 75 leading pastors and ministry administrators. I get to bring them greeting and offer a biblical perspective on generosity, fundraising, and accountability over three days. My fellow traveler will be my daughter, Sophie. She will offer priceless support and prayers.

Please pray for a safe and fruitful trip for us. Thanks.