Pamela York Klainer: The blessing of an iced Americano

“Stewardship to me is a dynamic process of giving and receiving. In the context of the village, that means I can’t always be in the role of giver. When someone asks me what they can do to repay my kindness, I first suggest that they can invite me to share a meal with their family. While we are eating together this question often arises: “Why are you helping us? sometimes followed by: “We are not worth it.” I find that I can’t give a superficial answer here.

Rather, we are usually drawn into a deep conversation about our beliefs concerning God and the world and poverty and justice. Speaking at this level is an effort for me because my Spanish—while good—doesn’t always hold up to a profound theological discussion. No matter; that I have to ask for their help in expressing myself seems to enhance, not damage our connection.”

Pamela York Klainer in “Stewardship as Engagement” issue of Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, Vol. 15 (Blaine: ESC, 2014) 22-23.

I resonated with so much in this article as I reflect on my teaching experience the past two weeks in Seoul. During the first week of class, I took my students on an afternoon break for coffee. On hot, humid days, the iced Americano is the favorite beverage over here. The students said, “Dr. Hoag, we cannot let you buy coffee for us. We should buy for you!”

I replied. “We can never give generously until we learn to receive gratefully. Receive the blessing of an iced Americano and after you enjoy it, ask the Lord how he has positioned you to reflect His generous love to the world.” As as I bid farewell to my students today, one thanked me for teaching them how to give by first teaching them how to receive (cf. Matthew 10:8).

“If we want people to give financially, the last thing to do—literally—is to ask for money. The first thing? Carry out Matthew 6:33—a stewardship program: “…strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well.” To be specific: preach the love of God for all people, time and time again. If we never preach anything else, but do it with conviction, “money” stewardship will take care of itself.

After all, God’s love is the major topic of Christianity; it is demonstrated throughout God’s creation, preservation, and salvation of His people. We have to become a God’s-love community, internalize it and live it, and then we will be the one kind of steward that the New Testament ever addresses: stewards of the gospel. As the New Testament itself shows, people who are excited about and participate in the good news will give both ministry and money.”

Kamila Blessing in “A New (Testament) Approach to Introducing Stewardship” issue of Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, Vol. 15 (Blaine: ESC, 2014) 18-19. 

I love this article! It captures the heart of my lecture today and will likely produce wonderful discussion. My students are grasping that those who ask for money and seek after cash with their whole hearts become slaves to mammon and lovers of money, but those who raise up stewards and invite their participation in God’s work with the resources in their stewardship see both ministry and money deployed richly to God.

“Stewardship is best taught year-round. Just like evangelism, forgiveness, love, and all the other theological concepts we have learned since our first days of Sunday School, stewardship is a foundational element of life in God’s kingdom. We must, therefore, be diligent in teaching our children (and adults!) the fundamentals of faithful stewardship–and we must do it throughout the course of church life.”

Ed Taylor in “Stewardship Emphasis” issue of Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, Vol. 16 (Blaine: ESC, 2014) 16.1. The Apostle Paul said something in his second letter to the Corinthians.

But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 8:7

Pray for my Torch Trinity students as they begin to think about how they will teach stewardship in their church and ministry settings so that those they serve can grow in this aspect of the faith.

Does your church teach stewardship year-round?

“As God has richly blessed us with sal­va­tion, and has added to this mate­r­ial pros­per­ity, we pray that our response would be one of cor­re­spond­ing grat­i­tude and imi­ta­tive grace. We there­fore encour­age all of our people to engage them­selves gladly in the work of the king­dom, extend­ing the kind­ness of Christ to oth­ers, just as the Father has extended it to us…”

Lance Hickerson, Senior Minister of Forest Home Church, Franklin, TN, in the Call to Action section of “On Eco­nomic Jus­tice: A State­ment of Under­stand­ing Regard­ing Finan­cial Bless­ings and their Application“.

While the entire document is worth reading, this call to action encompasses my prayer for Christ followers everywhere, and more specifically, those who listen to my preaching this weekend in multiple settings in Seoul and the students who sit under my teaching here at Torch Trinity.

May our response to God’s rich blessings be “corresponding gratitude and imitative grace” when our tendency linked to material prosperity is shrinking generosity and self-centeredness.

We intend that no one should blame us about this generous gift that we are administering, for we intend to do what is right not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of others. 2 Corinthians 8:20-21

“Paul was usually concerned with doing what is right in God’s eyes rather than human eyes—especially since God’s way and humankind’s way are often in conflict. Here he takes the additional step of taking into consideration what is right in the eyes of others (v. 21). What this amounted to was making sure that everything not only was above suspicion (right . . . in the eyes of the Lord) but also looked so (right . . . in the eyes of men). Why? Because life and ministry are inseparable.

There will always be those who judge the claims of Christ by the lives of those who claim to be his followers. If the conduct of the fundraiser can be faulted, then the gospel itself can be called into question. Not only this, but God’s reputation can be damaged. The ultimate purpose of the collection was to honor the Lord (literally, “to advance the glory of the Lord”; v. 20)—an aim that could hardly be accomplished if any suspicions attached to the collection process.”

Linda L. Belleville in 2 Corinthians (Downers Grove: IVP, 1996) 225.

Today CCFK, ECFA, and Kurios International are hosting an International Symposium on Financial Accountability in Christian Ministry in Seoul, South Korea. I get to contribute a biblical studies perspective on the topic and will cite this among other verses.

Join me in praying for ministries across the USA and Korea to handle funds “above suspicion” so that God is sure to receive glory. This required intentional effort for the Apostle Paul and calls for the same diligence for overseers of God’s work today!

“The power of trust—trust that a ministry is reliable, good, and honest—based on the truth of God’s Word is undeniable. Christ-centered ministries impact the lives of millions of people every day in a positive way. As these ministries experience high trust, their impact grows exponentially. Trust changes everything!”

Dan Busby in Trust: The Firm Foundation for Kingdom Fruitfulness (Winchester: ECFA Press, 2015) 1-2.

Tonight, as ECFA International Liaison, I am hosting a dinner for the board members, preparatory committee, and founding members of the Christian Council for Financial Transparency of Korea (CCFK), the counterpart to ECFA in the USA. I am giving CCFK leaders copies of this book by Dan Busby, a must-read for anyone engaged in the administration of God’s work.

What does “trust” have to do with generosity? I echo Dan’s sentiment: everything!

When ministries exhibit financial accountability, they build trust that people should participate in giving and other ways. When ministries fail to handle funds with integrity and break trust, the ministry suffers and God’s reputation is tarnished. May God help all those served by ECFA and CCFK to uphold trust and administrate finances faithfully for God’s glory (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:20-21).

“Daily, the news stories capture our attention: public servants–some paid, some volunteer–who respond to emergencies of every type. Outwardly, they are known by their bright and well-recognized garb: hats, boots, coats that identify these persons as first responders in times of great need. We applaud their success and mourn with their families and communities when some make the ultimate sacrifice to save the lives of others.

In the local church community, we have the opportunity to learn to be first responders, offering the generosity of God. This generosity was revealed when God gave the world Jesus Christ. God’s Son expresses the depth of God’s generosity. Like those who are trained for work in perilous circumstances, God calls us to be fearless in our living, our giving, and our service.

The local church community is the primary place for cultivating an attitude and practice of generosity. Here we are taught what it means to be stewards of all that we have. Here we are taught how to give or offer the time, spiritual gifts, skill sets, and finances with which we have been entrusted.”

Michelle Cobb in “God’s First Responders” issue of Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, Vol. 16 (Blaine: ESC, 2014) 12-13.

Do we train people in our churches to maintain such a responsive posture to reflect God’s love and generosity?

This is precisely what Jesus did when he taught His disciples about the good Samaritan (cf. Luke 10:25-37. This idea particularly impacted my students this week: to train people to always be ready to deploy themselves and their resources to show God’s love. We discuss how sometimes this is inconvenient, expensive, and even dangerous.

A few students joined my class at the last minute because the MERS breakout caused another modular class to be cancelled because the visiting professor chose not to come to South Korea. My students thanked me for coming despite the perceived danger. The responsiveness of this class has been a highlight of my academic teaching career. These students aspire to serve the Lord all over Asia.

Their gratitude has led me to wonder about the man served by the good Samaritan in the story of Jesus. I’ll bet he went on to show the same Christ-like kindness that he received to others for the rest of his life!

Now to Him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

“Reporters, politicians, and leaders of business and industry often have a modus operandi of negativity and scarcity, many times fueled by fear. The messages we hear caution us regarding moving forward with any certainty. And we dare not give beyond our means.

However, Paul’s encouraging words to us say that God is able to do abundantly far more than anything we are able to ask or even think about asking for. And perhaps even more amazingly, God chooses to work through us to accomplish more than we can imagine…

As we strive to practice fearless generosity, we can remember Paul’s blessing to the church in Ephesians 3:20-21. Using us as willing vessels, God through the Holy Spirit–the power at work within us–is able to accomplish abundantly far more than we can ask or imagine.”

Mark Kirchoff in “Fearless Generosity” issue of Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, Vol. 16 (Blaine: ESC, 2014) 3-7.

I just finished leading my Torch Trinity students through the New Testament letters (all day today), and their in-class testimonies and presentations inspired me. They passionately announced the need for repentance: to turn from negativity and scarcity thinking to adopt an abundance perspective from their understand of stewardship formed through our walk through the Scriptures. Soon they will write their philosophy of biblical stewardship paper which will chart the course for the rest of their lives as stewards.

Pray with me that quotes from saints through church history (tomorrow morning’s lesson) and the testimonies of Korean Christians that have gone through “Journey of Generosity” events in Korea (tomorrow afternoon’s panel of givers) will inspire them to surrender to the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives so they exhibit the fruit of fearless generosity (cf. Galatians 5:22-23).

I believe, through these 17 students, God will do more throughout Asia and around the world, than I could ever ask or imagine. Make it so, Lord Jesus!

“The measure of our stewardship includes how we live (our relationship to creation), how we serve (our care of those in need), how we sow (our willingness to respond to God’s call), and how we give (how we manage the blessings that God has given us). The power of God within us is our resource to dispel our fears and “accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine”, knowing that the reason for all that we do is to honor and glorify God [Ephesians 3:20-21].”

Marcia Shetler in “Fearless Generosity” issue of Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, Vol. 16 (Blaine: ESC, 2014) 2.

As I walk my Torch Trinity students through the Scriptures this week, I am reminding them of this important truth made clear in this quote by my friend, Marcia Shetler: growth from fear to faith is not a journey we can do in our own strength. It’s only possible because “the power of God within us is our resource” (cf. Mark 10:27).

Father in heaven, may our living, serving, sowing, and giving reflect your power at work in us and bring you glory, we ask in the name of Jesus our Savior and Lord. Amen.

“The stewardship portion of our following Jesus is one of those places that invites us to do something. It is a place where faith is made outwardly visible, not to bring attention to the self but to give glory to God.”

Russ Matteson in “Saints Alive! Living Generously” in Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation, Vol. 15 (Blaine: ESC, 2013) 9-10.

Had a great first day at Torch Trinity with 17 students from Korea, China, Nepal, Pakistan, India, and USA. Tomorrow I dig deeply into “the stewardship portion of our following Jesus” in the Gospels. Thanks for your prayers for God to work through me and within them.