John Chrysostom: Foolishness and Flourishing

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29

“How the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and this weakness stronger than men! In what way is it stronger? It made its way through the world and overcame all men; countless men sought to eradicate the very name of [Christ] crucified, but that name flourished and grew even mightier. Its enemies lost out and perished…”

John Chrysostom (347-407) in 1 Corinthians 4 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 225.

The foolishness of God is not only wiser and stronger than any human thinking. Following them is the only way to flourish. Speaking of flourishing….

If you want a copy of my most recent book, Flourish, co-authored with my wife, Jenni Hoag, and my good friend, Linda Maris, click here. And if you know anyone who speaks Spanish or Ukrainian, stay tuned as it will be freely available in those languages shortly.

But, at this point you may be asking what this has to do with generosity. Honestly, everything!

The teachings of Jesus on money make no absolutely sense in this world. Just like the message of the crucifixion and resurrection, it requires a person to have faith to believe. You don’t figure them out until you live them out.

So, if you want to lose out and perish, follow the world’s way of thinking about life and money. But if you want to overcome the world and experience flourishing, live out the foolishness of God, starting today.

Father in heaven, we want to flourish as a testimony to the truth of the gospel. Help us obey even your most hard teachings in order to witness to your faithfulness. Make it so by your Spirit we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove your evil deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow. Isaiah 1:16-17

“Wash yourself clean, so that you may hold a richer store of grace. Sins are forgiven equally for all, but communion in the Holy Spirit is given in the measure of each one’s faith. If you have done little work, you will receive little; if you have achieved a great deal, great will be your reward.”

Cyril of Jerusalem (313-386) in Catechetical 1 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 330.

This is a powerful idea from Cyril today.

Everyone’s sins are forgiven equally, but we only commune with the Spirit to the extent that we live out our faith by doing good work with God. And it’s something Isaiah tells us that we learn.

We learn to “do good, seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.” We discover in the process of doing these things that we find joy, satisfaction, and best of all, communion with the Spirit.

People often ask me how to hear God’s voice. Here’s my answer.

Learn to do the good God put you on earth to do. And I don’t mean the easy stuff. I mean the messy stuff of which Isaiah speaks: “do good, seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.”

Three things will happen. I mean this, so listen closely.

Firstly, you will see the face of Jesus in those you serve. You will find Him in the hungry and needy person. In the least likely person, you will experience Him.

Secondly, you will hear the Spirit speaking to you, leading you, guiding you. You will pray without ceasing, asking, “What do I do?” And in response, the Spirit will show you, “This is the path, walk ye in it.”

Thirdly, you will experience the providence of the Father. You will have great needs, and in His time and way, He will supply. The process will stretch and grow your faith, but that’s how the father grows His children.

Praying for a richer store of grace for all who read this.

You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached—how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him. Acts 10:37-38

“This was the method that Jesus used with the apostles. He put up with their ignorance and roughness and even their infidelity. He treated sinners with a kindness and affection that caused some to be shocked, others to be scandalized, and still others to hope for God’s mercy.”

John Bosco (1815-1888) in his Letter 4 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 553.

Jesus had a generous method as he went about doing good that we do well to follow.

Firstly, Bosco says, he put up with ignorance, roughness, and infidelity. While we can be quick to give up on people or write them off, that’s precisely the opposite of how Jesus has treated each of us.

Secondly, he treated sinners with kindness and affection. In a word, he showed love to the undeserving which shocked, scandalized and struck many to humble themselves and hope for mercy.

As I sat outside yesterday afternoon and looked to the mountains from our little deck (pictured above). I pondered and thought, “I need help from the Lord to live out this generous method. We all do.”

Father in heaven, thanks for you kindness to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Help us by your Holy Spirit to put up with the ignorant, rough, and unreliable while showing kindness and love to all. Hear our prayer in your mercy. Amen.

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

“I attended to you with loving care. Out of provident concern I handed over my only-begotten Son to make satisfaction for your needs. I demanded supreme obedience from Him so that the human race might be freed of the poison which had infected the entire earth because of Adam’s disobedience. With eager love He submitted to a shameful death on the cross and by that death He gave you life, not merely human but divine.”

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) in her Dialogue as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 294.

As we aim at Christlikeness in the days after Easter living the resurrected life, let us follow the example of Christ as described today by Catherine of Siena and extend provident care and eager love toward others.

Provident care is supplying what people need, whether they deserve it or not. It may not necessarily be what they want, but it should flow from what we have toward others like it flowed from God through Christ to us.

And eager love should go with it. Eager to do what is good. Willing to sacrifice like God gave us Christ and like Christ embraced the shameful death on a cross. Let us be eager to show others the love we have received.

God help us in life after Easter to follow your example and extend provident care and eager love toward others like you first showed to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

When [Jesus] was at the table with them, He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when He broke the bread. Luke 24:30-35

“Beloved, the days which passed between the Lord’s resurrection and His ascension were by no means uneventful; during them great sacramental mysteries were confirmed, great truths revealed.

In those days the fear of death with all its horrors was taken away, and the immortality of both body and soul affirmed. It was then that the Lord breathed on all His apostles and filled them with the Holy Spirit; and after giving the keys of the kingdom to blessed Peter, who he had chosen and set above all the others, He entrusted Him with the care of His flock.

During these days the Lord joined two of His disciples as their companion on the road, and by chiding them for their timidity and hesitant fears, he swept away all the clouds of our uncertainty. . .

And as they shared their meal with Him, their eyes were opened in the breaking of bread, opened far more happily to the sight of their own glorified humanity than were the eyes of our first parents with the shame of their sin.

Throughout the whole period between the resurrection and the ascension, God’s providence was at work to instill this one lesson in the hearts of the disciples, to set this one truth before their eyes, that our Lord Jesus Christ, who was truly born, truly suffered and truly died, should be recognized as truly risen from the dead.”

Leo the Great (c. 400-461) in his Ascension 1 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 313-314.

Speaking at the NCF Wisconsin conference went great yesterday in Milwaukee.

Many expressed that the teaching was eye-opening. It was cool. God brought together the remarks of the speakers and worked powerfully. It was like an Emmaus Road experience for many. Praise God.

Thanks for praying for us too. We flew safely home last night. It’s good to be home after 7 flights in 8 days.

The context for today’s Scripture is the window of time between the resurrection and the ascension. It recounts the happenings after the first Easter. And it’s where we find ourselves today.

What struck me from this reading is that it echoes what we experienced yesterday: “God’s providence was at work.”

His providence worked in the days between the resurrection and the ascension (back then and now) pointing everyone to the Lord Jesus Christ who was born, suffered, died, and rose again.

But many people don’t recognize Jesus today. Jesus did not draw attention to Himself.

We only see His providence at work when we look for Him. The text says they only recognized Him when they broke the bread. The same holds true today. As we enjoy sweet fellowship with Jesus, we see Him and come to know Him more deeply.

And we get to tell others to trust in His providence. That’s our job.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

“The Church everywhere flourishes through the glorious deeds of the holy martyrs…Do you think martyrs could have been victorious, unless he was victorious in the martyrs who said: Rejoice, for I have overcome the world? The Lord of the heavens directed their minds and tongues; through them he overcame the devil on earth and crowned them as martyrs in heaven. Blessed are those who have drunk of this cup!”

Augustine of Hippo (354-430) in his Sermon 329 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 610-611.

Today, my latest book, Flourish, co-authored with Jenni Hoag and Linda Maris releases in Wisconsin at the Fueled to Flourish event hosted by NCF Wisconsin. When we follow God’s design for life and living we flourish.

And flourishing is more than just bearing fruit, sometimes it requires us to endure drought or welcome pruning. But through the process of growth, we learn things. And, in the process, we gain a testimony.

As Augustine notes, “the Church flourishes through the glorious deeds of the holy martyrs.” This does not just point to famous people who die for their faith. It references the deeds of people like you and me who out the faith.

The word, martyr, means witness. We witness to the truth of the gospel as we live out the faith. When we endure suffering or welcome pruning, we testify to the fact that the Lord we serve has overcome the world.

And when we continue to do glorious deeds, we overcome the evil in the world. What glorious deeds does God have for you today? Are you willing to drink the cup of martyrdom? To live out the faith regardless of the cost.

I want to thank Jenni and Linda for the privilege of working on this book together. We started it in 2020. It got tabled through Covid, and finally released today. I will share a link for downloading it from GTP in a day or two.

For now, find peace in knowing that our Lord has overcome the world and get out there and do glorious deeds. In so doing you will bear witness to the gospel. And your perseverance contributes to the flourishing of the Church.

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20

“Our understanding, which is enlightened by the Spirit of truth, should receive with purity and freedom of heart the glory of the cross as it shines in heaven and on earth… How marvelous the power of the cross; how great beyond all telling the glory of the passion… Through the cross the faithful receive strength from weakness, glory from dishonor, life from death… God’s compassion for us is all the more wonderful because Christ died, not for the righteous or the holy, but for the wicked and the sinful.”

Leo the Great (c. 400-461) in his Passion 8 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 300-301.

One of my favorite verses after Easter is today’s Scripture. Read it again.

From this verse, I receive the generous gift of strength from God to live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.

He did this not because I was deserving, but because of His grace to me a sinner.

If you find yourself weary today, receive strength from the cross. Find strength to love the unlovable, serve the undeserving, and live by faith in hard times.

Jenni and I fly to Milwaukee to speak at the Fuel Conference tomorrow hosted by NCF Wisconsin and others.

Pray for us to help others find fuel from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us on the cross to live as generous sharers of life.

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9

“Dear Brethren, we must endure and persevere if we are to attain the truth and freedom we have been allowed to hope for; faith and hope are the very meaning of our being Christians, but if faith and hope are to bear their fruit, patience is necessary…

Patient waiting is necessary if we are to receive from God what we hope for and believe…

Paul warns us not to grow weary in good works through impatience, not to be distracted or overcome by temptations and so give up in the midst of our pilgrimage of praise and glory, and allow our past good deeds to count for nothing because what was begun falls short of completion.”

Cyprian of Carthage (c. 210-258) in his Patience as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 541.

Patient waiting.

It’s the vital ingredient we must have for our generosity to reap the harvest God desires. In plain terms, doing good is not always easy. It’s especially hard when we face obstacles or opposition.

But Paul and Cyprian remind us not to grow weary, not to be impatient or distracted, not to be overcome by temptations and so give up. It’s easier said than done.

But it’s possible with God’s help.

This post is for anyone facing obstacles or opposition to the good work to which God has called. Don’t lose heart. Because your work is His work, it will reap a harvest if you do not give up.

I am telling myself this right now in the current cash crisis with GTP.

Thanks to all who have given. If you are able to make a gift at this time, please give here. If not, pray that our wrongly frozen accounts will be released to us so we can get back to doing good.

If you missed the post about our current situation, read “Afflicted” today.

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:19-21

“We should love and feel compassion for those who oppose us, rather than abhor and despise them, since they harm themselves and do us good, and adorn us with crowns of everlasting glory while they incite God’s anger against themselves. And even more than this, we should pray for them and not be overcome by evil but overcome evil by goodness. We should heap good works like red hot coals of burning love upon their heads, as our Apostle Paul urges us to do, so that when they become aware of our tolerance and gentleness they may undergo a change of heart and be prompted to turn in love to God.”

Anthony Zaccaria (1502-1539) in his Sermon as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 679-680.

In the current banking crisis in which GTP has no access to our funds which have been frozen, I am realizing in real-time that our goodness, our generosity, can become our greatest witness.

Think about it. And remember I said “our” generosity. That includes us and you. Let me explain.

Zaccaria reminds us that when others wrong us, we must extend love and compassion to them rather than respond in anger. This ensures that our witness when wronged can help lead to their change of heart.

So when you or I are wronged by others, our generosity to them can lead them to the LORD.

The love we show actively heaps conviction in the form of “red hot coals of burning love” on them. When we overcome evil with good, we participate in turning evil doers to God.

But that’s not all. And if you are out there and know someone who has been hurt, help them.

This too is our witness. And I am thankful for the people who have stepped up to help GTP. Thanks for those who heard that our assets were wrongly frozen for upwards of a month and making a gift.

What difference can your gift make in a time of crisis?

GTP has 10 staff who work with more than 100 volunteers in 112 countries with a budget of about $750,000. To have all our accounts frozen for weeks poses a huge hardship.

We made payroll last week but we have bills to pay and program work to fund.

We have forgiven those who have wronged us and appreciate any support you can share here. How we show compassion to evil doers and generous care for each other in crisis is a great witness!

and it can even lead those who have harmed us to have a change of heart.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16

“How I wish I might deserve to have my lantern always burning at night in the temple of my Lord, to give light to all who enter the house of my God. Give me, I pray you, Lord, in the name of Jesus Christ, your Son and my God, that love that does not fail so that my lantern, burning within me and giving light to others, may always be lighted and never extinguished…

Give your light to my lantern, I beg you, my Jesus, so that by its light I may see that holy of holies which receives you as the eternal priest entering among the columns of your great temple. May I ever see you only, look on you, long for you; may I gaze with love on you alone, and have my lantern shining and burning always in your presence.”

Columbanus (540-615) in Instruction 12 as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 663-664.

Are you giving light that is always “lighted and never extinguished” to those around you? Jesus wants our light to shine so people may see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven.

This reading by Columbanus touched me deeply because it reflects the life he lived. He pointed people to God by lighting the way. I thought to myself. That’s all I want to do too!

Notice that he wrote “give your light to my lantern.” He wanted to carry the light of life from God to others. To do that, he needed to spend time with Jesus.

We don’t often think about generosity in terms of giving light. To whom might you carry light, so they may gaze with love on God and connect with Him?

As I stated over the past few days, Jenni and I are attending two weddings in two states in three days. It’s a little crazy but fun to tell young people we love to let their light shine for Jesus as a couple with Him at the center.