William Barclay: Twenty times

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. Luke 16:8

“If the Christian was as eager and ingenious in his attempt to attain goodness as the man of the world is in his attempt to attain money and comfort, he would be a much better man. If only men would give as much attention to the things which concern their souls as they do to the things which concern their business, they would be much better men. Over and over again a man will expend twenty times the amount of time and money and effort on his pleasure, his hobby, his garden, his sport, as he does on his church. Our Christianity will begin to be real and effective only when we spend as much time and effort on it as we do on our worldly activities.”

William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke (TDSBS; Philadelphia; Westminster Press, 1975) 208.

The steward in this passage had to prepare to give an account. In anticipation of that day, he acted shrewdly. And while I have read this passage many times, I really appreciated Barclay’s assessment.

He brings the meaning to modernity with his “twenty times” statement. As he explains it, Jesus wants us to make our faith “real and effective” by giving more attention to it as compared to “worldly activities.”

It reminds me that as people become more wealthy, research shows they give a smaller percentage. It seems that the areas that grow are pleasure, hobbies, gardens, and sport.

Honduras is a poor country but it has surprised me with the level of interest and receptivity to biblical teaching on growing in generous stewardship and following ministry standards.

I think we will see a new peer accountability group (like ECFA in USA) here within a year. Why share this update in this post? Our country coordinator, Londin Velazquez, is “eager and ingenious.”

Coupled with that, Silvia Alvares, a young accountant willing to stand in the gap for her country, wants churches and ministry to have “real and effective” impact.

And, as I have gotten to know them, they make God’s work a priority with their time and their giving. I have great hope for the future of Honduras.

Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. Luke 10:4

“Jesus staggers them by ordering them to feed the crowd from their own scanty supply of food. He told them earlier when they went out on their mission to take no bread with them bit to love off the hospitality of others, now they are to return the favor for the crowd.”

David E. Garland in Mark (NIVAC; Grand Rapids; Zondervan, 1996) 253.

How often do we pray for God to extend radical generosity, miraculous deliverance, and indescribable protection to us as we serve Him on mission? This marks where I find myself today.

When God works, we experience His faithfulness and love, His provision and favor, and His matchless care. But when others have needs, do our prayers drop off and does our concern for their needs lag behind?

Imagine generosity as praying for the needs of others to be met with as much zeal as we pray for our own needs. Ponder that. I am praying for the needs of God’s workers in Honduras and Guatemala.

Pray for me as I preach and teach today. And thanks for those who made gifts to help us raise $10,000 to give to CONFIABLE to help them build capacity. To contribute to that effort, reply to this email.

Return the favor! Consider all God has done for you and join me in helping the weak.

In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. Luke 10:30

“There was the traveller. He was obviously a reckless and foolhardy character. People seldom attempted the Jerusalem to Jericho road alone if they were carrying goods or valuables. Seeking safety in numbers, they travelled in convoys or caravans. This man had no one but himself to blame for the plight in which he found himself.”

William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke (TDSBS; Philadelphia; Westminster Press, 1975) 139.

I changed the header photo to this picture of a closed door in Guatemala City. It reminded that patience and prayers pay off. After 7 years the closed door has finally opened.

What do I mean? CONFIABLE had its first official board meeting and has activated as the peer accountability group for Guatemala (like ECFA in USA). I will come back to this big news in a moment.

After dinner (about 5 blocks walk from the hotel), I said to the group that I would walk back to the hotel for a zoom meeting. They insisted I not walk alone. It would be “too dangerous” they exclaimed!

After my zoom I had my daily office (my time of study with the LORD, because I have to get up in the middle of the night to travel from Guatemala City, Guatemala to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

So, imagine my surprise when I returned to my commentary and discovered today’s insight. I had never thought about the traveller in the story of the Good Samaritan as “reckless” and likely deserving of his demise.

This added depth to the helper, which makes me henceforth want to call him the Generous Samaritan. He helped not just a person who was hurting but someone whose poor decisions maybe led to his plight.

Before turning in, I thought about the significance of today.

Corruption prevails in Latin America. Some might say the people have been “reckless” but that should not stop us from giving them a hand up. So, I want to challenge you to help me. Please.

The GTP board had already approved a $10,000 matching gift to help CONFIABLE build capacity. When I shared that with the board yesterday, it gave them hope.

They plan to raise $10,000 from local givers by March 2023 and when matched by GTP, they will have $20,000 to hire a staff member and launch their accreditation efforts.

They want to build trust and help ministries grow local giving. But they need our help! Would you be a Generous Samaritan and make a gift to GTP today to help us give them a hand up? Click here to give.

He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Luke 9:3

“They were to travel light. That was simply because the man who travels light travels far and fast. The more a man is cluttered up with material things the more he is shackled to one place. God needs a settled ministry; but He also needs those who will abandon earthly things to adventure for Him.”

William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke (TDSBS; Philadelphia; Westminster Press, 1975) 115.

Are you shackled or settled?

To be shackled is to have debt, outstanding obligations, and binding commitments. To be settled is to have your accounts current, your bills paid, your slate clean.

You can go where God leads. You can move far and fast.

In the Stations of Generosity training yesterday, we used “journey” and “adventure” language, similar to Barclay. People resonated with it and resolved to live differently.

What about you?

The instructions of Jesus aim to help and not hurt us. When we take nothing, our hands are free to hold on to Him with both hands.

But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:27-31

“The Christian ethic is positive. It does not consist in not doing things but in doing them. Jesus gave us the Golden Rule which bids us to do to others as we would have them do to us. That rule exists in many writers of many creeds in its negative form… It is not unduly difficult to keep yourself from such action; but it is a very different thing to go out of your way to do to others what you would want them to do to you. The very essence of Christian conduct is that it consists, not in refraining from bad things, but in actively doing good things.”

William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke (TDSBS; Philadelphia; Westminster Press, 1975) 79.

I am safely in Guatemala and brought this commentary with me for personal study.

Notice the positive nature of the powerful teachings of Jesus. We don’t experience transformation unless we actively do the good things He instructs us to do. We figure it out as we live it out.

This morning on zoom I have the GTP quarterly board meeting. Then, after that, I will collaborate with GTP board member, Karen Gudiel to facilitate “Stations of Generosity” for a group of Christian workers from many ministries.

Our aim is precisely the point of today’s post. We want to empower them with a replicable training that inspires people to actively do good things when everyone else in their culture is focused on not doing bad things.

Pray for much fruit. And go forth in your day and actively do something good for God’s glory.

After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. Luke 8:1-3

“The early church didn’t say, “Look what the world is coming to!” They said, “Look what has come into the world.”

Carl F.H. Henry (1913-2003) in Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty isn’t the American Dream by Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic (Chicago: Moody, 2019) 193. This will be the last post from this book for now.

I board a plane for Guatemala and Honduras today. Happy to leave the snow behind.

I am thankful for my colleagues with Kareen Gudiel, Paula Mendoza, and Carla Archila of Guatemala. Like Mary, Joanna, and Susanna, they collaborate with me at GTP as a Board member, Global Administrator, and Spanish Translator, respectively. As disciples of Jesus, we get to proclaim good news together.

This Scripture seemed fitting this morning with three women serving with Jesus.

We have a full schedule with preaching, teaching times, and training sessions over the next week in multiple towns. Reply if you want a copy of the schedule to pray for us. And please make a gift to GTP to help us with a “Serve the Underserved” $40,000 matching gift this month, which covers the cost of program work in new countries like Honduras. Give here.

And this statement by Henry stuck with me as my prayer for this trip.

While most people walk around saying, “Look what the world is coming to!” We get to proclaim a different message. Because Christ has come into the world, we can proclaim good news! While ministries in Latin America struggle to survive and cry for help, we get to bring them good news and results in local, sustainable ministry. Let me explain.

Notice in today’s Scripture that stewards sustained this work by giving from their personal resources.

The mission of Jesus and the disciples (both men and women) did not rely on outside giving. The disciples contributed what they had served people freely. That’s how we do it at GTP. So, where does giving come into play? Once people have been served, they get to give to share the blessing and spread good news to others.

That’s the impact of your giving to GTP. And this month it will be doubled.

Pray with us for God to pour out His Spirit and work in Latin America this next week. We will celebrate the activation of CONFIABLE, the peer accountability group in Guatemala, and teaching, train, and plant seeds to start a peer accountability group in Honduras. And when you pray and give, you join in the work. Thanks.

“Look what has come into Guatemala and Honduras!”

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13:13

“Christianity revitalized life in Greco-Roman cities by providing new norms and new kinds of social relationships able to cope with many urgent urban problems. To cities filled with the homeless and the impoverished, Christianity offered charity as well as hope. To cities filled with newcomers and strangers, Christianity offered an immediate basis for attachments. To cities filled with orphans and widows, Christianity provided a new and expanded sense of family. To cities torn by violent ethnic strife, Christianity offered a new basis for social solidarity. And to cities faced with epidemics, fires, and earthquakes, Christianity offered effective nursing services.”

Rodney Stark in The Rise of Christianity: A Sociologist Reconsiders History (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996) 161.

As I came to the end of Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty isn’t the American Dream
by Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic, I came upon this quote.

It reminded me that need not come up with strategies to solve the problems of society. We need only to live out the Christian faith with obedience. It leads people to take care of the needs around them.

How might living out the Christian faith where God has planted you bring hope? How might it bring the otherworldly and untouchable gift of charity to those who need it most?

I’m packing for Guatemala and Honduras. Leaving early tomorrow for a week. Pray for God’s protection and blessing on me as I serve and my wife back home.

I will attend the founding meeting of the peer accountability group in Guatemala, CONFIABLE. They got legal status in Guatemala after years of work. It’s a huge step for Latin America.

From there doing program work and preaching in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It’s a new country for GTP serving workers who have tapped GTP resources during the pandemic.

To help GTP serve the underserved make a gift today. God supplied a $40,000 matching gift last week. All gifts made by the end of February 2023 will be matched up to that amount. Learn more here.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 1 John 2:15

“There are two ways in which a practical moralist may attempt to displace from the human heart its love of the world – either by a demonstration of the world’s vanity, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon simply to withdraw its regards from an object that is not worthy of it; or, by setting forth another object, even God, as more worthy of its attachment, so as that the heart shall be prevailed upon not to resign an old affection, which shall have nothing to succeed it, but to exchange an old affection for a new one. My purpose is to show, that from the constitution of our nature, the former method is altogether incompetent and ineffectual and that the latter method will alone suffice for the rescue and recovery of the heart from the wrong affection that domineers over it.”

Thomas Chalmers (1780-1847) in “The Expulsive Power of a New Affection”, 1. We are back to the cold and the snow. It was about -22°C or -6°F this morning, hence the new header photo.

Brian Fikkert who serves at The Chalmers Center at Covenant College, named after Thomas Chalmers, referenced this paper in Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty isn’t the American Dream (Chicago: Moody, 2019) 65. It’s a winner.

Consider the core idea here and how it relates to our generosity. To help people disconnect from attachment to the things of this world, don’t try to convince them of the vanity of the world. You won’t succeed.

But instead, show something more worthy of its attachment, namely God, who alone suffices “for the rescue and recovery of the heart from the wrong affection that domineers over it.”

In plain terms, if you want to grow in generosity today, go enlarge your knowledge of the God who loves you, cares for you, and gave His life to save you from yourself, from your sins.

Do that, day after day, and your attachment to the things of earth will diminish even as your new affection grows for the God who loves you more than you could ever imagine.

We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man. 2 Corinthians 8:20-21

“Some people are very reluctant to speak of “structural sin,” arguing that only people can sin. Sin is a personal choice made by free moral persons. Structures cannot sin in that sense. With that I agree. However, no human being is born into or makes his or her moral choices in the context of a clean sheet.

We all live within social frameworks that we did not create. They were there before we arrived and will remain after we are gone, even if individually or as a whole generation we may engineer significant change in them.

And those frameworks are the result of other people’s choices and actions over time—all of them riddled with sin. So although structures may not sin in the personal sense, structures embody myriad personal choices, many of them sinful, that we have come to accept within our cultural patterns. . .

It is not that by living within such structures our sin becomes justifiable or inevitable. We are still responsible persons before God. It does mean that sinful ways of life become normalized, rationalized, rendered plausible and acceptable by reference to the structures and conventions we have created.”

Christopher J.H. Wright as cited by Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic in Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty isn’t the American Dream (Chicago: Moody, 2019) 177-178.

Jenni and I had a great week. Thanks for your prayers. We made special memories, read some books, had sweet time, and are shocked by the temperature shift. Went from 83°F / 28°C and sun to 10°F / -12°C this morning with snow.

Part of my work globally aims to set up structures to build trust so local giving flows to God’s work. The importance of such structures rooted in biblical standards cannot be understated.

In many countries, corruption linked to handling money has become “normalized, rationalized, rendered plausible and acceptable.” Sadly this exists both in business and ministry settings. It creates many problems, including a lack of trust.

This lack of trust becomes a leading hindrance to generous giving.

Wright helps us see that we can’t point fingers at others. Instead, God’s workers everywhere must acknowledge the sin in our own cultural settings, and make personal choices to act differently and distinctly Christianly.

This goes against the flow. But once a person stands up makes such a choice, others follow. It’s beautiful to watch. Let me illustrate this from my experience at GTP.

I’ve had the joy of helping set up peer accountability groups like ECFA in USA in 8 countries: South Korea, Philippines, Australia, Kenya, Guatemala, Egypt, India, and Indonesia.

A peer accountability group is a locally formed legal entity that helps ministries in a country follow biblically faithful, globally consistent, and locally contextualized standards for faithful administration.

To join, individuals serving in ministries a personal decision to chart a new course. When ministries get accredited for following the standards they put a seal on their website. The seal builds trust and gives people confidence to give.

Peer accountability honors God and reverses the pattern of passive conformity to structural sin. This opens the door for local giving to flow which follows God’s design for ministry sustainability.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

“If money is the focus, then money is perceived to be the key to transformation. What we put at the center of our program is our witness. We must always ask if we are acting as a dependent people, looking to God for every good thing. We want people to observe us and say, “Theirs must be a living God!”

Bryant L. Myers as cited Becoming Whole: Why the Opposite of Poverty is not the American Dream by Brian Fikkert and Kelly M. Kapic (Chicago: Moody, 2019) 55.

In the first part of this book, Fikkert and Kapic dismantle the weaknesses of models for alleviating poverty that relate to giving handouts or providing economic empowerment (with aid such as micro-enterprise).

By this statement, I mean that well-intentioned activities can have harmful or less that fruitful results.

Let me state pointedly that micro-enterprise can be a helpful tool, but only if the gospel gets the central focus. Only Christ can change a situation and money must not wrongly be the center of focus.

Money does not sustain people, Christ does.

The authors rightly surmise that “Human beings are transformed into the image of whatever god they worship, so at the core of poverty alleviation is worship of the one true God.”

Bryant’s quote highlights that our witness to God’s faithfulness must remain central to poverty alleviation work.

We must not come into any poverty situations with outside financial support or external dependency on human agency, but rather come in with truth that transforms and empowers people.

This fills me with gratitude to God today as it matches how God has led us at GTP to work in Malawi.

Any funds we spend relate to deploying people to train tribal authorities, pastors, and teachers to spread a biblical curriculum that inspires children to give God what they have as a reflection of true Christianity.

It’s drawing many to faith, the church is growing, and people are solving their own poverty issues!

If you have not watched the Palmful of Maize video that reflects the work of GTP and the witness of the people of Malawi, watch it here and check out the watch party collateral material.

This will help you spread transformation through your witness to Christ at the center where you live.

And, at GTP, we got a $40,000 matching gift for all gifts through the end of February 2023. Give today to help us continue to build trust and grow local giving in even the hardest places.

Click here to learn more about the match or to give.

With the funds, we hope to open work to serve the underserved in countries like Ethiopia, Honduras, Jamaica, Thailand, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Senegal in 2023.