The Blessing of Giving Thanks

 “We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, and Your name is near; Your wondrous works declare it.”(rf. Ps. 75:1 MEV)

 

            The one dynamic that separates our Thanksgiving celebration from all other holidays is or what should be the central focus of the day—giving thanks. This is a time purposefully set aside to give thanks to God for the many blessings that He has given to us throughout the preceding year. It is a clear recognition that those blessings were not brought into being by ourselves but bestowed upon us by One far greater than we could ever be. It is an opportunity for us to stop from our busyness and take inventory of what we have that others less fortunate than ourselves do not and be grateful. We do not rejoice in the disparity, but, rather, because of our bounty, we can bless others by helping to meet their needs. This is a holiday not to celebrate self-centeredness or pride. It is a reminder to be selfless in our generosity and humble that we have been the beneficiaries of so many good things from God’s hand.

            God delights in hearing from us in reference to how much we appreciate Him and the gifts He has given to us. When we give to others, it blesses us immensely to hear how much their lives have been touched and enhanced by our gift. If that is the case with us as sinful human beings, how much more does the heart of God rejoice to hear the thanks and praises of His people!

            Thanking God should never be a chore nor a matter of compulsion or a feeling that “I have to do this”. To give God appreciation should be a part of our common routine, though never allowed to become mere ritual with words devoid of heart and meaning. Rather, we should always be in an attitude of thanksgiving, aware of God’s Presence and blessings, ever responding to the many gifts He gives to us each day. In this way, celebrating Thanksgiving is but a corporate expression of what He expects from us individually. When He hears our hearts of appreciation and declarations of praise, He is ready to show us even more acts of love and mercy.

            Keep in mind that the celebration of Thanksgiving lies on the cusp of a new Church year with the season of Advent waiting in the wings to begin. So, may our hearts be refreshed by the joy and gladness in our giving of thanks to the Lord as we prepare to wait and rejoice for the coming of His Son, Jesus Christ, God in the flesh to be our Emmanuel, “God with us” forever. 

 

Dealing with the Enemy

 

“For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

(rf. Ephesians 6:12 MEV)

 

 

            Whether or not we truly realize it, we as followers of Christ are at war with the evil forces under Satan’s dominion. For most of us, we would heartily prefer to live out our lives in relative peace, harmony and quietness. However, as Christians, the only peace we can count on is “peace with God” (rf. Romans 5:1) because Jesus has taken away our sin permanently and has placed us into His family. Therefore, during most of our earthly pilgrimage, we find ourselves in a struggle with evil in one form or another. It is hard enough to deal with our own sinful natures on a daily basis. But the overall conflict is greater than this. It is not a battle that we have asked for; it is one that comes with the territory of being a believer in Jesus. Thus, even though we do not relish the conflict, we have to embrace its reality. 

            Rather than being complicit in the actions and attitudes of evil, we are called and required to expose evil whenever it crosses our path so that other, less mature, Christians will not fall prey to its deception. Indeed, as the Apostle Paul states earlier in Ephesians, “Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light” (rf. Ephesians 5:11-13 MEV). Like soldiers on the battlefield, we expect arms fire from the enemy at any moment, so we look out, not only for ourselves, but also for our fellow comrades to keep them safe from the dangers that surround us all.

            Secondly, we must remember that our enemy is not human, but a well-organized spiritual entity, known as “the Evil one” or Satan. Paul here stresses that we are not at war with our fellow man, though individual persons can indeed be pawns or puppets being used by the Enemy. Rather, the forces arrayed against us are well-arranged and placed so they can be most effective in the actions they take against God and His people. We are hated by them. We are targets of their wrath because we belong to Jesus (rf. John 15:18) and are not citizens of this world, but of the kingdom of God (rf. John 17:14). 

            Therefore, when we see people exhibiting evil in their actions and attitudes, know that the Enemy considers them disposable, used only to promote his evil agenda. When we observe people promoting examples of violence and death, witchcraft, Satanism, creatures of the darkness, they are being deceived into allying themselves with the forces of wickedness whose sole desire is to destroy God, His people and all things truly good. It is always better not to give sway to their efforts nor to be afraid of them. 

            Although Satan’s fate has already been decided (rf. Matthew 25:41), he has not given up on his destructive plans. He will undoubtedly battle until his end comes. On our part as children of God, we should concentrate on being “light and salt” (rf. Matthew 5:13-16), bringing healing to offset the damage of the Enemy in the lives of others and to shine the truth on his work around us. In this way, we can better serve the cause of Christ and bring release to those imprisoned by Satan and his minions.

 

Joining God in Our Giving

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” (rf. Philippians 4:19-20 MEV)

 

            The God we serve, the Almighty God of Holy Scripture, is One who has promised to provide for all of the needs of His people, His Church. We know that in concept because we have seen His hand at work in the lives of the saints in both the Old and New Testaments. We also have personal experience with His sustaining and providential power. We can testify that He has come to our aid many times over the years to address our need. He has promised to be the only resource for us as His people. There is no need or situation beyond His ability to meet and to solve.

            We already know that as part of His storehouse of treasures from which He draws to meet needs is our giving. This is the reason our commitment to tithing is so important. When we give over and above the tithe through our gifts and offerings, we are helping Him to expand His provision for His efforts of ministry. Yet, our giving of money is only one way that He brings His resources together.

            He also uses the property and convertible personal items to expand His pool of resources. In the book of Numbers, there is an account of when God placed on the hearts of His people to give specific items of value that would be useful toward the construction of the Tabernacle (see Exod. 35:4-36:4). They gave their personal property, anything of great value, so that either it could be melted down for direct application to the building of the Tabernacle or it could be converted to money to be used to make necessary purchases. Indeed, the people gave so much that Moses had to stop the collection because they had much more than enough for the job. This is what transpires when God’s people get truly excited about giving back to the Lord in appreciation for all that He has given to us. 

            This brings up the necessary point for us to consider. When we think of how valuable things are to us, is His kingdom’s expansion by means of His Church a high consideration and priority…or is resourcing His work much lower on our list of important actions? We give because He desires for us to show our love and devotion in very tangible ways. The tithe belongs to Him already (if we’re being obedient); gifts and offerings are an opportunity to go beyond what is expected to something more expressive. When one enters into sacrificial giving, then he/she finds themselves in a realm occupied by few. Yet those who give sacrificially experience a true sense of His presence and favor because they have shown in visible ways how much we love and appreciate Him.

            We can even continue to give after we have died. By leaving behind an inheritance specifically designated for use by His Church and His people, we can ensure that His message moves forward and expands outward to cover as much territory as possible. Jacob left behind a legacy to his sons in both spiritual and physical terms. Likewise, we can pass on a nice gift that will long stay on the earth for many years past our departure.

            Our present culture teaches us that we should live “in the now”, that present experiences mean more than planning for the future. God stresses in His Word that the future belongs to Him and that we should not worry about tomorrow. However, in Proverbs, He uses the illustration of the ant and his life to point out the necessity and wisdom of future plans. He has already committed Himself to our provision and sustenance, but, more often than not, He fulfills His role through the agency of the giving of His people. Can He rely on you to be a part of such a worthwhile venture?

 

Perception is Not Always Reality

 Perception is Not Always Reality (as in the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus)

 

“He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand. Render the hearts of this people insensitive, their ears dull, and their eyes dim, otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and return and be healed.” 

(rf. Is. 6:9-10 NKJV)

 

            It is commonly affirmed in our day (and for many generations before) that “seeing is believing”. Folks often give their assent to the notion that perception = reality. Indeed, the entirety of our media industry is based on this premise. In the field of news, for example, years ago there was a greater overall sense of just sharing the actual events with little, if any, commentary. It was a reflection of the oft-quoted saying from the TV series, Dragnet—“The facts, m’am, just the facts”. However, in the last 40 years, especially, we’ve seen newscasts transformed into a running dialogue of commentary, designed to sway public opinion. There is little regard for factual information; it is the ability to persuade others to one’s point of view that is all important. Therefore, the images and reporting put forth as “perception” are not a true reflection of the “reality” involved. Even “Reality Shows” are staged solely for “perception” purposes.

            When you bring the dictum, “perception = reality” to bear upon the story of Christ’s Passion, it is easy to see that there is not an equality of concepts at play at all. First of all, He was perceived to be guilty of offending Jewish Law, but was, in fact, innocent of all fault. Pontius Pilate himself gave pronouncement of Jesus’ innocence, but, even having that reality before them, the Jewish leadership and the crowds there to support them were insistent on taking Jesus’ life because they could not accept His Messiahship, believing that His teachings sought to undermine and destroy the Mosaic Law (rf. Matt. 27:1-26; 5:17). Little did the people (and their leadership) realize the curse they brought on themselves in not only denying their Promised Messiah but also committing him to death by crucifixion.

            Secondly, it was perceived that His death accomplished nothing, while He was, in fact, taking away the sins of His people. Jesus came initially to fulfill a mission—“to save His people from their sins” (rf. Matt. 1:21). In order to complete His atoning work, He had to become “the propitiation of our sins” (rf. I Jn. 2:2), taking the wrath of God upon Himself in our place. This wrath combined a painful, physical death (i.e. crucifixion) with a brief separation of Himself from the Father (“My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?”—rf. Ps. 22:1; Mk. 15:34). Only through His suffering were our sins completely cleansed. For those who did not believe in Jesus as God’s Son, all they saw was a man in anguish as He died a criminal’s death. There was surely much more happening than met the eye!

Thirdly, it was perceived that the grave was His final resting place, when, in fact, the grave could not hold the resurrected Son of God. The Jewish leaders believed that their nemesis was finally gone and His claim to Messiahship was eradicated. Yet, even though feeling assured of themselves, they still feared a third party would enter the picture and steal His body, claiming His resurrection. Thus, they had Pilate seal the tomb and put guards on site to make sure He did not return from the grave (rf. Matt. 27:62-66). Yet, all of the precautions set forth by Pilate and the Jewish leadership were not able to keep Jesus dead in the tomb. He came forth victorious, the seals broken, the stone removed, sharing with His disciples of His resurrection (rf. Matt. 28:1-10).

Finally, it is perceived that Jesus who lived centuries ago could have no bearing in the present, but, in fact, because He lives still, He is transforming lives continually. Even though Jesus returned to heaven early in the first century A.D., we who believe in Him as Lord and Savior have been changed completely (rf. II Cor. 5:17). It is solely by the power of Christ who lives eternally and now sits at the right hand of the Father that we are saved, justified, sanctified and glorified (rf. Rom. 8:29-30). As we are being made more into the image of Jesus by the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit, we are serving Him and being prepared to occupy our place with Him in heaven. All of this is still being accomplished by the Jesus of the first century who is the eternal Son of God. He may “perceived” as gone from the earth, but the “reality” is He is still here with us, very much at work to accomplish His Father’s will.

Taking the “seeing is believing” or “perception = reality” position severely limits one to a shallow view of life, especially in the light of Christ and His Work. May we rather seek to know what is true and lasting that resides under the surface of what is seen or experienced.

 

Have a Positive Attitude...Always!

 “Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue, and if there is any praise, think on these things. Do those things which you have both learned and received, and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.”   (rf. Philippians 4:8-9 MEV)

 

            Earlier in the Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, he commands God’s people to “rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice!” (4:4). Later in the same chapter, he says of himself, “I rejoiced in the Lord” (4:10). Some may say in response that Paul was just expressing that he was a happy man in a happy place in his life. That is not the case at all. His command to “rejoice” and his own experience doing the same stands in stark contrast to his situation at the time when he was writing this particular epistle. He was in prison, not knowing if he would be released to freedom or if he would be put to death (1:19-26). For most of us, being in prison for any reason would be most disheartening. For the Apostle Paul, because of his trust and faith in the Lord, he could “rejoice”!

            It is important for us to see what Paul understood implicitly—the connection of our attitude lies with the Lord and not our circumstances, background, previous ills done to us, etc. If anyone had justification for being negative, Paul did…but he did not allow negativity to rule his life. He knew the Lord was in control of everything including his circumstances. How he responded to those circumstances was totally up to him.

            Within this context, it is easy to see how Paul maintained a positive outlook despite the tenuousness and uncertainty surrounding him. He did exactly what he encourages his fellow believers in Philippi to do: “think on these things” (i.e. the things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtue and praise). His was a very positive outlook at all times grounded in his thought-life and attitude.

            Paul is teaching God’s people that a negative attitude, though very tempting to pursue in bad times, is not really an option. By the grace of God we are capable in the worst of circumstances to have and maintain an optimistic perspective because we serve the God who has the best of ends in view. This does not mean that everything will always work out the way we want or believe that it should. It does mean that, if we truly trust the Lord and His Word to us, we will focus our attention on Him and use the strength and fortitude that He has given to each of us in Christ to overcome the world…along with our penchant to go negative when the conditions around us do the same. 

            Let us commit to seeing our present context through His eyes and heart. Only then can we have and put forth a positive attitude at all times.

How Would God Characterize Your Giving to Him?

  “But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God. And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (rf. Php. 4:18–19 NAS)

 

For many professed Christians, they see giving to their local church as a drudgery, a necessary duty. They neglect the teaching of Scripture on the subject of money to their spiritual detriment. In so doing, they forfeit many blessings that come when we give in a worshipful way to the Lord and His work. They fail to recognize that God is the owner of all things and we are merely stewards who are responsible for allotting and spending according to His directives and not our own. The Scriptures tell us from the Psalms:

 

“For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, and everything that moves in the field is Mine” (rf. Ps. 50:10–11 NAS).

 

This is God’s way of saying I own it all and know it all because I created it all. Understanding this basic principle is foundational to our giving in a Biblical fashion.

Secondly, our giving is viewed by God as a “sacrifice” and should be given with a “cheerful" heart (rf. II Cor. 9:7). Our giving should be reflective of our recognition that He wants more than a pittance from us in worship. Our gifts show our understanding that He is using His people to support His kingdom and its goals.

Thirdly, God Himself established the tithe as the baseline of giving in worship. In other words, our giving to Him should begin at 10% of what He has blessed us with each month (specifically, our net income). On this basis He promises to bless His people when they give according to His directives:

 

“‘Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows’” (rf. Malachi 3:10 NAS).

 

As He states clearly, when we give as He desires, He will bless us overwhelmingly because we are worshipping Him through our finances. When we are stingy in our gifts or we withhold our giving or purposefully designate our tithes, we will not be blessed by God because our hearts are not in line with His goals. There is a direct connection between our heart and the way and amount we give. A hard, cold heart purposefully gives little or nothing. A transformed heart will be abundant, generous and sacrificial in its contributions because that person appreciates the blessings of God and worships Him through giving (Remember the widow and her mite—rf. Mark 12:42-44).

How would God characterize your giving to Him? How would He view your heart? If you wish to change your giving, seek Him to change your heart and the gifts and blessings will surely follow.

 

 

Vision Plus a Positive Attitude = Blessing and Fulfillment

“Where there is no vision, the people perish; but happy is he who keeps the teaching.”              

(rf. Prov. 29:18 MEV)

 

“When Solomon had finished praying this entire prayer and supplication to the Lord, he arose from before the altar of the Lord, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread toward heaven. And he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: ‘Blessed be the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised; not one word has failed of all His good promise, which He promised through Moses His servant. May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us…’”    (rf. I Kings 8:54–57NASB)

 

            One of the key phrases used in leadership employment in the present day is the term, “vision-caster”. This is a person who provides their vision of where the organization is and where it needs to go to be successful. Although the term has more of an individualistic bent in our culture (e.g. the leader’s vision), it has been appropriated as of late into the Church, especially the American version, which, above all things, values material and numerical success.

            However, the Scriptures also teach the necessity of having a “vision”, but, more importantly, God’s “vision” for His people. Since He is Lord and King and Christ is the Head of the Church, His body, it is only right that He be the one who provides the direction and insight that His people are to follow and accomplish. This truth not only applies to the overall Church, but also to the local expressions of His Church.

            So, what then is God’s “vision” for St. John’s? We’ve made a number of adjustments over the years to bring our church into the 21^st century while holding on to our treasured heritage in the German Reformed faith. This is important because, like the well-used phrase from Esther 4:14, these purposeful changes have been designed “for such a time as this” when many of the younger generations have found the contemporary church lacking in depth and substance and are seeking churches with greater spiritual and historical connection with Christ and His Church (read Ever Ancient Ever New by Winfield Bevins). Secondly, the Kannapolis area is experiencing an explosion of growth in retail businesses, industry, and the connected housing opportunities as it further explores its expanding position as a bedroom community to Charlotte. God is situating St. John’s to be in just the exact spot to benefit from this growth and interest for the coming years and for the future. What will this mean for St. John’s and what actions will we have to take shortly and down the line to maximize the prospects that God desires for us to have?

            First of all, without jettisoning our Reformed and liturgical heritage, we need to consciously retire the past into the past. No church ever grows stronger toward the future while trying to keep their “glory days” in the present. Secondly, we must embrace the tools of technology while not becoming captive to them. The younger generations are inseparably connected to technological enhancements and so, instead of being in fear of learning and using new things, we must be willing to expand our minds and experiences so that these generations will see our willingness to grow in this area and add their ideas, energies and insights to our ministry. It is clearly possible to have sacred worship in a sacred space while providing some helpful technology as a benefit to all. 

Thirdly, and most importantly, we need to keep our focus forward as a positive endeavor. We have some in our fellowship for whom negativity is a constant. As the old saying goes, “the glass is always half-empty”. If we want to minister to others, especially the younger generations, positivity is an absolute necessity. If our spirits are inclined more toward “vinegar” than “honey”, we really need to “test ourselves to see if we are in the faith”, as the Apostle Paul would say in II Corinthians 13:5. Where Jesus lives in the heart, grace, love and hope abound, leaving no room for constant negativity. Only in Christ will people be drawn to Him (rf. John 12:32)…and to St. John’s.

God has great plans for His Church and for St. John’s in particular. Are we willing to be led by His Spirit, following His lead, so that these plans will be realized? Only with our hearts committed to Him will we truly see all He has in store for us.