Four Dollars of Hope(If you have access to a Bible read John 5:1-15 and then proceed to the rest of this p-note)My $4.00’s worth of hope of winning the $1,500,000,000.00 evaporated the moment I read that the only winning ticket in California was sold in Chico. No 1.5 billion of high living, generous giving, and doing good for me. My $4.00’s worth of hope ended up in someone else’s pocket. Dang!I probably shouldn’t have even bought those tickets being a preacher, after all gambling is gambling, isn’t it? And had I had the winning ticket could I have given glory to God for this gambling windfall? How much criticism would winning the thing have garnered me? And would I have cared if I did? Probably not.It was no wonder that scores of crippled, lame, blind, and paralyzed people were hanging around the pool of Bethesda. Every now and then there was a mysterious stirring of the water and whoever got in first - Bam! Healed! Didn’t even need a $4.00 ticket. But that was actually worse because you couldn’t leave, getting something to eat, going to the restroom became the gamble, it decreased your odds to no chance. It was a constant race, incessant pushing and shoving for a spot right by the water. And if you had to give up your spot, how long before you made it back to the front? How much kindness and civility do you think would we have found among all of that desperation, among these cramped hands clutching the tiniest sliver of hope for a normal, healthy, better life?Was it worth it? This brutal wait, this hope that would come at someone else’s expense, that could only come to pass if it is “me and not you?” The answer of course depends on who you interview. I am willing to bet those healed, those able to escape the shackles and miseries of their disabilities would give it both thumbs up, “Worth it? Are you kidding me!” On the flipside, the man crippled for 38 years, who had camped out by that pool for who knows how long had a different answer. He had come up short so many times his response to the question, “Do you want to get well?” was no longer, “Yes!” What kind of dumb question is this?” All that came across his tired lips was resignation, “Someone always beats me to it,” and more painful still, “No one helps me, no one cares about me.” He sat hopeless by the oasis of hope.And then Jesus comes by. He does heal him, hallelujah! But before he does he notices him, he talks to him, he listens to him, he cares about him, he has hope for him. These are all things I can do, even if I never win that big jackpot, my $4.00 and me are enough for me to engage, to care, to be generous, to bring hope. But I always have more than myself and my $4.00, I do know how to introduce people to the same Jesus who changed the life of that hopeless man by the pool of Bethesda. What do you think, maybe it is even greater if someone wins it all with my $4.00 tickets?To God be all glory. Love you, Pastor Hans
Christmas Lists
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 (NASB)Chances are high that you have a Christmas list, if not on paper then at least in your head, of people you intend to give a gift or send a card. It might be a very long list or one that is very short. The card list is fairly easy, the only challenges are to get the cards and get them out on time. The gift list, on the other hand, can be quite challenging. Some people are notoriously difficult to find gifts for, they either have most everything already or are simply not easy to please. Some folks have very high expectations which add significant pressure. Others we feel obligated to have on our list but if we are honest our motivation level toward them is not very high. There are of course those to whom we want to give nothing but the best, pull out all the stops, stretch ourselves financially beyond what is prudent. But no matter who is on your list chances are high you will need only one sheet of paper to note all of their names, maybe even the fingers of your hands will suffice to count them all up.Go back and read the scripture at the top again and check out God’s Christmas list, “Good News” “Great Joy” “A Savior” – “for all the people.” No one left out, no one overlooked, no one in the obligatory category, no one designated for “card only.” Everyone on the major, lavish (Ephesians 1:3-8a), all out gift list. It is astounding that anyone would end up on that list. None of us is deserving. For each one of us God (who knows us completely) has many and convincing reasons to leave us off the list, to take out a pen and cross out our names. But somehow, graciously, gloriously God has put your and my name, along with everyone else’s on his Christmas giving list.Answer honestly. Have you ever gotten a Christmas gift you didn’t really care about, for which you were not all that grateful? Does that include what God gave at Christmas, his Son Jesus Christ, the Savior you and I need? Has it ever struck you how much God cares about you, and how much you and I need what he has given? And what hope can we have if we disregard God’s ultimate gift, that which we need most?And one more call to Christmas honesty. We struggle with God’s Christmas list because it includes those we don’t like, our enemies, evil doers, haters, ingrates, brats, the lazy, the unjust, the …. It includes those we’d leave off, those whom we label as “undeserving.” It is a list we would have never compiled on our own. How compatible is God’s Christmas list with your and my worldview, our politics, our level of compassion, our willingness to be “lavish” when it comes to mercy, grace, love, and giving?Merry Christmas. Love you, Pastor Hans
Christmas Lips
The Us Postal Service, UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL, are all busy delivering packages. Several of them were dropped off at our doorstep this week. I’ve never worked for any of those outfits but it has to be crazy around Christmas time.Just today the UPS man delivered a new artificial Christmas tree, complete with lights. Our old one was dropping needles like a dried out real Christmas tree, slowly morphing into a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. This of course means it is time to bring up the decorations from under the house and get everything looking like Christmas.In one sense it is good that Christmas only lasts for a short (albeit ever expanding) season, we’d be worn out, even fatter, and broke if it were. But wouldn’t it be great if some of the things of Christmas were to persist all year long, like generosity, the effort to bless people and make others happy, an emphasis of recognizing and worshipping God?Back to the delivery guys this pastor’s note started with. All of us actually do deliver something most every day and throughout the year. Sometimes our deliveries bless, bring joy, help, and encourage. Sometimes our deliveries resemble more a Waste Management truck backing up and dumping its load at the local landfill. I am talking about what our lips deliver on a daily basis. If you have a few minutes get out a Bible and read the Christmas story in Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, as you read look for what comes out of the mouths of the people who really get Christmas, look for “Christmas Lips” and ask yourself if you have yours on? Hear the words of praise and worship, of kindness and blessing, of hope and peace, of awe and surrender, of truth and compassion, of wonder and amazement, both spoken and implied, from both the tongues of men and angels. So do you have them on, your “Christmas lips?”Imagine what difference it would make if long after all the Christmas decorations are put back under the house we still had our “Christmas lips” on? What if kind, peaceful, and encouraging words would scent the air throughout the year? What if truth, hope, and mercy would be packages we regularly, continually, and faithfully deliver? What if the fruit of our lips were never foul but sweet, forgiving, and beneficial? What if the words from our mouths were more God-centered, more spiritually aware, more filled with worship and praise? How would it impact our relationships, our homes, our places of work, our public discourse if we decided to not take down and pack up our “Christmas lips?” What would it be like if others anticipated with joy things delivered with our mouths?Let me end with a “Christmas Lips” prayer, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my rock and my Redeemer” Psalm 19:14 (NASB).Merry Christmas. Pastor Hans
Dollars and Sense
What can you get for one dollar? A squirt of gasoline, something of the dollar menu at a fast food joint, a can of soda , an apple. In general you don’t get very much for a dollar. On the other hand you can feed and educate a child for a day in many places around the globe.What can you buy or do with a hundred dollars? More than what you can with just one dollar that’s for sure. You can fill your tank with gasoline and have some left over (depending on the size of your car), you can go out to eat, you can stock up on soda, and you can feed and educate a child for several months.What about ten thousand dollars? Without a doubt that’s a lot more than a hundred bucks. You could buy a used car and zip all over the US, eat out a lot, go on a fabulous vacation, do some serious upgrading, or you could feed and educate almost thirty children for year.What could you do with a million, one hundred million, or even a billion dollars? A heck of a lot and also not very much. You couldn’t buy an ounce of integrity, it wouldn’t be enough to purchase a squirt of genuine love, it would not be enough from keeping death from laughing at you, it would be insufficient to post bail in the court room of God, it would fall short on a down payment for even a day of eternal life, it could not purchase God’s forgiveness, mercy and grace, and it would only be a fraction of the worth of one human soul. Jesus put it plainly, “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels" Mark 8:35-38 (NIV).Can you start doing good with just one dollar? Absolutely. Can you ever earn enough money to acquire what is most important in life and what you need the most? Absolutely not. Will money elevate your status, influence, and power in this world? Yes it does. Will money impress God and earn you his favor? No it doesn’t. “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it,” 1 Timothy 6:7 (NIV). That’s why it is important for us to listen when the word of God reminds us, “For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them,” Ephesians 2:8-10 (HCSB).I am hoping that the dollars passing through your and my fingers will remind us:• That the most important things of life money cannot buy.• That every dollar entrusted to me has the potential to accomplish something good.• That for the wellbeing of your and my soul we are completely dependent on God and Jesus Christ.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
The All and the First
Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best (first) part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT, parenthesis mine) Some of the great dangers of wealth are that it tempts us to declare our independence from God, that we are seduced by its power into crafting our own destinies, that we wallow in its comforts with little thought of accountability, and that we mistake it for security.I met with Susie and my financial advisor this week. My reason for doing so was to make sure we have a financial plan as we are speeding towards retirement, to make sure we are applying the wisdom of the ant to the autumn and winter of our lives (Proverbs 6:6-8). We also want to live out Proverbs 13:22, “A good man/woman leaves an inheritance to his children's children, …” But the most important question, the most important goal in the management of our wealth (however little or much that might be) is whether or not we are honoring God with it.When it comes to honoring God with our wealth there are two key components: 1. All of it. 2. The first/best of everything. If I want our financial plan and management to be blessed by God then the beginning point is making sure I honor God with all of my wealth and possessions and that God comes first in my use and distributions of wealth. There is no honor if God is an afterthought, if God comes in at the end of my paycheck, my profit, my bonus, my tax-refund, and any other income or increase that comes my way.This of course is where many people begin to roll their eyes and say, “Told you so, those preachers are all alike, eventually they want your money.” And, you know what; sadly there have been too many who miss-use and miss-preach the Word of God for personal gain. But they are by far not the most, just like a few bad police officers are not a reflection of most law- enforcement officers who deserve our respect. There are also those who want engage in some hair-splitting debate over tithing (giving 10% to support your church and all it does, which you should – Malachi 3:8-10, 1 Corinthians 9:7-14). If you want to be cynical go ahead, and if you want to split hairs, go head. You can do with your wealth anything you want to (Acts 5:4), but if you want the wisdom and blessing of God to be of first priority in your management of your wealth and income then you cannot let shysters and hairsplitters detract you of the clear advice and directive of God’s written word, “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best (first) part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine” Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT, parenthesis mine).Maybe it is time to revise or revamp your financial plan, to put God first in the management of your earnings, to think about honoring God with all of your wealth.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Could you be more generous? Should you be more generous?
What do you do with money you have, the wealth you have accumulated, the possessions you own? Do you primarily use them to do what you want to do, what you like do, to satisfy your desires and appetites? Have you ever considered that the primary functions of your money, your wealth, your possessions is to glorify God, be generous, and take care of your needs? The ultimate foolishness is to be rich and godless, to have means and not think of God, to indulge and bless yourself when you could bless others and cause them to give praise to God (Luke 12:13-21; 16:19-31).So, could you be more generous? Does your generosity begin with what’s left over after you have indulged yourself, or are you purposely denying yourself so you can be more generous? Are you managing your money, your wealth, your possession with the goal of being as generous as you possibly can be? If you would have to stand before God tomorrow to give an account of the wealth and possessions he entrusted you with would you wish that you would have been more generous, more thoughtful about how you used your measure of wealth to glorify and please God? Would you wish that generosity would have ranked higher in your priorities than your hobbies, your social status, or your need for comfort? Would you wish you would have settled for less so you could have given more? So could you? Could you be more generous?And should you be more generous? Yes, absolutely yes! The word of God, the Bible, continually warns against chasing after riches for all the wrong reasons (1 Timothy 6:9-10), it denounces greed as a form of idolatry (Colossians 3:5), and it calls us to forsake a lifestyle of self-indulgence (1 John 2:15-17). But it gives the green light to generosity, encourages it, and stamps God’s approval all over it. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25 (NASB) 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 (NIV) Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Luke 6:38 (NIV) So could you? Should you? Will you be more generous? So much so that “your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father,” Matthew 5:16 (NLT). To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
Christmas Giving, Giving to Meet Needs
Imagine yourself stranded in the desert. You have used all the tricks you learned from watching various survival shows, but this point you are so parched all you can think of is a sip of water and that someone will find you. Just then you hear your smart phone ringing. You think your mind is playing tricks on you and but reach in your pocket for the phone anyway. By the time you get it out it has stopped ringing. You check your phone for if it has reception – not a single bar. But there is a missed call and you don’t recognize the number. For some reason you try connecting to the number, but nothing. Unbelievably, right when you wearily put your phone back into your pocket it rings again. Quickly you yank it to your ear, push the right button, and squeak out a weak, “Hello.”“Congratulations!” proclaims the happy voice on the other end, “You have won ten million dollars and an all-inclusive vacation to the Bahamas.”“Help me, I need help,” you try to interrupt.“We have had a difficult time locating you, but thanks to your phone and GPS we now know exactly where you are and will deliver your prizes to you very shortly,” the still very happy voice continues.“You know where I am! You know how to get to me?” you scream out shaking and filled with hope.“Yes, we know exactly where you are and are so happy for you. You will be able to enjoy your prizes before you know it.” The voice still bubbles.“I need water!” you scream, “I need you to come and get me, please!”“Water will be last thing you’ll worry about when you relax at the beach in the Bahamas, and I am happy to hear you being so excited. That’s the most satisfying thing about this job, blowing the minds of lucky winners like you. Oh, I see they’re almost there.”“What! Where! Wait, you don’t understand! Please ...” is all you get out because you hear a plane overhead.“Good, I can hear that they’re there. Have a wonderful day, or life. Great talking with you, enjoy.”“No! No! Wait, don’t hang up! Please listen to me, I am lost in …” you get out before a suitcase lands in front of you. “Are you still there!” you yell as you return your attention to your phone, but all you hear is silence.Dejected you open the suitcase. It contains ten million dollars. On top of the money is a travel brochure to your trip to the Bahamas. You begin to cry.What is more important than responding to someone’s needs? Christmas is about God responding to the most essential need of all of humanity and each one of us individually, namely spiritual redemption and salvation. In Jesus Christ “… the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” Titus 2:11 (NIV). We might never have to be rescued from dying of dehydration in the desert, but we do have to be rescued from death and the judgment of our sin. So this Christmas above all remember that through Jesus Christ God has responded to what you and I need the most. Maybe you are convinced that you do not really need Christ. Obviously God did not think so and that line of reasoning is the very deception, the very delirium of the desert of our sinfulness. In bringing us to another Christmas God is again trying to rescue, save you.One more thought, how about putting the emphasis of our Christmas giving on meeting real needs. Instead of raining down more toys and trinkets than anyone needs, how about meeting the real needs of people around us, or people far away, the needs of the poor, the hungry, the hurting, the oppressed, the sick, the widows, the fatherless. How about copying God’s giving at Christmas time.To God be all glory, love you, Pastor Hans
The Joy of Giving,
At the end of the service the deacon/treasurer stood to give a report of last week’s offering. The total was 8,000 Shilling, about $5.30. That won’t go far, even here in Tanzania. The next day, at the end of a seminar on biblical stewardship the same man stood to ask a question, “What if a church does not have the resources to support their pastor and family?” I was glad to be able to answer that one from personal experience, an experience of blessing.When the Lake Don Pedro Baptist Church asked me and my family to come and pastor the church could not support us financially, $500 was the very best the church could do (now $500 might be a Tanzanian’s pastor’s dream but it doesn’t go very far in the US, even if it was 1984). That was the point, I have always felt our church tried the very best it could to take care of our family. A church cannot do more than it can, knowing the church tried their very best was enough, and God proofed himself to be faithful.Today is a different story, I no longer have to work several jobs. Your giving, your faithfulness in bringing your tithes and offering enable the church to take good care of us. I feel like the heart of the church has not changed, you are still trying to do the very best you can to honor (1 Timothy 5:17-18) your pastor. So I want to thank you, I want you to know how grateful I am to be part of a giving church.Biblical stewardship is about managing all of life according to the wisdom and will of God, and for the glory of God. God wants us to be givers, generous people who love giving, people who are no longer about getting but delight in giving, people who manage their resources so that they can give more and more. God loves, enables, and blesses cheerful givers. He is pleased when we exercise both obedience and faith, when we honor and worship him with our tithes and offerings.As we passed out more Bibles and watched the joy of someone having their very first copy of God’s Word, as we had over thirty deeply grateful pastors come pick up their libraries (four books and Bible) I thought of you because it was your giving that enabled this work. We had the privilege to watch your giving to people whose faces and names you do not know well up into praises, thanksgiving, and pure joy before God.As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.” For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. 2 Corinthians 9:9-14 (NLT) Thank you, to God be all glory, Pastor Hans