Tag: James 2:14-17

The GOAT Part 7: Hypocrisy

No one respects a hypocrite. For Christians, it’s hard to watch fellow believers put on a show of faith that turns out to be hollow and heartless. For non-Christians, it’s one of the biggest deterrents to following Jesus.

This week we come to a portion in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus teaches on righteousness and shows the difference between performing for others and following the Lord authentically. He addresses three ways to practice righteousness and tells what they do and don’t include. As Jesus describes giving, praying, and fasting, His message is clear: don’t be a hypocrite. He’s not interested in people who put on masks like actors and pretend to be holy, He wants hearts that are truly devoted to following Him.

Giving: Jesus starts this section talking about giving: “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4, NIV)

Jesus’ point here is that we should give without getting noticed. The purpose of sharing our resources with those in need isn’t to show how good or generous we are. It isn’t to get our name in a program or on a plaque, it’s to meet a felt need. 

Let’s pause to clarify something–giving to the needy is an expected part of living a righteous life. Scripture includes so many passages about the importance of giving, it’s hard to highlight just a few: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7, NIV)

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17, NIV)

Are you giving your resources to ministries and organizations that care for and bless others? If so, are you doing it quietly or with fanfare? Do you only give when it benefits you–like getting a tax write off or recognition from others? Follow Jesus’ lead and let your secret giving show your sincere desire to love God, obey His commands, and pursue righteousness.

Praying: Jesus continues His teaching by instructing us to pray without performing: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (Matthew 6:5-8, NIV)

Praying to impress others with our spirituality does nothing to enhance our relationship with the Lord. Authentic prayer enables us to draw near to God and cultivate an intimate relationship with Him. The Lord knows what we need, but still invites us to spend time with Him and bring our requests to Him. Seeking Him in prayer demonstrates humility, shows our trust in Him, and strengthens our personal relationship with Him. 

Fasting: Jesus addresses the spiritual practice of fasting by telling His followers not to make a show out it: “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:16-18, NIV)

While many of us don’t fast regularly as a spiritual discipline, we can still have the tendency to make a show of other spiritual activities we do. Sometimes we want to make sure people know how much we’re serving or giving our time for the benefit of others. We slip our resumé of service and credentials into conversations hoping others will be impressed. Some of us act like martyrs, believing our contributions are indispensable and that everything would fall apart if we weren’t involved. Scripture tells us that God prepares good works in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10), so be sure to give God the credit for anything good He leads you to do.

And, if you’ve never tried fasting before, take it into consideration. Going without food for a period of time can be an incredible conduit to prayer. Hunger pains remind us of our need for God and lead us to draw near to Him. This is an especially powerful practice if you want to focus your prayers on a specific concern. You can learn more about fasting by clicking here.

In his classic devotional My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers advises: “At least once a week examine yourself before God to see if your life is measuring up to the standard He has for you. Paul was like a musician who gives no thought to audience approval, if he can only catch a look of approval from his Conductor…My worth to God in public is what I am in private. Is my master ambition to please Him and be acceptable to Him, or is it something less, no matter how noble?” Whether you’re giving, praying, or fasting, remember you are performing for an audience of One.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers Publications Association Ltd., March 17 entry.

This post is based on Tyler Scott’s sermon at CPC Danville “The GOAT Part 7.” Click here to watch.

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Giving Generously


Driving through the city on a sunny afternoon, I watched from the passenger seat as familiar sites rolled by my window…ornate Victorian houses, clanging cable cars, trendy stores, chic cafés, and tiny gardens sandwiched between tall buildings. A few blocks further down, the picturesque scene transformed as we passed liquor stores, empty lots filled with trash, and raggedy people sleeping in doorways. One group leaned against a graffiti-covered wall smoking cigarettes and drinking from bottles tucked inside paper bags. A few kids skipped past them down the sidewalk, their fresh faces providing a sharp contrast to the bleak surroundings.
 
For most people, scenes like these cause different emotions to bubble to the surface. Some turn their heads, preferring not to engage the conflicting feelings of guilt and compassion that may arise. Others look on wishing they could help, but feel ill- equipped and unsure about how to intervene in a community struggling with such vast problems.
 
Although I’ve felt those things at different times, that day I was hopeful. I thought of the letters my family receives from a little boy and girl in that neighborhood who we’ve been sponsoring for several years through SF City Impact. I pictured the Christian school they attend that brings the light of Jesus to that struggling neighborhood. The people working there have willing hearts, deep faith, and years of experience that enable them to engage the neighborhood’s practical and spiritual needs. And as you might expect, they have limited resources to fill them.
 
On Good Friday, members of my women’s Bible study made the drive into that neighborhood to deliver Easter baskets to each child and staff member at SF City Academy. Gathering with these women to fill the baskets has been one of the many highlights of being part of this group. Delivering them to the children and staff members is both humbling and fulfilling. It’s amazing how God uses simple baskets loaded with trinkets and treats to show love, encouragement, and support to adults and children who are often overlooked. 
 
This year, it seems especially poignant to be doing this as we’re wrapping up a study on the book of Ruth. Like some of the families who will be receiving baskets, Ruth struggled with poverty and found herself as an immigrant on the fringes of society. Because of her rural setting, she gleaned in the fields to get food for herself and Naomi. This was God’s provision for the poor described in the Old Testament (see Leviticus 19:9-10 and Deuteronomy 24:19-22).
 
In modern times and urban settings, the poor don’t have the option to glean fields, but we’re still instructed to offer support using the same principles. The command to give to the needy is a consistent theme throughout the Old and New Testaments. Jesus taught on the importance of giving many times. One of the most memorable is when He described His eventual return:
 
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:31-40, NIV)
 
When we give to those in need, it’s as if we are giving to Jesus- the kindness we show them is a manifestation of our love for Him. Giving to the needy motivated by love for Jesus also frees us from expecting gratitude in return. Whether it’s acknowledged or not, any act of kindness done for a person in need is the same as doing it for Jesus Himself.
 
Paul also taught about giving:
“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)
 
Material wealth is fleeting and uncertain. It’s not a good source of ultimate security. We can rest assured that God provides everything for our enjoyment, not just our needs. True life is not bound up in the accumulation of possessions or material wealth but in sharing what we have with others. Our generosity stores up spiritual treasure for us that is of eternal value.
 
James also had much to say about this topic:
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2:14-17, NIV)
 
Our generosity must be rooted in humility and empathy. We share out of the abundance God has lavished upon us, knowing all our resources were given to us by Him. Generous giving reveals our genuine faith while honoring God and showing others that He is for them.
 
 There are numerous ways to share what the Lord has given you, whether it is donating your financial resources, offering consistent prayer support, or volunteering your time. Will you commit to praying about where God might be calling you to provide consistent support for people in need? The Lord often prompts us to intervene in situations that break our hearts. Where is He drawing your attention right now?
 
Not sure where to start? Here are a few ministries doing amazing work with people in need who would welcome your involvement through giving, serving, and praying. Click on them to learn more.
 
San Francisco City Impact 
Compassion International
World Vision
International Justice Mission
Samaritan’s Purse

Feel free to suggest other ministries we should consider in the comments below.

Let Matthew West’s song “Do Something” inspire you to action today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I2csO7_pOI
 
 

Spiritual Gifts, Natural Abilities, Unplanned Ministries and Just Plain Obedience

When I’m serving in an area where I’m gifted, it doesn’t feel like work. It can be time consuming and challenging, but it also energizes me. I’ve also learned that my gifts only serve others well when I rely on God’s strength and wisdom instead of my own.

Garrett Undies

I’ll never forget the Christmas of 2001 when our first son was finally old enough to participate in holiday traditions.   On Christmas morning he jumped up and down anticipating the thrill of opening the packages peeking out from the top of his stocking. He tore into the first gift and held the prize high above his head, shouting with glee: “BIG BOY UNDERWEAR!!” Our ploy to make potty training alluring seemed to be working. He ran to his bedroom and returned moments later to model them proudly.

Underwear appeared among his gifts again the next Christmas. His reaction was not quite as exuberant. Every year since then, both of our boys have continued to receive this “gift,” more for the sake of tradition than anything else. With each phase of development, their reactions have been age appropriate.  They’ve gone from glee to embarrassment to annoyance to resignation to amusement. As long as stockings are hung on the mantel, underwear will be one of the gifts inside them.

Until a few years ago, I used to view spiritual gifts in a similar light to my boys’ perspective on receiving underwear. I thought my spiritual gifts were practical and useful, but not especially exciting. The problem wasn’t with the Giver however, but with me. I had confused spiritual gifts with my natural abilities.

I am good at organizing people and events. This isn’t meant to sound proud—I say it in the same way I would tell you I have brown hair and hazel eyes. It is just a fact about me. Because of this, I served different church ministries in a variety of administrative roles such as organizing logistics for committees, events, Bible studies, students and children. I didn’t particularly derive joy from my service, however I valued the impact each of these ministries had. I knew I could add to their effectiveness by helping them run smoothly.   Since administration was a spiritual gift, I assumed I had it.

The problem was, I was serving Jesus without Jesus. My organizational skills were part of my makeup, but not something that made my heart beat faster or caused me to lean into God for strength, wisdom and guidance. I was using my natural abilities for kingdom purposes, but it wasn’t exhilarating for me because my true spiritual gifts hadn’t been activated. Since learning more, I’ve seen people who have the gift of administration and I can recognize the difference. They get as excited about organizing and overseeing things as I do about teaching and encouraging others.

In light of this, Beth Moore’s comments make perfect sense to me:

“Your ministry is the ever-accruing collection of your life works for the glory of God…You won’t be satisfied until you are living it out because God wired you with a compulsion to do it…The more we ignore His will for our works, the more discontented and out of sorts we’ll be.” (Children of the Day, p. 142)

Scripture tells us that each person who accepts Christ receives the Holy Spirit. When this happens, we receive spiritual gifts. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit…All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:4 & 11, NIV) The gifts God gives us are to be used to glorify Him and to build up our fellow believers. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10, NIV)

Discovering I had the spiritual gifts of encouragement and teaching guided me in recognizing when to say “yes” and when to say “no” to different ministry opportunities. It was freeing when I realized declining to serve somewhere opened an opportunity for a person with gifts that were better suited for it.  Instead of focusing on pleasing people, I considered how I could best please God.  I stopped trying to fill open slots where needs were greatest and started praying for God to lead me to the places He wanted to use the gifts He’d given me.

The main difference between using my natural abilities and spiritual gifts is that when I’m serving in an area where I’m gifted, it doesn’t feel like work. I don’t dread preparing a Bible study lesson or have to “gear up” to spend time encouraging someone I’m mentoring.   It can be time consuming and challenging, but it also energizes me. I’ve also learned that my gifts only serve others well when I rely on God’s strength and wisdom instead of my own.

I think this is what Paul, Timothy and Silas meant when they wrote:

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, NIV)

There can be a temptation, however, to opt out of certain things because they don’t involve the use of our specific gifts. Sometimes God has unplanned ministries in which He’s calling us to serve. It could be a neighbor in distress or that emotionally needy person who is drawn to you.   God has a way of dropping opportunities in front of us and inviting us to respond.   In those times, we need to rely on Him for an extra measure of grace. God regularly uses challenging situations to stretch our faith and our dependence upon Him. In fact, the Bible tells us He has prepared them for us:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)

Other opportunities to give and serve are just part of being obedient to God’s word and have nothing to do with our spiritual gifts. We don’t get to take a pass on things like helping the needy or giving financially by saying we don’t have the gifts of compassion or generosity.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?  Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2:14-17, NIV)

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:6-7, NIV)

Some acts of obedience are difficult and costly while others bring joy and delight. In either case, the choice to obey honors God and brings Him glory.

If you’re like I was and you’re just guessing at what spiritual gifts you have, can I encourage you to find out?  Take Beth Moore’s words to heart: “Your spiritual gifts are means by which you have been distinctively and divinely equipped to manifest God’s presence and power.” (Children of the Day, p. 143).  Start by reading Romans 12:4-8,1 Corinthians 12 and 1 Peter 4:8-11, then get resources to help you understand spiritual gifts and talk with a pastor to determine what yours might be.

If you attend church at CPC, take the S.H.A.P.E. assessment online and find out how God has uniquely designed you. If you don’t attend CPC, pick up a copy of the book S.H.A.P.E Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life by Eric Rees. You’ll discover more about who God has made you to be so that you can activate your gifts and discover the joy of using them to further God’s kingdom.

Whether it’s natural abilities, spiritual gifts, unplanned ministries or acts of obedience, every good thing starts at the same source: God. Click on the link for a great reminder of this with the song “Every Good Thing” by The Afters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY2ycrpbOlw

Moore, Beth; Children of the Day; 2014; Lifeway Press; http://www.lifeway.com

Rees, Erik; S.H.A.P.E. Finding and Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose for Life; 2006; Saddleback Resources; www.saddlebackresources.com