Giving or Exchanging?

   A few years ago, I used to work in sales for a small tool company near Chicago. Every December, the owner of the company would host a Christmas party for employees and their spouses. As events go, this was your average ‘run-of-the-mill’ Office Christmas party. A nice dinner, games, friendly conversation, and a gift exchange near the end. Everyone who wanted to be a part of the exchange had to bring a wrapped present that didn’t cost more than a set amount. We then drew numbers to see who would go first. When it came around to our turn, we picked a present under the tree and opened it. If we didn’t like the gift, we had the opportunity to take one of the presents of someone who went before us. This continued until all the presents were opened. As you can imagine, by the time we got to the end, some were satisfied with what they received while others were not so fortunate. For entertainment purposes, this event went well. But we never left there thinking to ourselves, ‘Wow, that was so thoughtful and loving of them to think of us in that way.’ The reason is because the gifts weren’t given with that sentiment. We didn’t put any love or care behind the gifts that we purchased. We couldn’t because we never knew who would end up with our gift.

   Sadly though, too many presents are exchanged each year while very few gifts are actually given. What do I mean? We sit around decorated trees and give gifts to friends and family, as we open up their gifts to us. In other words, we spend thousands of dollars each Christmas giving to people who will in turn give us a gift right back. This isn’t giving. It’s trading!

   This isn’t what Jesus meant when He said ‘It is more blessed to give than receive.’ (Acts 20:35). Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the generosity and thoughtfulness of others. There has been numerous times throughout my life where God has blessed me through their gifts. And I’m sure most of you could say the same about someone else. I’m not even saying that exchanging gifts is wrong. I do it with friends and family as well. But we shouldn’t confuse exchanging gifts with giving gifts. Furthermore, what’s your motivation for giving presents? Are you harboring any hidden motives within your gifts? Do you genuinely give presents, or are they given with strings (conditions) attached to them.  

    Jesus said, “…When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. ¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, ¹⁴ and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” Luke 14:12b-14 NIV

     In essence, Jesus said give gifts to those who have no way of paying you back. Give without any expectations or ulterior motives. Notice, He didn’t say you will never be repaid for your generosity. But God would have us wait until heaven…then He will repay us with eternal gifts. I don’t know about you, but I think I’d rather be repaid by Him than receive from someone here on earth a year’s subscription to ‘The Jelly of the Month Club’ (see ‘Christmas Vacation’ for reference).

   In all seriousness, why don’t you make plans this year to give to someone who can’t possibly repay you? This is when you’ll experience the true blessing of giving.

…Merry Christmas, my friend. 

Hope From S.O.A.P.

    This past month, some of our Church’s youth had the opportunity to attend Illinois State Youth Convention in Peoria, IL. The theme of the Event was ‘Make Every Minute Count.’ There were a few changes this year to the convention: a new venue, a new city, a new format of events. But the one change that deserves special mention was the ‘I Love Youth’ Saturday night offering. Throughout the years this offering was collected to specifically go toward youth events and programs in the State of Illinois. But this past convention a change was made. State Minister, Eric Livingston, came to the platform on Saturday and shared a new direction for our offering that evening.

   You may be surprised because few are aware of the existence of this epidemic that is cutting across the fabric of our nation. Even the language that is used to describe this problem masks its true nature. What am I referring to? There are thousands of adolescents within the United States being forced against their will into human trafficking. This is the clinical way of describing it. Putting it bluntly, our young people are being enslaved into prostitution under threat of their lives and/or the lives of their loved ones. In big cities and small towns alike, American teenagers are being forced into slavery. It is estimated that thousands of adolescents & teenagers in the State of Illinois are currently involved in sex trafficking while over 100,000 American youth are being sexually trafficked in the United States right now.

   Where does the hope come in? Former victim now turned activist, Theresa Flores has initiated a campaign to combat this heinous crime on our children. At fifteen years of age, she was drugged, raped and tortured for two long years; kept in bondage, forced to pay back an impossible debt all the while living at home attempting to keep her family safe. She attended school during the day along side of her abusers, only to be called into ‘service’ late each night while her unknowing family slept. Her initiative S.O.A.P. stands for Saving Our Adolescents from Prostitution is an Outreach that aims to distribute thousands of bars of soap with the National Human Trafficking Hotline number and key identifying questions FREE to local motels. 

   In addition, volunteers talk to motel owners and managers and provide them with a quick overview of what is happening to young girls in their rooms. When a young person calls that hotline number, someone is immediately dispatched to rescue them from their situation. And for a donation of $125.00, one can purchase 1,000 bars of soap labeled accordingly.  

   Our Church of God youth in the State of Illinois in one offering raised $1,600 for this cause which purchased close to 13,000 labeled bars of soap. Praise God for their generosity and desire to help those enslaved become free! For more information on this epidemic, you may visit www.traffickfree.com.

Describing The Trinity?

  If you've ever wondered what Christians believe about the Trinity; how its defined, and what difference it makes? Pastor Justin Holcomb gives a good and concise definition of the Biblical revelation of the Trinity in the following clip:

Was Jesus Unreasonable?

   Recently, I had a gentleman ask me about an event in the Gospel of Mark that troubled him. Let me explain. Jesus the night following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday) left the city with His disciples and went and stayed in Bethany. The next morning as they were on their way back to Jerusalem, Jesus became hungry, and “Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. Mark 11:13 NIV

   Then Jesus cursed the tree… ^“Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” (v. 14) Jesus and His disciples continued on their way into Jerusalem, and when it became evening traveled back to Bethany for the night. The next morning, as they passed the same location, Peter remembered the events of the previous day and said, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!” (v. 21b)

    It appears on our initial observation that Jesus cursed an unfruitful fig tree out of season. In other words, as Mark pointed out in his gospel, it was too early in the year to expect figs to be growing on the tree. So my friend’s question: ‘Was Jesus being unreasonable when He expected fruit from a tree out of season?’ The implications are serious. Was the One who brought us grace at times ungraceful? Does Jesus expect us to produce more than what we’re capable of?

   The answer can be found through a basic lesson in botany. We know this incident had to occur in early April “as is probable that Jesus was crucified on April 6^th, A.D. 30”(Kaiser, Hard Sayings of the Bible, 442). In Palestine, near the end of March, leaves start to appear on the fig trees, and in about a week or so, have fully covered the tree. What usually appears around the same time of year are these small green knobs (in Arabic called taqsh). They’re sort of a forerunner to the actual figs that come several weeks later. They’re edible and believed to have been eaten by peasants and other hungry travelers. These knobs also forecast the future crop of figs for their respective tree. Like peach tree blossoms in the spring form into potential peaches, taqsh fall off after ripening and in their place comes figs. What does all this mean? The fact that there were no taqsh on this tree meant that this tree would not produce any figs when the season for figs did arrive. Thus, Jesus wasn’t being unreasonable at all. He knew this tree was and will remain fruitless. There is one remaining question: Why curse the tree at all? Did you know that during His earthly ministry, Jesus healed the sick and at times raised the dead, but this is the only occurrence where it is recorded that He ‘cursed’ something. Why? Elsewhere in Scripture (Luke 13), Jesus used a parable of a fig tree to show that unfruitfulness will be cut off from God’s kingdom. In other words, people who don’t produce ‘good fruit’ will be separated from God (see also Matt. 3:19). There is an expectation for us to bear spiritual ‘fruit.’ What a teacher Jesus is, a story and when necessary an object lesson for them as well so be fruitful my friends.