Give, you will receive: God loves a cheerful giver

Philipose Vaidyar

Some like to give always while some others want to be on the receiving end all the time. Until it pains you, when you give, you have not given yet. We are concerned here about Christian Giving.

Being able to give is a greater Blessing:  “In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Apostle Paul witnesses this but we don’t see this verse in the gospel. According to the Apostle John, Jesus had done more good things than what is recorded.

It is blessed to give than to receive. But when you give, someone receives it. So when you receive it, it is also a blessing. When you give because of Christian love, give as if unto the Lord without a string attached to it.

“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 6:3-4).  But often we would prefer to be acknowledged and announced (Matthew 6:1-2). If you want the receiver or the one whom you showed mercy, be accountable to you, and share with you who all showed him kindness, I assure, your intentions are not right and rather don’t give. The Lord will take care of him or her.  I believe; when you give to an organization, you may expect a receipt, but when you give to an individual in his or her personal need, please don’t expect a receipt and acknowledgment among your friends or others.  Sometimes even a mouse can help a lion! If you are participating in a crowdfunding or anonymous assistance, please don’t expect a receipt.

“Each one must give as has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Learn and practice to share your material blessings with people in need whether they are poorer than you or even equal with you. Sometime, people who are ‘socially poor’ may not be economically poorer and on the other hand, those who are ‘socially rich’ may not be economically rich. Whatever be your logic, help a person in need and it’s a choice.

“Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his deed”. (Proverbs 19:17).  You may give your resources, your facilities, and your time to someone who is weaker than you or needy. It is giving!

In my meditation of the Word of God, I have seen at least seven rewards when you regard the weak. Without regard to the needy, you cannot really give!

Blessed is he who has regard for the weak.

The Lord rewards a merciful giver in 7 different ways or blessings as found it Psalm 41, in just three verses. 

• 1.       The Lord delivers him in times of trouble
• 2.       The Lord will protect him
• 3.       The Lord will preserve his life
• 4.       The Lord will bless him in the land
• 5.       The Lord will surrender him to the desire of his foes
• 6.       The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed
• 7.       The Lord will restore him from his bed of illness

But if you want to give to get these rewards, you may be disappointed as well.

Let giving be a way of life, a lifestyle, an attitude of gratitude to God, as an expression of love and worship to God.  

Investing for Eternity: Doing good, becoming rich in good deeds, being generous and willing to share, will at least  give you the eternal foundation for the coming age, and help you take hold of eternal life (life that is truly life) 1 Timothy 6:17-19

philjy@gmail.com

Auctioneering in Church

A friend of mine sent me this what he had written to the Bishop of his Church against the unBiblical practice of auctioning in churches in the name of Harvest Festival.

Dear "Bishop"

As you know we are having our Harvest Festival coming Sunday afternoon, during your visit. Every year we will have Harvest Festival and used to collect a good amount of money by auction.

There are 2 different views with regard to Harvest Festival, and I was trying to study about this topic based on Scripture and also discussing with others who have good biblical knowledge.

Find below the views of few God fearing members of our Parish with regard to Harvest Festival.

And why I am asking your suggestion on this regard is to only obey God's command in everything we do as individual, family, Parish and as Church. And not to sin against God in any matter.

*************************************

Is auctioning scriptural? 

Were first fruits auctioned in OT times? Have we borrowed the agrarian first fruit symbol while leaving out the principles of giving and sacrifice that Scripture teaches?

1. Scripture teaches us to give willingly and cheerfully. In a harvest auction the following are questionable

a. Manipulation of emotions – people being coerced into calling out more than what they intended to give

b. Imagine the widow with 2 coins at the harvest festival auction. Would it embarrass her?

c. When Jesus was pointing out the widows offering, he was leading to the judgment of a corrupt temple system that was manipulating her to give into the temple treasury everything she had – even her subsistence!

2. Giving is private. Auctions are public and bids are on a pedestal for all to see, the Pharisees would have loved it!

3. It does not promote sacrificial giving against genuine needs. Those giving may not be aware or even endorse the actual needs.

4.  The motives of giving: Auction promotes a motive of looking good in front of others. It is feeds self promotion.

5. ‘Let each man decide in his heart…” If I decide in my heart an amount, why do I need to distribute it by bidding against commodities that people bring from the malls and retail shops? 

6. God loves a cheerful giver. When I get into the spirit of the auction and give… does that qualify me as a cheerful giver?

7. Harvest festival is the best fund raising tool [If we look at the past data]. So the true motive of having it is because it is an effective tool to raise money. Just the way advertisements sell cigarettes and alcohol capitalizing on sinful human nature.

8. ...in our faith convictions are more important than convenience......there is a way to run church….that is decided by God and not by clever human ways.....it is important that we fall in line with that......we are supposed to give anonymously, generously. And voluntarily and not of any compulsion. When I confronted last time on this ...at our church....kept quiet....didn't reply......that tells the whole story....in passing the story of Jesus cleansing the temple of traders ...should not be very far from us ....they also may tell you that part of the funds went for temple development etc .......the Lord was categorical in response.....if people in authority don't wake up to these glaring omissions ....what then is our faith. to me if a church will shut down because it followed God’s word....be it so ...its better to keep it shut , than run it on ungodly principles.....

.....Gal 1:10...and the motto of the Evangelical church Rev 1:2. (For the word)....will help....

Obey God ..that is important …there is no greater compulsion than that .

Since others..including the committee are not convicted about the matter (I am not sure whether they are even  aware of any other view on the matter)

and have endorsed competitive bidding as the way to make money for church very much against scripture that doesn’t endorse the process as I understand it………I am sure if I know anything about Jesus he will not attend this harvest festival auction even if you pray before and after it….......)

I for one will surely not be there , though I am in town that day…and I don’t want to part of this sin by giving any contribution too …

I have nothing against the people, committee or church as a whole  ….…but only because I am sure God has no interest in this matter and I have no compulsion to please anyone other than God .

If someone wants to know how money comes for ministry in God’s way , ask them to read George Muller’s biography. Things will be clear. Auctions usually happen in Stock exchanges and market places , cannot seem to forget the scene where Jesus said in the book of John , “my house will be called a house of prayer , but you have made it a market place.

I also feel it is responsibility of Church leaders to uphold what the biblical perspective for our obedience ought to be.

Looking forward for your suggestion.

….………….(The friend)

Will our Descendants be Gypsies Some Day?

Philipose Vaidyar

Gypsies are nomadic people groups who wandered and settled in different parts of India; some of them continue to roam seasonally or regularly in search of livelihood.

Gypsies around the world are said to be originated from Central India:

“The Romani (also spelled Romany /ˈroʊməni/, /ˈrɒ-/), colloquially known as Gypsies or Roma, are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group, traditionally itinerant, living mostly in Europe and the Americas and originating from the northern Indian subcontinent,^[57][58][59] from the Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab regions of modern-day India.^[58][59]

Genetic findings appear to confirm that the Romani "came from a single group that left northwestern India about 1,500 years ago".^[60] Genetic research published in the European Journal of Human Genetics "revealed that over 70% of males belong to a single lineage that appears unique to the Roma".^[61] They are a dispersed people, but their most concentrated populations are located in Europe, especially Central, Eastern and Southern Europe (including Turkey, Spain and Southern France). The Romani originated in northern India and arrived in Mid-West Asia and Europe around 1,000 years ago.^[62] They have been associated with another Indo-Aryan group, the Dom people: the two groups have been said to have separated from each other or, at least, to share a similar history.^[63]Specifically, the ancestors of both the Romani and the Dom left North India sometime between the 6th and 11th century.^[62]                         https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romani_people

There are several gypsy communities in India, the Raj Gonds, Banjaras, and Narikkuravar are a few to mention.  

A few hundred years ago, when we did not have enough roads or railway several people from different countries had come to our nation many of them also went to other parts of the world. They came not to settle down here for a better life, but that we will have a better life!  Most of them traveled on bullock carts and on horseback to give us education, health care, give us the written Word and to lead us from darkness to light.   Many of them did not even return to their own countries, died and buried here. Now having all these, it’s our turn to help; to go and settle in their countries to serve them! None of us (exemptions are there) want to go to any African countries to minister or to settle as no Africans came to help us. Word or deed, let our children prosper in lands that have honey and money and a bit of snow on top!

There, will our descendants be called gypsies, some day?

A Life can be Lost for want of a Love

For want of a nail, the shoe was lost

For want of a shoe, the horse was lost

For want of a horse, the rider was lost

For want of a rider, a message was lost

For want of a message, a battle was lost

For want of a battle, a kingdom was lost

And all for want of a horse nail. 

Quoted

Anything that is born will have a natural death but its life is much more important. Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground, it will be only a single grain. But if it falls, it will die and will multiply to several folds. The falling is for the seed but not for us. You don’t have to fall for someone to grow spiritually. You can be humble but don’t have to embrace humiliation yourself without self-control. They say, “Pride goes before a fall”.

You can be a leader, but if you have undue love for one of your staff more than others, you may be on the way to your own destruction. You may be a professional counselor and spent all your life counseling people to build families, but your love for women outside your family can defame you easily and destruct several more families.  Teachers and preachers are human beings, but the moment you are able to appreciate other women’s dress and express that you like their behavior very much; you are probably trekking the path of your fall.  

If you have fallen, confess your sins, get reconciled with people, and work out your restoration. When you are proud, you will only cover yourselves up until you are fallen or caught up red-handed. Defaming others whom you think, have exposed your folly; will never cover up your sins! You can be a motivational speaker or an author, and can earn a Ph.D; but if you are perverted, what is the use of all your messages and your books? Your PHD is worse than Permanent Head Damage and your MTH is equal to ‘eMTy Head’! Changing your name, adding a new name to the one you have, and defaming someone else will not build up your broken life either.  

Be open to taking some bold steps to rectify things before it is too late. 

Love your wife and keep your commitments to her:

You must have got married to a person whom you loved. But if you lost your first love, that is the beginning of your fall. If you are a “he-man with she-weakness”, work on it and discuss it with your wife instead of other women. She can deliver you or probably help you better than anybody else. You should develop the art of loving your wife at least for the sake of the oath you did in the name of God and before the public. Keep your commitment to her. It is worth living a life for a promise you made to a woman before God and people. Keep your communication live and intimate with your wife, even when you are traveling or away from home. Let your wife be your best friend. Cherish her, appreciate her and take care of her. May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth (Proverbs 5:18).

Watch your Words and Actions:

You cannot prevent temptations and feelings that come on your way, but you can prevent your indirect words and suggestive actions. If you are able to appreciate the delicious cooking of other women too much and appreciate the dress they wear, know for sure that you may be morally weak.  You are probably potential of committing adultery with words.  Be mindful of what you speak and communicate. Avoid coarse joking and double-meaning words. If you still have to talk to some woman personally,  do it in the presence of your wife or her husband! So also for a woman to talk to a man. These are not rules but this standard can help you. 

Keep your Distance from Other genders:

It can save you a hard-earned job, the toils of a ministry, and the sacrifices you made in forming a congregation and the organization you probably built up over many years. Let your wife know about your woman friends if at all you have someone for a reason. If the women of the church have to do some cooking, better you don’t go to supervise them or assist them by peeling onions and mincing ginger. “I like ginger curry so much” comment by a leader in such a situation led to his own fall and the fall of a wonderful ministry built up by several saints. You can be an eloquent speaker on radio or TV but your secret weakness with regard to women can spoil your life and destroy several lives and families. Changing your name doesn’t really build up your broken life. God can forgive you but people hardly, so watch out.  The chances to repent can be thinner since you want to cover up your crime and build your image! No one is trying to defame you, but you trying to defame the one who really tried to help you, would be like your attempts to close the hole with darkness. Don’t try to put off the candle someone lit, rather use it to do the repairs.  

When people have become famous several of them have fallen prey to perversions. Satan can tempt you more since that is his job. But taking the armor of God and resisting him is your job and mine.  Resist the devil, he will flee from you. If you are married, let your spouse share your vision. Never marry an organization, a job, or someone because of a job.  

Pursue your vision along with your life partner. Don’t lose your battle and your privilege to enter into the Kingdom of God, that is in store!  

Remove the rust that needs to be removed; Repair what is broken and fix what is lost however small it is. 

Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Should your springs overflow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? (Proverbs 5:15-16, NIV). For more blessings, read the entire chapter.

How Biblical is our Harvest Festivals ?

Philipose Vaidyar

Is Harvest Festival Biblical? 

We would examine this with an open attitude of knowing the truth. 

Since Auctioneers in the Church justify their actions of auctions in the name of the Old Testament, we would start on the topic with the Old Testament.

Festival of Harvest in the Old Testament

Our Biblical ancestors were food gatherers first and farmers later. They were nomadic and had animals as their property and wealth that they could carry along. Bible time Patriarchs depended on Egypt when they faced famines in their land. They became slave workers in the land where they once went to buy grains. They were never farmers but must have worked on farms of Egyptians or at least used a straw to make and bake bricks! They learned agriculture from Canaanites and they were prepared by God during the Exodus for future farming they would do and were given various commandments including use of land, cultivation, and harvest.  

In an agrarian society, they were to have a human response to God for their incomes from sowing and reaping. Offerings came from the fullness of one's harvest (Exodus 22:29). They were given three annual feasts to observe, of which two festivals focused on the harvest. (Exodus 23: 14-20). The Festival of Harvest or First-Fruits came in the spring, fifty days after Passover (Exodus 23:16). The Festival of Booths fell at the end of harvest in the fall.

The first fruits came to the priest, who would offer them to the Lord. If a person brought them, then the Lord might accept them (Lev 23:10-11), an acceptance perhaps reflected in the successful completion of the harvest in the fall, a "blessing" (Deut 24:19; Psalm 107:37-38). Some of the harvests remained in the fields for the sustenance of the poor (Lev 19:9; 23:22 ).

Please see the Bible references:

• Exodus 23:16: “Celebrate the Festival of Harvest with the first fruits of the crops you sow in your field. “Celebrate the Festival of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in your crops from the field. (Dt 16:10-20)
• Exodus 34:22: “Celebrate the Festival of Weeks with the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Festival of Ingathering at the turn of the year.
• Deuteronomy 16:15: For seven days celebrate the festival to the Lord your God at the place the Lord will choose. For the Lord, your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.

Metaphorical Usage:

Metaphorical usage of harvest takes on a positive sense when Jeremiah refers to Israel as God's fruit-fruits of harvest (Jeremiah 2:3).

God stands in control of the harvest time; it is part of his work (Jer 5:24; Amos 4:7 ).

Feast of Harvest and Church

If a church wants to teach its members to observe the Harvest Festival, why should it ignore other festivals and commandments and sacrificial observances given along? Even if one wants to observe the festival of harvest, then it should be done in accordance with the Bible and not in accordance with pagan practices.

A sincere reader of the Bible can know that Harvest Festival is mentioned in the Old Testament as the following:

1.       Harvest Festival was meant for an agrarian society.

2.       For the first fruits of the crops they sow in the field

3.       It should be at the end of the year when gathering from the field (not the market)

4.       Festival of weeks talks about the first fruits of the wheat harvest.

5.       The first fruits came to the priest

6.       The three similar festivals mentioned are for feasting, not for selling and fundraising, capitalizing on the ego and pride of people. 

Harvest and New Testament

The Harvest and the imagery of harvest are used by Jesus to refer to the gospel and judgment. (Matt 9:38). In the New Testament, believers may sow and reap a spiritual harvest of righteousness (2 Cor 9:10).  Jesus described the last judgment in a parable about harvest (Matthew 13:30; Matthew 13:39). The Jews of his day understood the connection of harvest and judgment.  Judgment is the focus again in the words of the angel in Revelation 14:15.

Harvest Festival and Auctions in the Church

1. The Harvest festival we talk about and do in some of our parishes is nowhere near to the teachings, ordinances, and practices we see in the Old Testament. (Cf. Harvest Festival, Festival of booths, and Festival of Firstfruits).

2. Conducting auctions in the Church, selling items that people bring, or buying and bringing them to Church for a fundraising event is an unbiblical, unchristian, and pagan practice. I have seen this practice among people of other faith in the Malappuram area, in the 60s and 70s that they had already stopped.  I hear and observe this same practice in Chennai in the local festival of temples on every street, exactly as we do auctions in our churches after the service.

3. I had talked this over to several priests and pastors of our churches, who agree to it but say, to raise the money really works better. I have encouraged priests to preach for mobilization of resources during those seasons, using good teachings on giving, already available in the Bible by prophets and Apostles. 

4. Sacrificial giving can be encouraged and motivated scripturally. It is un-Christian to address the ego of people by creating a competitive setting in the church to raise funds for an activity. None of the evangelical Christian ministries in India do it, so where have we copied this model from?

5. Jesus rebuked selling and buying in the Church and according to Him, the House of prayer should be kept in its dignity. 
 

When leaders lose vision, people do perish. When teachers use Bible verses selectively, to fit into their human reasons, such teachings are non-biblical and an abuse of the Word.  I request Church leadership to look into this creatively and spiritually and ban the non-scriptural and pagan practices; repent and turn to God following His Word not by letters (selected) but by its Spirit. If one is ignorant on how to get people to give to Church and would like to know how to mobilize resources for a Biblical or Christian cause, it can be another topic for our discussion.

Read more on what others say about Auctions in the church at Harvest Festival

ClickHere: Auctioneering in the Church

A friend of mine sent me what he had written to the Bishop of his Church against the unBiblical practice of auctioning in churches in the name of Harvest Festival.  https://pvarticles.blogspot.com/2020/02/auctioneering-in-church.html?m=1