Why giving is good: 3 ways to find joy in financial sacrifice

The collection. A time of offering. Your tithe. The contemporary church has euphemisms aplenty for the awkward necessity otherwise known as financial giving. And perhaps they betray just that: an odd ambivalence about our money and what we're meant to do with it. No minister wants to be seen as a manipulator, and no believer (hopefully) wishes to be a tight-fisted scrooge. But our wallets are close to our hearts, and a heart that truly loves to give does not always come easy. Nonetheless, despite all our fears, giving is good for us.

But bad news is easy to find; churches can also talk about giving in a way that graceful, inspiring and ultimately a source of joy. Here are three ways it can do just that.

1. Integrity

Dishonesty in finance can come easily, greed being an obvious motive in any situation. Obviously then, integrity and a commitment to the truth should be central to any church inviting financial support. Not only does the truth come out eventually, but you betray the entire cause of faith if honesty evades you: the truth by contrast, sets people free. So ministries shouldn't pretend they're on the desperate brink of collapse if they don't receive your inheritance by tomorrow, when they're really quite fine. It should also be clear to those giving how their money is spent, and thankfully in many churches this kind of public transparency is the norm.

But honesty can also mean being truthful about difficult needs, about the lack of stability, and the serious reliance on charitable support. Some parishioners may not know, or assume their church has a wealth of resources when the opposite is true. People can forget that institutions rely, in part, on their participation to exist. When they know there's a serious need that they can serve, they might just wish you told them sooner.

2. Challenge

The idea of 'challenging' anyone on their money-spending probably seems galling to most, knowing how prone we are to hypocrisy. But a challenge can be good, and Jesus made numerous dramatic claims about discipleship and money. He said, 'Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.' A pastor preaching at my church recently drew on these words in a provocative talk on giving; he summarised Christ's teaching as 'follow the money': your bank balance will, for better or worse, reveal what you value.

Most know, though don't often confront the fact that storing up financial treasure never brings one contentment. Psychological 'happiness' studies confirm it. Rather, in Jesus' words 'it is better to give than to receive' (Acts 20:35), and again as my pastor said: 'your spiritual need to give to the church is far greater than the church's need to receive'.

3. Trust

Ultimately the problem of giving comes down to trust: leaders and congregations trusting each other, yes, but really both being able to trust God. To trust that he really does provide what humanity needs, though not always what it may want. It is in such situations when the things we really rely on – like our financial security – are at risk that we see what the 'trust' in faith requires. It is far more than some distant intellectual assent to an idea that we'll find out about for sure when we die. It's an earthy, costly, tough call to risk and let go, but therein to find what true provision means.

Talk is cheap on a matter such as this, and the spectre of preachy hypocrisy looms large. The real way to learn about giving, is of course, to do it. Lent, as many have learned, is a profound opportunity for this practical service. Unlike Christmas, we may not get physical presents in return for our sacrifice, but can receive something deeper, more transformative: the chance to become the 'cheerful giver' of whom Paul spoke, one who meets with joy the needs of those without, and so meets their deepest needs within.

God bless you.

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Birds of the Bible: How they teach spiritual truth

On National Bird Day, it's lovely to think of our feathered friends and perhaps put some extra peanuts in the garden feeder. We aren't inclined to read very much into their habits, though the sight of two swans making that heart shape with their necks always gets photographers snapping.

In the Bible, though, birds are often mentioned because of some spiritual or poetical significance. In Psalm 102:6 they are symbols of loneliness: 'I resemble a pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the waste places.' In Job 39:26 it's part of the poet's defence of God's wisdom: 'Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom, and spread its wings towards the south?'

In Psalm 84:3 a bird is an emblem of God's hospitality: 'The bird also has found a house, And the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, even your altars, O Lordof hosts, my King and my God.'

Sometimes a bird is a metaphor for God's power: 'You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you to myself' (Exodus 19:4); or it might symbolise God's care: 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling' (Matthew 23:37). Sometimes the image of a bird is used to poke fun at pretentiousness: 'The strutting rooster, the male goat also, and a king when his army is with him' (Proverbs 30:31).

On the other hand, sometimes a bird is just a bird – a useful source of food, like the quails in the wilderness, or a dove that might be sacrificed in the Temple.

Of all the birds in the Bible, the safest were probably the ones regarded as ritually unclean and not to be eaten. It's not clear why all these birds were included, though as some were carrion-eaters they might have ingested unclean food themselves, but in Leviticus 11:13-19 there is a long list: 'These are the birds you are to regard as unclean and not eat because they are unclean: the eagle, the vulture, the black vulture, the red kite, any kind of black kite, any kind of raven, the horned owl, the screech owl, the gull, any kind of hawk, the little owl, the cormorant, the great owl, the white owl, the desert owl, the osprey, the stork, any kind of heron, the hoopoe and the bat.' There's a similar list in Deuteronomy 14: 12-17.

It's said there are sermons in stones; there are sermons in birds, too. John Stott, the great Bible teacher and pastor, was fond of birds and wrote The Birds Our Teachers: Biblical lessons from a life-long bird-watcher. The title is from Martin Luther's exhortation from the Sermon on the Mount: 'Let the little birds be your theologians'.

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Second coming of Christ nearer after Trump's decision on Jerusalem, claims US pastor

A pastor in America is claiming the end of the world is nearer after Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

While US allies, other world leaders and religious leaders lined up to condemn to move almost unanimously, Trump had support from his most loyal fanbase – white evangelicals.

US President Donald Trump announced the decision to almost universal condemnation on Wednesday.

A small segment of evangelicals are even claiming the move is an important part of biblical prophecy and could herald the second coming of Christ.

David Reagan, the founder and director of the Texas-based Lamb and Lion Ministries, said the move was long overdue.

'I totally support his decision because Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, always has been for 4,000 years. The Jews have had that as their capital and it has never ever in all of history been the capital of another state, not a Muslim state or an Arab state. It is long overdue. Every US president has made a promise to move the embassy as part of their campaign and then as soon as they're elected they forget about it. But this is a good indication that Trump will keep his campaign promises,' he told news website Sputnik.

The belief that the 'end times' is near is based on the understanding that Jews must control Jerusalem and build a third temple on Temple Mount, one of the holiest sites in both Islam and Judaism, after both the first and second temples were destroyed.

Reagan, who claims to be an expert in biblical prophecy, explained the background of what he thinks will happen at the end of the world.

'Evangelical Christians in America generally agree that most likely there will be a war against Israel which the scriptures call the "war of annihilation" in which all the Muslim nations which have a common border with Israel, who are named in Psalm 83, will attack Israel and Israel will defeat them. Then the Arab world will go into a panic and cry out for Russia to come to their aid. And the Russians will come down with a specified group of Muslim nations, countries like Persia (Iran) and Turkey and they will be destroyed on the mountains of Israel.'

He added the Antichrist will come from within the European Union and would 'try to settle the situation in the Middle East' by making a treaty with Israel. 'And we believe, Daniel Chapter Nine [of the Bible] teaches that the moment he signs that agreement with Israel that is when the tribulation will begin,' he told Sputnik.

'He will have risen to power peacefully through his charisma and his super-intelligence in Europe and then he will seek to make a worldwide empire. He will launch a war for the purposes of the conquering the world which is described in Revelation, Chapter Six, and that war morphs into a nuclear war and by the middle of the tribulation he has the control of all the nations of the Earth,' he said.

'He (the Antichrist) marches into Jerusalem and goes into the rebuilt temple, which will have been rebuilt during the first three and a half years of the tribulation, and declares himself to be God. The Jews will immediately reject him and he will begin to persecute them and try to annihilate them from the face of the Earth. We believe Satan hates the Jews with a passion because it was through them that God gave the Bible and it was through them that God gave the Messiah...and Satan hates them and will try to destroy them once again, like he did in the Holocaust,' Reagan went on.

'When they are gathered in the valley of Armageddon at that point Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, he will speak a supernatural word and will destroy all the armies of the Antichrist and he will begin to reign over all the Earth. He will reign for a thousand years, what we call the millennial reign.'

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What President Trump's Jerusalem proclamation means for Palestinians

There are those who claim that acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel may not affect the daily life of its residents because Israel already controls the city and has been changing its demography and boundaries for over 50 years.

In spite of the fact the Jerusalem municipality is responsible for both East and West Jerusalem, in reality Jerusalem has remained divided, whether by ethnicity (Jewish or Arab) in some neighborhoods, or a separation wall in others.

US President Donald Trump has recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

All this said, President Trump's recent announcement left me with a heavy heart as I contemplated the implications of his proclamation.

Many Palestinians have struggled and altered their lives to keep their Jerusalem residency over the years. Many of my own friends have to deal with Israeli bureaucracy to maintain or regain their residency simply because they are Christians or Muslims born in Jerusalem. To Israel, they pose a demographic threat to maintain Jerusalem's Jewish majority, and therefore, many Palestinians in Jerusalem find themselves residents at best and stateless at worst.

During the past few years Jerusalem has had its share of violence with many casualties, many of whom have been under the age of 23. This has led to tight security checkpoints, not permanent but frequent, primarily at entrances to Palestinian neighbourhoods in and around Jerusalem. This limits the neighbourhood to having one entrance and exit. Going to work or school takes twice, if not three times, as long as the commutes from Jewish neighbourhoods.

As someone who has lived in the Old City for many years, I have encountered, how the Holy City becomes restricted to certain religious groups simply so that others can move freely, especially during religious holidays and political tensions. Even during Muslim holidays, young men are restricted from entering the Old City and only women, children and elderly men are permitted. This restriction is not imposed on Christians or Jews during their holidays and national celebrations, even when some of the Jewish national celebrations are purposefully and clearly inflammatory and provocative as they triumphantly march through Palestinian areas­ – for example each year during the annual Jerusalem Day celebration, marking the anniversary of Israel's success in capturing East Jerusalem from Jordan.

Palestinian house demolitions have increased in Jerusalem while Israel confiscates Palestinian land for Israeli settlers to expand and encroach on Palestinian neighbourhoods. You have only to visit the City of David to see this prominently displayed, with islands of settlers who have relocated to a Palestinian neighborhood to proclaim their national and religious history at the expense of the majority who have lived for generations there.

How can we understand all of these prolonged injustices when it comes to US support acknowledging Jerusalem as the capital of Israel?

President Trump, supposedly the leader of the free world and advocate of democracy, supports and even rewards Israel's undemocratic policies and behaviour favouring one people group over the other in Jerusalem. This inherent contradiction is prominent for Palestinians, for what is freedom and democracy when its leader further undermines both of these elements for 40 per cent of Jerusalem's population?

As a Christian Palestinian, I feel that same contradiction exists when I see the policies advocated by many American Christians. As Christians, we should help those with residency issues and those whose homes are threatened by demolitions, and mobilise our voices to restore their rights as Jerusalemites and as human beings created in God's image. Theological perspectives which support an end of days eschatology that is predicated on US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, or blanket support for the Israeli government regardless of the injustice it imposes on a substantial minority of Jerusalem residents, fail to make sense to me.How can Christians, Christ-followers, support injustice and occupation when Jesus did the opposite, speaking for the voiceless and the marginalised?

During this Advent season, I ask myself and my fellow Christian brethren worldwide, how should we respond? What is an appropriate response in this situation, for me as a local and for many of you living outside the Holy Land? I think of the shepherds who came from nearby and the Magi who came from a faraway land, seeking the new king Jesus. While the Magi had power, status and wealth, they did not find the new king in a place one would have expected.

This Christmas, perhaps we need to look inward, because the place we may find our king is not in the halls of power, or at the seat of an imperial outpost like Herod, but living precariously under occupation. This is the case of Palestinian Christians today, who see themselves as the fifth gospel, the living testimony of Christ's message in a world dark with evil and injustice. How can international Christians live in this fifth gospel with us, proclaiming God's goodness and subversive message of powerlessness confounding the powerful?

This is the challenge posed to us during Trump's proclamation of neo-colonial sanction for the Israeli occupation's acts in Jerusalem. Then, as now, Jesus won't be found among the powerful and privileged, but the poor and oppressed. And what will the Christian world's response be? Will you seek him in the halls of Herod? Jesus has a message for both oppressors and oppressed, but you won't find him among the oppressors. Will the Christian world stand with their Christian brethren this Christmas?

I'm not sure, but as a Palestinian Christian, I invite you to stand with us as we bear witness to the message of that first Christmas, that God incarnate has come to dwell among us with a message of hope and peace, and that message is not meek and mild but challenges the powers where justice has come to the world and all that is wrong needs to be made right.

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The parable of the workers in the vineyard: God gives us what we need, not what we deserve

The parable usually known as 'The workers in the vineyard' in Matthew 20: 1-16 is a strange tale. It seems to go against the principle of fairness – and it turns out that this is the point. And it turns out too that as well as being about God's generosity, it is about economics and justice.

It's one of the parables Jesus tells to illustrate what the kingdom of heaven is like. A landowner hires men to work in his vineyard early in the morning and agrees to pay them the standard wage. He goes back a few hours later and hires more, promising to pay 'what is right'; then again a few hours later; and then again just before the end of the day.

When the time comes to pay the men, they all get the same – starting with those who came last. Not surprisingly, those who'd worked all day aren't impressed. But the landowner rebukes them: 'Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

In his book Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, Kenneth Bailey draws out the oddities of the story. Any landowner would know how many men he needed to work his land for the day; he would have no need to go back for more.

Bailey writes of his own experience of living in Jerusalem, where unemployed Palestinians would gather near the Damascus Gate in hopes of work. 'I usually looked the other way when I passed, trying not to think about the humiliation those young men suffered and the quiet desperation that their presence reflected,' he says. But they, he notes, were gone by noon – in Jesus' story, the men were still there at the end of the day, because 'no one has hired us'.

Rather than humiliate them in their own and their families' eyes by giving them charity, however, he gives them what they needed – a job.

And Bailey also notes the order in which they're paid. If the first-comers had been paid first they would have left happy, and so on down to the last-comers. But the master wants everyone to see what he has done – perhaps so their characters can be tested and exposed. As Bailey says: 'The story focuses on an equation filled with amazing grace, which is resented by those who feel that they have earned their way to more.'

So the story is about God's gracious generosity expressed in a very practical way. It's been interpreted as referring to the first of Jesus' disciples and those who came later; as the Pharisees who worked all day in the heat of the sun before Jesus' disciples came in at the last minute; or even as a picture of the Jews and the Gentiles.

But it also speaks to us of work – why it matters, how workers should be treated and how employers should be generous. It's a warning against jealousy and legalism.

And most of all it's a picture of God's enduring love: the landowner makes the journey to and from the vineyard again and again, deliberately seeking out those who are lost and helpless, treating them with respect and giving them honourable work. In Jesus' parable, they can go home with their heads held high. They have been given not what they deserved, buy what they needed. 

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5 things the Bible teaches us about Angels

In the Bible, one of God's names is the "Lord of Hosts." This translates to the "Lord of armies," signifying that God has armies at His disposal, beings we call angels.

What are angels? The Bible has a lot of things to say about them, and knowing who they are and what role they play in God's plans can help us live our Christian lives to the fullest.

While the Bible tells us not to worship angels (and God's angels themselves will stop you from worshipping them), we are not to ignore or disregard them as "unnecessary" because "God is all we need." Yes, God is all that we need, but at times, if it's helpful, He will allow His angels to do something to us or for us.

Angels in the Bible

To help you appreciate the work of angels and their importance in our Christian life, here are some things that the Bible teaches us about them.

    They minister to or serve those who will inherit salvation

"Are they (angels) not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14)
God sends His angels to minister to those who are inheriting salvation. Picture this: a rich family man has servants to whom he entrusts his own children. Such servants are commanded to take care of the rich man's children.

In the same way, God commands His angels to minister to those who are saved and are continually being sanctified.

"Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways." (Psalm 91:9-11)

Isn't that awesome?

    They act as messengers or couriers of our God-given prayer answers

We read several times in the Bible that God sent angels to bring answers to the prayers of His people. Daniel's experience shows this:

"And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.""

Here we see God's angels in action. We read there that an angel was sent to bring the answer to Daniel's prayer, but the enemy stopped that angel. And so God sent the archangel Michael so that the angel could bring the message to Daniel.

    God uses them to bring blessings and provisions to our lives

Angels don't only protect us and bring God's messages to us. God also commands them to bring us our provisions. Consider Elijah's experience after he ran away from Jezebel:

"But [Elijah] himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, "It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!" Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, "Arise and eat." Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, "Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you."" (1 Kings 19:4-7)

God used an angel to bring real, physical food to Elijah. He can still command them to do that today.

    They rejoice at the repentance of a sinner

Angels rejoice every time a sinner repents of his sin and turns to Jesus for salvation. Jesus Himself said,

"Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (Luke 15:10)

    They must not be worshipped

No matter how "holy" or awesome an angel could be, no human should ever worship them. God's angels will never accept any worship from anybody. They themselves will always point to Christ Jesus and worship no one but God.

Read what an angel told John when the latter tried to worship him:

"And I (John) fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."" (Revelation 19:10)
Are there angels that are not from God?

Not all angels are of God. The Bible tells us that Satan was able to deceive many of them and they, like him, were cast out of heaven. If an angel accepts your worship, points you to a savior other than Jesus, denies that Christ came in the flesh, or sets himself up higher than God, recognize that angel as not of God but the devil. (see Luke 4:5-8; Galatians 1:8; 1 John 4:1-3; Isaiah 14:12-15)

Satan will always try to masquerade as an angel of light (see 2 Corinthians 11:14) so he can turn Christians away from God and towards himself. He will deceive people into denying Christ as having come in the flesh (see 1 John 4:1-3). Be warned never to agree with him (see 2 Corinthians 6:15).

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5 facts about heaven from the Bible

Heaven is so real, but many don't believe it is. Sadly, there are Christians who have a wrong picture of what Heaven is like. Because of this, they live poor and powerless Christian lives.

Knowing what Heaven is like will help us focus our hope in Christ and His promises. After all, while we are here in this fallen world, we are living in situations and conditions so different from what God has in store for us. Don't you get excited at the thought of that?

Here are some facts about Heaven that should excite you and give you more reasons to run the race with perseverance and fight the good fight of faith in Christ.

Facts About Heaven

    We can live forever in Heaven because of what Jesus Christ has done

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)

If we believe in Christ's finished work, we can have everlasting life in Heaven.

    Even the most beautiful places on earth cannot compare to Heaven

"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them,embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." (Hebrews 11:13-16)

There's no place on earth that could ever compare to the beauty of what God has prepared for us in Heaven. That is why many faithful men and women were willing to trade their temporal bliss for eternal happiness and joy in God.

    There's no suffering in Heaven

"And I heard a loud voice from Heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."" (Revelation 21:3-4)
God Himself will dwell with His people, and because of this there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, and no more tears. He will wipe away our tears.

    Only those who are saved by Christ and obey the will of God can enter in

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:21-23)

Only those who follow Christ hard can enter Heaven. If we are Christians but we don't live a life that pleases God by obeying His will, we will not be given entry!

 Heaven can be experienced now

"Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!' For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."" (Luke 17:20-21)

While there is a Heaven that waits for the faithful after death, Heaven can also be experienced here and now because of what Christ has done. God's Holy Spirit dwells inside all who believe, and as we obey the Lord He will dwell with us even as we are here on earth:

"Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him." (John 14:23)

Can you just imagine the joy of experiencing Heaven on earth? If you are excited by this, just imagine the joy of living in Heaven!

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