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Biblical Principles of Sharing Resources in Modern Times

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”
2 Corinthians 8:14-15 NLT

Paul quoted a Scripture from the days of Manna, that whole food supplied by God for the Israelite nation while they were in the desert, transitioning from Egypt to their Promised Land. Manna was indeed a whole food because it not only contained all the carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and vitamins necessary for life, but was also available for forty years to a whole nation of somewhere between two and five million people. This could have amounted to up to 150 billion meals! We remember the two occasions when Jesus miraculously fed a crowd who had come to hear him in a remote place: on one occasion, five thousand men, and on the other, four thousand. But wasn’t the Manna time an even greater blessing from God? In the Exodus account, we read about the instructions that Moses gave to the Israelites when they discovered the “flaky substance as fine as frost” covering the ground outside their tents. Moses said to them, “These are the Lord’s instructions: Each household should gather as much as it needs. Pick up two quarts for each person in your tent” (Exodus 16:16). This was one occasion when the Israelites were obedient, and the next two verses read, “So the people of Israel did as they were told. Some gathered a lot, some only a little. But when they measured it out, everyone had just enough. Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough. Each family had just what it needed”. The miracle didn’t end with the supply of manna. It continued with the distribution of the food to all the people. 

In our verses today from 2 Corinthians. Paul also said if all the churches he had established shared all their resources, then “things will be equal”. That is a noble principle, but one that does not sit easily in today’s society. Today, people are driven by selfish desires, and only the affluent West can claim to have the choice and sufficiency of food to match those desires. In some ways, the sin of selfishness is compounded by people using fat-reducing drugs to offset the effects of eating too many and too much of the wrong foods. Imagine a society where supermarkets are replaced by distribution points where people collect a bag of food each day, no more and no less. In that society (Utopian?), there would be enough food available to feed the world. But sin would soon take over, and a black market would emerge. I’m sure there are politicians and activists in the UK today, religious or not, who would enthusiastically embrace such a society. 

“five barley loaves and two fish“

But we pilgrims live in this kingdom of sin, although we are citizens of God’s Kingdom, and we share God’s love and grace with those around us, perhaps by demonstrating the same unselfish behaviour as the young boy with a packed lunch. John 6:8-9, “Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” There was a season in our lives when the church my wife and I attended always seemed to have visitors on a Sunday, and more often than not, we ended up needing extra places at the dinner table. There were many times we prayed over what seemed to be a pathetically small joint of meat, only to find that there was more than enough. God will supply what we need as we reach out to Him in faith. 

We find that some people in our societies need a meal and lack the resources to provide for themselves. There are a number of reasons why this should be the case, some self-inflicted, but regardless of the reasons, we believers must share God’s love and compassion, doing what we can to help them. When my daughter was very ill in hospital, my wife sometimes lacked the time to make meals, but there were two neighbours who occasionally blessed us with a meal, and one lady even helped with our washing and ironing. We will always be grateful for what they did. Some Christians also help at food banks, often run by churches, which are always stocked with food to help the unfortunate. A local church also allows homeless people to sleep in their building overnight, supplying a breakfast the next morning if necessary. We live in a different society from the first-century communities and cities in the Biblical countries that Paul would have known, but the principles that Paul wrote about still apply. Once again, we remember that we are “salt and light” in places where God has planted us. We mustn’t turn our backs on opportunities to bless someone.

Dear Father God. Thank You for the resources that You have provided for us. Please lead us to needy people whom You want to bless. In Jesus’name. Amen.

Promoting Equality Through Christian Compassion

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have. Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal.”
2 Corinthians 8:12-14 NLT

In this passage of Scripture devoted to encouraging the Corinthians to provide of their resources to help the poor elsewhere, we come across this verse (13) that seems to promote the thought that the burden of living should be shared across the churches. In those days there was no government funding to support those in need, and, quite rightly in my opinion, the churches were encouraged to fill the gap. After a major famine in Judea, people who were unaffected elsewhere made a positive move to help their fellow believers in need. This philosophy of shared resources was there right at the beginning of the early church, as we read in Acts 4:32, “All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had”. Two verses on, we read, “There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them”. But all was not problem-free, as we read in Acts 6:1, “But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. The Greek-speaking believers complained about the Hebrew-speaking believers, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food”. There was obviously in place an early version of a “social security” system amongst Christians, and this principle spread across the early church. 

However, the question remains about the extent to which this process should be implemented. In Galatians 6:2, Paul wrote, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ”. This is something we do with our fellow believers because all of us sometimes face an emergency, financial or otherwise, and need help. So we are called to help each other by sharing the burden. But in Galatians 6:5 we read, “for each one should carry their own load”. Loads and burdens. We should discern the difference when we meet with people, believers or not. To illustrate the difference, I recently met a young man begging outside my local supermarket. He was stopping passers-by to ask for help with something to eat. In conversation, I discovered that he had missed two appointments at the DSS and that his benefits had been stopped as a result. He had the responsibility to carry his “load” in that particular phase of his life, by attending the DSS appointments. But his particular “burden” that day was to find some food, which I was happy to help with. A hard-hearted person might have walked away at this point, leaving him, in their opinion, to the results of his own stupidity, but that is where Christian compassion, helping others less fortunate than ourselves, kicks in. I have been in churches where the leadership has provided funds to help a congregant with a pressing need, such as an unexpected bill for which they had no resources. That was a “burden” we were happy to assist with. Separately, their “load” was already catered for by their own efforts.

In 2 Corinthians 8:13, we read, “Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality”. Paul believed that there should be fairness among the Christian community. It didn’t make sense to him that some believers should live on the verge of starvation while others lived to excess. But isn’t that the case globally in the 21st Century? People living in the West have plenty, whereas those living in more deprived areas of the world are always close to starvation. The frustration is that there is sufficient food in the world to feed everyone, but due to distribution inefficiencies and corruption in various governments, people go hungry.

Christian giving is meant to foster fairness and equality, not to create hardship for the giver to ease others’ needs. Paul clarifies that the goal is balancing abundance and need among believers, rather than causing poverty for one group while relieving another. To a large extent, that process has been taken over by our societies with the government of the day taxing those who live in abundance so that the money raised can be given to those living in poverty. Unfortunately, such systems can fail, and there are still people in the UK who rely on food banks and other support because they are unable to supply their basic needs, even with government help.

The word “equality” also applies outside this context of financial giving. Equality in society means ensuring every individual has equal rights, dignity, and access to opportunities, free from discrimination based on factors like race, gender, or religion. Key aspects include fair legal treatment, economic equity, access to education, and healthcare. Greater equality leads to healthier, more stable societies. But such a support system doesn’t come cheap, and the tax burden has been steadily increasing and is expected to reach 38% of the UK GDP by the end of this decade. In the first century, society was much simpler, and the Christian ethos of sharing possessions did much to promote the Gospel and establish the church, in a harsh world where the “haves” survived and often the “have-nots” didn’t. 

We pilgrims are part of a worldwide faith that reaches into just about every society on this planet. But we are also part of a community of friends and family that need help from our resources from time to time. And I’m sure that we do help where we can. And so we must be available to those we know, always willing to share what we have, be it money, love, grace, or whatever. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34-35). True equality only comes in the way we treat others. God shows no favourites, and we all stand equal before Him. James 2:1, “My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism”. So in our churches and fellowships, we remember that we are all equal before God’s throne, freed from any thoughts of inferiority or superiority. 

Dear Heavenly Father. Please help us, we pray, to reach out and be available to those fellow members in society who are in need, so that we can bring Your love and the resources You have graciously provided for us to help them. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Understanding God’s Generous Grace in Our Lives

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.”
2 Corinthians 8:9-11 NLT

Grace – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense – is at the very heart of why we pilgrims are Christians. And as Paul rightly wrote, the grace became flesh through the person of Jesus Christ. He left the richness of Heaven to become poor for the sake of anyone who believed in Him and who responded positively to His message of grace. We didn’t deserve such favour from our Creator and holy God. We had done nothing of ourselves to warrant it. Rather, our unholiness was a stench in God’s nostrils, and we could have no complaint if there was no future for us in His presence. And yet, “He became poor, so that by his poverty He could make [us] rich”. And rich we are. Paul wrote, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). There are no spiritual blessings that are unavailable to us, and we have a treasure trove that we can draw on now and in the future. In Philippians 4:19, Paul wrote, “And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus”. I’m sure all of us pilgrims can testify that, so far, we have had a life where God has supplied all our needs (not “wants”, by the way). Jesus said to the church in Ephesus, “I know about your suffering and your poverty—but you are rich! …” (Revelation 2:9a). In all these cases, however, we need to beware of associating richness with worldly wealth. The richness in Christ is priceless, and He said, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26). We need to remember that hell is a depository for rubbish, just as the valley next to Jerusalem, called Gehenna, was. Jesus often associated hell with this rubbish dump “where the maggots never die and the fire never goes out”  (Mark 9:48). It is a place where those who decide not to benefit from the free gift of God’s grace will spend eternity. Jesus was horrified by the thought of hell, and His life was dedicated to supplying an unlimited fountain of grace to provide sinners with a Godly alternative.

“let your good deeds
shine out for all to see“

We pilgrims are the children of grace, because through all that Jesus did for us at Calvary, we can now stand righteous before our Heavenly Father. We call Him “Abba”, which, translated, means “Daddy”. The only way any of us can enter into a relationship with God is because of His grace toward us. Ephesians 2:8, “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God”. But we can’t leave it there. We hold that message of grace and have the opportunity to take it to those we know and meet. That does not just mean providing tracts to anyone we meet, but it also means we are dispensers of “salt and light” wherever we go. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:13-16). In my walks around the West of Fife, I occasionally meet people who are scared and fearful, without hope or vision for their lives. One elderly man I recently met confessed that he was glad that he did not have many more years in this life to endure the worry of the wars that blight our planet and the political decisions made by our government. A lady walking her dogs talked in a similar way, using it as an excuse for not becoming a believer, because, as she claimed, how could God allow all the suffering in this world to happen? We pilgrims have the words of Jesus, which we can use to counter the lies of the devil. But to know these words, we have to be diligent in reading what He said. When He was tempted in the wilderness, Jesus used Scriptures to refute the devil’s invitations. And so can we, when faced with arguments from people who have no knowledge of who God really is.

As Paul wrote, we pilgrims “know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ”. Let us today look for opportunities to share that with others through our attitudes, our generosity, our kindness, and our love for those not as fortunate as we are. And if the opportunity arises, we can share our testimonies of what God has done for us.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your “generous grace”, made so available to Your children and the people around us. Help us, we pray, to find the time to reach out to the needy and share all that You have done for us. In Your precious name, Amen. 

Excelling in Faith: Lessons from the Church in Corinth

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.”
2 Corinthians 8:7-8 NLT

From all accounts, and regardless of the issues Paul raised, this was a very gifted church in Corinth. The believers there were blessed in so many ways. But Paul was introducing them to some harder challenges that would test them a bit. What about your giving? he asked. Paul effectively asked, “Do you really love the Christians in other places who perhaps are not as financially blessed as you are?” Such questions often expose the love and commitment that believers have, and even today, some churches collapse because the congregation is either unwilling or unable to support the work. 

The church in Jerusalem was struggling financially, as we read in Acts 11:27-30, “During this time, some prophets travelled from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem”. As far as the timeline of events goes, Claudius reigned from 41 to 54 AD. Paul wrote his second letter to the Corinthians around 56 AD, so the Judean believers must still have been in difficult times and desperately needed assistance.

The believers in Corinth excelled in their faith, Paul wrote. When we think about our faith, we consider it as a name for our Christianity, in the context that it is the one faith amongst many. Our current King, Charles III, holds the traditional title of Defender of the Faith as Supreme Governor of the Church of England, but he has expressed a desire to be a “defender of faith” (or “all faiths”), acting as a protector for all religions in a multicultural Britain. While he retains the traditional, formal title, he has emphasised a broader, more inclusive approach to religious diversity, which was reflected in his coronation ceremony. Sad, really, because his mother was definitely a defender of the one true faith. 

We pilgrims also think of “faith” in the Hebrews 11:1 context, which starts, “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see”. In this context, faith is perhaps more objective and far enough away not to bother us too much. But further down in Hebrews 11 we read verse 6, “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him”. Such a faith is more immediate and personal and is a reflection on how we live our Christian lives. The question is, “How does our faith in God impact our daily lives?” Do we attend church on a Sunday, and yet fail to uphold Godly principles in the office on a Monday morning? Or do we fall apart when a problem arises and our faith is then soon forgotten? Excelling in faith means consistently growing beyond basic belief into an overflowing, active, and Christlike life, characterised by deepened love, knowledge, and dedication rather than complacency. So we diligently seek to glorify God in all that we are and do, acting in ways that demonstrate our faith. Most of the time, we are not talking about a faith like Noah’s, a big faith that persevered for a hundred years, building a boat large enough to take all the animals. Or a faith like Abraham’s. Romans 4:3, “For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith””. Our personal faith is worked out in our day to day lives, as we journey on to glory, meeting the problems, troubles and challenges that all people experience, but applying our faith-filled lives with a Godly faith.

Paul also commended the Corinthians for their gifted speakers. These were not just the up-front preachers, but all the believers, as they spoke out their wisdom, knowledge and prophetic words, all for the edification of the church. This was a thriving fellowship devoted to growing in numbers and their faith, and they applied themselves enthusiastically to living their lives together. Don’t forget, this was a church at the cutting edge of Christianity in a hostile world, and they needed all the faith and other resources that they could muster. Paul and his colleagues loved them dearly, and I’m sure did their best to encourage them in their lives as believers.

What do we pilgrims excel at? The fact that we are here so far along the trail is a testimony to our growing faiths. We have been Christians for varying lengths of time, and we will all have been facing a unique series of events as we go about our daily lives. School and further education, the workplace, family matters like marrying and having children, and then on to retirement and a new twilight season with perhaps some health challenges. But these are generalities which we will encounter, but within them, there are the hard times when our faith is really tested. It may have already been tested severely, but in it all, we are overcomers. That is where our faiths excel. 

Paul wrote to the Roman believers, “Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? … No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us”(Romans 8: 35, 37). We pilgrims see beyond the short-term troubles to the time when we will give God the Glory He deserves, to the time when He will reward us for our faith. Our faith connects us with the Source of all that we need to be overcomers in a world that seems to lurch from one disaster to the next, disasters driven by sin and wickedness. Jesus said, “ … Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b). Our faith is taking us on an exciting journey, and the Corinthian believers seemingly were excelling in walking by faith through the difficulties of their times. Are we as well?

Dear Father God. You are the Source of all our faith, and nothing will separate us from Your love. We thank You for Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, and we praise You today. Please help us in our walk of faith, as You have done on so many occasions. Amen.

Giving Ourselves to God: Understanding True Sacrifice

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Not only [did they give materially] as we had hoped, but first they gave themselves to the Lord and to us [as His representatives] by the will of God [disregarding their personal interests and giving as much as they possibly could]. So we urged Titus that, as he began it, he should also complete this gracious work among you as well.”
2 Corinthians 8:5-6 AMP

There is an order of priority to be followed in our Christian walk, an order that may not always align with our own desires and inclinations. We can experience a degree of conflict between our sinful natures and the Spirit of God within us. But in our verses today, Paul writes that they seem to have got the order of priority correct. The Corinthians were eager to give money to help the poor in Jerusalem; in fact, they were quite insistent. However, Paul could see that their first priority was to give “themselves to the Lord”, and, as well, give themselves to “us” – Paul and his colleagues, as God’s representatives. 

Any human being starts life not thinking about others but instead thinking about themselves, motivated by a desire to please themselves. As we grow, that usually doesn’t change much. Our focus can become more dispersed among areas that are important to us, such as relationships, careers, or goals. But the bottom line is almost always a desire to please ourselves. The quest for happiness is a universal journey. But that is not how God created us, as we know from Genesis 1:27, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them”. So, comparing ourselves to God (if that were even possible!), Do we think He would be so selfish as to focus solely on himself? We know otherwise, because he sent His Son to die a sinner’s death, but even more, he took on the sins of the world, from everyone who has ever lived, past, present and future. Would we have been so concerned by the plight of others that we too would forget ourselves and instead shift our thoughts and actions to them and their needs? Being made in God’s image perhaps highlights where our true focus should be.

So, giving ourselves to God means adopting His ways in living our lives. It is said that within us is a God-shaped hole that has to be filled by God Himself. The French philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ”. As we said earlier, human beings are more interested in filling this “hole” or “vacuum” with created things, human relationships or ineffective and useless philosophies. There is a plethora of “things” available for those who seek self-gratification, such as alcohol and drugs, pornography, and similar dark devices, but we mustn’t forget sports and hobbies, all of which can attempt to fill the void inside. Others seek a remedy on a psychiatrist’s couch or pursue religions and philosophies that pander to the ”me” inside us, rather than look upwards to God Himself. It is amazing the lengths to which human beings will go to avoid contact with their Creator. 

The Shorter Westminster Catechism starts with the question, “What is the chief end of man?”, to which the answer is “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever”. Paul wrote, “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). This immediately shifts the human focus to God, but provides a problem for those who do not believe that He exists. They continue to live with a vacuum inside that can never be filled, no matter how hard they try. Some people dream of unimaginable wealth, believing it would make a difference, but research shows that lottery winners are among the unhappiest people in the world. Nothing in this world can get close to what God intended.

When we come to the place of recognising life is not about ourselves, we are ready to stop running from God and allow Him to take over. The only way any of us can have a relationship with a holy God is to admit that we are sinners, turn away from that sin, and accept the sacrifice that Jesus made. There is no other way. Picture an altar dedicated to the only true God. Then imagine crawling onto it, lying down, and saying, “Here I am, God. I’m a sinner, but you love me anyway. Thank you for dying for me and rising from the dead so my sin could be forgiven. Cleanse me, forgive me, and make me your child. Take me. All of me. I want to live for you from now on”. 

Paul wrote, “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).

Before the Corinthians could give to the poor, they had to give themselves to God. There are nominal Christians today who go through all the motions and even generously give of their money to their church and its ministries, but without first having that relationship with God, it is all pointless. Following a liturgy won’t get them to Heaven. A pass to gain entry through the pearly gates cannot be purchased with human gold. There is only one way to Heaven, and that is to believe in Jesus. Simple but profound. We pilgrims today perhaps are looking inwards instead of upwards, but there is a remedy: once again, we turn our eyes upon Jesus and look into His wonderful face. We then find that all the created objects and methods come to nothing “in the light of His glory and grace”. 

Dear Father God. Our lives are here to provide You with the glory You deserve. Please forgive us for our waywardness, as we dip into the things of the world rather than into the things of Your Word. We worship You today. Amen.

Understanding Free Will in God’s Image

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.”
2 Corinthians 8:3-5 NLT

The first Adam was created by God “in His image”, but what does that mean? We don’t see God walking around in human form today – well, I don’t think we do, although He came to this world as a man two thousand or so years ago in the form of Jesus. Genesis 1:26a has few words with enormous implications: “Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us …”. Apart from the obvious plurality of God (“us”), there is this question mark over what it means to be like God. In three persons, the Trinity, God is a family. A loving family. The perfect family. And human families share the same bonds, sadly corrupted by sin, but they are there. And as we read on in the Genesis account, we see how God created the family, adding Eve to make this happen. But there was potential for things to go wrong, because one attribute of God is the ability to think and choose. Mankind has “free will”. Such a characteristic is fine for a perfect being, but for a human being corrupted by sin, it is a recipe for disaster. In Genesis 3 we find that the ability to choose can be subverted by evil, initially in the form of a serpent. Using their free will, Adam and Eve specifically went against God’s instructions, and human beings have been using their free will for sinful purposes ever since. 

The power to choose has both good and bad potential. We know the good, as we live our lives God’s way. This does not mean never leaving our church buildings, spending our time there in continual prayer and praise. It means living our lives as Adam was instructed. Genesis 1:28, “Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground”. Adam had work to do, tending God’s creation. Just in this verse, we see that families were to be created, societies were to be governed, and the world was to be looked after. All good in a sinless environment, but as we can see, it all went horribly wrong after Genesis 3. That was the bad outcome from being like God with free will. Mankind has chosen to sin, and that has enslaved and corrupted them in a way that must break God’s heart. The Bible is a Book that has a theme running through it – God’s love for His creation. Jesus was the main part of His plan to reconcile sinful men to Him, restoring the relationship that depended on free will. 

Moses set out before the Israelites a series of instructions designed to ultimately restore them to God. One significant verse is Deuteronomy 30:19, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Can we hear God’s heart in that appeal? A consequence of choosing life is just that – eternal life with God in His presence, just as He had ordained in His act of creation. It gives God no pleasure to see that so many people are going to spend eternity without Him. In John 1:4, we read, “The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone”.  A few verses on, we read, “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God”. 

Today, the society around us is largely secular, though growing pockets of churches and fellowships have chosen life through Jesus. People there have exercised their God-given created gift of free will to make the right choice and follow Jesus. But in our own small way, have we too made that right choice? We are living stones engaged in building a house fit for Jesus. 1 Peter 2:5, “And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God”. With our free will, that is what we desire – pleasing God. There may be a scarcity of “stones” around us, but nevertheless, God sees us and is pleased. 

“But as for me and my family,
we will serve the Lord“

In our verses today, Paul commends the Corinthians for their sacrificial giving of resources to help the believers living in poverty in Jerusalem. It was an act of their free will, Paul said. They didn’t have to do it, but by so doing, they were living their lives God’s way. Are we pilgrims aware that we are made in God’s image with the freedom to choose? Joshua knew it. We read, “But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 25:15). 

What choices today are we pilgrims making that will have eternal consequences? We have a commodity called “free will” that we can use to ensure our choices are the right ones. Moses wrote this, “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully keep all his commands that I am giving you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the world. You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 28:1-2). There then follows a list of blessings all tied to obedience to God. Further down the chapter, we read, “But if you refuse to listen to the Lord your God and do not obey all the commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come and overwhelm you” (Deuteronomy 28:15). The ensuing list of curses does not make for comfortable reading because they come as a result to disobeying God. Wth our “free will” we can make the right choice, to obey God in all we do.

Dear Father God. We thank You for Your many blessings, none of which we deserve. We choose today to follow You forevermore. Amen.

Lessons from Macedonian Churches: Joy Amid Trials

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will.”
2 Corinthians 8:1-3 NLT

There were three significant congregations in Macedonia in the First Century, all established by Paul on his second missionary journey. In Acts 16:9-10, we read, “That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there”. So off Paul and Silas went, boarding a boat at Troas, and then made their way to Philippi. There, they met a businesswoman called Lydia, and the Philippian church was subsequently established, although Paul and Silas suffered much pain in the process (Acts 16:22). 

Their next stop was in Thessalonica, where Paul preached in the local Jewish synagogue, reasoning with the people. His efforts were not universally accepted by a long way, but we read, “Some of the Jews who listened were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek men and quite a few prominent women” (Acts 17:4). But more troubles followed, and Paul and Silas left the city “that very night” and headed for Berea. As usual, Paul headed for the synagogue there and once again preached the Gospel. We read, “And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth” (Acts 17:11). As an aside, there is a principle here that believers do well to follow. Whenever somebody delivers a message that doesn’t seem to sit right, the Scriptures, the Bibles we have, should be consulted to check out what has been said. In Berea, we see the result of Paul’s persuasive words, “As a result, many Jews believed, as did many of the prominent Greek women and men” (Acts 17:12). 

So the main churches in Macedonia were Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea, and their birthing troubles continued. The Gospel, the Good News about Jesus, His death, His resurrection and His Ascension, was life-changing, and the power of the Holy Spirit accompanying the preaching really shook up the religious, and particularly Jewish, status quo. The devil wasn’t going to concede ground without a fight, and he leveraged the instabilities of the Macedonian societies to his advantage.

The three churches were also very poor, Paul wrote, but they were also “filled with abundant joy” to the extent that they were insistent in giving sacrificially of their limited resources to support the poor in other places. Paul noted that they were not obliged to be so generous. No one had asked them to give that much of their money, but they gave “of their own free will”. There is a principle in going that is contrary to the ways of the world, and Jesus spoke about it. Luke 6:38, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”. The graphic illustration was one His audience would understand, as it referred to seed, a common commodity in His day. 

So the Macedonian churches were experiencing many troubles and much persecution in a society hostile and resistant to the early Christians, and their countercultural teaching about Jesus. Paul wrote that they were being “tested”, a benign way of saying that people in the society around them were attempting to get them to revert to their old ways and abandon being followers of Jesus. The testing might have included being ostracised from their circle of friends, being hassled in the workplace, and other forms of pressure, but in it all, they stood firm, the troubles and testing producing within them the Holy Spirit fruit of joy, and abundantly at that. 

We pilgrims are a joyful people, aren’t we? No matter what comes against us, we turn to Jesus, who is the Source of all that we are and want to be. We might have difficulties and challenges with our health, our wealth (or lack of it), in fact, anything that is going on in our daily lives, that conspires to give us trouble and testing. We might be tempted to say, “What’s the point?” and turn away from our Christian lives in the hope that the hassles would evaporate. New believers often find that when they make a decision for Christ, their problems don’t go away. But they do find that through Jesus, they have a new hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. Instead of having no purpose in life, they find that they will eventually be admitted into Heaven to be with Jesus. Such a perspective is a factor in the “abundant joy” experienced by the Macedonians, and experienced by us pilgrims as well. We are now citizens of the Kingdom of God. We are His children, adopted into His family. Joy is the norm and not the exception.

For those believers struggling with their troubles, we glimpse God’s provision or grace and love in verses such as 1 Peter 5:7, “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you”. A verse short and succinct, but loaded with God’s care and provision for His children. Psalm 91 starts, “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him”. And it ends, “The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honour them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation””. God doesn’t give empty promises. He does what He says, and we pilgrims can be assured that whatever we are facing, nothing will take away our joy, and His love for us. We end with Paul’s words to the Romans, “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). 

Dear Father, thank You for Your love and care for us. We will experience troubles in this life, we know, but we also know that You have us earmarked for a new life, free from all that causes us angst in this one. We pray that You protect us from the evil one, and don’t let anything steal away our joy. In Your precious name. Amen.

Overcoming Apprehension: Lessons from 2 Corinthians

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“We have been greatly encouraged by this. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease. I had told him how proud I was of you—and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true! Now he cares for you more than ever when he remembers the way all of you obeyed him and welcomed him with such fear and deep respect. I am very happy now because I have complete confidence in you.”
2 Corinthians 7:13-16 NLT

It must have been the case that Titus was a bit apprehensive about going to meet with the Corinthians, because Paul wrote that their welcome for him “set his mind at ease”. I think any of us would have been a bit unsure of the reception we would receive, carrying in our pocket the missive that Paul had penned. To add to his concern was the long journey to reach Corinth from where Paul was at the time. It is thought that Paul wrote his first letter while at Ephesus, meaning a 290-mile sea journey would have been required to reach Corinth. A land journey was possible, although much longer, so it would have taken weeks at the normal walking pace of 15-20 miles per day. But all that time dwelling on the contents of the letter throbbing in his pocket would have weighed on Titus’ mind. I expect Paul was relieved as well, hearing that his letter had been so positively received, having achieved its purpose, which was to bring the Corinthian believers back on the “straight and narrow” path. 

It would have been much easier for Paul to have delivered what he had to say in person, because by doing so there would have been a feedback mechanism in place, allowing for the optimisation of the delivery. He began his first letter by addressing the quarrels that had been occurring. “For some members of Chloe’s household have told me about your quarrels, my dear brothers and sisters” (1 Corinthians 1:11). It would have been easier for Paul to gather together the quarrelling parties and work with them to resolve their differences. In that process, his love and compassion for them would have won them over and brought about a reconciliation. But just to point out the problem and leave it to them to sort out would not have been very efficient, if it even worked. So Titus’ apprehension was understandable.

What about for us pilgrims? We have, I’m sure, encountered times when a problem or difficulty has to be confronted. It could be a parent to a child, or a manager to an employee. Even, perhaps, between friends. And I’m sure that the build-up to the day the encounter was to take place would have been full of apprehension, even with a sleepless night involved. We would have prayed and asked God to help in the meeting, but there would still have been that unease niggling in our minds. “I wish it were all over” was a thought probably in our minds. To the Galatians, Paul wrote, “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Galatians 6:1). Such advice, valuable as it is, requires a face-to-face encounter to be able to communicate with gentleness and humility.

In today’s internet-enabled world, it is sometimes easy to just fire off an email or message to another person, or make a comment on a social media platform, to avoid personal contact. But in the process, sight is lost of the innuendo and interpretation of the message by the other person. We may write the message from our perspective, but when it’s received by the other person, it means something totally different to them. Such a thought must always have been in Paul’s mind as he wrote his letters. In 3 John 1:13-14, we read, “I have much more to say to you, but I don’t want to write it with pen and ink. For I hope to see you soon, and then we will talk face to face”. Some things have to be said person to person, and not by “pen and ink”. 

The message from our verses in 2 Corinthians today is clear and affects both the giver and the receiver. If we have a message to deliver, particularly if it is of the importance that Paul could see, then we must carefully think through the process to avoid unnecessary or unintended consequences, such as a permanent schism resulting. If we are in receipt of the message, then we must not react in anger, rejecting both the message and the messenger, but must carefully take it away and consider it through prayer, asking for God’s help in discerning what has been said. Some unease on the part of either party is to be expected, but with God’s help, the problem is resolved, and apprehension dissipated.

Dear Father God. Human interaction can be difficult sometimes, but we each pray for ourselves today, praying “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer”.  Thank You for Your grace and love. Amen.

Understanding Loyalty in the Christian Faith

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“My purpose, then, was not to write about who did the wrong or who was wronged. I wrote to you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how loyal you are to us. We have been greatly encouraged by this. In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease.”
2 Corinthians 7:12-13 NLT

After Paul’s first letter, there would have needed to be loyalty on the part of the believers in Corinth, if they were going to take on board what he had written. It is true to say that some issues can only be addressed when there is a relational bridge between people, and in the issues Paul raised in his first letter, some form of loyalty had to be established. Otherwise, the believers would have just rejected what Paul wrote. Loyalty is a word that has fallen into much disrepute in British society because of the many different people groups present. A definition of “Britishness” has become confused because recent research suggests it can mean several things, depending on geography, ethnicity, human rights, respect for the law, and so on. So loyalty to the nation of Britain has become a thing of the past, at least to the extent that my parents, who came through the war years, would have understood. Our nationalities or origins are occasionally requested on NHS or government forms, and there is usually a long list of options, which perhaps pushes people away from “British” towards more fragmented societal and loyalty options.

But here in Paul’s second letter, the issue is simpler: the loyalty of the Corinthian believers to the Apostle, Paul, who established the church there in the first place. And Paul wrote, “We have been greatly encouraged by this”. Perhaps, when Paul put the final full stop on his first letter and sealed it for dispatch, he must have experienced mental gyrations, wondering whether he had been too hard or too soft in his comments and advice. Wondering if the Corinthians would reject what he had said and, in the process, reject him as well. Those early church days were fraught with so many attacks and issues, and Paul confessed, “Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). He hinted at his anguish in Galatians 4:19-20, when he wrote, “Oh, my dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labour pains for you again, and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives. I wish I were with you right now so I could change my tone. But at this distance, I don’t know how else to help you”. And that was Paul’s dilemma. In an age without denominational structures to address grievances, well-trained ministers, the Canon of Scripture, and internet-enabled instant communication, problems could fester for far too long. And that is without even mentioning the plethora of false teaching and prophecies, such as Gnosticism and Docetism and others, all conspiring to draw the early believers into error and back into the clutches of the devil. 

As we read the Bible, we find that loyalty is a virtue that involves steadfast commitment to God, family, friends, and responsibilities. It is often synonymous with “faithfulness” and is considered a reflection of God’s own unchanging character. First and foremost, there is loyalty to God. Deuteronomy 6:5,  “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength”. Any believer, not just a new one, who is unable to sign up to that needs to reflect on their salvation. Jesus also taught, in relation to the subject of money, that “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money” (Matthew 6:24). Jesus went further in His letter to the church in Smyrna, when He said, “Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. The devil will throw some of you into prison to test you. You will suffer for ten days. But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). How many of us would stay the course if we were staring death in the face because of our faith? 

“You have the words that give eternal life“

Regarding friendships, the Bible also offers some advice on loyalty. Proverbs 17:17, “A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need”. We have the poignant scene in Ruth where we read, “But Ruth replied, “Don’t ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God” (Ruth 1:16). Ruth was only related to her mother-in-law by marriage, and yet she promised to remain loyal come what may. As we read the rest of the Book of Ruth, we find that her faithfulness resulted in her becoming an important part of Jesus’ bloodline, even getting a mention in Matthew 1:5b, “ … Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). … ”, something unusual for a woman in those days. Peter and the disciples were very loyal to Jesus. When the teaching Jesus was delivering became too hard for some of the more peripheral disciples, resulting in them leaving him, we read, “Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God”” (John 6:67-69). As we know, Peter and the rest of the disciples (with the exception of John) all died violent deaths through their loyalty to their Master and Lord. 

What about our loyalty, fellow pilgrims? Are we loyal to our families and friends? And above all, are we loyal to God? The Christian life is a journey along a narrow and difficult path, but there is no option to occasionally rest for a while “on the broad way that leads to destruction”. When the journey gets tough, we dig even deeper into the resources God has made available to us, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). 

Dear Heavenly Father, we pledge our loyalty to You today, in the assurance that You have a plan reserved for us in Heaven. We thank You for Jesus and all He did for us, and continues to do for us, in every day of our lives. Amen.

Understanding Godly Sorrow: Path to Healing and Salvation

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. Just see what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal, and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything necessary to make things right.”
2 Corinthians 7:10-11 NLT

Continuing with Paul’s theme of Godly sorrow, we look at the impact Paul’s first letter had made in the lives of the Corinthian believers. If we remember, it was quite hard-hitting, revealing issues that needed courage to expose. But then, some things are better delivered remotely, as in a letter. Paul must have been sure of a positive reception when he wrote the things that he did, because otherwise it might have done more harm than good. In the end, Paul must have received a positive response because he wrote, “Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way” (2 Corinthians 7:9). A bit further down in this chapter, we see that it was probably Titus who delivered the letter and then he stayed awhile, probably explaining and helping with the issues Paul had raised.

The first letter caused a sorrowful reaction in Corinth, but it was a Godly sorrow that “leads … away from sin and results in salvation”. And the positive result was to make everything right, and Paul listed some of the actions and emotions that emerged as the exhortations contained in the letter were applied in the church. Paul was assured that they had done everything necessary. 

We pilgrims come across situations in our lives where things need to be put right. It is not uncommon for a family falling out, usually over something trivial, to lead to a lifetime of estrangement and no further contact. In my family, many years ago, there were four siblings, a brother and three sisters, who had a row over wedding invitations. Now, nearly forty years later, they have all died, and they made no attempt to put things right. The brother never spoke to his sisters again, and he died a bitter man. But such an event is not unusual in families; friends can be chosen, but siblings and cousins cannot, leading to much grace and determination to resolve issues before they become irresolvable. 

Have we upset anyone? Have we stopped speaking to a family member or friend? Have we fallen out with someone, and are harbouring feelings within us that are corrupting our Christian lives? Is our conscience pricking away, nagging us to sort this out, but we’re at a loss to know how to start? Well, the words of Jesus will help, I’m sure. Matthew 5:23-24, “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God“. We need to apply this to our lives today, remembering that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. So we need to take action and reconcile the situation. If someone has upset you by what they have done, we remember Colossians 3:13, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others“. That’s a big one because our pride will get in the way, but we sometimes see news reports of a parent of a child who has been attacked choosing to publicly forgive the attacker. That’s how we should be, walking in forgiveness to all. There is no point in harbouring bad feelings; someone has said that resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die. Resentment is a kind of narcissistic bargaining, an insistence that our pain should matter enough to reach across time and consequence and punish the person who caused it. It usually does not. The other person may be oblivious, gone, or thriving, but our bodies keep the score anyway. Paul also wrote, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32). There is no point in unforgiveness and resentment, because Jesus forgave us for far worse. We also need to recognise that we live in a moral universe and that we will all, one day, be held to account for what we have done in this life. God will address the harm that people have done to us. Isaiah 61:8, “For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully reward my people for their suffering and make an everlasting covenant with them”.

Paul referred to “Godly sorrow”, which “leads us away from sin and results in salvation“. Ultimately, no relational troubles in this life are worth keeping alive. In the context of eternity, putting things right with another person is a very small requirement.

Dear Heavenly Father. Please forgive us for our stubbornness and pride. We pray David’s prayer, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life”. Amen.