Category: Servitude

Perseverance – An Overlooked Work

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Key Quotes

“I was also blessed to see the example of Job, that despite all his good works and outstandingly upright life, it wasn’t until he persevered in trial that Job brought maximum glory to God and became such a great witness of God that Satan’s mouth was shut.”

“Jesus said in John 6 that the work of God is to believe in Him and what greater opportunity to do this work than when we have to persevere in trial and trust in His Love, Wisdom and Power!”

“I know that whatever limitations/boundaries God may put forth for me in future, whether in health or finances or time, I can be a useful servant by bringing glory to His name and by being faithful while fighting any form of grumbling, complaining or discontentment. This can bring as much glory as (and even more) than someone who goes out from street to street each day to witness for the gospel or sells everything they have and goes as a missionary to another country.”

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A couple of months back, I was pondering about my future and wondering what life would be like if I had to relocate to another state or country without access to like-minded believers or a local community like NCCF. What if the opportunities to serve in my current capacity were no longer available? Would my life be wasting away?

I felt God open my eyes to see how narrow minded I was regarding what it means to serve God. My idea of real service and usefulness to God was mostly limited to things like helping out in the church, sharing God’s word during bible study, or sharing the gospel with an unbeliever. However God reminded me that the purpose of all true service should be to glorify Him (I Corinthians 10:31), and if so, He has many ways He desires to be glorified, and many of them may not be obvious to others, even fellow believers.

God is the one who appoints each of his servants to play a unique role in glorifying Him. One person may be called to glorify God through faithful preaching, another through sacrificial missionary work, another through faithful raising of children as a mom, another through facing constant threats from the government for their faith, yet another through joy and praise to God despite battling a difficult illness. All have equal opportunity to glorify God to the exact same degree, even though to us one may seem more noble or highly esteemed than the other. God is not only interested in me being a witness before other people, but even more so to angels and principalities, who also see my works and attitude in secret.

“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” – James 5:10-11 NKJV

I was also blessed to see the example of Job, that despite all his good works and outstandingly upright life (Job 1:8, Job 31:1-end), it wasn’t until he persevered in trial that Job brought maximum glory to God and became such a great witness of God that Satan’s mouth was shut.

‘Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”’ – John 6:28-29 NKJV

Jesus said in John 6 that the work of God is to believe in Him and what greater opportunity to do this work than when we have to persevere in trial and trust in His Love, Wisdom and Power!

Therefore, I need never fear the future, because I know that whatever limitations/boundaries God may put forth for me in future, whether in health or finances or time, I can be a useful servant by bringing glory to His name and by being faithful while fighting any form of grumbling, complaining or discontentment. This can bring as much glory as (and even more) than someone who goes out from street to street each day to witness for the gospel or sells everything they have and goes as a missionary to another country. I can bring glory to God just like Jesus did for the first 30 years of His life – every nail Jesus hit with His hammer was an act of service to God. It is not the servant’s place to tell his Master how his Master ought to be served. Rather, my duty is to be faithful to do all that that I have been allotted (1 Corinthians 4:2 TLB). 

May the Lord help us all to be found faithful regardless of what God calls each one to do. Amen!

“If we endure hardship, we will reign with him.” ‭‭- 2 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭12‬a ‭NLT‬‬

“I know your works, tribulation, and poverty (but you are rich)… Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer… Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” – ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭2‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

‘This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”’ – ‭‭John‬ ‭21‬:‭19‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

——-———-

**By Shina Madamori © Copyright – Shina Madamori. No changes whatsoever are to be made to the content of the article without written permission from the author at NCCF Church

Our Earthly Life: A Disposable Cup

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Key Quotes

“There’s something valuable about remembering death, and thinking about it. When we think forward it urges us on to live a worthwhile life now. And when I stand before God, I’ll definitely at that time be thinking about how I wish I had lived. But the wise ones are the ones who consider that question now, and not just consider that question, but they do something about it”

“When I come to die (or the Lord returns first), will I say, “I wish I could have showed the Lord more how much He means to me.”

“One of my goals in this life is to gain the continual habit of gently turning my attention away from distraction and back to the Lord and His presence, throughout every day.”

“Our disposable life can be a cup full of devotion to Christ – devotion means : Christ is EVERYTHING to me. The disposable cup full of Christlikeness to live here and please the Lord not just outwardly, but inwardly from the heart with pure love and intentions flowing out of us. The disposable cup full of humility which lifts the Father and Jesus up, and is happy to go down and decrease because He is increasing. The disposable cup full of trust and faith which bows before God’s wisdom and love, in the midst of great pain and years of suffering – contently committing ourself to the Lord’s hand through it all to do as He will”

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One of the most challenging things Paul said was in Acts 20:24 “I consider my life worth nothing to me…” (NIV). I read mainly the NASB translation of the Bible today, but I learned this verse in the NIV and as a teenager I was so challenged by what Paul said there. What a challenge Paul gave us in his example.

We can tell a lot about ourself by what pops up in our phone apps and on our computers, in our web browsers – Recommended videos, and ads, etc. Companies spend billions to track our behavior and recommend us content they think we will consume. So in a sense I suppose at least some of what comes back to me is a reflection of myself – and my interests.

But I was surprised the other day that Youtube recommended me a really random video, I have no idea why. The video was a live stream of a memorial of a random lady who had recently passed away a day or two earlier. This was not a famous lady – it was an older woman who lived in the U.S. somewhere, and the funeral home where her service was had a Youtube channel which livestreamed the services. And for reasons unknown to me, it popped up in my recommended videos.

At first I was confused and ignored it, but then I was reminded of Ecclesiastes 7:2 : “It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart.” So I clicked on it and started watching.

There’s something valuable about remembering death, and thinking about it. When we think forward it urges us on to live a worthwhile life now. And when I stand before God, I’ll definitely at that time be thinking about how I wish I had lived. But the wise ones are the ones who consider that question now, and not just consider that question, but they do something about it (see the parable of the wise and foolish virgins in Matthew 25).

So I clicked on that live stream (which had been going on for a little while already – so I scanned through it), and I watched family members talk of this womans life – the challenges she went through, losing a husband who died somehow when the kids were young. Trying to raise her daughters in the right way, and be there as a support to her grandkids in the midst of everything.

But the thing that touched me most is what her granddaughter said. She said weeping, “I wish I could have told you more how much you mean to me.” And I thought of people that have passed away in my life, and how we definitely often have that thought: “If only I had one more day…”

But then I realized something even more important on the exact same lines, but not toward loved ones. Toward God: we have JUST this one life to show God how much He means to us.

And here’s the question: When I come to die (or the Lord returns first), will I say, “I wish I could have showed the Lord more how much He means to me.”

And it flips my perspective on everything when I think like that. How much more I wish I would have strove against sin harder in my inner life, to spend plain and simple time with Him – not with masterful professional prayers but just 2 friends alone with each other – Jesus and I. To love Jesus by loving others and showing them mercy and encouragement, to be content in all trials and suffering for His sake, to praise Him in them. To labor WITH God for salvation of others by praying for them and never giving up, to seek His presence always, and treasure Him above all. To despise the things of earth, and to consider everything of earth rubbish for His sake – to know Him and to please Him.

What a chance we have now. But we only have it now. 2 Cor 6:2 “… Behold, now is “THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,” behold, now is “THE DAY OF SALVATION”

I’ve heard it said, “A man is what the thinks about all day.” One of my goals in this life is to gain the continual habit of gently turning my attention away from distraction and back to the Lord and His presence, throughout every day. Not to fix my gaze on ‘other cares’. It’s not easy. I don’t think many Christians ever attain that type of closeness with the Lord. But the Lord put in my heart the desire for that life, and I believe that this is the way to keep doing everything for the love and glory of God (1 Cor 10:31) – to carry my cross with Jesus in my sights (Heb 12:2) and in my heart. Otherwise it’s like a wife who cooks and cleans the home, and doesn’t leave – but has no desire for her husband, no intention to love and be with him. It can be lifeless. I have to keep the Father and Jesus in my heart in the midst of all of this. I need the right life WITH the right motive.

The Lord gave me a picture one time: I like to drink coffee in disposable cups. I enjoy the coffee. But the cup is basically value-less except for what it holds for a temporary time. I throw it out after. And I saw – that is EXACTLY what our life is: Disposable. That’s what Paul said “my life is worth nothing to me.. if only I may finish my course” (Acts 20:24). The only value this life holds is what it can contain of Jesus in this passing moment that we are here. It’s disposable. It’s a disposable life – but can be full of treasure while it is here for a little time, before it’s thrown out.

Our disposable life can be a cup full of devotion to Christ – devotion means : Christ is EVERYTHING to me. That devotion is the valuable thing this disposable life can hold for a time.
The disposable cup full of Christlikeness to live here and please the Lord not just outwardly, but inwardly from the heart with pure love and intentions flowing out of us
The disposable cup full of humility which lifts the Father and Jesus up, and is happy to go down and decrease because He is increasing
The disposable cup full of trust and faith which bows before God’s wisdom and love, in the midst of great pain and years of suffering – contently committing ourself to the Lord’s hand through it all to do as He will

This is the eternal value which our disposable cup can hold for some time until we take it into eternity.

James 4:14 “…You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

And it is spiritually very helpful – thinking about the future and our end (even in the form of watching Youtube memorials of strangers!) – to meditate on: what will matter 1000 years from now? Or even 100 years from now? This helped me early on in my Christian life. And I’m working to try to teach my kids about this today.

Here’s a poem which also challenged me when I was younger and I heard it – to live more seriously for God now, and to fix my mind on things above (Colossians 3:2):

100 YEARS FROM NOW
It will not make much difference, friend,
A hundred years from now,
If you live in a stately mansion
Or on a floating river scow;
If the clothes you wear are tailor-made
Or pieced together somehow,
If you eat big steaks or beans and cake
A hundred years from now.

It won’t matter about your bank account
Or the make of car you drive,
For the grave will claim your riches and fame
And the things for which you strive.
There’s a deadline we all must meet
And no one will turn up late,
It won’t matter then all the places you’ve been,
Each one will keep that date.

We will only have in eternity
What we gave away on earth,
When we go to the grave we can only save
The things of eternal worth,
What matters, friend, the earthly gain
For which some men always bow?
For your destiny will be sealed, you see
A hundred years from now.

——————-

**By Bobby McDonald © Copyright – Bobby McDonald. No changes whatsoever are to be made to the content of the article without written permission from the author. https://nccf.com/

What Is The Great Commission

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What is the Great Commission? Are Christians commanded to obey this commission? What is the purpose for the Great Commission and the Christians part in it?

The Great Commission

The Bible records Jesus giving the disciples the Great Commission. In Acts 1:8 it is the last command given by Christ before His Ascension that “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” This is similar to Matthew 28:18-20 where Jesus tells the disciples:

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The Great Commission was not just for the immediate disciples that He was speaking to but it is given to all believers. Today, the Great Commission is still being fulfilled by international missionary work, by local churches in actively seeking the lost in their community, in outreach activities and by believers witnessing for Jesus Christ to their next door neighbor. The Great Commission will not end until the consummation of the Kingdom of Heaven. That is, during the church age today, all believers are commanded to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and to go into all the world, even if it starts next door.

Making Disciples

Part of the great commission is to “make disciples of all nations” meaning that this gospel should be preached in all the world. A disciple is literally one that is disciplined or taught about the Kingdom of God and these disciples are to make disciples or students of other people once they have put their trust in Christ. No believer is supposed to be an underground or private believer. Christianity is not a covert operation! We must all tell others the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is not optional. To be discipled is to be instructed or to learn from one who is a disciple themselves. We can never teach what we first do not possess and so once a person receives saving faith from God, they are to impart this to others and to teach others to “obey all that [Jesus has] commanded” us.

To be a disciple means to be a learner of, a student of, and to discipline (root word for discipline) oneself in the things that Jesus Christ taught. Since God wants us to be holy just as He is holy, we are to be constrained to be more like Christ over time. This process takes a lifetime and it’s what we call sanctification. It doesn’t happen overnight but it takes a concerted effort of studying God’s Word, obeying the principles taught in the Bible, being taught in a local church and to follow Christ first and foremost in this present life (Matt 6:33).

An Imperative Command

When Jesus told His disciples to go into all the world, was this an imperative command?  Yes, it is the same type of command that a parent would yell to a child in the street:  “Get out of the street right now!”  We can not take the Great Commission as optional but as a direct command given by the Lord Jesus Christ.  If He is not Lord of all then He is not Lord at all.  By the way, as some have believed, there is no gift for sharing the gospel.  We are all to proclaim the Lord Jesus Christ to those who are lost.  Why wouldn’t we knowing the final destination and fate of those who die without Christ?  The good news must be shared.  If we had a cure for cancer and we knew that thousands of people are dying every day from this deadly disease, why wouldn’t we want to offer this cure, in this case, eternal life for those who are perishing?  To not share the gospel is to be negligent to our duties.  When we keep this good news to ourselves it reminds me of the Parable of the Talents.  The one servant buried his talent in the ground.  When we do that we are robbing others of the chance for eternal life.  Why wouldn’t we want to offer hope for people who will die in their sins?  How awful to not share this news and participate in rescuing the perishing.  There is no excuse for not doing it. What keeps most from doing this is the fear of man which is a snare.  Should we not fear God more and understand that He will hold us responsible someday on the Day of His Visitation? 

The Great Omission

Only a small fraction of the church actively shares the faith with the lost.  Less than 1 in 10 will share their faith with at least one other person in a lifetime. Only 1 in 20 will ever lead someone to faith in Christ during their life.  That is why for most Christians it’s called the “great omission.”  There are sins of commission and sins of omission and I believe not being involved with the Great Commission is a sin of omission.

Jude tells us to “save others by snatching them out of the fire” (Jude 23). Paul asked the church at Ephesus and Colossae to “pray also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel” (Ephesians 6:19) “and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things” (Ephesians 3:9) as well as “pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains” (Colossians 4:3). Paul declared that “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). By the way, when I share the gospel, I am not responsible for the outcome. God is! I can only sow the seed of the Word and leave the results up to God but I must tell you …after I do, I feel such joy and peace. I can not compare it to any feeling in the world. Sadly, for so many years in my Christian faith I was simply a pew potato.

The Biblical Way to Evangelise

It takes the Spirit of God, with the Word of God, and a person of God, to make children of God.

How can we evangelize our family members, friends, co-workers, and acquaintances? The most important thing we can do is pray for them. Pray that God would change their hearts and open their eyes to the truth of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). Pray that God would convince them of His love for them and their need for salvation through Jesus Christ (John 3:16). Pray for wisdom as to how to best minister to them (James 1:5).

We must be willing and bold in our actual sharing of the gospel. Proclaim the message of salvation through Jesus Christ to your friends and family (Romans 10:9–10). Always be prepared to speak of your faith (1 Peter 3:15), doing so with gentleness and respect. There is no substitute for personally sharing the gospel: “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ” (Romans 10:17).

In addition to praying and sharing our faith, we must also live godly Christian lives in front of our friends and family members so they can see the change God has made in us (1 Peter 3:1–2). Ultimately, we must leave the salvation of our loved ones up to God. It is God’s power and grace that saves people, not our efforts. The best we can do is pray for them, witness to them, and live the Christian life in front of them. It is God who gives the increase (1 Corinthians 3:6).

When trying to decide how to share Christ with someone, the starting point should be the same as that of John the Baptist and Jesus Himself. Matthew 3:2 tells us that John began his ministry with the words “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” Repentance refers to a “change of mind,” which implies sorrow for past offences (2 Corinthians 7:10), a deep sense of the evil of sin as committed against God (Psalm 51:4), and a conscious decision to turn from sin to God. The first words Jesus spoke when He began His public ministry were identical to John’s (Matthew 4:17).

Biblical evangelism – The good news and the bad news
The word “gospel” means “good news.” While many well-meaning Christians begin their evangelistic efforts with the good news of God’s love for mankind, that message is lost on unbelievers who must first come to grips with the extent of the bad news. First, man is separated from a holy, righteous God by sin. Second, God hates sin and is “angry with the wicked every day” (Psalm 7:11). Third, death and judgment are inevitable (Hebrews 9:27). Fourth, man is wholly incapable of doing anything about the situation. Until the full extent of this bad news is presented, the good news cannot be effectively communicated. 

Biblical evangelism – The holiness of God
What is missing from much modern evangelism is the holiness of God. In Isaiah’s vision of heaven, God’s holiness is being extolled by the seraphim around the throne. Of all the attributes of God they could have praised, it was His holiness—not His love—of which they sang. “And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory’” (Isaiah 6:3). When we understand just how holy God is, we can begin to understand His hatred of sin and His righteous wrath against sinners. Zechariah 8:16-17 and Proverbs 6:16-19 outline the sins God hates—pride, lying, murder, false witness, those who stir up trouble, and those with evil in their hearts. We cringe at the idea of God actually hating, because we are more comfortable with Him as a God of love, which He certainly is. But His hatred is real and it burns against evil (Isaiah 5:25; Hosea 8:5; Zechariah 10:3).

The unsaved person stands in mortal peril of the wrath of holy God, as Hebrews 10:31 reminds us: “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” An unbeliever is separated from God by his sin, which God hates, and there is nothing he can do about it. His nature is corrupt and fallen and he is “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) with no hope of redeeming himself. He cannot save himself, in spite of good intentions or good works (Romans 3:20). Every good work that man thinks he can do is as “filthy rags” in God’s sight (Isaiah 64:6). No amount of good living will make us acceptable in God’s eyes because the standard is holiness, without which no one will see God (Hebrews 12:14).

Biblical evangelism – Salvation through Jesus Christ
But now comes the good news. What man could not do to save himself, God accomplished on the cross. Jesus exchanged His righteous, holy nature for our sinful nature so that we can stand before God completely clean and pure, new creations with the old sin nature gone forever (2 Corinthians 5:17-21). God provided the perfect sacrifice for our sin, not because we deserved it or earned it, but because of His love and grace and mercy (Ephesians 2:8-9). Only those whose natures have been changed can escape the wrath of God and live in the light of His love and mercy. If we believe these things and commit our lives to following Christ by faith, we will live eternally with Him in the bliss and glory of heaven. This is good news indeed.

Biblical evangelism begins with prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit in witnessing, open doors of opportunity, and a clear understanding of the bad news of sin and wrath and the good news of love, grace, mercy, and faith.

Conclusion

Are you ashamed of being embarrassed by sharing the good news? Here is a serious warning from Jesus Christ about that. He says that “everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 10:32-33). He repeats this warning in Mark 8:38 that “the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” and “whoever disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God” (Luke 12:9) and there is no doubt that “If we disown him, he will also disown us“ (2 Timothy 2:12b). That should be a wake up call for all of us because many profess Christ to other Christians but not to the lost.

Let me leave you with a true story that is a great analogy as to why we need to be participating in the Great Commission. About 20 years ago a man was walking his dog about 530 in the morning when he spotted smoke coming out of a two-story house. When he looked around he saw that there was no chimney for a fireplace and so he thought the occupants may be endangered. He went up to the porch and peeked into the living room window and saw smoke coming out of the kitchen area. This is when he knew that there was a fire and he started pounding on the door. He rang the door bell furiously but got no response. Then he started pounding so hard on the front door that he thought it might break it down and the neighborhood dogs started barking and the lights started coming on in the neighborhood. Finally, a light went on in the second floor of the house and when a man came down to the living room only then did he realize that there smoke coming out of the kitchen. This was long before smoke detectors were commonly used. The man then ran upstairs to evacuate his family. The family escaped with what could have been a disastrous fire.

Here is the analogy. There is a fire coming. The man who was walking his dog didn’t think, “Well, I don’t want to disturb anyone at this hour…and I don’t want to embarrass myself.” No, he was bold and did everything within his power that he could to warn the occupants of the fire. There is another fire coming. Jesus spoke of it more than heaven and in fact, more than just about anything else that He ever taught in the gospel. Hell is very real. Should we not fear for those who don’t yet know about a fire that is coming and be bold enough to take whatever steps are necessary? Who cares if you are embarrassed or you are humiliated? Shouldn’t we care enough to warn the occupants of this coming fire …like our neighbors, our friends, and our family …even strangers? Remember that the power is in the message and not in the messenger.

If God can use even a shy, timid, tongue-twisted person like me to go into the streets, door to door, in the stores or anywhere that there are people …then He can use you too, be encouraged, pray for guidance, wisdom and discernment, and for the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit as He knows whose hearts He has prepared and is preparing to receive His truth, for the Lord did not give us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and a sound mind, He will give you the grace to fulfil the task at hand, we just need to be faithful to do our part.

————-

*** Edited Article By Jack Wellman Heritage Evangelical Free Church at What Christians Want To Know and Got Questions / Photo Pexels

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Be A “2 Mite” Encourager

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A simple once-a-week action that will make this year a successful year.

The Bible instructs every one of us to be a fully functioning member of a local church, and to build up the Body of Christ (see Ephesians 4:12-16). This is not an optional command for some elite Christians. Rather, “until we all attain to the unity of the faith.. the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

So what does this building up the body of Christ by each individual part look like?

In my opinion, this true story best illustrates the non-negotiable ministry of every Christian: Mark 12:41-44 – 41 And He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins (mites), which amount to a cent. 43 Calling His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live on.”

The Lord brought this story afresh to me as I attended a recent men’s meeting at RLCF. So I wanted to share a few things from this story as it relates to building the local church.

1. Building The Body of Christ = A Heart of Giving (Not Getting)

Building the body of Christ means a heart of giving.

Take a moment to think about the intent and purpose you had when attending recent church meetings. Fundamentally, was your heart desiring to give, or to get?

For many, many years, I attended church just to get. I wanted to get a word from the Lord, I wanted to hear something to pick me up, and so on. To be clear, there is nothing wrong in coming to the Lord and His church and seeking help. In fact, this is a necessary trait.

But our purpose in the Body of Christ is not to get and keep getting. And we cannot build up the body of Christ by getting, but only by giving. This is something that we all probably need to repeatedly remind ourselves of. I must make it a practice to remind myself as I join every single local church meeting, that the Lord wants me to bring something to give to others.

I missed this immense truth from Ephesians 4:11-16 for many years. And I don’t know if most Christians know (let alone seek to live out) that the whole body of Christ grows according to the proper working of each individual part. But we who now know this must seek to live it out too.

2. The church is not built up by money

What then should we give most of all to the New Covenant church? Is it money? No!

In the story, the woman gave money. But she lived in the Old Covenant, where giving money (known as the “tithe”) was required. Jesus lived in the intersection of the Old and New Covenant – at a time when the Old Covenant was still being observed, even as He was establishing the New Covenant first through His own life, and then for all of us through His blood and the Holy Spirit coming to live with us.

Tithing has now been completely dismantled in the New Covenant Church.  Sadly, most Christians are ignorant of this. Most Christians still genuinely believe that giving at least 10% of their income is the primary giving that Christians must do. And most Christians believe that (and even many Christian leaders behave as if) what churches need most to survive is money.

What a tragedy. This is a clear sign that an earthly (money-driven) mindset has infiltrated the church. That is also the reason why the church at large today is deeply lacking in Divine power. And the fault for this lies primarily with us shepherds and teachers who have not studied and understood and explained God’s New Covenant clearly.

Also, we see that the poor widow gave two mites, which amount to just one cent – and yet, Jesus proclaimed that she gave MORE than all the others combined. Take a moment to let the meaning of this sink in, as this is so contrary to what we see in Christendom today. To me, this is a CRYSTAL-CLEAR statement from Jesus that the quantity of money is unimportant to Jesus in His Kingdom. And everything I read about the New Covenant backs this up.

(See the additional note at the end about New Covenant Giving)

3. The church is built up by courage

So what builds up the church of Jesus Christ, and what can every single member give?

It is not money. Rather, it is the spirit of COURAGE. Christ’s body is in dire need of those who can sustain and supply it with courage.

That is what an encourager is (1 Corinthians 14:3) – one who gives courage to others. And a truly Spirit-filled church is one that is filled with the Spirit of courage (2 Timothy 1:7; the opposite of cowardice is courage).

Many churches focus on Biblical teaching. And many sincere Christians also look most for a church that has solid teaching. To be sure, every local church needs Spirit-guided Bible teaching to be protected from false doctrines. But solid teaching is not what causes the church to grow. The local church grows from the proper working of each individual part. And so, the local church is sustained and grows and thrives only where there is ongoing mutual encouragement.

The true strength of any local church is the number of consistent courage-givers that the church has, not the amount of financial giving or number of attendees or so on.

4. Just give 2 mites of courage

I also love that in this story, the poor widow gave 2 mites. I love it because at NCCF, we have local mid-week church meetings where anyone who is part of the NCCF church family can take 2 minutes to encourage others. That is, 2 minutes to give others courage to keep enduring in the faith. We need our eyes to be opened to the reality that these 2 minutes can be as invaluable as the 2 mites the poor widow gave.

Can you imagine if in our mid-week meetings of our local church, every single member in the NCCF church family brought just 2 minutes of courage with them. I believe such mid-week meetings would be as richly Spirit-filled (in authority and essence) as the Day of Pentecost (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).

We can very easily give into the thinking that 2 minutes of courage-giving is meaningless to the Lord. I’m sure the devil also tried to convince the poor widow that her two mites were meaningless to the Lord. But I’m glad she resisted that thought and is now an example to us.   And not only is such thinking wrong, we must increasingly view it as heresy!

May God’s truth trump over every bit of our human logic wisdom (Romans 3:4). We must be ruthless to tear down the lies of our feelings (2 Corinthians 10:5) by boldly opening our mouths to give courage to others. This is building God’s Body in the way HE has prescribed it. No matter what value we think or feel about it, God values it immensely. Jesus called His disciples specifically to point out the poor widow’s courageous statement in bringing her 2 mites to God.

5. Give to God from out of my poverty

Jesus also says that this poor widow for gave “out of her poverty.”

I do not know what this poor widow’s life must have been like (I’ve never been in any situation close to that; I’m sure it was an incredibly difficult time for her). But I do know what it feels like to come to the church meeting in total poverty. I have so often come to the church meeting feeling empty, with nothing really to give to others in the local church.

What can I give when I am feeling that way?

Two words (like two mites) if spoken sincerely and genuinely to God is enough: “Thank you!”

Think of the poor Samaritan leper who had just been healed of his leprosy in Luke 17:11-19. He alone (out of 10) came back to say thank you. Jesus had told all 10 lepers to show themselves to the priests. When these lepers got healed, all they needed now was the priest’s certificate to see their loved ones once again and to get on with the rest of their lives. So even though they were healed, their lives were still stuck until they got the signoff from the priests. The rest of their lives were wide-open once again as soon as the priests certified their healing.

But for this one Samaritan leper, his heart of gratitude trumped all of his dreams and hopes and plans for the future. He was willing to remain “stuck” for a while longer. He set aside ALL of his thoughts and dreams and immense feelings about his loved ones and his future, to first go to Jesus and say, “Thank you!”

This is what we too can do in the local church meeting, even in our poverty and when we’re feeling stuck. We must set aside all of our track records (good or bad), as well as all of our cares and worries and dreams of this world. And we must remind ourselves of what the Lord has done for us already.

The devil will be eager to remind us of all the things that we have NOT done for the Lord. But let us not fear – this just makes us poor. Let us nonetheless come to Jesus and at least give Him our two mites of “Thank you,” out of our poverty. God blesses any giving that comes out of a place of need. Christ’s strength is activated when we bring our weakness to Him. Not all weak people get supernatural strength. But any weak person who comes to Christ, will surely get His supernatural strength.

So especially in times of great spiritual poverty, we must set aside and turn away from all our track records, and look at the track record of Jesus Christ and His love for us. We must renew and refresh (make fresh) our minds to the truths of thew immense love and sacrifice of Jesus for us when we were His enemies (Romans 5:8-10).

The words “Thank you!” have no power in and of itself. But if we are willing to recognize the SIMPLE REALITY of who God is, who we were (and still are), and what God has already done for us as demonstrated on Calvary, then this heart expressed with our lips WILL result in our salvation. The act of the Samaritan leper coming back and saying thank you is what brought him salvation (Luke 17:19), and it is what will also surely bring salvation to us as well (Romans 10:10).

6. Give from what I have to live on

Jesus said that she gave out of what she had to live on.

God doesn’t want me to encourage others with theories. He wants me to give that which I have to live on. So many Christians give massive amounts to God, but it is out of their surplus – out of their own human intelligence and creativity, and seeking to impress others. And the whole world might be impressed by this, but Jesus isn’t.

Jesus looks favorably at those who give from what has proved essential to their lives – what they have to live on. Life-strengthening words, even if spoken through stammers and tears and broken sentences, will transmit Divine courage to others. Meanwhile, rah-rah speeches, emotional pleas, and fanciful presentations will not give others Divine courage. So let us choose to bring what we “live on” – the life that we draw from Christ.

And here are two distinctives about the life of Christ that I draw from Him:

a. It is ordinary, but it nourishes:

Jesus reminded the devil (and us) that we must live on God’s Words. He was quoting Deuteronomy 8:3 – He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the LORD.

The manna that fed the Israelites every day for 40 years tasted the same – every single day. It didn’t come in various flavors (e.g. vanilla-flavored or chocolate-flavored manna). It was the same size and texture and taste every day for 40 years. But it was fresh every day, and that’s what mattered!

So also, God’s truth doesn’t have to be anything that appeals to my senses (that could be the dangerous fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil). But God’s truth must nourish and sustain my spiritual life with God.

b. It may be old but it is ever-fresh (never stale):
The life of Christ that I draw is not novel “new” ideas about Christ, but the ETERNAL truths about the good news of Jesus but which are fresh.

How can these “same old” truths remain fresh? The same way in which the manna in the Old Testament remained fresh. If the Israelites saved up manna for more than a day, it became stale. But that exact same manna that was in the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place of the tabernacle, remained fresh.

So also, God’s truths can remain fresh as I take them again and again into God’s presence and ask Him to bless it afresh. This is the only way for me to remain fresh and life-giving. Going to God with His truths and asking Him for freshness is absolutely essential transform the “same old” truths to “eternal” truths that will never fade away (John 5:39-40; Matthew 24:35).

Conclusion:

A new year has just begun. So we can begin now. If we do this once a week in a local church meeting (approximately 50 weeks), this year will be a year of rich anointing over our lives.

Wouldn’t we have loved to be there on the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit first came to live within 120 saints. I pray that the Lord will open our eyes to see that this very same visitation of authority and power is available to us now, and in every single church meeting.

 FOOTNOTE: Additional Note About New Covenant Giving:

We have felt that “the last thing that God wants folks to give to NCCF is money.” We do not say that God does not want our money at all, or that giving money to the church is bad. Not at all. But we personally feel that people should know that money is LAST in our priority at NCCF. In every single thing in this world, money is the first and top priority. But not in God’s church. God wants our lives and surrendered wills most of all (Romans 12:2). Then, as we seek to give every part of our lives (ambitions, plans, dreams, actions, etc), He will surely also direct us in how to use our money – primarily to care for those whom God has given us responsibility for and to help the poor around us (John 13:29). And each one obeys and gives to God here as He uniquely guides them.

Now if people use this guidance to keep the giant of “love of money” within themselves alive, they will only have themselves to blame. The New Covenant is clear about the deadly evil of the love of money (Matthew 6:24; 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19).

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***By Sandeep Poonen © Copyright – Sandeep Poonen. No changes whatsoever are to be made to the content of the article without written permission from the author at NCCF Church