The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
February 23, 2003
In
This Issue:
Giving
Your All
By
Steve Klein
Do
You Pray During the Worship Services
By
Bill Hall
Giving Your All
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." -- Mark 12:41-44.
The phrase "all that she had" leaves an impression doesn't it? How does a person achieve this level of commitment?
It is plain that giving all that you've got does not require that you've got a lot. This widow was "poor," and the little bit that she gave was "her whole livelihood." In fact, having a lot may deter us from giving all -- the rich are tempted to "trust in" their riches and become miserly (cf. 1 Timothy 6:17-18). And so, maybe we would actually find it easier to give everything if we didn't have much of anything. In 2 Corinthians 8:2, the Macedonians are praised because "their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity" (NIV). Later we learn that they had the ability to give beyond their means because "they first gave themselves to the Lord" (2 Corinthians 8:5).
Ultimately, the ability to give all is not determined by how much one has. It is more a function of one's focus and one's faith.
Had the poor widow been focused on earthly things (such as where her next meal would come from) she would not have given her all. Jesus said in Matthew 6:31, "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?" The widow seems not to have been worried. Her focus was on supporting the Lord's cause and not on earthly things -- not even on what we would call the necessities of life!
A person gains the ability to stop worrying about the necessities of life through faith in God. There can be no doubt that, although the widow may not have known where her next meal would come from, she trusted that God knew. Concerning life's necessities, Jesus explained that, "Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:32-33). We must trust that "God is able to make all grace abound" and provide us with "all sufficiency in all things" (2 Corinthians 9:8). The poor widow had this kind of faith.
As Christians, we are to give liberally and cheerfully of our finances to support the Lord's work (2 Corinthians 9:6-10). I am satisfied that the reason some of us don't do this (let alone give our all) is because both our focus and faith are misplaced. We are focussed on earthly things and we trust in material possessions. Change is needed, and I don't mean nickels and dimes. May we all strive to be more concerned with the spiritual than with the material, and to trust more fully the One who gives us richly all things.
- by Steve Klein
The worshipper who would pray in the assembly must do more than bow his head and close his eyes. He must pray. "Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uniformed say 'Amen' at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?" (I Corinthians 14:16). This verse suggests four requirements if one is to enter into a prayer.
1. He must listen to the prayer. One cannot legitimately say "Amen" at the conclusion of a prayer if he has not listened to the prayer. "Mind-wandering" is an ever-present problem. We sing, but we don't observe the words of the song. We bow our heads, but we don't listen to the prayer. We sit through the sermon, but our minds wander to things of an earthly nature. Consequently, we attend worship periods, but we don't worship as we ought. If one is to pray, with the congregation, he must listen to the prayer.
2. He must understand the prayer. When a man in the first century led a prayer in an unknown tongue, the worshiper could not say "Amen," for he could not understand the language in which the prayer was spoken. Neither could the worshiper say "Amen" today if the leader has not spoken loudly enough to be heard or if he has used words or phrases which the worshiper does not understand. Those who lead prayers in the assembly should be conscious of the needs of the whole congregation, speaking up where all can hear and using words which all can understand.
3. He must agree with the prayer. A number of years ago, while sitting beside an older preacher, I observed his saying "Yes" or "Yes, Lord" at the conclusion of each separate phrase of the prayer as it was being led. He spoke the words softly enough that I was probably the only one in the assembly who could hear them, but I was impressed. Obviously, this brother was listening to every phrase, determining whether or not he agreed with the phrase, and was then softly speaking his agreement. He was not just sitting through a prayer; he was praying. Occasionally, we hear sentiments expressed in prayer with which we do not agree. To these sentiments we cannot say "Amen."
4. He must say "Amen." The word "Amen" means "so let it be." We long to hear the strong, resounding "Amen" at the close of prayers which we used to hear. We fear that the move away from this practice is just another step toward cold, lifeless formality in our worship periods. We are not contending, however, that one must say the word "Amen" audibly; but we are suggesting that at least in his mind he should say "Amen," thus making the prayer his own prayer. He has listened to the prayer; he has understood the prayer; he has agreed with the prayer; now he speaks to God his "Amen" or approval of the prayer as his prayer. In this manner, he unites with other worshipers in common prayer unto God.
--By Bill Hall