The Treasury of Solomon : Knockin' on Heaven's Door

Reference Passage:
Proverbs 17:8 (NIV)
A bribe is seen as a charm by the one who gives it; 
   they think success will come at every turn.

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Gifts open doors. The truth value of the statement is attested by recent events that have dispelled the aura of credibility and integrity long projected by current players in Indian politics. First, it was the gross anomalies in the management of finances for the Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010. Close on its heels, came media reports of a massive scam in the allocation of resources for mobile network operators, played by bribes of the order of trillions. The awestruck commoner cannot get carried away with criticism either – the very same modus operandi is at play day to day, everywhere from the railway platform for an illegal seat, to the police station for the verification of bogus records. Most of us are opportunistic, and cannot resist the temptation to jump the queue, given the chance.

 Moreover, these are the days when exceptions of yesteryear, have subtly taken the place of the norm. Thus, we’ve progressed to the 'No gift, no opening' stage in which even justified ends, that are perfectly within the bounds of law, are faced with insurmountable obstacles which subside only at the sight of goodies under the table. Occassionally, the concept morphs into 'Bigger gift, bigger opening' that eventually shuts the door in the face of the needy, who have not the clout to buy their access to opportunity.

Things take an interesting turn, when the world of religion and faith attempt to play games by the same rules. The search for salvation and hope being a nearly global phenomenon, the possibilities of profit are vast, and the enterprising human mind has already stationed itself at Heaven’s door, expecting to way-lay those who come knocking there.

It was in 2008 that our layman vocabulary was enriched by the appearance of the term 'god-man', following the arrest of the notorious Santosh Madhavan a.k.a. Swami Amritananda Chaithanya in the Indian state of Kerala, on a cocktail charge sheet including rape, paedophilia, fraud and possession of illegal arms. Since then, several other high-profile personalities, ranging from different shades of the religious spectrum, have been apprehended and forced to practise their arts within the confines of prison, from time to time. This, by no means, imply that our law-and-order mechanism has successfully aborted the evil child before its birth. In reality, we’ve merely scraped the toe nails of a fully-grown Goliath.

In due recognition of the spiritual poverty of mankind, and God‘s gracious downpour through the incarnation of Jesus Christ, 'freely received, freely give' was among the founding principles of Christian mission work, visibly preached by pioneers who were stirred by a sacrificial spirit. Church history commences with consistent examples of the apostolic founding fathers in the first century, following the footsteps of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, it did not take long for attitudes to change and economics to overtake Cross training. The thought that man could avail the fortunes of the Divine by a scheme of skin-deep 'buy-and-sell', was a possible seed for this deviation. True to human nature, the real struggle was to avoid the total surrender that the Cross implies, and comfort oneself with the  knowledge that material sacrifices and certain ‘good deeds‘ would guarantee safe passage to Heaven. Thus motivated, some big pockets pushed their way into the fray, with scant regard for the deeper life that the Gospel calls for. Gradually and gladly, the evangelist would remind of sin or surrender no more, but find his way to drain pockets with assurances of impending showers of blessing. The infamous era of indulgences-for-sale was only a logical conclusion.

Gifts open doors. Bigger gift, bigger opening. No gift, no opening. Along came Martin Luther & Co. to turn the clock back to the first century.

Post reformation, we haven’t done too well either. All the way to the present, the wrestle continues with every revival marking a return to the revelations of the crucified Saviour. We’re stuck again in an age when crowds flock to posters of evangelistic crusades advertising the featured speaker’s success as 'richest in the world' – which raises the question as to how the Gospel message depended on one’s personal wealth, or what such traits had to add to the impact. Aren't we all equally lost, ignorant of the realm of the Eternal, sweating and bargaining in the world of the temporary material?  There may be valid reasons for all things under the Sun, but when lines and boundaries dim, self-examination must assume top priority.

Nobody gets to buy his way in, for the door is manned by the One who fully demonstrated the power of giving His all for love’s sake, despite the horrors of the Cross. He is the tender shoot rooted in dry ground, bringing verdure to our souls that had nothing to offer in return. How then, could our gifts of a lesser quality or intention, not be an insult?   

The Messianic plea continues unchanged, unabated: "Repent for the Kingdom of God has come near." (Mathew 4:17)

Beggarly Past, Sacrificial Future

Reference Passage:

Acts 3:9-10 (NIV):

When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

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Those were the days, when existed such a time as 'the hour of prayer'. The Jewish convention for time was different from our system today. For them, the first hour began at about 6 am, which goes on to mean that the ninth hour was actually 3 in the afternoon. For most people moving in the vicinity of the Jerusalem temple, the hour of prayer probably meant nothing much, as it is to most of us today. Praise and worship, miracle crusades, concerts and conferences are all exciting events which we cannot afford to miss. But prayer? Its been weeks, months and years since we opened up our deepest secrets and longings before the Lord in prayer. We have ignored the power of prayer too long, that we no longer expect our prayer to yield any solid result. Prayer is soon becoming a forgotten secret, lost to the vultures of complacency. The sad state of affairs is appropriately summed up in a certain character, upon whom we now fix our attention.

He's seated at the temple gate, and the hour of prayer to him, means business as usual. He's a beggar as his physical handicap makes him unfit for manual labour. Coins laden with pity or piety drop from time to time, which only ensures, at best, that he returns the next day to repeat the routine for there is no healing in sight. I call this Commercial Chrisitianity, and this has the following characteristics.
Firstly, our friend had to be carried each day to his place, by well-meaning people. At the gates of Heavenly worship, you often will find people who are pushed, pulled and forced into following Christ. Its the classic 'You-can-take-the-horse-to-the-water-but-not-make-it-drink' kind of situation. Such people are content with sitting in a spot of convenience at the gate, where their business continues unhindered. With the invasion of technology, its easy to find these 'businessmen' right beside us, during a prayer meeting, frequently jumping up at the ring of their cell phones. The epidemic is so widespread that I once found a notice outside a prayer hall bearing the following inscription: “Please switch off your mobile phone, or else we'll baptise it in water.”
Secondly, our friend's life at the gate is defined by a single activity: asking. The Lord taught us to ask, seek and knock, but we have missed the point completely. Have you noticed how much the subjects of the Lord's Prayer, as taught to the disciples, differ from our own prayer? With prime importance to worship and doing God's Will, His prayer also dealt with the issues of mutual forgiveness, victory over sin and our daily needs. We've taken the 'daily needs' section alone and translated it into hours of prayer time. Subjects like forgiveness have no place, while health, wealth, job and family hog the prayer prime time. It doesn't end with this. “What am I going to get out of this?” is the foremost question on our minds whenever we involve ourselves with the things of God, as if He doesn't deserve our sincere service, free-of-charge. Its no wonder that we have successfully played the role of our beggar friend in the 21st century – we have become Christian beggars.

Along came Peter and John for the hour of prayer, their attitude vastly different from the man at the gate. Out came the upturned hand with the perpetual request for alms. As the Christian walks the roads of this hurting world, hands are thrust at him from very direction, pleading for help. Although this cry might be placed before every other human, its his response to the problem that truly places the Christian apart.
Peter's response bears 2 significant pointers for the believer preparing himself for ministry.
Firstly, Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have.” The man of God is clear about what he does not have and cannot do. Had it been me, maybe I'd have tried and raised a collection for “our needy brother”. However, Peter knows that a few more coins is not going to make any lasting difference in the beggar's life.

Many seem to believe that the world's problem is poverty. Pointing to the seemingly endless troubles such as corruption in the Third World countries, they opine that it is only an economic solution coupled with healthy education, made available to all citizens, that can raise a nation to its feet. Although this idea sounds revolutionary and liberating, it is yet to conquer the challenges of reality. From the outside, the so-called developed countries appear to be Paradise, where the sun never sets. Live there, and you will know all that glitters is not gold. The courts are still filled with bickering citizens and jails overflow with criminals convicted for shoplifting and murder, and everything else in between. Its not easy to forget that some of the worst high school shootings have taken place in the United States, and some of the world's worst terrorists are known to hold respectable educational qualifications.

Clearly, mankind's problem is not of an economic nature at all.

More importantly, Peter says, “...what I do have, I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.” Though he had no money to provide, he had Jesus to offer and this paved the way to a permanent solution. As Christians, it is strange that we are still so uncomfortable discussing Christ with non-believers, and we often reserve this task for the pastors. We have no difficulty in talking about politics or sports or even fashion. However, as soon as the opportunity comes to share the Good News, the well is dry and we are tongue-tied. Those of us who have managed to courageously begin such a conversation, soon find our enthusiasm wilt away in the face of very uncomfortable questions. Sadly, for Christian salespersons like ourselves, the act of offering a fake substitute in lieu of Christ has only zapped the buyer's trust, because a substitute cannot solve the problem.

Offering the power of Jesus' name did immediately, what every other effort had failed to do. Behold the three-fold changes!
The power of God manifested firstly as healing in those feeble knees. As the man discovered for the first time what it meant to stand on one's own feet, the well-spring of praise and thankgiving burst forth in worship of God. God's saving grace applies as much relevantly to the needs of our physical existence, as to those of our inner man.

The man who had to be carried all his life to the temple, had now left the business of the gate and stepped into the courts of God. His worship had acquired a fresh personal dimension because he had tasted the goodness of the Lord first-hand. He could no longer remain at the gates. Of course, there are some beggars who would still choose to remain in the same seat and identify themselves as handicapped beggars because its a profitable business. However, those who have experienced God's touch, know that the Christian's past cannot match the glorious future that awaits the children of God. The disciple of Christ reminds himself, “Whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philipians 3:7)

Thirdly, the beggar is transformed into a giver and the first offering is his testimony. The bold witness pulls in the crowd, for Peter's follow-up Gospel message. Recall the blessing Abraham received in the book of Genesis - “I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:2) Do you know how easy it is occupy ourselves with receiving the blessing, and forget the fact that we are also called to be a blessing? Being a blessing is not what beggars do at the temple gate, but the act of true worshippers who receive from the Presence of God.

The question remains - Christian, have you anything to offer a dying world or do you sit around and beg just like the rest? If its Jesus we are offering, we are bound to see the said three-fold changes in people around us. Maybe, we're so used to demanding and taking, that giving is usually not on our minds. Mary E. Maxwell penned the following words in the hymn “Channels Only”, that supply food for thought, expanding upon the Christian's role in receiving from God and giving to the world:

Just a channel, full of blessing
To the thirsty hearts around
To tell out Thy full salvation
All Thy loving message sound.

Channels only, blessed Master
But with all Thy wondrous power
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
Everyday and every hour.

Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit
Hearts that full surrender know
That the streams of living water
From our inner self may flow.

Our Lord's love bears the distinction that He defined love with a weighted emphasis on giving, and not taking. This is why the theme of sacrifice is widely used in Scripture, ultimately culminating in the Great Sacrifice on Calvary. Let's therefore gather at the foot of the Cross and learn what God's love is really all about, before we step out by faith, and offer Christ to the nations.