Sam Cotten

The atheist Christopher Hitchens just published the book, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything. He recently debated Dinesh D’Souza, a fellow at Hoover Institution at Stanford University. In the debate Hitchens said that those of us who believe in the God of Christianity are “condemned to live in this posture of gratitude, permanent gratitude, to an unalterable dictatorship in whose installation we had no say.”

Bishop John Shelby Spong, retired bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark says in his recent book, Jesus for the Non-Religious, “a rescuing deity results in gratitude, never in expanded humanity. Constant gratitude, which the story of the cross seems to encourage, creates only weakness, childishness and dependency.“

Gratitude does not appear stong. Many (such as the above men) miss its hidden strength. It masquerades beneath a cloak of weakness. It is like many thing in the Christian life, such as the cross itself: posturing weakness, it is actually strength. Like the mustard seed of the kingdom, it appears small in this age, only to rule the world in the next. Those who are truly grateful, however, know its strength; the way it builds fiber to Christian walk, and lends strength to faith. This short article is an attempt to encapsulate a little slice of the bible’s teaching on thanksgiving.

[much thanks to desiringgod.org for the above quotes]

1 Cor 14:14-17 [+/-]1 Corinthians 14:14-17 [14]For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. [15]What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. [16]Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say "Amen" to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? [17]For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. (ESV)
without thanksgiving, you can’t pray or praise right

• Thanksgiving is essential to prayer and singing praise in this text. This is in evidence in this these verses by the fact that when we speak or sing in tongues, this can be generalized as “praise” or “thanksgiving.”
• It stands to reason that what one does while speaking in tongues represents “true religion”, which Paul labels as “giving thanks”.

Col 2:6 [+/-]Colossians 2:6 [6]Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, (ESV)
without thanksgiving, you can’t live the Christian life

• Paul is labeling the Christian life in a general way here; he’s giving those elements of our walk that are like big headings on the Christian life. Here, thanksgiving is a part of the general description of the Christian life.
• Without it, one cannot live the Christian life.
• We are to “abound” in it!

Rev 7:12 [+/-]Revelation 7:12 [12]saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." (ESV)
when you are made perfect, you’ll give thanks – so why not now?

• Thanksgiving is a part of the eschatological praise
• It is the angelic response to the demonstration of salvation on our behalf.

Col 4:2 [+/-]Colossians 4:2 [2]Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. (ESV)
The basic element of prayer is thanksgiving

1 Thess 3:6-10 [+/-]1 Thessalonians 3:6-10 [6]But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you-- [7]for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. [8]For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. [9]For what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, [10]as we pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith? (ESV)
thanksgiving completes the ministry cycle

• God gives grace for ministry, the ministry establishes people, the minister experiences joy, which brings thanksgiving: God gives grace at the start of the cycle, and God receives it back in the form of thanksgiving at the end.
  
• Therefore, all of our ministry points to and is fulfilled in thanksgiving.
  

I Tim 2:1-7 [+/-]1 Timothy 2:1-7 [2:1]First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, [2]for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. [3]This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, [4]who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. [5]For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, [6]who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. [7]For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. (ESV)
thanksgiving advances the spread of the Gospel

I Tim 4:3-5 [+/-]ERROR: No passage found for your query.
thanksgiving makes things holy

• Thanksgiving makes food holy
• Even food that was sacrificed to an idol
• This is an example of doing something vertically that effects things horizontally
• Do you wonder what beyond food thanksgiving could make holy, sanctify?

2 Cor 4:15 [+/-]2 Corinthians 4:15 [15]For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. (ESV)
thanksgiving is the “why” of the Gospel

• Here, the entire course of the gospel through the world is so that “thanksgiving may increase.”
• Thanksgiving is how we render glory to God, which is the point of it all

2 Cor 9:10-15 [+/-]2 Corinthians 9:10-15 [10]He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. [11]You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. [12]For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. [13]By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, [14]while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. [15]Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! (ESV)
thanksgiving is the “why” of giving

• This text says that the generosity of the Corinthians resulted in many thanksgivings from those they were generous towards
• This can be used to illustrate the importance of what we did for several families over thanksgiving

Eph 5:4 [+/-]Ephesians 5:4 [4]Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. (ESV)
thanksgiving is mouth soap

• Thanksgiving is the opposite of all the bad forms of talk we can engage in, such as course jesting, etc.
• So, it has a purifying power in the mouth of a Christian – it cleanses our speech.

Phil 4:6 [+/-]Philippians 4:6 [6]do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (ESV)
anxiety is the enemy to thanksgiving

• Why is it so hard to render thanksgiving?
• Anxiety!
• Anxiety is like a band around your throat when you are praying – it chokes the life out of your praise and thanksgiving.

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