1“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ～Matt 6:1-4 (ESV)～
First, don’t be afraid to do good and give to others. Jesus didn’t tell us not to do good. He just told us to avoid doing good in front of people. Jesus wants us to do good to others. The Scripture is full of instructions to give to the poor or the needy.
Second, the problem is, because of our sinful nature, we want to do good in a way that is noticed by others. Jesus warned that if you want to receive praise and honor from others that’s fine but you have already received your rewards from people.
Third, how do we give or do good to others in a way that pleases God? Pastor John MacArthur gives a good principle “if we remember, God will forget; but if we forget, God will remember.” (From MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 1, p. 360). Chicago: Moody Press.)
Another scholar A. B. Bruce said, “We are to show when tempted to hide and hide when tempted to show.” (From MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 1, pp. 357–358). Chicago: Moody Press) In other words, when you are shy to do good, you should do it. When you want to show your good work, hide it.
God wants us to be cheerful givers. He looks at our hearts and not just our actions. May FCBC brothers and sisters all do what pleases God!
「你們要小心，不可將善事行在人的面前，故意叫他們看見，若是這樣，就不能得你們天父的賞賜了。所以，你施捨的時候，不可在你前面吹號，像那假冒為善的人在會堂裡和街道上所行的，故意要得人的榮耀。我實在告訴你們，他們已經得了他們的賞賜。你施捨的時候，不要叫左手知道右手所做的，要叫你施捨的事行在暗中。你父在暗中察看，必然報答你（有古卷：必在明處報答你）。」 ～馬太福音6:1-4～
首先，不要害怕行善並慷慨解囊。耶穌沒有告訴我們不要行善，而是告訴我們要避免在別人面前行善。耶穌要我們行善，聖經中也有很多指示，要我們幫助窮人或需要的人。
第二，問題是由於我們的罪性，我們行事總想表現自己以贏得人的注意。耶穌警告我們，你想要獲得人的稱讚與尊敬也行，但是你已經得到了從人而來的賞賜。
第三，我們如何以神所喜悅的方式行善或幫助他人？約翰·麥克阿瑟（John MacArthur）牧師提出了很好的原則：「如果我們記住自己的善行，上帝將會忘記； 但是如果我們忘記了，上帝會記住的。」 （摘自MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 1, pp. 360). Chicago: Moody Press）
另一位學者布魯斯（A.B. Bruce）說：“我們要在試圖隱藏時展示，而在想展示時隱藏。”（摘自MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1985). Matthew (Vol. 1, pp. 357–358). Chicago: Moody Press）換句話說，如果你不好意思行善，就應該去行；如果你想要表現善行時，就要隱藏起來。
神希望我們甘心樂意的給予。祂看我們的內心，而不僅是我們的行動。願FCBC兄弟姐妹們都討神的喜悅！
～ Rev. Clement Woo 胡嘉明牧師～