THANKSGIVING – THE BIBLE WAY, December 18th, 2022

Posted by on Dec 17, 2022 in Sunday School |

CENTRAL THOUGHT

When thanksgiving is done as recommended in the scriptures, God accepts and pours His blessings on the people.

HYMN: WHEN UPON LIFE’S BILLOW YOU ARE TEMPTED TOSS.

TEXT: Ps.100:1-5; Psalm 136:1- 26; Lk.17:11-19.

INTRODUCTION

Most people through personal experience, acknowledge that the Lord is good, loving and merciful. His love was manifested in its fullest when He offered His only begotten Son for our redemption. His goodness is manifested in several ways in the entire universe. The entire creation reveal the goodness of the Lord. The Bible also declares that “it is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed” (Jer.3:22). It is therefore imperative that we give thanks to God. We are in fact enjoined to do so always (on a daily basis) in the scripture. Apart from the daily expression of thanksgiving to God by the individual, some congregations (church, denomination, fellowship) have the practice of setting aside a day in the year in which individuals are expected to give thanks to God sincerely for His love, goodness, mercy etc. throughout the year. Usually, such thanksgiving occasion goes with the presentation of diverse offerings (gifts) to the Lord in appreciation of what He has done. Also, we are expected on such a special day to enter into God’s presence in humility with our hearts full of thanksgiving/ appreciation for whom He is, what He means to us and what He has done for us. In some instances, however, such occasions have been turned by the organizers into fund raising ceremonies and in the process a lot of damage is done to the entire purpose of the program. Also, the behavior and mannerisms of those (ministers) entrusted with the use of the offerings (gifts) presented to the Lord makes some people question the very essence of the program. The aim of this lesson therefore is to teach us to appreciate God and His Sovereign Hands in our lives so that we will develop an attitude of giving thanks to Him always. We are also expected to learn what a special occasion such as thanksgiving day ought to be like and what we should do on such occasion.

LESSON OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study are:

  1. To understand what thanksgiving (day) means.
  2. To know why a Christian should give thanks to God always.
  3. To know some of the things we are to give thanks to God for and how we can give thanks.
  4. To understand why it is necessary for a congregation to set aside a day to render thanks to God.
  5. To know who should be the center of attraction in a thanksgiving service.
  6. To identify practices that ought not to be accommodated in a thanksgiving service.

BIBLE TRUTH

Q1. WHAT IS THANKSGIVING?

Thanksgiving simply means showing appreciation, either in the form of the expression of the words of mouth, or in kind, or with our substance, to someone who has done us good. In the Christian context, it is the physical and spiritual expression of gratitude to the Lord for His work in our lives. A practical example is the event recorded in our reading text for this lesson. Ten lepers called on the Lord Jesus to heal them. He granted their request. However only one of them who was a Samaritan, acknowledged the great work that the Lord had done for him. He returned and expressed his appreciation to the Lord. God does great and mighty things in our lives daily. He gave is His only begotten Son. (Jn.3:16).

His thoughts towards us are thoughts of peace and good continually. (Jer.29:11). He fulfills these promises to us daily. These should make us have an attitude of giving Him thanks always. Therefore, to us believers, giving thanks to God should be not only a daily affair but in fact, an every, moment affair. It is however not also wrong for a Christian assembly or congregation to set aside a day probably once in a year in which every member is expected to give thanks to God for His blessings that year. Critics of this practice do so because of the abuse of such occasion by some ministers and members of the congregation. In addition to the daily rendering of thanks to God, periodic or congregational thanksgiving is biblical.

Q2. ENUMERATE SOME OF THE THINGS WE OUGHT TO THANK GOD FOR.

(Jn.3:16; Ex.3:14; Eph.1:3; Deut.6:24; Lam 3:22; Phil.4:19; 2Pet.1:3; Ps. 91:1; Is.54:17; Ex.15:26; Is.53:5; Ps.112:9; Ex.1:19; 1Tim.2:15 etc.).

The list of what the believer and indeed all creation should give thanks to God for is inexhaustible. It is impossible to quantify or number all that God has done, what He is doing and what He will yet do for us. Only a summary of what we should thank God for is given below:

  1. For being God: The fact that God is the one who is God should make us appreciate Him. God revealed Himself to Moses as the “I AM THAT I AM” (Ex.3:14). He is the Eternal one; the Self-Existent One. He is Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent. He has kept His creation in place and upholds all things by the word of His power. If we were to fill in the blank space after the statement “ If men were God….”, the summary will be that the world will be chaotic and would have since ended in destruction.
  2. Our Salvation: Continually, the believer should be thankful to God for the gift of His only begotten Son. Without the offering and sacrifice of Christ we could have died in our sins. Rom.5:8 says “ God commended His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”. Man lacked and still lacks the ability to save himself from sin and its consequences. We ought therefore to be thankful to God for saving us.
  3. Spiritual blessings: Spiritual blessings can never be achieved by physical wisdom or capability. Only God blesses spiritually. The Bible says “God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places” (Eph.1:3). Also, He has made us partakers of His divine nature (2 Pet.1:3).
  4. Preservation of our lives: “It is of the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed’” (Lam. 3:22) God protects and preserves our lives daily from the arrows and pestilences prepared by the enemy (Ps.91). There are so many battles (seen and unseen, known and unknown) fought and won by the Lord for us. For these we need to thank Him.
  5. The peace of the Land: It is important to reflect on the political happenings in the land. Certain events that would have threatened the foundation of peace in our nation were averted through God’s intervention. We need an atmosphere of natural peace of our nation.
  6. Our Pastors, Teachers and leaders in the House of God: The value of genuine, honest, godly ministers and church workers is inestimable. A congregation blessed with such men and women of God is highly favored of God and should give thanks to Him.
  7. Our personal/ family needs: God blesses us with “fruit of the womb” (Ps.113:9, Ex.1:19; 1Tim.2:15); heals our bodies of sicknesses, diseases and afflictions (Ex. 15:26; Is. 53:53 Mt. 8:17); grants us business, job, academic progress and provides us with food, houses, clothing etc. For all these we need to give Him thanks.
  8. His promises: The promises of God are very numerous. He is more than able to fulfil each of them in our lives. His promises are indeed our inheritance and for His promises, we ought to be grateful. As stated earlier, the list of the things we are to thank God for is inexhaustible. There are so many things the Lord does for the individual which are not mentioned here. The individual must learn to thank God always for His uncountable blessings.

Q3. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH A CHRISTIAN CAN EXPRESS GRATITUDE TO GOD?

There are many ways a Christian can express gratitude to God for what He has done in his (the Christian’s) life. First, the Christian must realize that he belongs to God, that is, his entire being is the Lord’s. He must therefore present himself as a living sacrifice to God in gratitude/ appreciation of what the Lord has done for Him.

This means the believer should decide to live more for God and increase his work or service unto the Lord. We should therefore come before Him in thanksgiving in holiness and righteousness. A Christian can also offer the sacrifice of praise in thanksgiving to God. The Bible describes this as the fruit of our lips. (Heb.13:15). This can be done by the individual or by the congregation (2Chro. 5:13-14). Sincere and properly organized songs and music should be rendered to God in thanksgiving. It is not an occasion for ungodly displays such as so-called “kingdom dance”, cultural dances etc. (Ex.15:1-3; 2Chro.15:13-14; Ps.105:2 and Lk.17:15-16).

Another way a Christian can express his gratitude to God is by giving testimony of what God has done for him.

Ps.105:1 declares “O give thanks unto the Lord; call upon His name: make known His deeds among the people.”

We can also express our gratitude to God by offering our substance to Him. This will include offering of money, farm products, textile materials, electrical and building materials etc. in thanksgiving unto God (Lev.23:9-10; Gen.4:3-4). In each of these situations, we must ensure that the best is given to the Lord in thanksgiving. A believer may also express his appreciation to God for his blessings upon him (the believer) by helping to show love to those in need.

This involves making himself available to be used of God to bless such people. It is important in thanksgiving to ensure that what we are offering to God is acceptable to Him. The bible presents some guiding principles on how our offering/ thanksgiving can be acceptable to God. We should be sincere givers like Abel. “By faith Abel offered unto God, a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts…” (Heb.11:4). Our minds must be properly made- up on what to give Gen.4:3-4; Lev.22:29; 2Cor.9:6-7). We must give something good and well (Gen.4:6-7a). We must give something good that is costly, that is, parting with something that would have met some obvious physical needs in one’s life (2Sam.24:24) and lastly, whatever we are giving must be given cheerfully and happily and not grudgingly (2Cor.9:7).

Q4. SHOULD A CHRISTIAN GIVE THANKS TO GOD IN SEEMLY ADVERSE SITUATIONS?

Some Christians may not see the need to participate in their church’s or fellowship’s annual thanksgiving events because they may suppose that all have not been well with them in the very year of the thanksgiving. There may have been business setbacks, examination failures, lack of promotion and other seemingly adverse situations. It is important for the Christian to cultivate the habit of giving thanks to God even in such situations because what seems adverse in human eyes may be part of God’s great providential design to bring about tremendous good and progress in the life of the believer. We have good examples to follow in the scripture. If what happened to Job had happened on his “church’s” thanksgiving day he would have said what he said and worshipped God (Job 1:20) Habakkuk too could testify”. Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength and he will make my feet like hind’s feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.” (Hab.3:17-19). With that frame of mind, Habakkuk too would have been able to participate in his church’s thanksgiving service. We must realize as believers that in everything we are expected to give thanks (1Thess.5:18) and that all things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are called according to His purpose (Rom.8:28). God is faithful to His promises. He gave His Son for our salvation. If He did not hold back His Son but freely gave Him to us, then He will freely give us all things through Him (Rom.8:32). Let us therefore learn to give thanks to God always.

Q5. WHAT IS THE NEED/RELEVANCE OF THE FOLLOWING IN A THANKSGIVING SERVICE AS PRACTICED IN MAY CHURCHES TODAY?

  • Chairman of the occasion.
  • Special guest of honor
  • Guest of honor
  • Father of the day
  • Mother of the day
  • Levies
  • Presentation of “shopping list” by the church
  • Thanksgiving invitation cards/envelops etc.

It must be stated clearly that a thanksgiving service is different from a launching or a fund raising ceremony. A thanksgiving service therefore should be void of any feeling, tactics and practice of making money as prevalent in a launching/ fund-raising ceremony. Chairman of the occasions, fathers, mothers, uncles, patrons, matrons of the day, special guest of honor.

Guest of honor are not needed at all in a thanksgiving. Most times the motive behind the creation of such positions in a thanksgiving service is to make money. No wonder “poor” men no matter how spiritual are not usually called to occupy such positions.

Some churches even fall into a further error of calling upon Alhajis, idolaters, chiefs etc. to occupy such positions and feature prominently in a thanksgiving service supposedly organized unto the Lord of Lords and the king of kings. It is bad enough to create such positions in a thanksgiving service but it is worse to allow unbelievers occupy such positions comfortably. Thanksgiving service may not also be the appropriate occasion for a church, fellowship group, denomination etc. to present her “shopping list” to the audience. This may be appropriately done in a launching/fund raising ceremony which the group can organize separately from a thanksgiving service. If a church or Christian group needs money for anything (e.g. bus, musical equipment etc.), the church may decide to organize a launching/fund raising ceremony to appeal to her members to fund the project. The presentation of “shopping list” in a thanksgiving service is not advisable. The song writer says “I know the Lord will make a way for me, if I do the right and shun the wrong. I know the Lord will make a way for me.” Surely, the Lord will make money available in His perfect way and will. Levies in preparations towards or during a thanksgiving service has no place in scripture. We are told clearly in scripture that thanksgiving should be done at one’s own will. “And when ye will offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving unto the Lord, offer it at your own will” (Lev.22:29). Therefore, to levy individuals, family, or group in the church during thanksgiving is not biblical. However, thanksgiving invitation cards or envelopes would be needful if the sole aim is to invite people to the thanksgiving service (Ps.26:7) to see what God has done for the congregation ( individual and collectively) and to join them in giving thanks to Him- the Almighty God. Nevertheless, when a minister begins to say “if the recipients of the envelopes cannot come, let them put money inside and return them to us” or begins to flay, castigate or rebuke the members of the church for not going to collect the envelopes from those who could not attend the thanksgiving service, it becomes obvious that the motive for the envelopes/ invitation cards is other than an invitation to participate in a thanksgiving service. This however without prejudice to anyone who missed the thanksgiving service but of his own volition returns the envelope to the church. It must be concluded that a thanksgiving service is organized purely to give thanks to God and nothing should be done to distract any worshipper that day from the objective.

Q6. WHO SHOULD BE THE “CENTER OF ATTRACTION” IN A MODEL THANKSGIVING SERVICE?

Is.42:8; 48:11B

In a model thanksgiving service, the “center of attraction” should be the Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth. He is the One that is worthy of our thanks. He is the One who gave us His only begotten Son. He is the one that has done all things for us. He is the One that has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness. On a thanksgiving day and indeed every day, He should be the “center of attraction” in our lives.

DAILY LIVING APPLICATION

Our God is good. He is the Almighty God, the Creator and king of kings. He is the giver of life. He fights both seen and unseen battles for us. We owe Him all our gratitude. He is more than worthy to receive all our praises and thanks. We will never be able to thank Him enough for His goodness. We must give Him thanks day by day. Setting aside a day in a year to give thanks to God for all His innumerable benefits in our lives gladdens God’s heart and is scriptural. In such services however, things must be done properly and with consciousness that the Lord Himself is watching. The presence of unbelievers is inevitable on all occasions and deliberate arrangements must be made to reach them with the true and complete gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. As in the case of Abel, when thanksgiving is properly executed by an individual/ congregation, it will be reckoned to us a righteousness and God Himself will testify of our gifts. No blessing can be greater than that. Finally, thanksgiving service should be devoid of and feeling and tactics of making money, otherwise the biblical meaning of thanksgiving will be defeated. God’s will for us is to render Him thanks for the daily benefits He loads us with. He does not demand too much from us because we can only give what we have. But remember, that all we have belongs to Him. Do the right, shun the wrong no matter the temptation. And the Lord will make a way.

MEMORY VERSE

Luke 17:15-16

“ And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks”.

DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE

Monday: Let us come before Him presence with thanksgiving-Ps.95:2

Tuesday: The voice of thanksgiving- Ps.26:7

Wednesday: Giving thanks always unto God- Eph 5:20

Thursday: With thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God- Phil.4:6

Friday: Watch with thanksgiving- Col.4:2.

Saturday: We are bound to thank God always for you- 2Thess 1:3