In the adult service, Ravi shares a message entitled, “Exposing Religious Scammers”.
In Matthew 6:1-4, we read, “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”
The word “righteousness” is translated as “alms” or “charitable deeds” in other translations. We could refer to it as “donations” for contemporary understanding. The bible encourages believers to be generous. However, this generosity can also be exploited by scrupulous individuals for selfish purposes. Some people are genuine and gracious in their giving, but have been wounded and disappointed by religious scammers. This is a sad yet actual reality that persists, even among churches.
So, prudence is being as innocent as a dove, while shrewd as a serpent. We must meet needs, and not feed greed. In this video, we want to both share Biblical principles of alms while empowering believers to recognise scammers, especially “religious scammers!” There will be time for Q&A after the sermon, so come prepared with questions.