“There’s Good Livin’
in Good Givin’”
This review is
brought to you by the Kentucky First Jurisdiction
Church of God in Christ Sunday
School Department.
LESSON AIM: By the end of the
lesson, we will; recall Paul's attempt to get Christian communities to help one
another when there was a need; sense the need to sometimes contribute to a
larger cause than ourselves; and decide to respond to a need in the larger
faith community.
BIBLE TRUTH: A small community
that possesses much can contribute to a larger community.
2 Corinthians 8:1-14 | King
James Version (KJV)
1 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia;
2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their
joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power
they were willing of themselves;
4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and
take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.
5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own
selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
6 Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would
also finish in you the same grace also.
7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance,
and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound
in this grace also.
8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of
others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he
was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might
be rich.
10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who
have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a
readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye
have.
12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according
to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
14 But by an equality, that
now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their
abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality.
It’s
refreshing to see Paul rallying for funds “for” the Saints, as opposed to where
he started off (in the role of the persecutor).
In
Paul’s letter, he switches the spotlight from the Corinthian’s and begins by
celebrating the Christian Macedonians (or the sister churches) which were
neighboring to the North of the Corinthians. The Christians in this particular
region were Berean, Thessalonian, and Philippian, and they GAVE in spite of
their extremely poverty, in fact, Paul says that the Grace of God was
manifested through these churches. It’s important to understand that these
churches were struggling financially for a couple of reasons. There was a
famine, and these societies had not recovered from it, and Christian Jews who
live in Palestine had to pay double taxes, to Rome AND to Jewish authorities. They
were ultimately seen as outcasts for naming the name of Jesus.
Nevertheless,
these folks came up with an offering to give! Paul points out these 3 things:
·
They gave beyond their ability
·
They gave because they wanted to, not because they were
forced to do so
·
They gave to further the work of the ministry and, then,
to honor God’s people
Turning
the focus back to the Saints at Corinth, we see that Titus came to urge them to
get their offering together to give to the Saints of Jerusalem. They weren't anywhere
near as constrained or in need, as the Macedonians (who had already gave
liberally), and they still hadn't gotten their offering together. Paul reminded
them that they had the potential to give much, out of their resources. The
Saints at Corinth did a great job giving among their local congregation, but
not to an outside cause, such as this one. Paul reminded them that “giving” is
the Christian thing to do. The more you have, the more you should want to give.
Look
in verse 8, Paul is making a comparison (or drumming up a little competition)
of the Church at Corinth and that of Macedonia, instead of demanding or
commanding them to give.
SIDE NOTE: Does this sound familiar? Think
about similar events that you've seen in our local or national church…the
church is split into teams and asked to host fundraising events for the Pastor’s
Anniversary, there is a drive to collect names for the National Booklet from
each district or state, the offering raised by class (who gets the Sunday
School offering banner?) It’s been going on since the times of Paul!
Competitive Fundraising can be effective. It’s an opportunity to combine the
giver’s passion, with the organizer’s mission. You need to raise money for a
cause, take a few cues from Paul and make it into a fun competition!
Like
a good preacher, Paul brings it home in verse 9, letting them know that Jesus Christ,
who had riches in Heaven, gave it all up to sacrifice Himself for a dying world…the
ultimate sacrifice. This alone should stir up some motivation for God’s people
to give liberally from their hearts and of their resources. So, in verse 10, he
asks them to pick up the pace and finish the work they began (and still hadn't finished), see that the Macedonians had already completed their offering.
Paul
never mentions the AMOUNT given by the Macedonians. That’s because it didn't matter. In relation to their economic status, they gave beyond their ability (verse
3). So, we can take away from this that God isn't focused on quantity, but
rather on quality. Think about the widow in Luke 21. Even with all of the rich
folks dropping their offering in the bucket, Jesus called out that the widow
gave more that they…she gave out of her poverty and He saw/honored that.
A
lesson we can also take away from here is that no matter how much we give, a
man can see the physical offering, but God sees the heart of the giver. Be sure
that you’re giving from you heart, cheerfully, and unselfishly. Blessings are
sure to follow!
Visit our International
COGIC Sunday School Site
No comments:
Post a Comment