Revering the Word
2 Corinthians 8 What does your time and money reveal?
Good morning everyone this morning. We are in 2nd Corinthians chapter 8 and we definitely have a significant topic change here and What Paul is talking about in the next two chapters although right now we will cover chapter 8 is The collection for the saints. It's it's hard to get a complete picture of exactly what Paul is doing But for the most part it appears that Paul when he went would collect from various churches and bring Resources back to the church in Jerusalem. We saw that more specifically laid out in 1 Corinthians chapter 16 But we see that carried out more here in 2nd Corinthians chapter 8 Paul also in his letters would write about people sending him on his way and Being prepared to help him as he continued his missionary journey You know at times Paul worked Intent made in order to make money But he also relied on these churches after he would come first of all to house him and feed him while he was there It appears and then also send him on his way so that when he left there to go minister elsewhere He had provision. I mean it costs money to travel and to provide for your needs as you're traveling about but more specifically the giving that seems to be here seems to be extra giving because in All practicality, it's likely that the Corinthian church Provided for the needs of the Corinthian church on their own meaning, you know, whatever Teachers pastors whatever resources they needed within the context of their own church They provided for that. There's not a ton of detail on that actually, but what we're seeing here is Paul's asking them to prepare ahead of time to give to him and to give generously so that he can Take that money and use it for other churches. It's unclear to me whether maybe Paul What was permitted to use some of the money that he's collecting for his travel expenses as well that could be the case But it appears more so he's trying to collect for them to share with other churches and other regions. So Let's in it though. I still think we can get the attitude of giving and generosity that Paul's trying to instill in the people because No matter exactly how this money is being used if it's used for Paul somewhat if it's used for other Christian churches and other regions Either way, it's an act of giving our resources for the glory of God and for the furtherance of God's kingdom So in that way it would be similar to say giving to a ministry or giving to your church. So Let's begin now brethren. We wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia that in a great ordeal of a Affliction their abundance of joy and in their deep poverty Overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. So Paul actually it's kind of a little bit of an interesting technique I would say in getting the Corinthians to give he's saying, you know what the churches in Macedonia like Philippi Thessalonica, maybe the people in Berea He's saying they even though they don't have much and in theory the Corinthian church might be a lot more Wealthy than the church in Macedonia, but he's saying even in their poverty. They gave great So he's kind of like using them as an example. Look how they gave, you know You guys should give like that for I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability They gave of their own accord Bagging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints in This not as we had expected But they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God So they were like literally wanting to go out of their way to give for the support of the saints And they did it because they wanted to do it for the Lord and for the will of God first and and as a result They gave because they wanted to give to God So he's using them as an example the churches in Macedonia And then he says so we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning So he would also complete in you this gracious work as well So it looks like Titus is going back perhaps with this letter as we'll see in this chapter There's some other people going back with the Apostle or with Timothy Excuse me with Titus to Corinth Corinth and he's preparing them and asking them to give to Titus for this very same purpose for just as you abound in everything in faith and utterance and Knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you see that you abound in this gracious work Also, he's like as you're growing in other areas of spirituality I'm hoping that you will abound also in this this act of giving I am not speaking this as a command but as Proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. It's kind of interesting. You know Paul I would say is a pretty direct Man when it comes to raising money. He's trying to do it graciously, but he's saying listen I'm not command you to do it, but show your sincerity by giving, you know, so he's making it real For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich yet for Your sake he became poor he gave his life so that you through his poverty might become rich And we've been made rich with the promises of heaven. We've been rid rich with forgiveness his sins We've been made rich with the gift of the Holy Spirit Verse 10 I give my opinion in this matter for this is to your advantage Who were the first to begin a year ago? Not only to do this but also to desire to do it. He's saying you know what you guys have given in the past You've shown your Generosity in the past because Paul wrote about their giving in first Corinthians in particular You can see some of that in first Corinthians 16 at the beginning of that chapter But now finished doing it also he's like but complete it keep giving so that just as there was the readiness to desire it So there may be also the completion of it by your ability For if the readiness is present meaning if you're willing to do it It is acceptable according to what a person has not according to what he does not have so Paul also, you know Doesn't in the in the New Testament doesn't give as Strictive an adherence to like a tithe, but basically give out of your generosity give from what you have Verse 13 for this is not the ease of others and for your affliction but by the way of equality at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need so that their Abundance also may become a supply for your need that there may be equality and I think what he's saying there is you know Right now the Corinthian church is prospering. It's likely that this money is headed to Jerusalem They're in need right now, and he's saying it's really good of you to share out of God's abundance How he's blessed you with someone else who's in need and and perhaps they will return the favor one day Maybe you'll be in need and they'll be in abundance So it's really good and right for you to do that as it is written He who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little had no lack You know and and this is not calling for a socialistic government but it is calling for a church that shares with other believers for the glory of God, you know, I think of one of the missionaries we You know give to came into town as about a year ago And we made all sorts of efforts to supply for the need of that missionary and that would be an example Actually, there's a group of us right now of just committed We're going out to North Carolina. They recently in North Carolina had a horrific torrential rain can't that came from a hurricane and they are in the mountain towns They really got washed out bad. There was like 17 inches of rain, and I'd recently just visited there And so my heart goes out to the people suffering there and our church even though we're about 12 hours away We're gonna we're gonna pack up and head over there and help people who are in need. These are just examples of how We can be generous with others for the glory of God verse 16, but thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on Your behalf in the heart of Titus for he has not only accepted your appeal, but being himself very earnest He has gone to you of his own accord so, you know Titus is traveling in sacrificing through travel to come to them in order to receive their generous gift to share with others we have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches and not only this but has also been Appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work Which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness and apparently someone else is gonna be traveling with Titus to the church who is an honorable person and All of this is to hopefully reveal their readiness to give to be generous verse 20 taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift for We have regard for what is honorable not only in the sight of the Lord But also in the sight of men and Paul's trying to say hey, listen We're gonna honor God with this these resources and we're sending people who are honorable To you so that you know, you will not have reason to Think that there's ill will in what we're trying to do as far as Receiving a gift from you. He does not want the name of the Lord or their name to be discredited even though he's asking for their generosity We have sent with them our brother whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things But now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. He's saying listen We're sending men of good repute. You can trust us So listen, please be generous Please give because you can trust what what we're gonna do with the resources as for Titus He is my partner and fellow worker I've commented on that before but that is a much more common term that Paul uses He considers the people that are working alongside of him not his disciples so much But rather fellow workers working for the kingdom of God together. That's a term that becomes more predominant in The letters of Paul in the letters of Peter Versus like Jesus made disciples of himself. Yes, we make disciples of Jesus But but not of ourselves the people that we're working with are really fellow workers serving the kingdom of God together Paul didn't lord it over them, but considered himself a fellow worker with them in the gospel as for Titus He is my partner and fellow worker among you as for our brethren. They are messengers of the churches a glory of Christ therefore openly before the churches show them the proof of your love and Of our reason for our boasting about you and the Apostle Paul says listen We boast about you. Please, you know Reveal that our boasting is correct in the fact that you show proof of your love Through your generous giving and you know when you think about it our giving does reveal something, right? I mean we can say you know That we love God and that God is super important to us But shouldn't we then show it in our giving shouldn't our giving? reveal that our priorities are for the kingdom of God and I do think there's there's that's an accurate statement and that goes for this pastor and You know for all of us may we honor the Lord with our resources if we're using them only for us and Not for the kingdom of God. We would show that really the expansion of the kingdom of God is is not as a priority priority As it should be so our giving should are giving I would say this how we spend our time and How we use our money shows really where our heart is now listen I? You know what there's things I enjoy some of you might know I'm a I'm a golfer today's Thursday Thursday afternoon I go golfing pretty soon. It's gonna be winter in here in Wisconsin So listen, I don't want to come on too strong as though. I don't enjoy the things of life But yet, you know if you would look at my life You you would see that it demonstrates that The kingdom of God is a priority to me. You would also see there's things that I enjoy but you know may what I do with money and may what I do with my time show that God that I'm a man of God and You know, maybe there's areas each of us needs to be challenged in in this area There's something else I want to let you know about On this podcast you should be able to see a link Where a donation button where you could give to revering the word and there are costs associated with putting this on And of course, you know, there's lots of time that I'm investing for the glory of God to put into this and I would be blessed by Your generosity to revering the word. It is not set up as a 501c3. I want to be very upfront with you I have not filled out paperwork for revering the word That may be something that I do in the future But there's a cost to that as well if you submit to gain a 501c3 status That all takes time and money as well and and so far I have had zero, you know, money for revering the word It's all been self-funded by by me So listen You only do what God puts on your heart And but there is an opportunity to give a non-tax deductible gift to Revering the word on that link if you feel so led to do that Either way, I'm moving forward with the glory of God to proclaim his word and may I be faithful all the way to the end God bless you all [BLANK_AUDIO]