The Principles to Giving, Part 2

Tom Shrader continues his exposition of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, tracing Paul's effort to send Titus and two unnamed brothers to Corinth to help the church complete a financial gift for suffering believers in Jerusalem. He examines Paul's principles for giving — that it should be premeditated, voluntary, cheerful, and proportionate — drawing on the agricultural image of sowing and reaping to show that generous giving produces both material replenishment and overflowing thanksgiving to God. Shrader also draws from 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 to call every man in the congregation to pursue elder-qualified character as the true measure of godly ambition.

“Publicly, selfishness is deplored, but privately practiced — publicly we extol generosity, but privately it's a hard thing to let go of.”

— Tom Shrader

Series: 2 Corinthians

Recorded: 2003 at East Valley Bible Church

Duration: 1 hr 4 min

Themes: giving, generosity, cheerful giving, stewardship, sowing and reaping, gratitude, godly character, serving others, struggling to give financially, feeling spiritually stagnant, aspiring elder, new believer, husband and father, someone avoiding commitment, young adult, church member wanting to grow

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:10-11, 2 Corinthians 8:16-24, 2 Corinthians 9:1-15, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, 1 Corinthians 14:40, 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Psalm 112:9, 2 Corinthians 12:4, 2 Corinthians 13:1

Theological Themes: stewardship, sanctification, 2 corinthians, ecclesiology, elder qualifications, grace giving, biblical generosity, pastoral epistles

Full Transcript

Introduction and Summary of Last Week

Paul begins this section in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. As noted last week, ideally we would sit for two hours and work through all of chapter 8 and all of chapter 9 in one sitting. That would be the most effective way to handle it. Since we cannot do that, there will be no dramatic crescendo at the close of the message, and no long introductions either.

It is important to review what was covered last week. If you missed it, you need to go back to the website to get up to speed, because this is a very important three weeks. Last week covered the first 15 verses of chapter 8. This week covers all of chapter 8 and chapter 9. Next week, we review all of it together. It is one continuous thought, and that is why we are handling it this way.

A Brief Summary of the Collection

For a summary, we are directed to chapter 8, verses 10 and 11. Paul says: "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 it, but now finish doing it also that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability."

That repeated pronoun "it" refers to the collection. Paul had encouraged the Corinthian church based on the famine in Palestine and how hard it was hitting the churches in Jerusalem. Christians there were suffering. When the Corinthian church heard about this — roughly a year before Paul's writing — they said they needed to do something, to gather some of their resources and send them to that church. They desired to do it and were ready to do it, but something stopped them in the middle.

What likely stopped them was the infiltration of false teachers who began to undermine Paul and what was happening there. In the meantime, the Macedonian churches — the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea — had heard what the Corinthians were planning. They said it was a great idea, collected their own resources, and gave to the church in Jerusalem. The church at Corinth had not done so. What Paul is doing in this letter, at least in chapters 8 and 9, is challenging them to examine whether the desire to give is still there, and if it is, to go ahead and complete it. That is the summary of last week.

Titus: The First Member of the Team

Verse 16 reads: "But thanks be to God who put the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus, for he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord."

A word about Titus. Paul had written a letter to this church — we know of four letters he wrote to the Corinthians. One is 1 Corinthians, one is 2 Corinthians, but two letters are lost. The letter that chronologically would have been the third was a severe letter in which Paul reprimands the church and attempts to correct them. He was somewhat concerned he may have even been too harsh, so he sent Titus ahead to see how they were receiving it. Paul reasoned that walking in at that moment himself might simply be too much for them.

Titus went, and they responded well. He returned to Paul filled with joy, reporting that they had repented and were implementing the very procedures Paul had asked of them, and that they had become obedient in so many of those ways. In the process, Titus found his own heart knit together with these people. Paul is now saying that Titus is as earnest in his desire to see God work among them as Paul himself was. He loves them, he cares for them, and his concern is genuinely for them.

It is worth pausing here. Even though the subject is the gift being collected for the church in Jerusalem, Paul's heart is for the Corinthians themselves. Both churches will benefit, but Paul is saying that he loves the church at Corinth and that it is for their own good that he desires them to be engaged in giving. He had already noted last week that they were a loving church, that they understood and shared the word, and that much good was happening among them. But Paul says something is still missing. What needs to happen is that they need to give — specifically, in this instance, as it relates to the church in Jerusalem.

The Second Member of the Team

So Paul is sending a team on ahead of him. He will eventually visit the church himself, but first he is sending Titus and two other men to help the Corinthians understand their responsibility and to fulfill it. Titus is the first member of that team. Verse 18 introduces the second: "And we have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches."

Paul says he is sending them someone who needs no introduction — and he does not give one. It is worth noting the contrast with what so often happens at meetings today, where a speaker is said to need no introduction and then receives a ten-minute one. If someone truly needs no introduction, the introduction should simply not be given.

Safeguards for Handling the Gift

Paul says this man doesn't need an introduction, so he's not going to give one. He doesn't even tell us his name, but says, "You know him." It could well be that Titus himself was reading this letter to the church and could point to the man at that very moment. He is a brother whose fame in the things of the gospel is spread throughout all the churches — well-traveled, well-known, his reputation untarnished. He is a perfect choice for this task.

We don't know who this person is. There is speculation, and some scholars suggest it was Luke, but we simply don't know. He certainly would fit the profile. Paul says, "We've sent this man, and not only that, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work." In the New King James, the word translated "appointed" is rendered "chosen," and it literally means to elect by a vote of raised hands.

Paul is saying: we are sending this man to you, and you know his reputation. You know what he is all about. You have heard of him. He has been faithful to the gospel, he has proclaimed the gospel, he is known throughout the land, and you may know him by reputation. Those of us who know him best say, amen, he is fit for this job. Paul is clearly the one directing the operation, but as part of this safeguard he has received an affirmation from the church confirming that this man is fit to go.

Paul says he has been appointed by the churches to travel with them, and the whole process is being administered to the glory of God. Our tendency, because we are talking about giving, is to focus on the material transaction and miss that we are dealing with something extraordinarily important to the spiritual life. Paul reminded this church that they abounded in so many great things, yet they were lacking in this one area — they were not giving — and he says that without it, all those other things, as good as they are, are incomplete.

Why are they doing this? It is for the glory of God. Why do you do what you do? For the glory of God — not to repay Him, not to think that you have a debt you can begin to whittle away. You cannot repay God for what He did for you through Christ. But out of an obedient heart, a loving heart, you begin to respond so that God is glorified in the midst of it.

Taking Precaution Against Discredit

Verse 20 says, "taking precaution that no one should discredit us in our administration of this generous gift." That phrase "generous gift" repeats itself throughout this section. Paul speaks of a generous gift, a bountiful gift. He is anticipating that the church at Corinth will have a desire to meet the need in the church at Jerusalem and that they will respond with a generous, bountiful gift. There is going to be serious money changing hands.

Paul says he is sending Titus, and he is sending this second man of extraordinary reputation, for this very reason — as a safeguard. He does not want anyone to discredit them. He does not want someone to question how they handled the money. As he states in verse 21, "for we have regard for what is honorable not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men."

Paul is not saying he is trying to be a man-pleaser. There is a sense in which we cannot care what man thinks as it relates to the truth, the gospel, or doctrine. Having said that, there are many areas where we do care what people think, where we do care how people feel, and where it matters how things are perceived. That is Paul's point. These safeguards are in place — Titus, whom they know, and this unnamed brother whose reputation throughout the churches for his allegiance to the gospel is beyond question — so that no one can make any allegation that when this generous gift was taken from them and moved to the church in Jerusalem, anything less than honorable was done.

A Third Member of the Team

Paul introduces a third member of the team in verse 22: "and we have sent with them our brother." Again, this person is unnamed, but Paul says, "he has been tested, and he has been found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you." This is someone who has great confidence in this church.

Two things deserve attention here. First, this man has been tested. Paul is saying: we have Titus, whom you know; we have this other brother who is famous throughout the churches for the gospel; and we have this third brother who has been tested and proven. Every precaution has been taken so there cannot be the slightest hint of impropriety in how this is handled.

Trust and Transparency at East Valley Bible Church

Paul has learned what anyone in a public role knows — that there are people who want to criticize you, some who want to see you fail, others who want to detract from you, and still others who are simply watching closely. Apparently, 2,000 years ago, one of the key areas by which trustworthiness was measured was how you handled money. That is no less true today.

Those of you who have been through a Getting Plugged In class will know that when we meet together, one of the things discussed is that the currency we trade on is trust.

Accountability in Handling Church Finances

We all make mistakes. That is okay. We acknowledge them and we go on. It can be sin. We can acknowledge it, confess it, and we can go on. But when we get into the area of finance especially, and mistakes are made or something suspicious arises, trust is very hard to sustain. And once it is gone, it is very hard to get back.

Let me help you track your check from the time it goes into that box. It goes in, it is taken out, and a team counts it — usually four people. They run two separate tapes and recheck everything. When they are entirely done and everything is photocopied, they seal it up and make a deposit.

The next day, and over the course of the week, someone rechecks everything that has already been checked. In terms of outgoing cash, if someone here has an expense, they fill out a purchase order, just as you would at your business, and there are receipts and checks and balances. Checks are written on campus by only two people, and significant checks require two signatures.

I do not know where that money is. I do not know where the checkbook is. The elders do not know. The majority of the staff does not know.

At the end of the month, a statement arrives from the bank. No one opens it. It goes into a box and sits there until an outside public accountant comes in, opens it, and reconciles everything — not just income and expenses, but the appropriateness of every expense, where the purchase order is, and how it all fits together. That happens every month. Then annually, an outside team comes in and goes through the books, conducting a general accounting audit, and every three years a detailed one.

Why We Take Financial Integrity So Seriously

We do this because we understand what Paul understands here: that money is significant, that money is important, and it is appropriate for us to handle it in a way that is above reproach. The elders and staff have no idea of how that money is handled in terms of the logistics and the expenses. We could not get at it and would not know how.

Is it a foolproof system? I do not know. Our administrators went out two years ago to hear the latest thinking on accounting practices, and the presenter opened by telling the group he was going to shake things up — and then gave them twelve things they needed to do. We already had eleven of them in place, with additional checks and balances on top of them. The twelfth had been implemented two weeks before they arrived.

We are serious about this, and I believe you can trust us — just as Paul is saying here. He writes in 2 Corinthians 8: "As for Titus, he is my partner and my fellow worker. As for our brethren, they are messengers of the church's glory to Christ. Therefore, openly before the churches, show them the proof of your love and of the reason of our boasting about them." He is saying: love them, respect them, trust them.

What Scripture Says About Church Leadership

Turn to the right from 2 Corinthians to 1 Timothy. Paul writes to Timothy as Timothy tries to understand the church and what to look for in a leader. He also writes to Titus, the man mentioned in the letter we have been studying.

In my observation, many churches, when it is time to find leaders — elders, deacons, directors, a board of directors — approach it the way the world would. They look for someone who is successful, who has run a business, climbed the corporate ladder, or is entrepreneurial. They look for someone with a level of fame, prestige, or power in the community. I have met many people, here and when I travel, who will say they are on the elder board at their church and freely admit they have no business being there. When I ask how they got there, the answer is often that they own a franchise or run several locations, and so the church put them on the board.

But who is supposed to be in positions of leadership in the church? What should they look like? The answer is in 1 Timothy chapter 3, verse 1. Reading from the New Living Translation:

"It is a true saying that if someone wants to be an elder, he desires an honorable responsibility. For an elder must be a man whose life cannot be spoken against. He must be faithful to his wife, must exhibit self-control, live wisely, have a good reputation, must enjoy having guests in his home, and must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, peace-loving, not one who loves money. He must manage his own family well with children who respect and obey him. For if a man cannot manage his own household, how can he take care of God's church? An elder must not be a new Christian because he might be proud of being chosen so soon, and the devil will use the pride to make him fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not fall into the devil's trap and be disgraced."

The Standard Confirmed in Titus

Turn to the right, through 2 Timothy, to the book of Titus. Paul writes these words as Titus is working to establish the church in Crete. Paul addresses appointing elders in chapter 1, verse 5:

"I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there. Appoint elders in each town as I instructed you. An elder must be well thought of for his good life."

Qualifications for Leadership

An elder must be faithful to his wife. His children must be believers, not wild and rebellious. An elder must live a blameless life because he is God's minister. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered. He must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or greedy. He must enjoy having guests in his home and must love all that is good. He must live wisely and be fair, must live a devout and disciplined life, and must have a strong and steadfast belief in the trustworthy message he has been taught, so that he will be able to encourage others with right teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.

That is a pretty impressive list when you look at 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. That is what a leader is supposed to be. God does not say anything there about a successful businessman, or someone famous, wealthy, or entrepreneurial. God is looking for men of extraordinary character to lead His church.

A Standard for Every Man

Gentlemen, I am speaking to every one of you men here — this is the life that should be your goal, your target. When somebody asks you what you want to do with your life, what you want to see in your life, here is the answer right there. That is the picture of what every man in this church should be striving to establish as trustworthy characteristics in his life.

Every man here — and there are a couple of thousand of you — obviously not all of you are going to be elders, we have that figured out. But you should be striving to be elder-qualified. Is that what you are striving for? Is that what is important to you? When you sit down and say, "I want to be what God wants me to be," the answer is right there in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. That is what He wants you to be. That is what is important to God.

When we say we want to be godly men and ask what that looks like, the answer is 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. That ought to be the goal and target in your life, and every one of you ought to be striving toward that end. When we sit down over a cup of coffee and ask, "How are you doing?" we should not be talking about how the Diamondbacks are doing, or how the Suns are just one big man away from making it all come together — they have been one big man away for three decades now. When we ask how you are doing, we are talking about those things: are they present in your life? If so, we continue to hone and sharpen them. If not, let us get on board.

That is what ought to be present in your life, and that is what God is looking for. He is looking for trustworthy people, and what that means is defined in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Titus and the two unnamed men who are part of this team fit that profile. Paul says he wants the Corinthians to love them and show them respect, and all the boasting he has been doing about the Corinthians will now be seen in their lives.

The Collection for the Saints

In chapter nine, Paul says it is superfluous — exceeding, beyond what is necessary — for him to write about the ministry of the saints. That phrase, "ministry of the saints," is very similar to the phrase he uses back in chapter eight, verse four. We are still talking about ministry, about the service of the saints. It would be easy to say that Paul is talking about serving — about time, energy, and effort — and indeed we are to be great stewards of those things. But the text is specifically talking about financial giving.

Paul says, "I know your readiness, of which I boasted about you to the Macedonians." He told them a year ago that the Corinthians were ready for this project, and their zeal stirred up most of the Macedonians. When the Macedonians heard about the Corinthians, they said, "That is what we need to do." Now Paul says it is time for the Corinthians to complete what they started.

They had a desire to do this but moved away from the task — likely when false teachers came in and undermined Paul and caused them to lose track. Now they are refocused, and it is time to undertake the project again. Verse 3 says, "I have sent the brethren," meaning Titus and his companions, so that the boasting about the Corinthians may not prove empty, and that they may indeed be prepared.

Be Prepared Before Paul Arrives

Paul plans on coming again — he says so in chapter 12, verse 4 and chapter 13, verse 1, noting it will be his third visit. He mentions that he may bring Macedonians with him, and if he arrives and the collection is not finished, both he and the Corinthians will be put to shame by the confidence he has expressed. Something will be missing, and they need to get on it and get it done.

So Paul says he thought it necessary to urge the brethren to go ahead to Corinth and arrange things beforehand. He is sending Titus and the two others to arrive ahead of him. This is very similar to a thought Paul communicated in 1 Corinthians 16, verses 1 and 2, where he said: "Now about the money being collected for the Christians in Jerusalem, you should follow the same procedure I gave to the church of Galatia. On every Lord's Day, each of you should put aside some amount of money in relationship to what you have earned and are saving for this offering, and don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once." Paul is saying they need to be prepared. These men are coming ahead of him, and the Corinthians are to be ready.

Preparing the Church to Give

Paul had been writing to a somewhat disorganized church. In 1 Corinthians 14:40 he writes, "Let all things be done decently and in order." They had a hard time dealing with things, seemed somewhat haphazard, and had allowed disorder and dysfunction of the grossest type to infiltrate even the Lord's Supper. Now Paul says he wants the representatives to come ahead and arrange with them this promised bountiful gift. They had learned of the need, been moved by the need, and were ready to give.

Paul demonstrates here an extraordinary understanding of human nature. He recognized that there was a point where the Corinthians were ready to give, then drifted away from the project, and now seemed ready again. He wanted to move before they were swept away by their own greed.

Homer Kent captures this well in three sentences. Most people have a strong attachment to their money. Selfishness is publicly deplored but privately practiced. Publicly we extol generosity and look down at the Ebenezer Scrooges of the world, but privately we are all little Scrooges. We want to appear magnanimous and generous, but privately it is a hard thing to let go. The natural thing is to hang on to what we have — but we are not natural anymore. We are supernatural, and supernaturally, we let go. As Kent concludes, in Christian circles the problem persists as much as elsewhere, for it is a human weakness that knows few exceptions.

Paul is saying he is sending these men in to help the Corinthians prepare, organize, respond to the need, and fulfill the desire that has been placed in their hearts. And it is worth noting that Paul does not benefit one whit from any of this. None of it is going to him. He is helping them spiritually.

Giving Is a Spiritual Issue

Consider how we respond when the Christian life is preached. If someone says you need to be in the Word, studying and growing, the response is "Amen, preach it." If someone says your prayer life needs attention, the response is the same. If someone calls us to love and care for people, we are on board. But when the subject turns to giving, there is the deafening sound of one hand clapping. That is unfair. It is unfair to get excited about every other area of the Christian life and then separate this one out. This is a spiritual issue. If you are not praying, you have issues. If you are not studying the Word, you have issues. If you are not giving, you have serious spiritual issues.

Sowing and Reaping

Paul says in verse 6, "Now this I say, he who sows sparingly shall reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully." That is a true principle. Sow sparingly, reap sparingly. Sow bountifully, reap bountifully. We see people on television saying to sow a seed into their ministry, promising God will give it back tenfold or a hundredfold, pressed down and shaken up. Is there a basis for that here?

Now, that kind of appeal can be abused — and is. But we are a church that lets the Bible say what it says, keeps it in context, and stands on it. And what it says is clear: sow sparingly and you reap sparingly; sow bountifully and you reap bountifully.

Ray Stedman explains it this way. The closest analogy to giving that we have in life is the farmer going out to sow his crop. Giving is more than giving away your funds and resources — it is a process that will return something to you as well. When a farmer goes out to scatter seed in the spring, it appears as though he is throwing it away. He scatters it on the ground and cannot gather it up again. It looks as though it is lost to him, and in one sense it is. He actually has to give up control of it and use of it. He throws it into the ground where it deteriorates, rots, and is seemingly lost. But it is not lost — that is Paul's point. It is not gone. Let it fulfill its appointed process, and the farmer will have back again much more besides. That is what God designed.

The return is proportionate to the sowing. If a farmer sows a little seed, he will have a little harvest. If he sows bountifully, he will have a bountiful harvest. The analogy is clear. Give a little, and you will receive a little. Give abundantly, and you will receive abundance.

Purposeful, Premeditated Giving

Now look at verse 7: "Let each do just as he has purposed in his heart." That word *purposed* is an interesting word — it appears only this one time in the New Testament. It carries the idea of something premeditated and predetermined, a plan of action done voluntarily and not impulsively. We are beginning to get a fuller picture of what giving is meant to look like. If you sow a little you get a little, and if you sow a lot you get a lot — but the giving itself is not meant to be swept along by some emotional impulse. There will be times when a need suddenly arises and you are moved to meet it, but that is not the typical pattern for how you give.

Giving Without Compulsion

That giving — over and above normal giving — is premeditated, predetermined, and calculated. It is not under compulsion. There is no external pressure. Yet many people give precisely because of external pressure. Many people will give if they think others are watching them. Is that not what the Pharisees did? They would come in to give, and they would go through an elaborate show of making a large anonymous gift — and then ensure everyone knew about it. People do that. They give because someone will see it or because they can talk about it.

Here, nobody sees it. I don't know who gives. I don't have a clue. Even the counters don't really know, because they only occasionally recognize a name. Your giving is between you and God — and Neal Pitchell, because somebody has to know. I don't know. Nobody else knows.

The Cheerful Giver

How are you supposed to give? Cheerfully. That Greek word is the root of an English word: hilarious. I don't love that picture because it carries almost a sense of frivolity. But the meaning is that we are to give cheerfully, willingly, and enthusiastically. Someone here last night mentioned that their pastor used to say, "If you can't give cheerfully, give anyway." Here is what I say: if you can't give cheerfully — unless it's a million six — don't give at all. Keep it. We don't need it. God is not broke. We will be fine. God has a plan.

This is about your heart. Don't give under external pressure. If you can't give, I hope you don't think that these three weeks are about finding some clever way to separate you from your cash. The only reason I care is because it is a spiritual issue. If you cannot give in a predetermined, premeditated, voluntary, non-impulsive way, then you need to go and get right with God and figure it out. But it is your problem.

All Grace Abounding

Look at verse 8: "God is able to make all grace abound to you, and always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have abundance." There are some words in there I don't naturally trust — all, always, all, everything. In school they taught us that on a true-false test, whenever you see words like all, every, or always, just mark false, because it almost always is. But look at what Paul is actually saying here.

If you sow sparingly, you reap sparingly. Sow bountifully, you reap bountifully. Is that really true? He says God is able to make all grace abound in you, that you always have all sufficiency in everything, and that you will have abundance. This is starting to sound very much like the health and wealth teachers, isn't it? Let's go to John MacArthur and see what he says — and by the way, it does not entirely help us. MacArthur writes: "God possesses an infinite amount of grace, and He gives it lavishly without holding it back. Here, grace does not refer to spiritual grace, but to money and material things. When the believer generously and wisely gives of his material resources, God graciously replenishes them."

Really? If I give, God replenishes it? In our sinfulness — and I think this is where the problem lies — we look at this passage and see how susceptible it is to distortion. That distortion is precisely what the health and wealth teachers represent. But the answer is right there in verse 8. God gives you everything. Everything you have is from Him, and so you give it. And as a general rule, He seems to return it — not so you can get bigger, not so you can get better, not so you can get something newer, but so you will have an abundance to go and give again. That seems to be what Paul is saying. That is what I have seen in many people's lives: God gives much to people, and from those to whom He has given much, He expects good stewardship. And if I give sparingly, I tend to see a return sparingly.

The Twofold Effect of Ministry

Then Paul quotes from Psalm 112, verse 9. Reading from the New Living Translation: "They who give generously to those in need — their good deeds will never be forgotten." Look at verses 10 and 11. He supplies the seed to the sower and the bread, and will supply and multiply your seed. He gives the farmer the seed for his crop. He supplies this for you and gives you opportunity. You will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.

The ministry of this service — and notice that phrase again; this is not fundamentally about money and giving, this is about ministry — has a twofold positive effect, two results. First, it supplies the needs of the saints. When the church at Corinth gives, it meets the needs of the saints. Second, it overflows through many thanksgivings to God. The NIV says it is "overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." It produces a sense of thanksgiving — I think both on the part of the giver and the receiver.

The giver is not giving out of compulsion, out of duty, or out of grudging obligation. The giver gives because they understand that God has given them so much, and out of that abundance they give. This is proof, demonstrated through this ministry, that the Jerusalem church will glorify God for the obedience of the Corinthians. The church in Jerusalem was deeply suspicious of the Gentiles — especially the church at Corinth, given its reputation. What Paul is saying is that when they receive this gift, they are going to understand that these Gentiles have truly been converted.

The Gift That Binds the Church Together

This is a picture of God's work in your life. Then, interestingly, that church is going to give back to you. How could that be? Verse 14 tells us: they are going to pray for you. Here is what is happening. This church is moved by the need of a brother, and they go and meet that need.

That need is met, God receives thanksgiving, and God is glorified. The church in Jerusalem begins to pray for the church in Corinth. All of a sudden the church is strengthened, there is unity in the body, and they love one another and care for one another. They see now that God's grace is working in them as they reach out toward this other church.

Then Paul says in verse 15, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift." That indescribable gift is the person of Jesus Christ. When you give like this, Tom says, it is God-like. It is Christ-like. Your love moves to action — and that means time, energy, effort, and money. This passage is talking about material possessions.

Closing Prayer

Father, help us see this as a spiritual issue and understand it for what it truly is. It is about our heart. Let us be men and women individually, and a church corporately, who give and who sow bountifully. God, thank you for the harvest.

We do this not to build our own kingdom but to build Yours. This is not about us getting a tenfold return as though You are some sort of omniscient financial planner. You are a loving God who gives us gifts for this reason: to use for Your honor and glory, to enjoy in our life, and to give.

God, put that cheerful attitude in our hearts. Let us resist the temptation to be publicly deploring selfishness while all the time privately practicing it. You know our hearts. This is not about how we stand before one another — it is about how we stand before You. God, examine us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.