GIVING WITH GRACE. 2 Corinthians 8 Paul was concerned that the Corinthians express their fellowship with other assemblies in meeting needs in times of difficulty in the Middle East and particularly the believers in Jerusalem. It is important for assemblies to express their fellowship with other assemblies when known needs arise. The work of God going on in various parts of the world should be a point of interest and participation in every local assembly. The third missionary journey of Paul has concerns regarding the things he wrote about from 2 Corinthians 8:1 through 9:15. The Macedonian assemblies were Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea.
There are a number of ways Christians can express their fellowship with other believers. One of the ways to give evidence of fellowship is by showing the grace of God in our giving. Outside interests often take care of inside problems in the assemblies of God's people. Generosity expressed in financial aid is a practical example of fellowship. The positive example of the Macedonian assemblies who were in affliction themselves was used to stir the Corinthians to finish what they had started a year before.
The joy in the Lord the Macedonians had in spite of their poverty, remained as they were urgent in wanting to help others in need. Sometimes those who experience need have a better understanding of what is needed than those who have never gone without the necessities of life. When we know the value of a little assistance personally, we can be wiser in determining how we can best serve others. The motivation that unites believers is a common concern for others; particularly when we have experienced the blessing others have been to us. Paul used the word "grace" to lift the act of giving our substance to a high plane of Christian experience, privilege, and responsibility. It actually lifts giving from a mere responsibility to an act of worship, expressing heartfelt appreciation to God. To give ourselves is the first act of fellowship. Then we give of what we possess sacrificially.
Biblical principles and examples, such as the Macedonian assemblies exemplified, when carried out as God intends, eliminate the need for special appeals for funds made by men. Some of those assembly believers had experienced "rock bottom" poverty and hardscrabble living, and yet their giving, in spite of the circumstances in which they found themselves, was considered a "grace." Giving in this way was a great joy to them and their giving was not ostentatious but full of genuine liberality.
The generosity of heart does not need high-pressure tactics to raise money. The whole point of grace-giving is not how much we give, but why we give and how we give to God. The reason we give is that we have a genuine appreciation for God's grace to us, and love for Him is our real motivation. "We love Him because He first loved us." With that kind of motivation, the "how" part of giving is sacrificial giving, which is very different that tithing or proportionate giving. This goes way beyond being just the right thing to do, to where there is real joy in being able to participate with God in that which is close to His heart - the welfare and well-being of His children.
Interest in the kingdom of God and its interests links us to other believers and increases our vision to include the interests of God's people in other places of the harvest field. Informing the Lord's people of a need is not soliciting funds. People are motivated when they learn how they can have part in a work and meet needs to the best of their ability. Voluntary and enthusiastic giving gave satisfaction to the Macedonian assemblies. Titus was to encourage the Corinthians to support the offerings to complete what they had begun to do a year earlier.
The believers at Corinth had a strong faith and were gifted to preach the Gospel. They were able to learn and assimilate knowledge, and because of their spiritual knowledge and understanding, they were diligent in some things. Their love for Paul was real, but they had overlooked their responsibility in grace-giving. Now the importance of meeting the needs of others was again placed before them.
Generosity is the result of sincere love. It is not a command nor a demand but an opportunity to express gratitude to God and fellowship with others in a practical way. The diligence in giving practiced by others is an example for all of us. The interests of the people of God gathered to the name and Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, find their supreme example for giving in Him. Those believers gave themselves to God first and from then on sacrificially gave of their substance in the way He showed by His life. He gave His all.
Living by faith is a characteristic of the just. We trust the Lord to give us guidance and direction in life. Our commitment is to speak the truth of God in love and live out what we teach and preach. Applying biblical truth has positive effects on those who know we have unchanging values based on the standard of the scriptures. We learn to be biblical by studying the Bible, first for the correct interpretation, and then to apply that truth in practical application to the affairs of life.
Earnestness in Gospel testimony and preaching is a characteristic of those who gather in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The grace of giving by God's people makes possible the outreach of the Gospel in far-off fields as well as in harvest fields near at hand. This grace is enforced and demonstrated to be genuine when love for each other on the part of believers, and love for all men is evident, not only by words but also by deeds. The grace of giving is shown to be real when the saints give from their hearts to the Lord Himself.
Growth in faith is directly proportionate to how we apply ourselves to the word of God and the truths we practice in assemblies where we have our united testimony. Knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ comes when we read and practice the things our Lord taught and did when He was here on earth. Love and its expression in giving increase our capacity for ministry in all areas of our lives. Advice in giving is much easier to accept than commands to give when demanded by men who have an agenda they want to promote.
Christ was rich, and He gave up the riches of heaven so that we in our spiritual poverty could become rich in the blessings of eternal life. He offered what no one else could give: forgiveness, justification, regeneration, eternal life, and glorification with Christ in the future. We have been purchased with His own blood from slavery to sin, and have been given access to God as His children by faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ was unmistakable. He set aside His glory to be "found in fashion as a man." He exchanged His eternal riches for human poverty and subjected Himself voluntarily to human limitations. In that way, God's character was revealed in humanity in a way with which mankind can identify. This is what God intends from us; His character is made visible and obvious in human flesh. The quantity of giving is not what counts, but the quality. The Old Testament gathering of manna by the children of Israel gave a good illustration of what God intends from His people today. We are not to be greedy or lazy in our giving and receiving. The blessing that really counts is to the one who gives as much, or more, than the ones who receive.
Principles in giving are not complicated. We must be willing to give with a willing mind, or it has no real value. We are to give in proportion to what we have. Our giving is to meet the needs of others, not for what we benefit from it. Gratefulness to the Lord is our response and the motivating power behind the action of sincere giving. Each person who gives to the Lord needs to be committed to the promise they make as to how much they give to the Lord from what they have received from Him, for His use in the kingdom of God and that of His people. Each person should give as much as they are able. God knows that amount and so does each individual believer.
Equality among God’s people can be maintained at least to a measure when we share with each other by meeting needs as they arise. In that way, no one has too much and no one has too little. We know personally what our obligations are and how much we need to meet them. That determines the proportionate amount we need to give to meet them. God has given us everything we have and He knows we should give realistically from what we have, not from what we do not have.
The handling of funds in an assembly should be carefully and faithfully dealt with by those who can be trusted. There should be no cause for blame on those who handle funds that have been given to God by people. Paul, Titus, and another brother whose praise was in the Gospel were responsible men who had been tried and proven. Integrity in handling money must be maintained. The purpose for which funds are given must be met. Financial practices must be above board. Our motive for giving is that by faith, we believe God can use this to bring spiritual blessings to others. Material blessings from giving by grace are out of a desire to serve the people of God, to further the Gospel so sinners will be saved, and to honor God.
These physical things given by God's people are made to become spiritual things to be used for spiritual ministry. Honoring God with our substance lifts the common practice of meeting needs to a spiritual dimension. One who handles holy things of whatever kind they are must have a reputation for being blameless in the public, and cooperative with those who labor with him. Such people are representatives of the Lord.