Footsteps #186

“You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” NLT (Read 2Cor.8:9)

Read 2Cor.8:9 and remind yourself that all the wealth and power of heaven is embodied in the gift of grace. God gives and gives; it is His character. Those of us who seek to reflect that character need to give as well. However, people who use 2Corinthians 8 often fail to reveal its true context. It is used to promote the excellent principle of stewardship; raising money for buildings or special projects and ministries, or even local budgets, without mentioning its principle focus which was giving to the poor. The principles of course should have powerful impact on all our giving. The correct interpretation of 2Cor.9 was that Paul was collecting money from Gentile Christians for poverty stricken Jewish believers in Jerusalem. He begins in v1-8 by using examples from the Macedonian churches (Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) whose generosity flowed from their trials. His hope is that this will motivate the Corinthian church.

It had been 30 years since the Christian church had been born at Pentecost. Many Jews who had found a new faith would have been ostracized by their families and would have found employment difficult, which would have relegated them to a life of poverty. The early chapters of Acts indicate that the small Christian community provided for them, but then when famine hit Palestine, the very existence of the Christian community in Jerusalem was threatened. Paul new that true unity in the church could not be maintained unless the Gentile Christians were willing to help the poverty-stricken and persecuted Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Generosity starts with the giving of oneself. V5: Our money should follow our heart. If we are truly dedicated to God, we will be dedicated to His church, because the church, which is an outpost of the Kingdom of God, is the body of Christ on earth. Those who claim they don’t need the church to be a God worshipper, and have no visible connection with a church, often have major gaps between profession and reality. God did not create us to go it alone. We need each other. Excellence in giving is as important as excellence in other spiritual graces.