2 Corinthians 8:1

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality or their gift. For to their power, and I bear record, yea, and beyond their power, they were willing of themselves, begging us, praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship or the sharing of the ministering of the saints to the saints.

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, insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also. Therefore, as you abound in everything, in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that you abound in this grace also.

God, we ask for your wisdom. We ask, Lord, that you would guide and direct us as we study your word today by your Spirit. Lord, it is our desire as your disciples, as followers of you, that you would transform us in such a way that our lives would shine brightly in a dark world. Lord, work in us to be willing to do those things that are pleasing to you. Strengthen us by your grace and by your Spirit. God, speak to us, we pray in Jesus' name. And all God's people agreed, saying, Amen.

You can be seated. As we have been studying through the book of Acts and now the book of 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians, I hope if you've been with us through this series of teachings for the last couple of years that you remember that there was something of a rebellion, something of a rejection of Paul's leadership of his ministry in the church at Corinth. There were some allegations and accusations that came up by some within the church at Corinth.

Against Paul's character, it is my conviction and belief, as I've studied through 1 and 2 Corinthians and read through the Book of Acts many times, that one of the causes—probably one of the bigger causes—of the stir in the church at Corinth and the rejection of Paul's leadership was the issue we are going to be discussing. An insurrection arose as Paul requested an offering from the churches he had planted and ministered among, a financial offering.

Whether it was in the churches of Galatia, which were the first churches that Paul and Barnabas had planted during their first missionary journey, or in the churches of Macedonia and Greece during their second missionary journey, or the churches of Asia during their third missionary journey, Paul brought a request to those churches for a financial offering. In the church at Corinth, this request seemed to cause quite a stir. Some people were bothered by this. As you read between the lines of what is happening in these letters, you can tell that there were individuals who had a problem with this minister, this pastor, coming to them and asking if they would give an offering of their money to the church in Jerusalem.

It is important to note that this offering was not for Paul himself. It was not as if Paul showed up and said, "Listen, you haven't been taking good care of me, so I'm requesting you increase that and start giving a little bit more." That was not the issue at all. In fact, Paul was asking that they support a church that was experiencing extreme poverty, distress, and difficulty in the city of Jerusalem. Although he does make the case in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 that churches should support their ministers, he outlines that in a great way. I encourage you to read through 1 Corinthians chapter 9.

The church in Jerusalem was under dire straits and severe poverty. Paul went to the churches he had ministered in and planted, including those in Corinth, Berea, Thessalonica, Philippi, Lystra, and Derbe, and requested that they give something—an offering—to take care of their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. These were brothers and sisters they may have never met or seen, but there was a church that was suffering, and Paul was seeking to minister to and bless them. The desire behind this request was not personal; it was for the larger body of Christ.

In the first century, just as it is in the 21st century church, the dynamics of giving and supporting one another remain significant.

Any time the topic of giving, finances, wealth, or treasure is brought up, it can cause those hearing it to act a little strange. The discussion of money causes a stir within the body of Christ. I believe that the stir caused by this topic is an indication that Jesus' words are true from Matthew chapter 6, where He said in verse 21, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

The stir that occurs when a minister, like myself or Paul in the books of 1st and 2nd Corinthians, discusses finances, money, and giving indicates that sometimes our hearts treasure our treasures. Our hearts can become focused on this temporal life and the things we possess. As Christians and believers, we carry with us a carnal mind, one that is filled with the thinking of this world. Paul talks about this in Ephesians chapter 2, noting that the whole world is under a certain course, a cultural worldview and mindset.

When we become Christians and step into a different worldview, as citizens of heaven rather than of this earth, we sometimes find ourselves burdened by our old way of thinking. Our old mind, the carnal mind, vainly imagines that we are our own providers and sustainers. This is especially true for men more than for women; guys tend to carry this recognition. It is a foundational principle of American culture, this idea that one is the captain of their own ship, the master of their own destiny. The saying "I pull myself up by my own bootstraps" is one I don't fully understand, and perhaps someone can explain it to me later.

We carry this mindset into our Christian lives, and God is refining the way we think. He is transforming us by the renewing of our minds, as Scripture says in Romans chapter 12. Sometimes, He has to work in a way that refines our understanding of wealth and treasure, the things we have, and how we provide for ourselves. We often come in thinking, "I've got to figure out how to take care of myself."

One of the signs of spiritual maturity is where we start to comprehend the spiritual reality that God is our ultimate provider and sustainer. He ultimately is the one who even gives us the ability to earn wages. The Bible says, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." He told His people, the children of Israel, "Your ability to earn has come from Me." The gifts, the talents, and the way your mind works—it's all from the Lord.

He is seeking to bring us into a place of understanding, and it is an indication of increasing spiritual maturity that we recognize He is the ultimate provider and sustainer. We come to the realization of the proper place and use of earthly wealth, and we develop a confident trust in the faithfulness of God to make good on His promises. God is training us to be convinced that He will fulfill His promises.

What kind of promises? Well, promises like what we find in Philippians 4:19. If you're taking notes, you might want to put that down as a memory verse: "But my God shall supply all of your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." What an awesome promise! Paul says, "My God shall supply all of your need according to His riches."

In 2 Corinthians 9:8, which we'll look at in a few weeks in our study of 2 Corinthians, Paul states, "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work." What great promises those are! God is able to supply our needs. He is able to make all grace abound toward us so that we are sufficiently provided for.

This understanding is not limited to the New Testament or just the teachings of Paul. In the Psalms, Psalm 84:11 says, "For the Lord God is a sun and a shield. The Lord will give grace and glory. No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly." The psalmist knew it in the Old Testament, Paul understood it in the New Testament, and Jesus preached it in the Gospels, specifically in Matthew 6:30-32.

The Sermon on the Mount is a significant teaching of Jesus. He says, "Wherefore, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" This speaks to those who have a hard time trusting. Can anybody identify with being little in faith? I mean, I'll confess, your pastor has small faith many times.

Jesus goes on to say, "Therefore, take no thought." Another translation states, "Do not be anxious." He advises us not to be concerned, asking, "What are we going to eat? What are we going to drink? Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" For after all these things, the Gentiles seek; non-believers seek. But you have a heavenly Father who knows that you have need of all these things. These are great promises. Just four passages, but they contain awesome promises in the Scriptures. God wants to bring us to a place where we trust in His good care, where we see that He is our heavenly Father who knows the things that we need. If we ask Him for bread, He will not give us a stone. If we ask Him for fish, He will not give us a serpent. This is the word of Christ, revealing to us the nature of our heavenly Father.

Not only do we have the word of God's promise, but we also have the witness of God's provision in the Old Testament. We have seen just four passages that affirm God's promises, but we also have the witness of the Scriptures, which testify to God providing for His people. He took care of Abraham in Genesis, the first book of the Bible. God addressed Abraham, saying, "I want you to leave your country, leave everything that you have, leave the life that you've built for yourself." Abraham was 75 years old when he set out to follow God, leaving everything he had in the land of Haran. He went to a land where he had nothing and had to trust. The Bible describes him as the father of faith, the father of those who believe and trust God.

Now, mind you, when he first set out at 75 years old, he was not perfect in his faith. He had a hard time initially trusting God. Genesis chapter 12 describes his journey. He followed the Lord into a land that he did not know exactly where he was going. When he arrived, he worshiped God.

He sets up a temple or an altar to worship God in a place that he called the house of God, Bethel. Then it says in Genesis chapter 12 that there was a famine in the land. Have any of you experienced famine before? A shortage? A lack? How many in our own nation over the last four years have experienced a famine or a lack? When Abraham was confronted with that lack in Genesis chapter 12, it says he went south. Has anyone else experienced that? Went south? It says he went south towards Egypt to try and find provision there. He got into all kinds of trouble in Egypt because God was seeking to prove Himself to Abraham.

You see, God allowed the lack. God allowed the famine in Abraham's life to bring him to a place ultimately where he would recognize that God is the one who takes care of his needs. Not only Abraham in the Old Testament, but also Elijah. Elijah was running from a king who was seeking to kill him. He was on the run, had nothing, and was depressed and in distress. God brought him food by ravens. Birds flew and dropped food for him while he was in the wilderness running from King Ahab. That's our God. He took care of him.

Then we have the story of the widow and her two sons in 2 Kings chapter 4. Before this, her husband died, leaving her as a widow with a mountain of debt. The debt collectors were coming to her house to take away her sons to make them slaves to pay off the debt. Aren't you glad that we don't have that as a principle for creditors any longer? She came to the prophet Elisha and cried out, "What am I going to do?" God miraculously provided for her, taking care of her need in such a way that she was provided for for the rest of her days.

Of course, we know about Abraham, Elijah, and the widow. But probably the greatest picture of God's provision in the Old Testament is how God provided for His people, the nation of Israel, for 40 years as they wandered in the wilderness. For 40 years, He provided them bread from heaven. They didn't know what it was; they called it manna. He provided water out of rocks and took care of their every need. The clothes on their backs did not wear out, and the shoes on their feet were not worn through. For 40 years! I mean, I'm lucky if I can get a pair of shoes to last for eight months. That's incredible because God is an awesome God who takes care of the needs of His people.

In fact, turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy, the fifth book of the Bible. Deuteronomy chapter 8 recounts God's faithfulness to His people just before they enter the promised land after wandering in the wilderness for 40 years.

Look at this. Deuteronomy chapter 8, verse 2. This is God speaking through Moses to the people. He says, "Now, why do you think God chooses to say at the very beginning of this, 'You should remember'?" Because we're prone to forget. "You shall remember. Remember this." He continues, "And then He fed you with manna, which you knew not, neither did your fathers know. Why? That He might make you know that man does not live by bread only, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord does man live."

Your clothing did not wear out upon you, neither did your foot swell these 40 years. Here, the children of Israel are preparing to go into the promised land, and God says, "Listen, you need to remember. You need to remember when you get into the promised land how I took care of you for these 40 years."

Yes, I allowed you to experience hunger. I allowed you to wake up a few times feeling the pains in your stomach, but you never came to the place where you starved. In the midst of that, I revealed to you My goodness, and I took care of you.

Can anyone here today bear witness to the fact that at some point in your life as a Christian, you've experienced a lack, a famine, and it came right up to the edge where you thought it wasn't going to happen? Then God showed up and took care of it. Can anybody relate to that?

Look at that. What would the Lord say to you? "Remember. You shall remember this."

Why? Because we're prone to forget. How many of you have had times when you come to a lack, and you're right up to the 11th hour, thinking, "He's not going to show up"? We forget what He has done in the past. God tests us. He allows us to go through times of lack and famine to show us that He is faithful.

I would suggest to you that the lack some people have been experiencing in our nation since 2008—the lack of employment, the lack of a regular check coming in—are God allowing us to be put in a place where we are in the pinch, where we have to trust in Him. We see Him provide in that last instant. We see Him move in miraculous ways. I've seen God do this a number of times in my life, and I confess that every time one of those instances comes up, I find myself fretting and anxious. God is trying me. He is refining me, just like He is refining you, just like He refined Abraham.

Abraham's ultimate test came in Genesis chapter 22. In Genesis 22, God spoke to Abraham and said, "Abraham, take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go into the land of Moriah. I want you to offer your only son, your promised son, as a sacrifice to Me, a burnt offering." You look at that and say, "There's no way God would do that." Well, He did.

The next morning, Abraham woke up, got his donkey, put a saddle on it, chopped some wood, got two of his servants, and took Isaac with him. They went on a three-day journey to Moriah, modern-day Jerusalem. Abraham reached the point where he was on Mount Moriah, with his grown son, about 30 years old at the time, Isaac on the altar, about to be put to death because God told him to sacrifice his son.

And there, in the midst of it, God provided. God said, "Now I know, I've tested you. Now I know that you withhold nothing from Me. Now I know that you trust Me implicitly, you trust Me completely." God provided a ram for the sacrifice.

We are given insight in Hebrews chapter 11 into what Abraham believed and where his mind was when he was about to take the life of his only son. It says in Hebrews chapter 11 that he believed God was able to raise his son from the dead. Total, complete confidence in the promise of God. When Abraham left that place that day,

He proclaimed the name of the Lord as Jehovah-Jireh, which means God, our provider. You see, he recognized, "Lord, you have provided what is needed."

Now, I say all of this as a preface to the teaching that we're going to have over the next several weeks in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9. I do so because what we have before us is a challenging passage. In fact, the message that Paul brings forth in these chapters is what I would call audacious teaching. It is far out what he is saying here in this passage, and it was challenging to the people he was writing to. The instruction he is giving them in this passage is significant.

However, if you and I will receive it, and if the Corinthians in his day would receive it—and let me just fill you in, they did—then we will also receive a great blessing from the Lord. The place of wealth and the proper use of it are keys to Christian maturity.

Being that these are sensitive topics, they can cause a stir when a minister talks about finances, giving, wealth, and treasure. There are many churches that often gloss over passages like this because they fear they might offend some people. They worry that newcomers to the church might think, "Man, these guys, all they ever do is talk about money."

If you've been around our church for very long, you know that we really only talk about this when the Scriptures bring us to a passage that discusses it. If you've been sitting under my teaching for a while, you know that I have no problem causing a stir.

So, before we jump into the text of 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 today, I want to give some qualifiers to the studies we are going to have here in this section of Scripture. In fact, I'll just tell you right now, we are not even going to get into 2 Corinthians today. This is like an extended preface to what we will be looking at in the text.

If you're taking notes, I want you to highlight a few things as we go through this. Number one, we at Cross Connection Escondido are wholly and completely against what is commonly referred to as...

Prosperity gospel, or prosperity theology, is a concept that we are completely opposed to and against. Prosperity theology asserts that true Christians will be blessed materially and in abundance. In this theology, the blessings of God are evidenced by the material wealth that a person has, and it considers those who are rich to be more righteous than those who are poor.

There are churches in our nation that preach this kind of message. In fact, I stand here very grieved by the fact that this is one of the biggest exports of modern American Christianity. You go to Central Africa today, and it is on fire with prosperity theology from American Christians. This is mind-blowing to me because, if you look at Central Africa, they have next to nothing. Yet, they have glutted themselves on this false teaching.

Many in the prosperity gospel camp will teach that the route to a greater blessing is bigger faith. A bigger faith is evidenced by a willingness to give more. The idea is that if you give more to me, you will get more. This is sometimes taught within prosperity theology churches. They often use the term "seed faith." Has anybody heard that term before? A few of you have.

Seed faith is when they tell their hearers to sow a seed, meaning to put some money into this ministry, and you will reap a hundredfold. Now, if that's not greed, I don't know what is. Telling someone that if they give, they will get more than they put in is a Ponzi scheme masquerading as gospel truth. It is false doctrine. If you are giving only to get, then you are giving for the wrong reason. A Christian does not give to gain the recognition of man or the blessing of God. In fact, Jesus says in Matthew chapter 6 that if you give only for the purpose...

To be seen by men, you have your reward. That's all you get. The heart of an individual when they are giving is important to God. We will see that in 2nd Corinthians chapter 9 in a few weeks. The way a person gives, not what a person gives, is more important to God than how much they give.

Not only are we opposed to prosperity theology, but we are also completely against what is sometimes put forth as the alternative to prosperity gospel, which is called poverty theology. You can write in your bulletin, if you'd like to, "poverty theology," and put a line through it. We are opposed to poverty theology.

What is poverty theology? Poverty theology teaches that true Christians show their spirituality in their poverty. It considers those who are poor to be more righteous than those who are rich and honors those that live in poverty as being exceptionally devoted to God. It's what we call asceticism. This often dominates the life of monks, who have given up all worldly pleasures and all worldly wealth to follow God, presenting that as the most spiritual thing one can do.

To this, we answer that there are not two kinds of people as it relates to earthly wealth. There are not just the rich and the poor. Rather, there are four kinds of people regarding earthly wealth: the wealthy righteous, the poor righteous, the wealthy unrighteous, and the poor unrighteous.

The reality is, as you look at the landscape of humanity and what the Scriptures teach, there are people who are rich and wicked, and there are people who are poor and righteous. There are also people who are rich and righteous, and people who are poor and completely unjust. The wealthy righteous, the poor righteous, the wealthy unrighteous, and the poor unrighteous all exist in the landscape of human wealth and in our world today.

Money in and of itself is not evil. It's important for us to recognize this. 1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 10, is perhaps the most noted scripture on the issue of money. It says there, "For the love of money is the root of all..."

The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. It is interesting because that verse is often misquoted by people who don't read their Bibles. It says that money is the root of all kinds of evil, but that's not what it says. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Why is that? Money is a root of all kinds of evil because it gives the wicked human heart of man the privilege and opportunity to indulge itself in its evil desires. Great wealth, when given to an unjust individual, will be used sinfully. Therefore, money can be dangerous because the human heart is wicked. The heart of the matter is the human heart.

The reality is that a heart transformed by the gospel of Jesus Christ, a life set on the right path by the person and work of Jesus, knows how to use wealth properly. It understands how to use what Jesus calls unrighteous mammon or unrighteous money in a way that is honorable to God.

In Luke chapter 16, verse 10, Jesus identifies four groups of people: the wealthy righteous, the wealthy unjust, the poor rich, and the poor unjust. He states, "He that is faithful in that which is little is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much."

The issue here is the issue of the heart. He goes on to say in verse 11, "If therefore you have not been faithful in unrighteous mammon or unrighteous wealth, who will commit to you the trust of true riches?" There are faithful poor and faithful rich, as well as unjust poor and unjust rich. Know for certain that your faithful or unjust use of earthly wealth has bearing upon what God will commit into your hands both in the future and here on earth.

This earth and in the life that is to come hold measurable responsibilities for Christians. In one of Jesus's parables, we read that those who are faithful with what God has given them here will be given greater responsibility in the next life. Therefore, the issue regarding a Christian's use of wealth and treasure, or earthly money, revolves around faithfulness and good stewardship. It is about using these resources in a way that brings glory to God.

With this in mind, it is important to have some context on the passage we will be examining over the next few weeks: Second Corinthians chapters 8 and 9. Remember, I mentioned at the opening of our service today that there was a stir among the Corinthian Christians. Some were concerned about the financial offering that Paul had requested from them to support the church in Jerusalem, which was helping those who were impoverished in Israel.

In Acts chapter 15, you may recall that Paul, Barnabas, Titus, and a group of believers from the church in Antioch of Syria went to Jerusalem for what became known as the Jerusalem Council. The church leaders gathered together in Acts chapter 15 because the gospel had begun to spread to non-Jewish people, specifically to Gentiles. The Christian leaders convened to determine how to best navigate this movement of the gospel to Gentiles, as it had previously been directed primarily toward Jews.

As Paul and Barnabas were preparing to leave that discussion in Jerusalem, the church leaders, including figures like James, the brother of the Lord, and Peter, offered encouragement regarding their ministry. They urged Paul and Barnabas to remember the poor. Paul cites this in Galatians chapter 2, verse 10.

They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing that I also was eager to do. The religious leaders, the church leaders in Jerusalem, said to Paul and Barnabas, "Hey, it's great that you're carrying the gospel to Gentiles in Galatia. It's great that God is opening doors to go into Asia and into Europe. But as you're working in Asia and Europe, don't forget those Christians here in Jerusalem who are poverty-stricken. Keep in mind, remember those that are poor here in this place."

Paul responded, "Listen, I had no plan to do otherwise. That's been my pattern of life. That's been my plan from the start." In fact, prior to Acts 15 and Acts chapter 11, we see that this is true. In Acts 11, verse 29, it says, "Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief, to send support unto the brothers, the church which dwelt in Judea, where Jerusalem is." They sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul, Barnabas and Paul.

So, in Acts chapter 11, prior to the Jerusalem council, Paul and Barnabas had carried a love gift, an offering, support, and relief for the church in Jerusalem to address their needs. When Peter and James said, "Hey, Paul, Barnabas, it's great that you're doing that work in Galatia, but don't forget the church here in Jerusalem. They need your help," Paul assured them, "We're not going to forget them. It's been our pattern for quite some time."

In these passages, we see that it was the practice of the early Christians to care for the practical needs of one another. This is evident throughout the book of Acts, especially in the early chapters. In Acts chapter 2, at the end of the chapter, it states that they gathered together all of their goods and had all things in common. They took care of those who were in need. In Acts chapter 4 and chapter 5, we read about Barnabas, who sold a portion of his land. He took the proceeds from the sale and gave it to the church to distribute to those in need.

The early church not only took care of the needs of the people in the body, but they also took care of their ministers. They took care of their ministers.

Now, time doesn't permit me today to give all the proof texts on that truth. I just want to cite a few of them—specifically, three of them today. As I share these three verses, I hope that you will read through 1 Corinthians chapter 9 later on for more instruction on this.

Let me give you three passages that deal with the early church's support of their ministers. In 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 14, Paul says, "Even so has the Lord ordained that those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel." Those who preach the gospel should live of the gospel.

A couple of books later, in Galatians chapter 6, Paul states in verse 6, "One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches." The word "share" there is the Greek word "koinono," and it conveys the idea of fellowship and taking care of one another's needs. So, the apostle says in Galatians chapter 6, verse 6, that the one who is taught should take care of the needs of the one who is teaching.

Then Paul says this in his first letter to Timothy, in 1 Timothy chapter 5, verse 17: "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in doctrine. For the scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle the ox as he treads out the corn,' and 'the laborer is worthy of his reward.'"

What we see in the New Testament is that it is both scripturally true and true according to church tradition that the ministry and the ministers are supported by the body of Christ. Both the ministry and the ministers are supported by the body of Christ. This was Paul's pattern of ministry, and it was also the encouragement of the early church leaders to remember those who were in need, particularly the poor in the church in Jerusalem.

During Paul's third missionary journey, he had planted the churches of Galatia in his first missionary journey, including churches like Lystra, Derbe, and Iconium, with his friend Barnabas. Then, in his second missionary journey, when he was traveling with Silas,

Paul planted churches in Macedonia and Greece, in Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica, and Corinth. On his third missionary journey, when he was with Silas, they went to the region of Asia, to the chief city called Ephesus. This is when churches like Smyrna, Laodicea, and Philadelphia were planted. Throughout Paul's ministry, he was planting churches in Asia Minor and Europe.

During his third missionary journey, he began to solicit a special financial offering from those churches he had planted. This offering would be carried back to Jerusalem to support the church there, which was under extreme poverty and difficult situations. In 1 Corinthians chapter 16, Paul provides instruction on what this offering should look like, addressing the practical realities involved.

As you study through 1 Corinthians, it becomes clear that when Paul reaches chapter 16, he is responding to a question the Corinthians had for him. When he had visited them, he had mentioned that the next time he returned, he wanted to receive an offering for the church in Jerusalem. Later, when they wrote to Paul, they requested more information about this offering. They asked for guidance on how they were supposed to take care of it.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 16, Paul offers practical counsel on administering this giving, from which we learn some very important truths. Turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 16, and we will look at the first four verses. These verses, especially verses 1 and 2, answer the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how as they relate to giving within the church. This information is incredibly instructive and very important for us.

In 1 Corinthians 16, verse 1, Paul says, "Now concerning the collection for the saints." Here, he addresses the "what" of the discussion—the collection for the saints, the offering for them. He continues, "As I have given word in the churches of Galatia, even so do I to you." Paul not only discusses the "what," the offering for the saints, but he also addresses the "who." This instruction is given to the churches in Galatia.

Churches like Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe are included, but it's also given to the churches of Europe, such as Philippi, Berea, Thessalonica, and Corinth. This is a general principle for all churches regarding giving.

He goes on in verse 2 to specify when offerings should happen: upon the first day of the week. When is the first day of the week? It is the Lord's Day, Sunday. Does that mean that offerings are only given on the first day of the week? No. What this implies is that offerings should be given frequently and with regularity. It should be a regular and frequent part of the Christian's life. So Paul says, when? Upon the first day of the week.

Who should give? Let what? Two or three of you? Is that what it says? No, it says, let every one of you. No one is exempt—old, young, rich, poor, Jew, Gentile. Let every one of you do what? Lay up by him in store. This speaks of coming prepared to give, having planned to give, not giving haphazardly.

Where do we take this from? As God has prospered him. Where do we get it from? From our abundance. You can't give what you don't have, but what you do have, you ought to give some portion that you have elected to give. Why? Look at the last thing he says: that there be no gatherings when I come, that there be no lack.

Paul lays it out perfectly here for us: the who, what, when, where, why, and how of giving within the body of Christ. It should be a regular thing, frequent, planned—not haphazard. It should be taken from what they already have to give and done so that there is no lack. It should be done by everybody within the body of Christ.

Paul goes on to discuss the who, what, when, where, why, and how of giving. Now, in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, which we'll get into next week, we return to the issue of the offering. Paul is now preparing to come to Corinth and receive from them the offering that they have already been expected to take in.

Now it's interesting that after Paul writes 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, he visits the church in Corinth. He stays there for a period of time and then leaves Corinth to go back to Jerusalem, saying, "I'm going to carry this to Jerusalem." After Paul leaves Corinth, during the process of traveling from Corinth to Jerusalem, he writes the book that we now have as Romans, the letter to the church at Rome.

In Romans chapter 15, Paul says to the church at Rome, "Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I am planning to go into Spain." He expresses his intention to visit them, stating, "I trust to see you in my journey and to be brought on my way by you, if first I be somewhat filled by your company."

However, he also mentions in Romans 15:25, "But now I am going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints." He is bringing something to the saints in Jerusalem. In verse 26, he explains, "For it has pleased those of Macedonia," referring to the churches of Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, "and of Achaia," which includes the church at Corinth, "to make a contribution to the poor saints that were in Jerusalem." Paul emphasizes that he is on his way to deliver this gift as he writes the letter to the Romans.

Just so you know, when we finish 2 Corinthians, we will be in the book of Acts for about two weeks, and then we will be in the book of Romans for probably five years, as it is a substantial book.

We have the context: Paul has informed the church at Corinth that he will come to receive an offering to take to the church in Jerusalem because they were poverty-stricken. He writes the letter, 1 Corinthians, in chapter 16 to address their questions about practical concerns, such as how to administer this gift. Paul instructs them on who, what, when, where, and why. Then, in chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians, he returns to them, urging them to remain faithful in this work because he is on his way to collect it. Finally, in Romans chapter 15, he states, "I've just left Macedonia and Corinth. I'm on my way to Jerusalem, bringing a gift that the churches of that area have given to the church at Jerusalem."

That's the historic context of the passage that we're going to be looking at here in 2 Corinthians. Before we do, I want to finish with just a few important principles about giving. A few important realities about giving. Although we don't have any more time, let me tell you what I would have told you if we had more time: four principles about giving.

Number one, giving is a path to great blessing. This is proved by the words of Jesus that Paul quotes in Acts chapter 20, verse 35. Paul says, "I have showed you in all things that so working, you should be working; you ought to support those who are weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" So the first principle on giving is that giving is a path to great blessing.

Point number two, giving is an acceptable sacrifice before God. In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel would offer tangible physical sacrifices to God. They would offer lambs, goats, bulls, rams, and all these different animals that are outlined in the book of Leviticus. But today, we don't have a temple. We don't go to a place where we offer physical sacrifices. How many of you are thankful we don't have that today? PETA is really happy we don't have that today.

So the question comes: what kind of offerings, what kind of sacrifices do we, the Christian church, post-temple, have? Let me read to you from Hebrews chapter 13, verses 15 and 16. The author of the book of Hebrews says this: "What sacrifice? Number one, the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." One of the sacrifices that we offer, a practical, tangible sacrifice in the 21st century, is not a goat or a lamb; it is the worship, the praise of our lips that we bring to God.

That's why we give such a primary point in our services to the praise and worship of the saints. When we start our services with song, we are singing praise and worship to God, which is well-pleasing to Him. It's like the smoke of a burnt offering rising to Him. He says, "I love that. It's well-pleasing."

The author of the book of Hebrews goes on. Not only does he say, "The fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name," but he also states in verse 16, "But to do good and to communicate, to share." The Greek word "koinoneo" speaks of fellowship and supporting people's needs, sharing with them in their needs. He says, "But to do good, do good works, and to share, do not neglect." Why? For with such sacrifices, God is well-pleased.

Giving, number one, is a path to great blessing. Number two, giving is an acceptable sacrifice to God. Number three, as we will see in 2 Corinthians chapter 8, verses 1 and 2 next week, giving is an expression of the grace of God. Remember, God has given us so much. Did He give it to us because we worked really hard for it? No, He gave it of His grace. When we give to a person, we are not giving because they deserve it or because they worked for it. We are giving as an expression of God's grace being lived out through us.

It's interesting. A few years ago, when President Obama first came into office, he started an initiative in our nation to encourage Americans to re-engage in volunteer work. They called it Volunteer America. There was a significant push, both by the President and in our media, for volunteerism. The President's administration sought for businesses and corporations to encourage people to volunteer, to give of themselves and serve.

I found it so interesting at the time that Disneyland came out and said, "We want to support the President's initiative for people to engage in volunteerism. So, if you will volunteer four hours, we'll give you a ticket to Disneyland." To me, that doesn't look like volunteer work; that's a job.

In fact, that's not a bad paying gig because a ticket to Disneyland is expensive. Work four hours, and that's a good wage. That's not volunteering; that's not giving of yourself. That's giving to get something.

Giving is an expression of God's grace. Fourth and finally, giving is an expression of the love of God. It is an acceptable sacrifice to God, and it is a path to great blessing in Christ. The Bible has a lot to say about giving, wealth, and the proper use of wealth in our lives. There are 2,100 verses in the Bible dealing with treasure, wealth, and giving. One-tenth of the whole New Testament has to do with these topics. Nearly half of Jesus' 38 parables in the Gospels deal with treasure, wealth, and giving.

When you look at those facts and consider all that the Bible has to say about this, you might come away thinking that God is so interested and concerned with money. He's really not. But He knows that we are. And so He speaks about these things. He informs us of the right and proper use of these resources. God speaks much about giving, not because He's trying to raise money, but because He's trying to raise children—His kids to be like Him.

God is the greatest giver. Romans 8:32 says, "He, God, who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

Listen, church, we're going through this passage because this is where we're at in the book of 2 Corinthians. But we're also going through this passage because I believe that the American church today is in the exact same position as the Corinthian church 2,000 years ago—bothered by, stirred up by, and upset that Paul would say...

You need to give. All the while, people are saying, "But what about us? I lost my retirement account. I lost my job. I don't have this." The church in Corinth was in the exact same predicament. Paul gives important instruction to them, which I believe is incredibly appropriate for us living in the 21st century. We will see just how relevant God's word is on this issue, in this place, in our day. Amen?

Let's stand and pray. Father, I thank you for your word. I thank you that you speak to these things that we need to hear. God, you instruct us in the way that we should live, in the way that we should go. You teach us what is right in the way of handling our lives, our wealth, and our assets, Lord.

God, work in us that we would shine greatly in a dark world. Lord, make us like a city set on a hill that cannot be hid, that people would see our good works and glorify you, our Father in heaven. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.