II Corinthians 8:11 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.
12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.
13 For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened:
14 But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:
15 As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack.
Good intentions are not enough. Those who are truly saved, need to act in accordance with the grace of God given to them. It was important that the saints had the will to give of their bounty to those in need. However, it is not enough just to will it. There needs to be a follow through.
I John 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?
Our government wants us to be dependent upon them. They have studied the time of Hitler and that of Stalin. They have experimented in the past with just how much control they can exercise over us. They discovered that most people bow quite quickly with the threat of death.
Too many people think it is a great thing that the government is offering $10.00 a day daycare. Some think it is a great thing that the government is going to restrict young people’s access to certain media. The government never gave birth to a single child. Parents give birth to children. Parents are to be guarding and taking care of their children.
What is lacking in most homes today is the fear of God. Most parents are too busy chasing dollars and they are quite content to allow a corrupt state to raise their children. The educational system of today is not education, it is brainwashing.
Christians do not rely on the government to support them. True Christians trust God to help them and guide them. Christians can fall upon hard times. That was the issue that Paul was addressing. When some Christians fall on hard times, other Christians that have been spared that challenge, willingly give to help their brothers and sisters through that difficult period. As we do that, we demonstrate the love of God. We show the world a better way.
Those who pay attention to our government know that we are so far in debt that we will never see our way clear of that. Just servicing the debt now is costing more than our health care budget.
Christians help one another and no one needs to go into debt. Christians can show the world a better way. That is what God directed the apostle Paul to address here.
In verse 12 we see that the priority is a willing mind. If a person is selfish and self-centred, then he will not want to help others. He will be like Ananias and Sapphira, who lied about their deeds. They wanted to keep their wealth, but they wanted to be included among the brethren and they wanted to mooch off of true saints. God said no. They both died and when a person dies, they do not take a penny with them. They had nothing in death. They could not show God their faithfulness. They were destitute as they faced the Lord.
In verse 12 we see that God does not expect His children to go into debt to help other Christians. He expects them to give of what they have. God does not try to get blood from a stone. It is the wicked government that tries to do that. It is far better to submit to the authority of the Lord, than to put oneself under the ruthless rule of selfish politicians who only care to keep their pay checks rolling in.
In verse 13, Paul did not want any saint to think they could have a free ride. In verse 14 we see there needs to be an equality. That will be there among true saints. Going back to Acts 5, we see there was an equality among the saints until Ananias and Sapphira tried to cheat the system. They were exposed by God and they lost their lives. The early church survived and grew, but they were dead.
We see further in verse 14 that those who gave did so of their abundance. They had more than they needed. Others were suffering, and needed help. We see that on another occasion the tables may be turned. True saints do not try to keep score. They help one another for the testimony of Christ. They want others to see the blessing of knowing the Lord.
In verse 15 God directed the apostle Paul to refer back to Exodus 16:18, where we have the account of the gathering of the daily manna. When God’s people listen to God and serve Him, it is amazing how well things work out. It is amazing how their testimony can impact others who need to see Truth.
No one can out-give God. His supply is enough to satisfy the needs of every true child of His. In fact the Bible tells us that the rain falls on the just and on the unjust. God blesses many people who curse Him. If they persist in their wicked ways, they will find themselves in the lake of fire. That is not a good end for anyone.
We do not need a welfare state. We need souls to be saved and then begin to serve the Lord with joy and gladness. What a blessing when people can see that we are motivated by the love of God rather than greed.
Pastor Bartel