II Corinthians 8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.
9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.
Paul began here by acknowledging the good things that were happening among the Corinthian saints. God was at work in their lives. The good things happening were not of their own doing. It was as they yielded to God, they were abounding in faith, in utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in their love for Paul and his companions.
The saints in Corinth were genuinely saved, and thus they produced fruit that could be identified as the fruit of a true child of God. Even though they had all this, they also needed to abound in this same grace that the Macedonian saints had demonstrated. The Macedonian saints had been willing to give to the Lord’s Work. They first gave themselves to the Lord and then giving of their material goods was not a problem.
God does not want His children to give to make others rich and themselves poor. There are sheisters out there who lie to their listeners and they lure people to give so that they cannot even cover their own expenses. That is not of God.
The Corinthians had a problem in this area of grace. They had not been willing to help in Paul’s ministry. Paul was a true servant of God. He was not out to get rich. He was not greedy. He was called to be an apostle. His main work was the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. He went where no other evangelist had been yet. He taught the truth and he helped churches to be established. While he had been in Corinth, the saints there had not seen the blessing they could have in supporting Paul with his financial needs. They were robbing themselves of blessings.
God directed Paul to write these things.
God had not given Paul a commandment as to how much people should give. The tithe is the Lord’s. That is ten percent. In the Church age, all offerings should be given through the true local church. There are many organizations trying to get money from people. Politicians will also ask for donations. Politicians are already overpaid. Rather than taking taxpayer money to build their own empire, they should be using the money they are paid for the work they should be doing.
In the Lord’s Work, the Bible teaches that the workman is worthy of his meat. Those who labour in the Word should be supported by those who receive the Word. That is God’s design. In my years of ministry I have never insisted on a certain wage. I have told the church leaders that they know what it costs to live and I trust them to pay me accordingly. If the church was not able to meet our needs, we would take a side job to help cover our expenses.
The pastorate is not about making money. It is about serving the Lord. In all my years as a pastor, I have needed to take a side job at times, but the Lord has always looked after our needs.
In our text, Paul was teaching the saints in Corinth of the blessing they could receive in helping to support the material needs of those ministering to them.
In verse 9 Paul was directed to point to the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice that he spoke of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ left Heaven’s glory and willingly became a man, even a servant obedient unto death. He is the Creator of Heaven and earth, yet He was willing to set aside His glory in order to become a man and in order to go to the cross for us. He did not demand gifts from the people. He knew how to make food. He knew how to find the money needed to pay His taxes. As the Son of God He should not have had to pay taxes, but the Roman government did not recognize who He was. Many of the Jews did not recognize who He was. He never owned a house or any property while on earth. In reality He owned it all anyways, but He subjected Himself to earthly standards.
Money does not bring happiness and contentment. Material things do not last. Spiritual life is what matters. Laying up treasure in Heaven is what matters.
Jesus Christ became poor for us. Through His poverty we can be made rich. Again those riches is not material things. God does bless some saints with material wealth. He does that so that they can help saints that have a need. As Christians walk humbly with God, they will have discernment as to where the genuine needs are and they will cheerfully give to true godly causes.
In verse 10 Paul was giving his advice as an apostle. God was directing him in all he said. Paul acknowledged that a year ago the saints had begun a collection for the needs of others. They had been sidetracked with their sins. Now they had dealt with their sins and they needed to get back to looking after the material needs of the local church and those who minister among the saints.
This giving is not a drudgery to true saints. As mentioned, true ministers of the Gospel are not out to get rich. They are not building a mansion somewhere or building a big bank account. They do not need private jets to travel around. True ministers are faithful in the study and proclamation of God’s Word. Lay people are greatly benefited by having a godly minister in their midst who can teach them the Word of God. There are people who think they do not need a minister. They think they are wise enough to figure out what the Scriptures say. They teach their brand of heresy and they might find some who will tolerate their false teaching. They might be quite proud of their abilities. However, God is not impressed with that type of rebellion any more than He is with any other rebellion.
The true servant of God does not play favourites. He teaches God’s Word carefully and faithfully. Those who are not interested in Truth, will not submit to the Truth, and that is why they set up their own little club.
Paul was dealing with true saints here. They needed some encouragement in the matter of the grace of giving. They again proved they were true saints and thus they responded favourably to Paul’s instructions here.
Lord willing we will continue this portion tomorrow. It is important to submit to the will of God if you are a child of God. Unlike President Trump’s bad deal with Iran, God is righteous and He does not agree to bad deals. He does not negotiate. He has declared what is right and He never wavers from that. He provides man with the opportunity of knowing Him and of submitting to Him and knowing His blessings. There are thousands upon thousands of examples of people who have tried to manipulate God. All have failed. Hell will be full of people who tried that. Heaven will hold those who truly know God and have submitted to His authority. It is true that true saints will not be perfected until we reach heaven, but there is a stark contrast between those who are truly saved and those who are not. The lost hate that difference and for most, the solution is to try to silence the Truth. That is an impossible venture.
Pastor Bartel