II Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.
12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;
13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;
14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.
15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
In the news this week we hear of Muslims being given permission to hold a public call to prayer in Regina on Friday for the first time. They have permission to do so on Friday for one month as a trial. They want to do so every week. Apparently the speaker system is powerful enough to beam that noise for one kilometre.
It is shameful that the province of Saskatchewan and the city of Regina would allow this invasion of a cult to disrupt the lives of others. I do not believe they would allow a true Christian to beam a true prayer to the True God in the same manner. In fact a true Christian would not do that. The God of true Christianity is the only true God, but He does not force Himself upon anyone. He makes it abundantly clear that all people, including Muslims, will answer to Him one day. There is no Allah except in the imagination of the Muslims. The Muslims should be thankful that the God of Creation allows them to breathe His air and drink His water and eat food produced on His ground. Islam is not just a religion. It is an all encompassing ideology which leaves no room for dissent.
True Christians need to wake up. There are many false religions who have joined the ecumenical movement or the New Evangelical movement who have made a mockery of the true God for a long time. Rick Warren, a Southern Baptist, came out with the phrase: “Chrislam” some years ago. Other false religions like Islam have no fear of God or of Christianity because that brand of Christianity is a mockery of the true God.
The Bible warns:
Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
As we continue our study of II Corinthians, we can see very clearly that God is very concerned that His true children behave like His children. He has expectations. He does not just shrug His shoulders when His true children disobey Him.
Hebrews 12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.
John 3:16 tells us that God loves the world. That is very true. There is a uniqueness to the love of God for those who are truly born again. They are adopted into His family and His Holy Spirit dwells in each true child of God. The Holy Spirit works within the true child of God to move that person to grow in the Lord. That is what Paul was directed to deal with in II Corinthians. That letter was not just for the Corinthian saints of the first century. That letter is meant for every generation of born again Christians.
In chapter 9 Paul was continuing to teach the importance of using the grace of giving to help fellow believers. There is no such a thing as a universal church on earth. Each true church is a local assembly with its own governing body. Each true local church has the same Head and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. Each true local church needs a truly born again Christian man as their pastor/teacher. No true church has a woman for a pastor.
In verse 10 Paul used the example of the farmer who sows the seed. The amount of seed he sows, is a fraction of the seed he harvests in the fall. God grants the increase of seed so that it can feed the people. In the spiritual realm, the little that we give to the work of God, is multiplied by God to do far more than we could even imagine. Notice that it is not the giver that gains the increase. It is the cause of Christ that is advanced with the gifts of the godly giver. The apostle Paul did not get rich off the gifts of the people. The people who gave did not get rich off of that either. It was the fruits of righteousness that increased. The Gospel went out to more areas and more people were saved. We are talking of true Biblical salvation, not the fraudulent claims made by so many today.
True salvation changes the heart and life of the saved person. We see in verse 11 that there is an enriching of the spiritual life through godly giving. This spiritual growth causes thanksgiving in the heart of those who minister the Gospel. The Bible tells us there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repents. There will also be joy on earth among true saints over one sinner that repents.
In reference to our opening remarks, there would be great joy in heaven and on earth over one Muslim that would repent. Iran is a clear picture of a Muslim state. They have killed off thousands of their own people for not bowing to their ungodly demands. Most of those who died were not saved, but they also did not want to follow Islam. In an Islamic country, you do not have a choice. You either submit to them, or you face threats and death. We have even seen where politicians from our country have gone to a Muslim country and they put on Muslim attire. They are not doing that just out of respect. They do not have a choice.
God shows us that He has high standards for His people. He expects His people to meet those standards. He does not force those standards on others. Christianity is not an outward conformity to some laws. It is a heart change that then produces godly conformity to God’s standards.
In verse 12 we are further taught that when God’s people conform to His standard it will have a positive impact on others. When ungodly people see the fruit of godly living, it will cause some to want the same and others to appreciate the character of the saints. It used to be that a true Christian was appreciated in the work force because they were honest workers who could be trusted to do a proper day’s work. Now, due to the fact that the majority of “Christians” are frauds, that is no longer the attitude. Today’s average Christian swears and cheats and drinks just like the person who does not profess to be saved.
Paul is addressing true saints. In verse 13 we read of the “experiment”. An experiment is done to prove something. God’s Word is true and the fruit of the application of God’s Word will produce a certain result. It is not a maybe, but a certainty. Any community is blessed to have a true church in it. Many times the lost do not realize that, but true Christians do not go around stealing or vandalizing property. They do not shoplift in the stores. The further a community gets from the fear of God, the more trouble will be there. Big cities have much more crime than smaller communities, at least so far. Certain cultures are also known for more violence than others. However, anywhere true Christians are found, violence and theft will not be an issue.
In verse 14 we continue to see the benefit that true saints provide. This is all in the context of the grace of giving. When God’s people behave like God’s people should it benefits all. You do not need to raise taxes for a welfare state when true Christians are living in an area. I read recently of government employees who stole CERB money because they could. Some have been caught and are being threatened with firings and their union says that is not fair. It most certainly is fair. The CERB was supposed to look after those who could not work due to government overreach. The government employees received full payment even if they stayed home and pretended to be working. No one checked up on them. There is much abuse in the government workforce, from the Prime Minister on down.
In verse 15 we see the further exaltation of God for His unspeakable gift. God’s gifts are beyond human description. They are gifts that mere mortals cannot produce. No matter how much people try, no one can out do God.
Pastor Bartel