Our Relationships are Influenced by What Influences Us...

Yesterday we began engaging the subject of family relationship by looking at a section of a letter that a man named Paul wrote to an early church, called the Book of Ephesians. And it is in this letter that we see Paul explain to this church and to us here today, God’s desire and design for family relationships. God has a desire for how we are to live in our family relationships. And the Bible clearly provides for us God’s desire and design for families and for family relationships. But before revealing God’s desire and design for family relationships, Paul makes a statement that reveals for us a timeless principle about relationships. So let’s look at that statement together, which is found in Ephesians 5:18:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

In this verse, we see the Apostle Paul paint for us a timeless word picture that reveals a timeless truth about relationships: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit”. To help us wrap our minds around what Paul is communicating here, let me share a story that vividly illustrates this word picture. My freshman year in college, after a home football game, I gave a teammate a ride back to Indianapolis so that he could visit his family. Now by the time we left campus and made it to Indianapolis, it was already past midnight. My teammate lived in one of the tougher sections of the city. After dropping him off, as I waited at an intersection on my way back to the freeway, I watched as a very large and very drunk man stumbled to my car. As the man approached, I noticed that the front of his pants were soaked with urine. The man then reached my car, leaned across the hood, and proceeded to throw up all over the windshield and front of the car. After throwing up all over my car, the man then mumbled something and finished stumbling across the intersection and down the street.

Now if the Apostle Paul was riding shotgun with my on the trip, he would have called that man’s behavior dissipation. This word means to live a life that is of reckless abandon that is a waste. Instead of living according to God’s design and desire, this man’s reckless abandon resulted in a life that was wasting away toward destruction. Paul then contrasts the life of reckless abandon of a drunken man with someone who is filled with the Spirit. The Spirit here refers to the Holy Spirit. Paul’s point here is that we are to carefully consider our lives when it comes to what controls and influences their lives. Instead of being controlled by something that results in a life marked by reckless abandon and that wastes opportunities to live wisely in relationship with God and others, we are to live a life that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.

And it is in this word picture that we see the Apostle Paul reveal a foundational and timeless principle that impacts our relationships. And that timeless principle is that our relationships are influenced by what influences us. This morning, the timeless reality is that the level of health in our relationships is directly impacted by what influences or controls us. Whether you are a follower of Jesus or whether you are not sure you buy into Jesus and Christianity, your relationships are influenced by what influences you. Relationships do not occur in a vacuum; in every relationship there are external and internal forces at work in your life that influence the health of the relationships in your life. And here we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us the reality that to have the relationships that God desires and designed for us, especially when it comes to family relationships, require that we live a life that is influenced and controlled by the Spirit of God.

Now as you read that last statement, a natural push back that some of you may be feeling may be “well Dave, are you saying that only Christians can have healthy relationships? Because I know many Christians that have messed up family relationships and I know many people who are not Christians that have good relationships.” And I would respond by saying you are exactly right. There are followers of Jesus whose family and other relationships are marked by unhealthy tension and conflict. And there are those who reject the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that have what would be described as good relationships.

My response to this reality is that we can have good relationships and still not experience that relationship as God desires and designs it to be. And in many cases there are relationships that are influenced by good things, yet those relationships are not influenced by God things. And this reality reinforces the timeless truth that our relationships are influenced by what influences us.

Now a second question that arises here is “what does a relationship that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit look like? And how do I know if my relationships are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit?” That is a great question. And regardless of whether you are a Christian or not, a person can look at their relationships and the relationships of those around them and begin to recognize what influences and controls our relationships. And in the verses that follow, we see Paul begin to unpack four specific evidences that appear in relationships that are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. So let’s begin to look at them together, beginning in Ephesians 5:19:

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

In verse 19, we see Paul identify the first two evidences of a life that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. First, we see that the relationships of a person who is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit will be marked by conversations that are engaged in the encouraging of others and bringing glory to God. The phrase “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” here reveals for us the reality that during the days of the early church, followers of Jesus would not only sing songs, but would also recite creeds that informed and reinforced basic truths about God. In addition, early church services would have included the reading of a letter, like this letter that would have been written by an early church leader to encourage and teach the church.

And in the same way today, relationships that are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit will be marked with conversations that encourage others and shine a light on God. So this morning, what influences the conversations that occur in your relationships? Because our relationships, especially our family relationships are influenced by what influences our conversations.

Second, we see that the relationships of a person who is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit will be marked by a life that is lived with an attitude of worship of God. The phrase “singing songs and making melody with your heart to the Lord” can refer to singing or playing a musical instrument. The word heart is used to describe the center and source of a person’s being. Paul’s point here is that a person who is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit will, from the core of their being, live a life that is a response of worship to God. Their life will be a response of worship that influences and controls how they approach their relationships.

When a person is influenced by the Holy Spirit in this way, how easy do you think it would to be manipulative; to be codependent; to be passive aggressive or passive resistant? Do you think it would be possible to have family relationships that used one another if we lived a life that leaned into loving God with our total being and loving our neighbor as ourselves? So what do you worship? Because our relationships, especially our family relationships are influenced by what influences our worship.

Tomorrow, we will look at two more evidences that appear in a life that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. What are some influences that are active and at work in your relationships?

Family Daze...

Last week, we spent our time together as a culture celebrating the influence and impact that our mothers have in our lives through mother’s day. And as we move into the middle of May, our culture tends to lean towards family celebrations. There is mother’s day. There are the graduation ceremonies of our children. Then there is Memorial Day, which tends in many ways to mark the beginning of summer family activities. And there is Father’s Day.

Yet so often, when we think about families, when we think about family relationships, we can find ourselves thinking of our family days as family d.a.z.e. As parents, we can feel like we are walking through life dazed and confused by the actions of our children. As students transition to a new grade, to a new school, or to a new chapter of their lives, they can find themselves in a daze of fear and uncertainty. And as married couples, we can feel like we are walking though life dazed and confused as a result of unresolved conflict and unmet expectations in our relationships.

So during the next few weeks, we are going to spend our time together looking at family relationships. Our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to move our families from a place of dazed conflict and confusion to a place where every member would experience the family relationships during their days on earth that God has created and called us to experience. So during these weeks, we are going to spend most of our time together looking at a section of a letter that a man named Paul wrote to an early church, called the Book of Ephesians. And it is in this letter that we see Paul explain to this church and to us here today, God’s desire and design for family relationships.

Before we look at this section of this letter that Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, we first need to understand the context in which Paul’s wrote these comments. The first three chapters of the book of Ephesians describe all that God has done in order to bring us into the relationship with Him that we were created for. God the Father chose us and adopted us as His children; Jesus Christ rescued and redeemed us from our selfish rebellion and sin so that we could receive the forgiveness of our sin and enter into the relationship with God that we were created for. And as followers of Jesus, God gives us the Holy Spirit as a down payment and a seal that reveals the security that we have for all eternity.

Paul then begins Ephesians chapter four by imploring us, in light of all that God has done for us, to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. Paul then unpacks this statement throughout the remainder of his letter to this church about how our relationship with Christ should influence and impact our relationships with others. And it is in this context that we read the following in Ephesians 5:15:

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Paul begins this section of his letter by commanding the members of the church at Ephesus, and us here today to “be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise”. If Paul was here this morning and was to give this command to us in the language and culture we use today, this command would sound something like this: “carefully consider and take note about how you are conducting your life. Carefully consider how you are living your life”. Paul then makes a contrast between someone who conducts their life in an unwise manner as opposed to someone who conducts their life in a wise manner. An unwise person here is the person who does not exercise the proper discernment or wisdom when it comes to how they live their lives. The wise person here refers to someone who lives their life applying the understanding and wisdom that comes from God. Paul’s point here is that there is divine wisdom and understanding that is available to you, so make sure that you are living your life in a way that is exercising that divine wisdom and discernment.

Paul then provides the reason why we are to access and exercise this divine wisdom in verse 16. The phrase making the most of your time literally means to gain an advantage or opportunity. In other words, followers of Jesus are to take every advantage and opportunity to avoid what would be unwise. We are to take advantage of every opportunity to live wisely because the days are evil. The harsh reality is that life on earth is filled with plenty of activities and relationships that are morally and socially damaging and destructive. I mean, it is not hard to get involved in relationships or activities that are unwise, is it? And as parents is that not one of our greatest fears when it comes to our children? And students, is that not one of your greatest fears when it comes to the relationships that you have with your friends?

So, in verse 17, because of the timeless danger of relationships and activities that are damaging and destructive, Paul commands the members of the church at Ephesus and us here today to “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” When Paul uses the word fool here, it refers to someone who lacks good judgment. This word also conveys the sense of disregarding reality. In the Bible, a fool is a person who knows something is true, yet proceeds to live life as though it is not true. A fool is a person who says “I know the law of gravity is true” then proceeds to step off a ten story building.

Instead of living life in a way that consistently disregards reality, Paul states that we are to understand what the will of the Lord is. When you see the word will in our Bibles, most often this word refers to God’s desires for our lives. This morning, God has a desire for how he would like me to live my life in relationship with Him and one another. And God has a desire for how he would like you to live your life in relationship with Him and one another. And as we will see in the upcoming weeks, God has a desire for how we are to live in our family relationships. The Bible clearly provides for us God’s desire and design for families and for family relationships.

But before revealing God’s desire and design for family relationships, Paul makes a statement that reveals for us a timeless principle about relationships. Tomorrow, we discover this timeless principle.

So, do you carefully consider how you are living your life? Do you live your life in a way that disregards reality, or that leans into the wisdom and discernment that God provides.

When the Level of our Generosity Reflects the Generosity of Jesus...

Yesterday, we continued to unpack the timeless principle that the level of our generosity is reflected by the results. We discovered that the more generous we are in investing in God’s kingdom mission, the more generous He will be in providing us resources to further invest in God’s kingdom mission. When we reflect are generous we fulfil the divine expectation that we have to reflect Christ’s generosity by our generosity. And in the same way today, our heartfelt and joyous response of generosity reveals the reality of our relationship with Christ as we reflect Christ through our generosity. This is the case because the depth of our relationship with Christ and the level of our generosity is reflected in the results. Paul then reveals for us a timeless result that occurs when our generosity is reflected in the results, beginning in 2 Corinthians 9:11. Let’s look at it together:

you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

In these verses, we see Paul explain to the members to the church at Corinth a second reason why God graciously provides for us in a way that all of our needs are adequately met. The phrase all liberality, which we looked at last week, literally means a “no strings attached” attitude toward generosity. Paul’s point here is that God generously provides for us so that we can reflect His generosity by investing our treasure with “no strings attached”, with no expectation for reciprocation. And when we reflect God’s generosity in such a way, the result is a response of thanksgiving, or an attitude of gratitude from others. Paul then explains that this attitude of gratitude flows from a response of those in need having their pressing and profound needs met by those who reflect God’s generosity by generously investing in order to meet those needs. The generosity of the churches when it came to the famine relief fund for Jerusalem was causing all involved to consistently and repeatedly express an attitude of gratitude toward God.

And it was this attitude of gratitude by all involved that revealed the second result that occurs when our generosity reflects Christ's generosity: they will glorify God. Now when Paul uses the word glory here, this word literally means to influence one’s opinion so as to enhance one’s reputation. As a result of the generosity of the early church when it came to the Jerusalem famine relief fund, people’s opinions were influenced in a way that resulted in God’s reputation being enhanced. In verses 13-14, we see three ways that the early churches generosity resulted in God’s reputation being enhanced.

First, God’s reputation was enhanced as a result of the early churches obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ. In other words, God’s reputation was enhanced because the early churches generosity served as an expression of their allegiance to following Christ. They did not just talk the talk when it came to being a follower of Jesus; they walked the walk. They actually took following Jesus seriously enough that they reflected His character and His conduct through their generosity.

Second, God’s reputation was enhanced as a result of the early churches liberality, or “no strings attached” attitude when it came to their generosity to meet the needs of the church at Jerusalem. There was no expectation for reciprocation; the early church simply loved and served their needs through their generosity. And in the same way today, God’s reputation is enhanced when we generously invest our treasure in God’s kingdom mission in a way that demonstrates our allegiance to Christ and His mission that is genuine, authentic, and without strings attached.

Third, God’s reputation was enhanced as the members of the church at Jerusalem expressed their strong desire for God to continue to be active and at work in the lives of these early churches through prayer. They yearned; they had a strong desire to partner with these churches as a result of their generous investment in their lives. And as Paul wrote this letter, he could not help but stop to express thanks for God’s gracious activity that he had the privilege to experience and witness. Because when our level of generosity is such that it results in the reflection of God’s generosity, God’s reputation is enhanced and God’s kingdom mission is advanced.

So what do the results of your life say about the level of your generosity? Does the level of your generosity result in God continuing to provide us the resources to further invest in God’s kingdom mission? What does your level of generosity reveal when it comes to the depth of your relationship with Christ? Does the level of your generosity result in the opinions of others being influenced in a way that God’s reputation is enhanced and God’s kingdom mission is advanced?

Are Christians required to tithe?

Yesterday, we saw Paul introduces the members of the church at Corinth, and us as well, to a timeless and true principle when it comes to generosity by way of a farming metaphor: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully”. And it is in this metaphor that we see Paul reveal for us a timeless principle when it comes to generosity. And that timeless principle is that the level of our generosity is reflected by the results. Paul then explains to the members of the church at Corinth that, in light of this principle, that each one must do just as he purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

We then looked at how many Christians use this verse used as a justification why they are not required to tithe. So, are Christians still required to tithe? My response to this question for those of us that would consider ourselves “new covenant Christians”(which we all are if you have a personal relationship with Jesus by the way)and justify that as a reason as to why you are not bound by the “10 percent rule”, here is a question to ponder: In light of all that God has generously done to rescue you from your selfishness and sin, what percentage do you think would reflect the heartfelt joy that you feel in response to His generosity?

Is the heartfelt joy that you feel as a result of what Jesus has done for you the same as the joy you feel when your waitress brings your meal to you at the restaurant? Because most people give that waitress 10%; I mean that is the cultural standard isn’t it? So, why are we so put off at the idea of giving God at least a tip when he comes to responding to His activity in our lives but we give almost no thought to giving a waitress a tip? You see, the level of our generosity is reflected by the results.

Now, you might find yourself pushing back against and objecting to everything you are reading here. For example, you may be thinking “well this is easy for you to say, Dave. How am I supposed to give like that and still be able to meet my needs and the needs of my family? You don’t understand my situation.” If I have described you, I just want to let you know that I am not surprised that you are pushing back against this. And I am not surprised that you may have objections to what I am saying. I am not surprised because I once sat in that same chair, so to speak, and pushed backed and had many of the same thoughts and objections that you are having.

And what is so great is that the objections and push back that I once had to this; the objections and push back that you may be having to this are not new: they have existed for thousands of years. And in the rest of this section of this letter, we see the Apostle Paul respond to the push back and objections that we can find ourselves having when it comes to the fact that the level of our generosity is reflected in the results. So let’s look at the first objection, which is found in 2 Corinthians 9:8-10:

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; as it is written, "HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER." Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;

In these verses, we see Paul respond to the push back and objection that “If I invest generously like you are calling me to, then I will not have enough to take care of my needs and the needs of my family”. The Apostle, anticipating this push back, replies by stating that God is able to make all grace abound to you. When Paul uses the phrase “all grace abound to you” here, he is referring to the exceptional effect that God’s generosity and activity can have in our lives. Paul then explains that God’s gracious activity in the lives of those who reflect God’s generosity by being generous results in them always having all sufficiency in everything. In other words, God is able to respond to our generosity by graciously providing for us in a way that all of our needs are adequately met.

But notice why God graciously and generously provides for us in a way that all of our needs are adequately met: “so that you may have an abundance for every good deed”. You see, God’s gracious generosity is not for our prosperity, as those in the prosperity gospel movement maintain. And God is not generous so that we can meet all of our wants and desires. Here we see Paul reveal for us the reality that God’s gracious generosity that provides to adequately meet our needs is divinely designed to enable us to reflect His generosity by meeting the needs of others. Paul’s point here is that as we reflect God’s generosity by generously investing our treasure in His kingdom mission to minister to others, God will graciously and generously provide so that we will always have what is adequate in all things. And as we always have what is adequate in all things, we are able to continue to reflect God’s generosity by being generous.

Paul then reinforces this reality in verse 9 by quoting from another letter in our Bibles, called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 112:9, we see the Psalmist explain that the person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ will reveal that reality through their generosity. Paul then applies this Old Testament verse to the situation at the church at Corinth, and for us here today, by explaining that God will continue to graciously and generously provide for us the resources to invest in His Kingdom mission to minister and meet the needs of others as we continue to reflect His generosity. When Paul states that God will supply and multiply your seed, this phrase literally means to defray the expense of something, in this case the cost of being generous, by providing more.

You see, the more generous we are in investing in God’s kingdom mission, the more generous He will be in providing us resources to further invest in God’s kingdom mission. The harvest of righteousness here refers to followers of Jesus fulfilling the divine expectation that we have to reflect Christ’s generosity in our generosity. And in the same way today, our heartfelt and joyous response of generosity reveals the reality of our relationship with Christ as we reflect Christ through our generosity. This is the case because the depth of our relationship with Christ and the level of our generosity is reflected in the results.

As Paul concludes this section of this letter, he reveals for us some timeless results that occur when our generosity rises to the level of Jesus generosity and is reflected in the results. We will look at those results tomorrow.

What is your opinion when it comes to the subject of tithing? Should we still tithe? What would be a good reflection of our response to the generosity of Jesus?

The Level of our Generosity is Reflected by the Results...

For the past two weeks, we have been discussing the subject of money and giving at the church where I serve. And this week I would like to continue talking about the subject of money and generosity by looking at another section of a letter that was written to this church that was located in Corinth, Greece. And in this section of this letter, we will see Paul reveal for us a timeless principle about generosity that many of us have heard, but may not have realized came from the Bible. So let’s look at it together, beginning in 2 Corinthians 9:6:

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul introduces the members of the church at Corinth, and us as well, to a timeless and true principle when it comes to generosity by way of a farming metaphor: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully”. And even today, this metaphor is still used in our culture. However, we tend to say it this way: “you reap what you sow”. This principle is also referred to as the Law of the Harvest. Now when Paul uses the word sparingly, he is referring to one who is meager when it comes to giving. The word bountifully, on the other hand, literally means generously.

And it is in this metaphor that we see Paul reveal for us a timeless principle when it comes to generosity. And that timeless principle is that the level of our generosity is reflected by the results. Paul’s point here is that the person who is meager or miserly when it comes to investing their treasure in God’s kingdom mission and to meet the needs of others will produce little or no benefit. By contrast, the person who generously invests their treasure in God’s kingdom mission and to meet the needs of others will see their generosity reflected in the benefits that are produced and flow from their generosity.

Now the important thing to understand is that this principle is neither good nor bad; this principle simply is. And while you can push back against or resist this principle, the principle is active and at work in my life and in your life. Regardless of whether you like this principle or don’t like this principle, you cannot avoid this principle: our level of generosity is reflected by the results.
Paul then explains to the members of the church at Corinth that, in light of this principle, that each one must do just as he purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And so often, in my experience as a pastor, I have seen this verse used as a justification why Christians are not required to tithe. The conversation usually goes something like this: “Well Dave, I am a new covenant Christian; I am not under the Law. And since God loves a cheerful giver, I am not bound by any percentage when it comes to giving. And since God does not want me to give if I am not cheerful then I only have to give what would make me cheerful. And what makes me cheerful is to simply give God my spare change”. They usually don’t say that part; that is my editorial comment.

But to understand what Paul is trying to communicate here, we first need to understand the meaning of several words and phrases. First, the phrase purposed in his heart literally means to make a decision beforehand. In other words, you should not be deciding how generous you are going to be when it comes to your giving as the offering basket is making its way down the row. If Paul was writing this today, he might say it this way: “You should have already decided what you are going to give and the check should already be written before the worship service starts. Paul then provides three reasons why we are to decide beforehand how generous we are going to be when it comes to investing our treasure in God’s kingdom mission through giving.

First, when we fail to decide beforehand we can find ourselves investing with an attitude of painful reluctance instead of gratitude. The phrase “grudgingly” literally means to be in pain of mind or spirit”. And for some of us, if we could paint the true picture of what is going on inside of us when we give during the offering, it might look like this: “here you go; this is so painfully hard, oh what I could do with this if I didn’t have to give it to God”. Now here’s the tough question: does that seem like an act of worship to you? Instead of investing our treasure with an attitude that giving is a delightful response to God’s generosity, giving becomes a duty that must be painfully endured.

Second, when we fail to decide beforehand we can find ourselves investing from pressure instead of pleasure. The phrase “under compulsion” literally means under pressure. “Oh no, here comes the basket, what should I give? I don’t know, I don’t know? What are those around me going to think if they see what I’m giving? Oh I’ll just throw in what’s in my hand” or “I’ll just put this number down on the check”. Now does that seem like an act of worship to you? Instead of investing our treasure in a heartfelt, joyful response of worship that reflects God’s generosity, we are hurriedly focused on the pressure that comes from beating the deadline of the basket and the pressure to impress the opinions of others.

Third, Paul explains that when we take the time to prayerfully decide beforehand how generous we are going to be when it comes to investing our treasure in God’s kingdom mission through giving, we are able give with an attitude of gratitude that reflects God’s generosity as a response of joyful worship. And it is this attitude of gratitude; it is this response of joyful worship that God loves. The investment of the treasure that God has given us through giving is an act of worship that is to be done out of a heartfelt and joyous recognition that God is our provider who owns everything and allows us to be stewards of all that He has given us.

So, if you consider yourself a “new covenant Christians” which you are if you have a personal relationship with Jesus by the way, and justify that as a reason as to why you are not bound by the “10 percent rule”, here is a question to consider: In light of all that God has generously done to rescue you from your selfishness and sin, what percentage do you think would reflect the heartfelt joy that you feel in response to His generosity? Tomorrow we will consider that question in greater detail.

Are you Generous?

This week we have been talking about the subject of generosity. And in a section of a letter written in our Bibles we discovered that Christ’s generous willingness to leave the riches of the glory of Heaven to live a beggar’s life and die an excruciating death should drive us to live a life that is motivated by love and that reveals and reflects Christ’s generosity. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous. Paul then concludes this section of the letter by challenging the church at Corinth to respond to this reality in the midst of the present situation at the church in Jerusalem, beginning in verse 10:

I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality-- at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, "HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK."

Paul explains to the church at Corinth that the reason for his point of view on generosity is not only theological in nature. In addition, Paul tells the church that their generosity is beneficial for them as well. The church at Corinth had a noble desire that they needed to actively follow through on and finish. However, the church was struggling with following through on the commitment that they had made over a year earlier. Paul wanted the church to be careful that their motivation behind the giving was proper and pleasing to God.

You see, there would be a temptation toward competition that could arise between the churches. The church at Corinth could become motivated to give sacrificially simply to show that they were as spiritual as the churches of northern Greece. Thus, their generosity would not flow from being exceptionally interested in reflecting Christ’s generosity through loving and serving others. This motivation would not flow out of the same ‘no strings attached” willing desire to invest their treasure to meet the needs of the church at Jerusalem. In verse 12, Paul addresses this possible temptation by explaining that what God finds pleasing and acceptable in terms of their generosity in giving will be based solely on a motive of reflecting Christ’s generosity through loving and serving others. And in the same way today, God is far more concerned with the heart attitude behind our actions. Our generosity is to be driven by our love for Christ and what He has done for us and motivated by a desire to reveal and reflect Christ’s generosity to others.

In verse 13, Paul responds to an addition exception that might be raised by the church. Paul explains that the purpose of the Jerusalem famine relief fund was not so the members of the church could get a new house, camel, or a new and improved affluent lifestyle. Instead, Paul explains that the purpose of the famine relief fund was to bring equality. Now it is important to understand that Paul here is not promoting socialism or income redistribution. The word equality here literally refers to a state or situation being held in proper balance. Paul then unpacks the application of equality in verse 14. At the time of the writing of this letter, the churches that were located in Greece had a surplus of resources. And by reflecting Christ’s generosity through the famine relief fund, they would be able to meet the pressing needs of the church at Jerusalem. In the future, Jerusalem may benefit from the blessings of a surplus of resources, while at the same time Greece may suffer from a famine. At that time, the church at Jerusalem would be in a position where they could reflect Christ’s generosity in a way that would meet their needs when it came to meeting pressing needs.

So by willingly reflecting Christ’s generosity, their generosity would result four positive results. First, reflecting Christ’s generosity would result in pressing and practical needs could be met. Second, reflecting Christ’s generosity would result in the unity and community of the different churches being revealed for the whole world to see. Third, reflecting Christ’s generosity would result in God’s kingdom mission being advanced. And fourth, reflecting God’s generosity would be result in something that could be reciprocated in the future, if the need arose.

And to reinforce his position, Paul quotes a section of the Old Testament found in Exodus 16:18. As the Jewish people were being led out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land, God provided manna in the desert for the Jewish people to eat. Every morning, the Jewish people would go out and gather the manna from the dessert. Some gathered a great deal of manna, while others were not able to gather as much. However, when the manna was distributed, each Jewish person received enough manna to meet their needs. The Jewish people willing gathered according to their ability and willingly shared with those who did not have the same ability. Paul’s point here is that the members of the church at Corinth, and us here today, are to respond to God’s activity in the world with an attitude of loving gratitude that reflects God’s generosity to others. Because we are to be generous because Jesus is generous.

So what does your generosity, or lack of generosity, say about your relationship with God? And what motivates you to be generous? Do you believe that Jesus is generous? And do you believe that you are to be generous because Jesus is generous? Does your generosity flow from an attitude of loving gratitude in response to Jesus is and what Jesus has done?

Reflecting and Revealing the Generosity of Jesus...

For the next two weeks, we will be talking about the subject of generosity. Yesterday we discovered that while a wealthy church located in southern Greece were dragging their feet when it came to following through on a commitment that they had made to another church, the persecuted and poor churches of northern Greece dove in head first in order to be a part of God’s activity in the world. And as a result of his experience with these poor churches in Northern Greece, Paul was provoked to respond to what was happening at the church in southern Greece. We see his response revealed for us in verses 6-7:

So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.

After experiencing God’s activity in the lives of these northern churches, Paul responded by sending Titus, who was partner of Paul’s who also planted a church on the island of Crete to Corinth in order to encourage the church to finish and follow through on the commitment that they had previously made when it came to participating in the famine relief fund for the church at Jerusalem. Paul explains to the church that just as they have excelled in their confident trust in God; just as they excelled in what they comprehended and grasped about the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel; just as they excelled in what they said when it came to doctrine and theology; they were to excel when it came to being a part of God’s activity through this famine relief fund.

You see, while the church at Corinth seemed to have their head, their mouth, and their heart engaged when it came to following Jesus, their hands were disengaged. While they excelled in many areas of what it means to follow Jesus, they were not excelling when it came to their generosity. Now a natural question that may arise for some of you is “why is generosity important when it comes to following Jesus? And does God really expect us to be generous? I mean, so I do not normally give; does that really matter? And why should I be generous and give when it comes to the church? I mean, this is why I feel like churches are just interested in my money.” If these are questions or objections that you have of have heard others have when it comes to the subject and generosity, I just want to let you know that these are fair questions to be asking. And as Paul continues in this letter, we see Paul answer these questions and reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to generosity and giving, beginning in 2 Corinthians 8:8:

I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

Paul explains to the church at Corinth the he is not commanding the church to finish and follow through on the commitment that they had previously made when it came to participating in the famine relief fund for the church at Jerusalem. Instead of giving an authoritative directive, Paul explains that their response to his call for them to finish what they started would be “proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.” But what does that mean? When Paul uses the word prove here, he is explaining that he will draw a conclusion based on their response to Titus’ encouragement to finish what they started. The conclusion that Paul will draw will be in regard to the churches earnest and diligent commitment when it came to their relationship with Christ and His people who form the church.

In other words, Paul had seen the diligent commitment that the northern churches of Greece demonstrated when it came to following Christ and being a part of God’s kingdom mission in the world. Paul had seen their sincerity or their genuine and authentic love for God that drives and motivates their attitude of gratitude and actions of generosity. Paul had seen that the churches of Philippi and Thessalonica reveal and reflect Christ by how they loved and served those both near and far. Now, Paul will be able to draw a conclusion as to how committed the church at Corinth is when it comes to following Jesus and being a part of His activity in the world. Paul will see what genuinely drives their relationship with God and His church. Is it gratitude and generosity, or is it something else? Now a natural push back that many people experience at this point is “what does my generosity have to do with the genuineness or depth of my relationship with Christ”?

Paul provides the reason why our generosity, or lack of generosity, is a barometer as to the depth and sincerity of our relationship with Christ in verse 9; “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” And it is here we see Paul reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to generosity. And that timeless truth is this: We are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous.

This morning, Jesus Christ was and is rich. He is the hands of creation. He owns everything. Jesus Christ is rich spiritually, relationally, and materially. And Jesus is generous. Paul explains that Jesus is so generous that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor. Now when Paul uses the word poor here, this word literally means to become poor as a beggar. Jesus entered into humanity and grew up in a blue collar home of a carpenter. During Jesus ministry He was homeless, relying on the support of others for food and shelter. Jesus left the riches of the glory and majesty of Heaven to live the life of a beggar on earth.

Paul then explains that the reason that Jesus left the riches of Heaven for the life of a beggar on earth was so that you through His poverty we might become rich. Jesus entered into humanity to live as a beggar and allowed Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives by dying the worst death possible by crucifixion so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life and bless us with the riches that come from the forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that we were created for in Heaven. And Jesus generosity had “no strings attached”; Jesus willingly became poor in order to provide us the opportunity to experience the riches of the life that we were created and called to live. I mean what did Jesus get out of the crucifixion? How did Jesus entry into humanity benefit Him?

And the churches of Philippi and Thessalonica and northern Greece got this reality. Their generosity flowed from an attitude of gratitude for what Christ had done to rescue them from their selfishness and sin. Their generosity flowed from a response of love and a desire to reflect the love of Christ to the church at Jerusalem and the world. Paul saw this response to who Jesus was and what He had done for these churches as confirmation of the firm commitment that they had to Christ and His kingdom mission.

And in the same way today, Christ’s generous willingness to leave the riches of the glory of Heaven to live a beggar’s life and die an excruciating death should drive us to live a life that is motivated by love and that reveals and reflects Christ’s generosity. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous. Paul then concludes this section of the letter by challenging the church at Corinth to respond to this reality in the midst of the present situation at the church in Jerusalem. We will look at Paul's challenge tomorrow.

So, how does Jesus generosity impact you when it comes to your generosity?