2 Corinthians 8-9

The series has focused on 2 Corinthians 8-9 and Paul’s encouragement to the church at Corinth concerning generosity.

The city of Corinth was about 40 miles west of Athens in what was ancient Achaia. It was a thriving, cosmopolitan city known for its many gods, diverse culture and great wealth. The church of Corinth was planted by Paul during his second missionary journey (Acts 18). You can imagine that folks coming out of that lifestyle might carry some baggage with them, especially since the world around them didn’t change even though they had. They passed the same temples they once worshiped in on their way to work everyday. They interacted with the same folks who shared a totally different worldview everyday. They were surrounded with the same affluence and allure that it brought everyday. The same temptations… So Paul writes both of his letters to the Corinthians to encourage, equip, provoke, instruct, admonish and challenge them to live lives that reflect the truth that they (and we) are new creations in Christ. The old is gone, the new has come.

Two things that drove Paul…first, the gospel. His heartbeat. Only way to stop him was to kill him. Even through all the persecution that he faced (stoned, beaten, mocked, thrown in jail, run out of town…) he still couldn’t wait to share the good news that the Jewish Messiah was the Savior of the world. To his final breath… oh that we had such a passion for the gospel. To reach the lost and to build up the saints! That’s what IMPACT Promise is all about.

Paul had a desire to take up a collection for the church in Jerusalem. Both because of famine and because of persecution, believers there had fallen on hard times. Many had lost jobs, friends and family had abandoned them, and the religious leaders were actively pursuing them. As a former persecutor of the church, Paul knew what kind of suffering and persecution they had faced and were facing. So now he wants to help them out…motivated by the hope of greater unity within the church (Jew/Gentile) and by the desire to meet the needs of his brothers and sisters in the LORD living in Jerusalem.

A few of my takeaways from this series…the example of the churches of Macedonia. Crazy generous. Despite the desperate circumstances they were facing…“in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their generosity.” How is that possible? Suffering to joy, poverty to generosity. Because of the grace of God they had received. It overwhelmed them. And they really wanted to share that grace with others. Because of God’s grace.

Another takeaway…the example of Jesus. Though He was rich, yet for our sake He became poor, so that we through His poverty might become rich. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. That’s God’s grace. That’s the gospel…the generosity of God. “For God so loved the world He gave…”

Our greatest IMPACT is the one we make together. Serving alongside one another with an earnestness…a diligence…an eagerness…a zeal to reach the lost, expand the kingdom, and make Jesus more famous.

We have enough to be generous. If we make giving a priority, God will supply enough for our needs…not necessarily our wants…but our needs. And not only that, He gives us an abundance so that we can be even more generous. How could the Macedonians give generously with joy? How could the widow give all that she had? Because they trusted that God was able to make all grace abound to them. They trusted that God would provide for their needs. And God who provides the resources in the beginning also multiplies those resources when they are generously given.

Everything we have comes from the LORD. Everything. He has entrusted us with His resources. He provides the seed…time, talent, experience, gifts, money/stuff…and He expects us to invest those resources until He returns. Not in our own little kingdoms, but in His. Easy to say, but hard to do. It requires us to let go, rather than hold on. To recognize that we are not the main character in our story. He is. Our job is simply to say “yes” to Him. Parable of the Mina’s in Luke 19.

pro rege

This post is based on a sermon from our IMPACT Promise series. Download the podcast at: Central Christian Church Main Service, or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or Threads: @ccclancaster. You can also download our Central Christian app in the iTunes App Store.