The Scriptures teach us that all saved believers are brothers and sisters. This is regardless of where we live, or what race or nationality we are. We are all members of the Body of Christ, and when one part of the Body is in need or suffers, we all suffer (I Corinthians 12:25-27). In our Scripture passage today, Paul is urging the believers in Corinth to step up and help some fellow believers in another land.
At the time of Paul’s writing of his second letter to the Corinthians there was devastating famine in the land of Judea (Acts 11:27-30). The church in Jerusalem was hit really hard. Believers there were overwhelmingly from a Jewish background. One reason an event like this would be particularly hard-hitting for them is that when they became Christians, accepting Jesus as the Messiah, very many would have been disowned by their families, and/or lose their jobs. Becoming a Christian was costly for them. This famine, lasting a number of years, hit very hard for the members of the church in Jerusalem, and there was nowhere for them to turn.
Paul, keeping in close contact with the other Apostles in Jerusalem, knew about the terribly desperate condition the believers were there, and he wished to do something to help. As he traveled on his missionary trips throughout present day Greece and Turkey, he told the newly formed churches about the condition of their believing brothers and sisters in Jerusalem.
While Paul was in Corinth establishing the church there, the believers made a pledge to collect money to help. On Paul’s third missionary journey in that area, in addition to bringing the Gospel, Paul was collecting what the various churches had given, and that is where our narrative picks up. The church had made a pledge a year or so before, but had yet to collect it, and Paul is urging them to do so. He told the Corinthians that the churches in Macedonia (namely Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) had given generously, even though they were poor (vs 1-2). Macedonia was a more economically depressed area, whereas Corinth was a prosperous port city. The Macedonian believers begged Paul for the opportunity to be partners in supporting the church in Jerusalem (vs 4). They saw it as a privilege, not an obligation. Macedonia gave sacrificially. Paul urged the Corinthians to follow their example.
An important point is not so much the amount we give when helping others or giving to the church, but how and why we give. God doesn’t want us to grudgingly give. We should give to help others out of dedication to Christ, love for fellow believers, and the joy of helping those in need. In verse 3 we read that our giving should be according to one’s ability. If you don’t have much, naturally you can’t give as much, and no one should look down on that. Paul also said that one’s giving should be done freely. Church leaders should not coerce, intimidate or otherwise make one feel guilty to give. It should be done freely from the heart.
God wishes us to actively show our love towards others, not just talking about it. Right then the Corinthians had just been talking about helping their brothers and sisters in Judea. Now they needed to act, and follow through with their words. We, too, should help those who are suffering and in need. This will glorify God and draw the lost to Jesus. God has given to us so that we can share with others.
Jesus has given us the perfect example (vs 9). He, as the second Person of the Trinity, is God and had all the splendor and glory of heaven, all of creation, and the universe at His disposal. He willingly gave all that up to take on a lowly human body and come to earth, all for love of us.
Some people might be afraid to give because of fear we might not have enough for ourselves. Our finances do not depend on the world’s economy, but on the economy of God. Show the devil we are people of faith, not people of fear.
No comments:
Post a Comment