As Christians, we trust and follow the risen Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. And a major part of this is being sown into the larger fabric of the global church. Being part of God’s people is bigger than you as an individual and bigger than us as Dulin’s Grove Church. It’s being part of the global, historical church.
One big aspect of being part of the larger church is helping one another. Christians help other Christians even if they’re on the other side of the world. This is what 2 Corinthians 9:1-5 talks about.
How will this apply to you? Well, it’ll help you to respond to God’s Word in two ways:
- It will change your perspective and help you see that you’re part of something that’s bigger than yourself or your local church.
- It will challenge you to adjust how you manage your resources.
Changing Perceptions to Help Other Christians
First off in verses 1-2, the apostle Paul writes:
Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them.
Paul had been encouraging the Corinthian church for some time to gather funds to help the church in Jerusalem. This was an important theme of his relationship with them. Besides that, the greater idea of “ministry for the saints” is a major theme throughout the New Testament.
Jesus said that “all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). That means loving each other as individuals, but also as churches. If you remember, generosity was one of the defining characteristics of the early church. And Paul was really pleased for the Corinthians’ “readiness” to give.
Back then, such a large-scale fundraiser was a pretty new idea. It certainly came with unique challenges. For us, though, fundraising is pretty normal – but it still has some challenges:
- People and organizations are constantly trying to get us to donate to their cause. It’s a challenge just to know when to say “yes” and when to say “no.” If you give to one, you probably won’t be able to give to another.
- Many forces in our American culture work against generosity. We’re under the influence of individualism, consumerism, autonomy, independence and busyness.
We need to be ready to help other churches by changing our perception and disposition. This passage of Scripture will help us see ourselves as part of the global church. It’ll help us let go of individualism, consumerism, autonomy, independence, and busyness and instead embrace fellowship, generosity, mutual submission, dependence, and an intentional priority to minister to the saints.
Practical Ways to Be More Generous
By seeing ourselves as part of the global church, we’ll be better prepared to help. But, practically speaking, how do we do this?
In verse 3, Paul lays out practical steps he took to make sure the Corinthians were ready to give:
But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated – to say nothing of you – for being so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.
Paul helped the Corinthians prepare practically so they could actually get this thing done. He wasn’t relying on this just coming together by chance. Instead, he sent brothers ahead to ensure the offering would be collected.
Prompt willingness and practical preparation are not contradictory. Some people think that Christianity is all about Holy Spirit spontaneity – just on-the-spot generosity. But that’s only one aspect of Christian generosity. There is a spontaneous side to Christian generosity, but there’s also a preparation side to it.
Some Christians are dispositionally ready to be generous, but not practically ready. Their hearts may want to give, but because of habits and poor preparation, they’re unable to. On the other hand, some Christians are practically ready to give, but they lack the proper disposition. They have the resources and means to be generous, but their hearts aren’t in the right place.
The simple message from this is . . .
It’s okay to take financial steps in preparation to be generous. We don’t have to just rely on spontaneous generosity. When both our hearts and habits are ready, then we’ll be able to give willingly, joyfully and without regret.
You may be really deep in debt or tangled up because you can’t figure out a budget that works. If so, take it to God in prayer! If you’re honestly seeking ways to be more prepared to be generous, He will help you figure it out.
In closing, here are two things to remember:
- see yourself as part of something bigger than just yourself or your church
- consider how you can adjust your resources so you can be ready to help
If you have any thoughts or questions about all this, please leave a comment below.
Featured image by Bayu on Unsplash
