2 Corinthians 8:1 through 2 Corinthians 8:24
1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 
2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. 6 So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But just as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us?-see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."?

Situation: Relief offering for Christians in Jerusalem who were faced with high food prices due to famine.

Response: Corinthians had vowed to help but even though they were wealthy, had not carried out their pledge.
Macedonians who were poor had not been asked but they were willing to help and contributed out of their poverty because they put the Lord first.

Value- Macedonians valued the needs of their fellow Christians. The Corinthians valued their wealth for themselves.

As individuals we have the right to place different value on certain things. For example: One person may think that the most important thing that they can be doing this weekend is taking part in the annual deer hunt in Wisconsin. In fact, an estimated 750,000 people are in the woods and marshes this morning drawing a bead on that trophy buck. I don't argue that this is important to them. I don't begrudge the amount of time they spend getting ready for the hunt and equipping themselves. It's just not something that in this stage of my life I consider to be important.


On the other hand, I consider my hobby of building scale models to be of value to me. I have dozens of models (some of which I have built) and have invested quite a bit of money into tools and supplies for this hobby. My wife doesn't think it is very important. She informs me that when I die, she is going to throw them all out. The same choices in what we consider to be important can apply to the types of homes we live in, the clothes we wear, the vehicles we drive, our leisure activities, etc. We don't all have to value the same hobby or activity or type of possessions that we have.

However, since we are all professing Christians who say that Jesus Christ is our Lord and that we follow him, there are certain things that we are to all value with the same devotion and importance that Jesus placed on them. Love for God. Loving our neighbor as ourselves. The realization that a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. Trust in Jesus alone for salvation. The preservation of the true Word of God. Following God's commands. Etc.

This is very true when it comes to stewardship-how we use the gifts that God has given to us to support the Gospel ministry. Jesus put our salvation first. The apostles strived to preach the gospel in the face of brutal persecution. We are also to consider and to act on the opportunities we have to share the gospel and to support that important work.

This involves growing in the Word of God, trusting in Jesus' promises, witnessing to others about the Lord, encouraging fellow Christians, supporting full time workers in their call, meeting the physical needs of those who are in want.

But this doesn't always happen. (Which I can't understand because God's Word clearly teaches us that this a matter that we are all to be in agreement on.) Last year I noticed that a person from our congregation stopped at the plates we had out for our door offering for Christmas presents for our Mexican family through Mission to the Children. He pulled a large sum of money from his pocket. From that wealth he removed one dollar demonstrating the value that he placed on helping them out. I was sadly disappointed but not surprised. After all, isn't that what St. Paul describes here in his letter to the Corinthians. As we look closer at this response to an opportunity to support the gospel ministry, we will consider 

The Value that God Wants us to Place 
on the Gospel Ministry.

The Christians living in Jerusalem were in dire straits. In the midst of a famine food was scarce and what food was available was very expensive. Those in Jerusalem were practically spending their entire worth on just trying to survive from day to day.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the world, Christians were enjoying varying degrees of wealth and opportunity. The Christians in far off Corinth came up with a plan. Let's have a collection and send the money to Jerusalem to help them out. (Sort of what we do through our mission offerings and our Mission to the Children efforts.) Was their plan God pleasing? Was their pledge to not just say to their fellow Christians "Keep warm and well fed." but to also give them help a worthwhile cause? Yes it was. It was a mission that all Christians should have agreed on as being very important.


But what happened? 6 So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But just as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us?-see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
10 And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11 Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

They had started this project with their plans and with initial offerings but they had put it on the back burner and they were far from completing it. Therefore, St. Paul wrote to encourage them. He noted the gifts that God had given to them and their excellence in many areas (you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us.) 

Note well. Just because a Christian hasn't always give generously to the work of the Lord doesn't necessarily mean that they are a selfish, stingy, unconcerned person. In most cases they are devoted to the Lord and do indeed trust in him as they say. But they may need some additional encouragement based on reminding them what the Lord has done for them. 

St. Paul would do this. He noted their dedication. He reminded them of how Jesus had enriched them. He now compared their performance to the outstanding example of the Macedonians.

The Christians in Macedonia had not been asked to help with this offering. They were considered to be too poor due to their financial situation. But poverty cannot stop generosity. They pleaded to be a part of it and gave generously out of their poverty. Even today those who are considered to be poor give a greater percentage of their income to charitable causes than do the rich. St. Paul lauded them to demonstrate where true generosity comes from. They gave to the Lord first and then to this endeavor. His goal was that the Corinthians would also be motivated to give to the Lord first and then to this endeavor.


Application: What Paul wrote to the Corinthians can still guide us in our stewardship today. We have opportunities placed before us to give as to the Lord. It may be Mission to the Children, our Synod Mission Offering, the Sunday school, the Building Fund, the General Fund, the family down the street whose house burned to the ground, whatever. God instills in us the importance of giving to support the ministry in these various forms. Some members decide beforehand how much they will give based on their anticipated income and then carry out their pledge. Others give to the Lord the first fruits out of their paychecks and then spend the rest on other needs. For the most part, those who also demonstrate their love for the Lord by regular worship, Bible study, involvement in activities, and reception of the Lord's Supper will also be among the most generous contributors-demonstrating that they put the Lord first in everything.

Conclusion: We don't all have to agree that deer hunting is important or that building models has any value. We don't all have to put the same value on how nice of a car we drive. But when it comes to the importance of the Gospel ministry and the support of our church, I challenge you to find one passage in the entire Bible that says that this is not to be very important in our stewardship. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. Jesus has made us rich in faith, hope, love, and spiritual gifts. Use that wealth to support the ministry as of first importance so that together we can spread this message to precious souls purchased with the blood of Jesus. Amen.