Good morning!  Happy Mother’s Day!  I love the story about the 3^rd grader who wrote an essay about his mother.  He said, “Mom’s are special because they know how to wash your clothes. If they weren’t there you wouldn’t know how to make your supper and you probably wouldn’t want to eat it anyway.

 

Thanks to all the mom’s, stepmom’s, grandmas and great-grandmas who imagined, gave, prayed, scolded, and encouraged us into all the possibilities God has prepared for us.  AMEN?

 

Let’s open our Bibles to 2 Corinthians 8.  The first 12 verses of this chapter is an amazing lesson in the theology of giving!  By the way, did you hear about the 13 year old daughter who decided one Mother’s Day to step up to the plate and help her mother without being asked?

 

After dinner she walked over where mom was washing up the dishes, pulled her hands out of the dishwater, looked her in the eye and said, “Mom, this is your day.  Those dishes can wait until tomorrow!”   Hey, it’s a place to start!

 

2 Corinthians 8. Corinth was a wealthy seaport in western Greece. It was sophisticated and cosmopolitan. Paul established a church there on his 2^nd missionary journey not long after he had established a church in Philippi to the north in Macedonia. (formerly Yugoslavia)

 

In each place, Paul told the people about the struggle for survival going on in the mother church in Jerusalem. And these baby Gentile Christians responded with amazing generosity to help Jewish Christians they had never met. A year later, Paul is back in Macedonia (Philippi) writing to the church down in Corinth. Let’s read together…

 

 

Notice two things. First, generosity is a gift of grace. Generosity isn’t a law or a requirement, it’s a spiritual gift. It’s the fruit of a transformed heart.

 

Second, look at the string of words “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”   Things weren’t easy for the churches in Macedonia. They had plenty of reasons not to give. They were struggling with severe trial and extreme poverty. 

 

Struggle can either make us selfish/stingy, or compassionate/giving. The difference is the grace of God active in our lives! There’s obviously a God thing is going on in Macedonia!

 

Here’s the principle: When we share, God multiplies our blessing! When we hoard, we cut ourselves off from God’s blessing.

 

 

When the Macedonian Christians heard about the struggle in Jerusalem, they begged Paul to let them do something! How is this possible?

Paul gives us a clue…“And they did not do this as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.” 2 Cor 8:5

The order here is critical. Macedonia Christians didn’t give to impress anyone or gain favor. They first gave themselves to the Lord in response to what the Lord had done for them and the Lord transformed their attitudes from a theology of scarcity to a theology of abundance. From an attitude of entitlement, to an attitude of responsibility, from self-pity to joyful generosity.

 

That’s consistent with Scripture. Romans 12:1-2, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”  Rom 12:1-2

 

Jump down to verse 6. Paul has shared the example of the Macedonia Chrisitans, now he addresses the issues in Corinth.  “So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part.” 2 Cor 8:6

A year earlier, Paul had left young pastor Titus in charge of the new mission church in Corinth. Corinth was as rich as Macedonia was poor. Things seemed to have started all right in their fundraising for the mission appeal, but then they got derailed by strife within the fellowship and the appeal came to a standstill. Fear took control and they got turned in upon themselves.

 

Paul sends this letter to get things rolling again. Look at verse 7 “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.” Vs 7

 

Spiritual growth is a process. It begins when turn our lives over to the Lord and commit ourselves to regular worship. It deepens as we study the Bible and grow in our understanding. It matures still more when we step up to the plate and begin to serve in the fellowship.

 

The final step in our journey to spiritual maturity involves giving. And this is often the toughest battle. Martin Luther said that the pocket book is the last thing in a man to be converted. Why do you suppose that is? 

 

Throughout the Scriptures, money seems to be the last and most difficult idol to be toppled.  In fact, without God’s grace to set us free, we all too easily remain slaves of our possessions.

 

Look at verse 8 “I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.”  2 Cor 8:8

By using the word “test”, Paul is saying here that the exercise of giving builds spiritual muscles.  It’s where what we say believe gets turned into action.

 

Paul points to Jesus, “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.” 2 Cor 8:9

At our Tuesday morning men’s breakfast, John Voelker put it this way, “It’s not what flows into us that gives us joy and makes us wealthy, it’s what flows through us.”

Paul gives us the application in vs 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. Now finish the work, so that you eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.” 

 

I once heard a true story about a man who came to his pastor with a problem.  He said, “Pastor, I have a problem, early in my career I was living paycheck to paycheck. Things were tight but I was committed to tithing and the Lord always seemed to provide enough. But now the Lord has blessed us in amazing ways. The problem is, I’m making so much money, I can no longer afford to tithe on it!  I’m not sure what to do.” 

 

His pastor with a straight face said, “Wow, Bill that is a problem. Maybe we should pray that the Lord will reduce your income to the point you can afford to tithe again!”   

 

Did you know that waitresses hate to serve Christians because we are notoriously the worst tippers in the restaurant?  We gather together at the restaurant after our prayer groups and Bible studies and Sunday worship, we claim to God’s promise to meet all our needs according to this riches in glory and then refuse to pass it on in a decent tip to the waitress.

 

Something is disconnected between what we say we believe and how we live it out.  I confess to you, I’ve done that – but I never want to live like that again!  Let me tell you a little secret that can transform your life.  Are you ready?  We don’t give out of our abundance and experience poverty; we give out of poverty and experience abundance!

 

Can God change fearful hearts and make them joyful and generous? Can he give us a Macedonian kind of faith? Paul wrote these words to these Macedonians. “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”   Phil 1:6

Have you ever considered that that good work might be generosity!?

 

Just imagine what that might look like in your life? In our church?  What did Paul write about the Macedonians? “Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.”  2 Cor 8:3-4

This spiritual discipline of giving is not primarily about meeting needs. God doesn’t need our money to do stuff. 

 

The discipline of generosity is about the transformation of our souls, our minds, our attitudes. It’s about growing up and to become more like Jesus.  The conversion of our pocketbook is not for God’s sake, its for our sake.  And as that grace happens, just imagine the possibilities!