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Pathways Through Paul
Daily Devotional
November 27
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Today's Pathway:
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In chapters 8 and 9 Paul talks to the Corinthians church about giving. He is not speaking about tithing, nor about sending money to him to support his ministry, but he is writing about sending a gift to the struggling believers in Jerusalem. Acts 11:27-30 gives a historical account of this crisis. It reads,
"And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul."
Before we go any further, it should be noted that the church at Antioch was willing to give of their money to help fellow Christians in Jerusalem even though they did not know them personally. Our churches today are usually willing to give money to certain missionaries (whom they have met) to assist their work, and perhaps to give benevolence to those in their own church who may be going through difficult times. But it seems rare that a church would send funds to help out a congregation in another state or another country that had been devastated by famine, or revolution, or a natural disaster. Perhaps we should consider following the example set for us in these chapters.
It should also be noted that Paul had just finished praising the church because of its repentance, and he concluded chapter 7 by stating that he had confidence in them "in all things". Now he is immediately going to challenge them concerning something that he had instructed them to do back in his first epistle. In I Corinthians 16:1-4 Paul admonished the believers in Corinth to take up an offering for the Jerusalem saints. Apparently, the church had not followed through on Paul's brief instructions concerning the offering, so now he spells out in detail numerous principles concerning giving. He opens by telling the Corinthians about the response of the Macedonians to the need. The churches of Macedonia would have included Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea. He tells the Corinthians first of all that what the Macedonians had accomplished was done by the grace of God. The Macedonians really did not have the ability to assist Jerusalem. Verse 2 tells us that they were suffering affliction and poverty themselves. Yet because of God's grace they were able to give to others in need. Adrian Rogers once defined grace as "both the desire and the ability to do the will of God". This may not be a textbook definition, but God's "unmerited favor" towards the Macedonians allowed them to accomplish something great for His glory.
Macedonia itself had been devastated by the Romans. Brian Bell wrote,
"The Romans had taken all their silver and gold mines, taxed the copper and iron smelting, canceled the right to cut trees for ship and home building, and had fought several civil wars on Macedonian soil.”
These believers had almost nothing materially. They were not simply in poverty, which means to be destitute and to live like a beggar, but they were in the depths of poverty. But in the midst of all these troubles they had a great abundance of joy because of their relationship with Christ. Because of this they abounded in giving. The word "abounded" means "to overflow". Their poverty coupled with their joy overflowed into a wealth of sincere generosity. They knew what it was like to have little of this world's goods, and they had the joy of the Lord, and these two things motivated them to give sacrificially to their brethren at Jerusalem.
Most of us do not have great material wealth. But we do have a great God Who gives us grace and joy. Is there something that God wants us to be doing with that?
Pastor Mark J Montgomery
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