Download 5751U ADELAIDE SPECIAL EFFORT

5751U
ADELAIDE SPECIAL EFFORT - 1993
PAUL THE ALMS-BEARER
Speaker: Bro. Roger Lewis
Study #3: Exhortation - An appeal for enthusiastic support of the fund
Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:1-9
Brother chairman, and my dear brethren and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well then, this morning by way of exhortation, we come to a consideration now of 2
Corinthians 8 and 9, which forms the essential part of these studies, Paul the
Alms-bearer. You'll remember that we've looked by way of our first two studies
yesterday, at the background and the circumstances that lead to the writing of these
two particular chapters. We saw how the fund that was being collected by the apostle at
this time, lay in danger of being discontinued because of the apathy of the Achaian
ecclesias, and whilst in Macedonia as Acts 20 tells us, in order that he might complete
the collections in that place, we believe that the apostle Paul penned these two
chapters and sent them back with Titus, in an endeavour to so implore the hearts of the
brethren, that they would favourably respond and that the fund might be therewith
completed.
Well, this morning by way of exhortation therefore, we come to the first 9 verses of this
8th chapter and we notice in the first verse that the apostle says here, 'Moreover,
brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the ecclesias of
Macedonia', we do you to wit says the text, and it's a little unfortunate in as much as the
AV here in these two chapters and in fact, we might say in the whole of the epistle, is a
little bit difficult at times, and often includes Old English archaisms. So what we're going
to do in the course of these studies, from time to time, we will be quoting quite
extensively from other translations, in order to capture the spirit of the text itself. So
when the first verse says 'we do you to wit of the grace of God', the RSV says, 'we want
you to know about', and that's really what it means. 'Moreover, brethren, we want you to
know about the grace of God bestowed upon the ecclesias of Macedonia'. Here in the
word 'grace' then, we have as we've said before, the key word of the whole story; you'll
remember when Barnabas came to Antioch, he saw the grace of God and was glad.
You'll remember when the apostle came down to the Jerusalem conference that the
battle might be joined with those who desired to circumcise the Gentiles, that the real
issue was encapsulated in two key words 'Law vs. Grace'; two different motive spirits
the life in the truth. That's the key word of these two chapters, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9,
the word GRACE or the Greek word 'charis' (5485); it's used 10 times in these two
chapters, 10 times that's 5 twice. The grace of God to both Jew and Gentile, isn't that
what the apostle is writing about? it's the key word of these two chapters and it's going
to become the recurring theme as the apostle speaks about what is in effect, the
collection of money, but the apostle perceived it as 'the operation of the Spirit of grace
-2in the lives of the believers.
Notice what he says here, he says 'we want you to know about the grace of God
bestowed on(1325) the ecclesias', but most texts would render it differently. It's
rendered by the Rotherham's translation, by the RSV, by the Jerusalem bible, as 'given
in the ecclesias', the term in the Greek does not mean 'bestowed on', it means more
literally 'given in'; the Amplified bible says 'the grace of God evident in the ecclesias. So
what was the grace of God that was evident in the ecclesias of Macedonia? and the
answer is that the grace of God that was evident there was actually their own generosity
of spirit, that's what the grace of God was evident in these ecclesias. But what the
apostle Paul does here is he attributes that to God's influence in their lives. It was
actually their own generosity that he's writing about, but he attributes it to the influence
of God upon them, that they might respond to His grace and give graciously to others.
So this spirit of graciousness was indeed, to be seen evidently in the ecclesias of
Macedonia.
So the apostle begins his appeal now to the ecclesias of Achaia by quoting from the
first to the fifth verses of this chapter, the wonderful example of the Macedonian
ecclesias. Verses 1 to 5, the example of the Macedonians, their spirit of gracious giving,
the grace of extreme generosity. How extreme their generosity was, is to be seen in the
second verse, because the apostle goes on to say how that 'in a great trial of affliction
the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their
liberality'. So they were experiencing great trial of affliction, says the record, and we're
told in 1 and 2 Thessalonians that the trial of affliction that they were experiencing at
this time was in fact, persecution; they had experienced persecution from the Jews and
persecution from the Gentiles-1 Thessalonians 2 verses 14, 15, 3 verse 4, and 2
Thessalonians 1 verse 4 all tell us that the ecclesias of Macedonia were experiencing
persecution at that time.
Oh, yes, they had a great trial of affliction, and it wasn't just affliction, it wasn't just trial,
because you'll notice that later in the verse they were also suffering from deep poverty
at this very time. In fact, we're told historically that the region of Macedonia had been
subject to a famine just a few years before, there had been a very grievous famine in
this area of Macedonia and Achaia only shortly before. What had then happened was
that the Macedonian metal mines which was one of their chief sources of revenue, had
been confiscated by the Romans. If that wasn't bad enough, the Romans had at this
very moment that the apostle writes, had imposed a grievously heavy taxation on the
area of Macedonia; so they suffered from famine, they'd loss their chief source of
revenue, they had had a heavy taxation imposed upon them, and hence the term in 2
Corinthians 8 verse 2, the Macedonians at this time were experiencing deep poverty at
the time they gave for this collection.
Now who was this collection for? This was a collection, b&s, for the poor saints in
Jerusalem, and what the apostle is saying is that at the time the Macedonians gave for
the poor saints in Jerusalem, they themselves were experiencing the deepest of
poverty. They didn't have anything to give, and yet notice how the terms are set in
juxtaposition in this verse; on the one side, great trial, on the other side, abundant joy.
-3On the one side deep poverty, on the other side, rich liberality, what a startling paradox
of these ideas that are contained in this verse; Moffatt translates it this way, 'amid a
severe ordeal of trouble, their overflowing joy and their deep poverty, have poured out a
flood of rich generosity'. How could that be? it's almost a contradiction in terms, isn't it?
the Jerusalem bible says, 'throughout great trials by suffering, their constant
cheerfulness and their intense poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity'. Out
of nothing, they gave generously! it's a remarkable spirit, b&s, and you know, isn't that
often the case in ecclesial life that often when there is great need and a need for
response, that often those that somehow seem least able to give, give the most. That's
a demonstration of the grace of God at work!
These brethren didn't have anything to give, they were in desperate need themselves,
and Paul says, 'they overflowed with generosity' for that collection for the poor saints in
Jerusalem. Do you see what he says in verse 3, 'For to their power, I bear record, yea,
and beyond their power they were willing of themselves'. The word 'power' is 'dunamis'
(1411) it's used here in the sense of 'ability or means', to their ability, he says, I bear
record, and beyond their ability. I bear record, says the apostle, because you see, in
chapter 7 on the same page, back in chapter 7 verse 5 it says, 'For when we were
come into Macedonia', and we remember, you see, that he's writing this epistle to the
Achaian ecclesias whilst he's still in Macedonia. So when he says in the 3rd verse that
they gave according to their ability as I bear witness, he was there at the time! Paul
says, I know, I know their circumstances, he says, I'm here with them, at the very time
that I'm writing this letter, he knew their circumstances, he'd witnessed their poverty,
he'd also witnessed their response, how they had given according to their ability and
beyond, as he himself was prepared to testify. The RSV says 'for they gave according
to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means of their own free will', as the
end of the verse says, 'of their own free will'. That was the key, wasn't it? to this
collection, because you see, all along, this collection as far as the apostle was
concerned was going to be that which grace could inspire, so every penny had to be
given spontaneously and voluntarily. He couldn't demand this of them, and so he
stresses that the Macedonians not only gave out of deep poverty, but they were willing
to give; the Jerusalem bible translates the final phrase of the 3rd verse, 'and they gave
it quite spontaneously', he says. The Amplified bible says 'voluntarily', there was no
compulsion of Law here, now that's the principle of grace at work in the truth, isn't it?
that in proportion as we appreciate that God has been gracious to us, that we freely and
willingly and spontaneously give of ourselves in return for the advancing of the truth.
That's the spirit of grace in the life of the believer, isn't it? that's the motive power that
will inspire us to do more than Law could ever make us! So the moment in ecclesial life
that we have to be asked to do something, ASKED TO DO SOMETHING, then part of
that spirit of giving spontaneously is lost, isn't it? The Macedonians didn't need to be
asked, they already had a willing spirit to give, isn't that what the truth should be all
about?
Look what it says in the 4th verse, just look at this spirit! 'Praying us with much entreaty'
says the record, that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the
ministering to the saints'. Now the AV again here in this verse, is a little misleading; first
of all, the phrase 'that we would receive', is not actually in most texts, it ought to be
-4admitted, the phrase 'that we would receive', it's not in the most ancient of manuscripts,
nor is the phrase 'take upon us', which is already rendered in italics later on in the
verse. So if we were to read the verse without those sections, we have at least in the
AV these words, 'Praying us with much entreaty the gift, and the fellowship of the
ministering to the saints'; now the word 'gift' here is the word 'charis' (5485), it's the
word for grace, but in this particular case it's used here, we believe, in the context of
meaning 'favour', 'praying us with much entreaty the favour', and the word 'fellowship' is
the word 'koinonia' (2842) which means of course, that which has to do with
participation, with sharing. So what verse 4 is really saying is that they prayed with
much entreaty for the favour (charis) of participating (koinonia) in the ministering to the
saints. That's what they really did, the RSV translates the phrase, now listen to this,
'begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints'. That's what
that verse means! the Jerusalem bible says, 'begging and begging us, for the favour of
sharing in this service to the saints'; the Macedonians didn't wait to be asked, b&s, they
begged and begged the apostle that they might join in, and they entreated him over and
over again that they might have the favour of participating in those things that would
help to bring relief to the saints. What a marvellous spirit that was! begging the favour
of taking part!
Now there's a test for our spirit and our attitude in ecclesial life! A working bee at the
hall, sweeping gutters, roof, walls, begging for the favour of taking part. Pamphlet
distribution, 30,000 pamphlets, 42 degrees, begging for the favour of taking part. Is that
our attitude? Whatever circumstance that might be that needs attention in ecclesial life,
is that our spirit the spirit of the Macedonians, earnestly entreating for the favour of
being able to share in that work. What a marvellous attitude that was! and by the way,
b&s, it applies to our collections of money as well; you know what it's like in the
ecclesia, the bag starts to come round, the organ plays, and we're lost maybe thinking
about the exhortation as indeed we should, and the bag comes round and we put
something in the bag, whatever we can find in our pockets; 'I wonder what the collection
is for today? well it was actually for bible mission activity today, and you wanted to beg
the favour for taking part? is that how you put your money in the bag? that should be
our attitude, shouldn't it? I'll tell you, this spirit of these ecclesias was absolutely
outstanding, and what was the secret of their success?
Verse 5, here's the key! surely this is the key, verse 5, 'And this they did, not as we
hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God'. When
it says, 'this they did not as we hoped' again, the word 'hoped' doesn't really mean that
in the 5th verse, it sort of implies that the apostle was a bit disappointed by the
Macedonians, that they hadn't done quite as he hoped; it's actually quite the reverse in
terms of the meaning of the text. It doesn't mean that Paul was disappointed, what it
really means is that they had exceeded his expectations. Moffatt translates the phrase,
'they have done more than I expected'; the apostle saw their state and didn't really
expect much in the way of response at all because he knew they didn't have much,
but the surprising thing was that they did far in excess of what the apostle actually
expected them to do. What was the secret of their success? Where came this
tremendous attitude of seeking the favour of sharing in the relief of the saints? well,
here's the key verse 5, and just look how every word here is weighted with significance,
-5'because they first gave their own selves to the Lord', there's the key, isn't it? there's the
key to that attitude in the truth. THEY FIRST GAVE THEIR OWN SELVES TO THE
LORD, the word 'first' here is the word 'proton' (4412) and it means 'first in time, first in
place, first in order, first in importance' and that's what the truth is all about, my dear
brethren and sisters, and it's one of the things that we make vow concerning particularly
when we assemble around the emblems of our Lord, Sunday by Sunday that the truth
does come FIRST in everything. Isn't that what the Macedonians had done? that truly
they had put the truth first? In putting the truth first, they learnt the spirit of giving, they
GAVE, and before they ever gave their money, they gave their own selves to the Lord.
So you see, the spirit of giving is what the truth is all about, but the secret of learning to
give generously in the work of the truth, starts first of all, with our own personal
dedication to the Father. We must first give our own selves to the Lord, and when we
learn to put the truth first in our lives, then everything else will flow as a natural
consequence of that spirit, including our collections.
So you see, their money was only an indication of their underlying spirit and attitude,
wasn't it? It was the giving of the brethren themselves that so delighted the apostle,
well, we come to take up that spirit today, in our own time of activity for the truth. Do we
really put the truth first? You know, every day of our lives, b&s, there are so many
practical demands that are made upon us, where the truth comes into conflict with
everyday life; 'oh I know that's important for the truth but I've got something else to do
right now!' FIRST GAVE THEMSELVES, do we really put the truth first? it's a good
thing to ask ourselves especially as we renew our vows before the Father this day. Do
we really believe that the truth comes first? in everything in life? That was the secret of
the Macedonians! and out of desperate poverty because of that attitude, they were
somehow able to overflow with wealthy and rich generosity. So in these 5 verses the
apostle provides for the Achaians to emulate that marvellous spirit of generosity that
was so apparent in the ecclesias of Macedonia.
So he says now he says in the 6th verse, 'And so we desired Titus, that as he had
begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also'. They desired Titus, why did
the apostle desire Titus to complete that word? Well, of course, you see, it was Titus
who had been dispatched to Corinth, we believe, with the intermediate letter. As a result
of Titus' labours with the ecclesia there, the spirit and the mind of the ecclesia had been
restored to the apostle, and Titus came back up to Macedonia and said to Paul, 'All's
well, Paul, and the hearts of the brethren are with you', and no doubt in the very course
of Titus' earlier labours there, he had also said to the ecclesia, 'well, if you really are
behind the apostle again, I know he would like you to start those collections, they're
very important to him'. So Titus had encouraged the ecclesia to begin again, or begin
afresh, the taking up of those collections for the Jerusalem poor fund, and so now as
Paul sends back Titus again, this time with the second epistle, he says, 'Inso much as
we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you, complete in you,
the same gracious work'. Did you notice what he said? He said, he desired that as he
had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace'; the same grace is what? the
same grace is who? the same grace as the Macedonians! Not just the giving of their
money but the same spirit with which it would be given! That's what the apostle wanted!
-6He's really talking about the collection but he doesn't say, does he, b&s, that we desired
Titus that he'd finish in you the same collection also? No, he wanted the same grace
to be finished; it was the motive spirit that was so important, it was Paul's desire that
Titus would encourage them to make a generous and enthusiastic response to the poor
fund appeal, after the manner of the Macedonian ecclesias. So Moffatt translates the
phrase, and I'm sure, correctly captures the spirit of the text, 'that we should ask Titus,
he says, 'to complete the arrangement for the same gracious contribution among
yourselves', and so the apostle now in verses 6 to 8 therefore, makes his personal
appeal to the Achaian ecclesias that they also might give a similar demonstration of
their love for the things of the truth!
Look how he puts it in the 7th verse! 'Therefore, he says, as ye abound in every thing,
in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in diligence (and look at this one) and in your love to
us'. In your love to us, if you come back to the 7th chapter again, and to the 7th verse,
remember these words, we must remember that this story is against the background of
recent reconciliation between the apostle and the ecclesia and so he says in the 7th
verse, 'And not by the coming of Titus only, but by the consolation wherewith he was
comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent
mind toward me'. So I believe, that in this 8th chapter as the apostle encourages them
now to give generously, he says, 'as you abound in everything, in faith, in utterance, in
knowledge, in diligence, and in your love to us', he says, he acknowledges that spirit
that has now brought them back together again. You know, verse 7 is actually a lovely,
lovely appeal, I'd like to read it from Moffatt's translation ( I might say, I don't often use
Moffatt's this extensively , but it just seems that on this occasion Moffatt appears to
have well captured the spirit of the text of the passage here), this is how he translates
the 7th verse, ' Now then, you are to the front in everything, in faith, in utterance, in
knowledge, in all zeal, and in love for us. Do come to the front in this gracious
enterprise as well', says the apostle. Oh, what a eloquent appeal that was! There is
nothing peremptory, or dictatorial about this, is there? It's the warm appeal of the
apostle's own heart; he couldn't force them, but he could certainly appeal to them, and
appeal he does! 'Do come to the forefront in this gracious enterprise as well', or as
another translation says, 'could you not add generosity to your virtues?' Here's the
apostle Paul at his best, in endeavouring to inspire these people to great and wonderful
things, on the basis of their love for the truth and their love for the Father, and what the
Father had accomplished in their own lives.
So in verse 8 he says, 'Look, I speak not by commandment, but by the occasion of the
forwardness of others'. Now you'll remember that in the first epistle (we don't need to
turn it up) we have a similar phrase in chapter 7 and verse 10, he says, 'Unto the
married I command, yet not I, but the Lord', and some therefore, have taken this phrase
in the 8th chapter of the 2nd epistle and verse 8, and when he says, 'I speak not by
commandment' that what the apostle is saying is that he doesn't have the sanction or
the authority of the Lord for what he's about to say. I don't think that's what he's
meaning at all. I don't think that's the spirit or the context of the passage; I believe that
what he's really saying in the 8th verse here is that Paul could not and would not force
anybody to contribute, because to do so, would be to nullify the significance of why they
had given. The Jerusalem bible says, (now listen to these words) 'it's not an order that
-7I'm giving you, I'm just testing the genuineness of your love against the keenest of
others'. Oh! that was a brilliant master stroke, wasn't it? I'm not ordering you, he says,
I'm just testing the genuineness of your love against the keenest of others! Now, who
were the others? Why the Macedonians, who had already demonstrated how genuine
and how sincere was their love by the tremendous response that they'd made! He says,
I can't order you, but, he says, they've already given a demonstration of how sincere
their love is, the generous contribution of the Macedonians indicated the genuine
character of their love, could you not do the same thing? he says! Isn't that the force of
the verse here? Couldn't you do the same thing? So you see, what verse 8 tells us is
that our sincerity in the truth is finally demonstrated by what we do for the truth! not just
what we say about the truth. We can talk all day about the grace of God but the proof
that that spirit is at work within us, and that our love is genuine and sincere, will finally
be tested by what we actually do for the truth! That's how we prove our sincerity, and
that's how they were going to prove their sincerity, says the apostle, on this occasion.
You know, you might like to take a piece of paper at some stage and write down what
do I give in the truth? What do I contribute to the truth? and often when we sit down and
we embark upon a principle of self-examination as we ought to, Sunday by Sunday,
these principles are not for other people, are they? we don't sit in the exhortation and
think, 'oh, I hope brother so-in-so is listening!' these are principles for self-examination.
Do we have that spirit of marvellous giving for the truth? and often we find that we really
could do a lot more, couldn't we? We're all guilty in that respect, none of us have a
perfect or unblemished record as far as this marvellous spirit of giving is concerned.
And then, says the apostle in the 9th verse, lest they should think that the
demonstration of their sincerity was simply occasioned by rivalry with the Macedonians,
lest they should think that they were simply trying to match other ecclesias, he says
then in the 9th verse, 'For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ', and so now what
the apostle does, he says, 'look, whatever the Macedonians may have done, I don't
want you to think that you're giving to be like them, he says, it's really the example of
Christ that we're interested in here. It's the spirit of our Lord that we're taking up, says
the apostle, it's Him that we're following, 'you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich yet for your sakes He became poor that ye through His poverty,
might be rich'. As our brother said in his opening prayer that was indeed the
circumstances of our Lord that we come to remember this day; in what sense was the
Lord rich? because He was the Son of God, because He did have the Holy Spirit
without measure, because He was the heir designate of all the world, the second in the
universe? Oh, this One was rich, in terms of all the glorious things that had been
promised to Him, and yet, for our sakes, says the record, He became poor! In what
sense did the Lord become poor? because He did endure the cross, He learnt to
despise the shame, He had not where to rest His head, He endured contradiction of
sinners against Himself, He took upon Himself the form of a servant, He did become a
man of sorrows; our Lord became poor that others might receive richness as a result.
It's the spirit of selfless giving for others that the apostle is stressing, I believe, out of the
life of the Lord, on this occasion. The spirit of giving for others!
Now just listen to these passages as the apostle take that up. Galatians 1 verse 4, 'The
-8Lord Jesus Christ who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us'. Galatians 2
verse 20, 'the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me' says
Galatians 2 verse 20. 1Timothy 2 verses 5 and 6, 'The man Christ Jesus, who gave
Himself a ransom for all', says the apostle Paul. Titus 2 verses 13 and 14, 'Jesus Christ
who gave Himself for us'. Now there's the spirit of 2 Corinthians 8 verse 9, read it again!
'You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich (and here's the
phrase) yet for your sakes He became poor', there's the spirit that the apostle is trying
to capture, the spirit of selfless giving for others! You know, b&s, this chapter, this
verse, in Corinthians, is not a doctrinal exposition of the Atonement. We're not talking
about who's specifically did or did not benefit from the Lord's sacrifice. What the
apostle is doing here is simply extracting a practical lesson from the offering of the
Lord, and the lesson was the lesson of selfless giving for others. For your sakes! that's
all, the simple power of the Atonement, and we're asked to take up that same spirit in
our lives; we will never be crucified in the same way, but WE CAN LEARN TO GIVE for
the needs of others! In fact, if we are taking up the spirit of Christ, then the spirit with
which we'll do it , is that service to others, that cannot be repaid, because that's what
the Lord did, didn't He? What He did for others was a service that they could not hope
to repay; there's no benefit in us showing generosity to others in the truth, who we
know can and will repay us in kind, but what about all those things in the truth where we
know that we will never ever be recompensed, there's the spirit of giving for others that
was shown in the offering of our Lord. 'Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ', you
think of the apostle Paul here, he's talking about money and before he's even got 9
verses into this chapter, he's lifted our thinking to what appears to be a mundane thing;
coins rattling in a bag, to the offering of Christ! That's how Paul saw that spirit of giving,
he says, 'that's the key', and he elevates the collection of money to the spirit of Christ
giving Himself for the needs of others! that's what we come to remember this day, and
it's that spirit that we endeavour to take up.
Come to 1 Corinthians 16 and verse 1, 'Now concerning the collection for the saints, as
I have given order to the ecclesias of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the
week let every one of you lay by him in store', do you know when the collections were
taken up, b&s? On the first day of the week! but Acts 20 verse 7 says, 'On the first day
of the week when the disciples met together to break bread', that's what happened on
the first day of the week. The apostle says here in the 16th chapter of the first epistle,
that's when I want you to take up the collections; that's the same argument as the 2nd
epistle chapter 8 verse 9, he elevates the collections to the very spirit of the offering of
Christ, and he says I want you to take them up at the same time that you're breaking
bread. So that puts our weekly collections in a different perspective, doesn't it? I'd like
to read something from the Ecclesial Guide by Robert Roberts, this is in the section on
The Order of the Memorial Meeting, 'Time for principle exhortation- let it precede the
breaking of bread, it makes an edifying preparation for the breaking of bread. Time for
collection- let it follow close on the breaking of bread, thus the giving of our freewill
offerings will be sanctified as part of our service. Let the presiding brother before
passing the box around, rise and invite the brethren in a dignified and loving way to
unite their freewill offerings for the service of the truth. This imparts grace and profit to
an important act of service'. I think brother Roberts had read the apostle, b&s, and
when the bags do come around on a Sunday, they're brought down to the front and
-9where are they placed? at the foot of the table where lie the emblems of our Lord's
offering, as if to remind ourselves, that small though it may be a matter in the truth, that
even our offerings of money are given according to the same spirit wherewith the Lord
for our sakes became poor. We signify that by making those bags come, and as it were,
to be caused to touch the foot of the altar, that they might be linked to that same spirit;
there's nothing out of place with that, b&s, that's a lovely thing! Even the giving of our
money in the work of the truth, ought to be given with that same spirit, and we link those
ideas together; I believe, that's what the apostle Paul said, he said, 'you take up that
money on the first day of the week when you break bread'. It's the same spirit, it's one
of the things that wherein we can take up the spirit of our Lord and give freely and
generously for the work of the truth.
Well, b&s, therein lies the opening of the apostle's appeal to the ecclesia of Achaia. He
starts off with the example of the Macedonians; before he's gone long, he's ended up
by lifting their thinking to the very offering and sacrifice of the Lord Himself, and as we
come to the emblems this day, may that indeed, be our spirit also. That we might take
up that same gracious spirit of giving for the needs of others, of not seeking
recompense for that which we do; of not being compelled by Law to service in the
things of the truth, but begging for the favour of participating in those things, because
we've been reminded of the grace of God in our own lives. It's a marvellous spirit! and
you know, b&s, it's the antidote to Judaism, it's the perfect antidote to Judaism! learning
the spirit of giving for the needs of others. It comes out of the offering of our Lord, b&s,
whom we now remember at this time, who though He was rich, yet for our sakes
became poor, that through His poverty we might indeed be rich!