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2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 8 KJV WEB See previous page 2Cor 8,1-16 (121c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Hope >> Expectation >> Hope is the expectation to receive >> Expectation based on hope 2Cor 8,1-15 (88a) Thy kingdom come >> Faith produces works >> Relationship between faith and works >> Works establish your faith (101i) Thy kingdom come >> Ambition >> Be an ambitious businessman for God >> Investing spiritual currency -- These verses go with verse 22 (129c) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Bearing the fruit of evangelism >> Feed the people with the fruit of your walk (236h) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Invest your treasures into the kingdom >> Invest everything you value – This chapter and the next are about giving; more than that, they are about cultivating a charitable heart. If our giving never translates to money, then our giving is incomplete. Some of the churches in the surrounding area were begging for an opportunity to participate in support of the saints and supporting the missionary work. In contrast, every church today has a weekly collection, but little of it goes to missions or to help the poor, but goes to the building project and to pay the pastor’s salary. The Macedonians were by no means rich; they experienced deep poverty of their own, yet they overflowed in their wealth of liberality. So often the poor do most of the giving, while the rich keep a firm grip on their wealth under the principle that the more they have the more they need, and the less they have the less they need. The poor give because they need money less than wealthy people, while wealthy people always need more money to sustain their greed. 2Cor 8,1-9 (34l) Gift of God >> Be generous like your Father >> Give to your brother – Paul is saying that he wants the Corinthian Church to prove their sincerity of faith through giving to those in need. The one who hoards his money Paul says has no faith, which Jesus also said to the rich young ruler, advising him to liquidated his assets and give the proceeds to the poor. The rich young ruler could say well enough that he believed in God, but he couldn’t prove it. 1John 3-17 also says that if a brother is in need and he comes to us for assistance and we close our heart against him, "how does the love of God abide in him?" James also spoke of these things, not saying that we should become our brother’s source of food and clothing but to occasionally give a helping hand. There were many poor people in the Corinthian Church, and Paul was saying that it is a disgrace to allow a fellow Christian suffer while we have the means to help him. He was saying to those who could help that this was an opportunity, not a drudgery. Without proof of faith in a world of poverty and want, where opportunities to help abound, we are to be like Jesus, who suffered with us and became poor, “that we through His poverty might become rich.” If Jesus did this for us and we have the means to help others, then we should take the opportunity to demonstrate our faith and love for God toward them. (118k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >> Law of the spirit >> Law of liberty – Paul had no authority to command the saints to help the weak, for to make a command would decree a law of giving. If we were required to give, our love would become a tax. When we pay our taxes, we are not demonstrating any kind of faith toward our government or love for people in office. There is no faith or love involved in paying taxes, because it is a law. Paul couldn’t command anyone to be generous, because he would be bypassing faith and love, which can only be expressed willingly, being the whole concept behind the new covenant, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, who gives us a willing heart to serve God. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 8,1-5 (11o) Servant >> Example of God’s people >> The Church – Usually you have to beg people to give to a good cause, but the Church of Macedonia wanted the opportunity to participate in helping their brothers and sisters in the faith get through their ordeal, though the Macedonians themselves had their own difficulties. On the surface it would seem like an act of altruism, but underneath the gears of faith, love was compelling them to help their fellow believers; they had to give or they would bust! With these attributes fathering such an urgency proves that godly compassion gets involved in other people’s suffering. (13h) Servant >> Support the body >> Serve selflessly -- These verses go with verses 12-15. (74h) Thy kingdom come >> Heart is central value system >> The heart is what drives man’s desire -- These verses go with verses 10-12. The churches of Macedonia were: Philippi, Beroea, Thessalonica and Corinth. Today when we tithe to our local church, the money goes toward the mortgage on the building and to pastors’ salaries but very little to the furtherance of the gospel. The building is the great financial burden of the Church, yet how essential is the building? We certainly use it a lot; we hold our services there, better than doing it outside in the rain or in 5 below zero or in 105-degree weather. The building is very convenient and practical, but is it essential? The Church of the First Century didn’t have a designated meeting place, because of persecution, lest their persecutors would know where to go and round up the saints. In the beginning the enemies of the Church didn’t know what to think, so there was freedom for a little while, and it gave the Church an opportunity to grow; hundreds of souls were added to the Church every week, but then persecution arose, starting in Jerusalem, and the Church scattered throughout the countryside of that region, hence the gospel began to be sent into all the world. Therefore, when money was collected, it went to the furtherance of the gospel and to those in need, to many poor Christians in deep poverty: food, clothing and other bare essentials. Almost every cent the people contributed went directly to help people live and survive, but give today and all our hard-earned money goes to indirect causes, such as maintaining a building; meanwhile the people who go there are largely neglected, spiritually and otherwise. There are all kinds of poor people who come to church, whose needs go unnoticed. It says that they begged Paul and the other leaders of the Church to let them contribute to the needs of the saints (v4). If we knew that our money went directly to the cause, we would be more willing to give, especially when we knew those in need were not addicted to cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. This is what we regularly see on the streets today, and those people we simply cannot help. (94b) Thy kingdom come >> Perspective on wealth in this life (96i) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude about giving -- These verses go with verses 10-15 (124b) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Love >> Acts of love >> Love takes from the rich and gives to the poor >> love is the act of giving to the poor (130f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Committed to caring for the needs of the body >> Committed to supporting one another -- These verses go with verses 12-15 (189d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >> Costly sacrifice -- These verses go with verses 10-15 (230f) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> Partaking >> Partaking of the ministry of the saints (234j) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Sold out >> Relinquishing your assets to Christ >> Investing every asset into Christ (235d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Tithing >> Offerings >> Help your weaker brother -- These verses go with verses 7-15 2Cor 8,1-4 (23f) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Rich are those who are poor in their own minds -- These verses go with verse 9 (120k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Contentment >> Content with your standard of living >> Free from greed 2Cor 8,1-3 (116j) Thy kingdom come >> Faith >> Working the grace of God >> Through giving 2Cor 8-1,2 (125i) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Joy >> Joy is the result of giving – There are two things that matter about giving: considering our own resources and considering the charity to which we are giving. Is it a noble cause; is it trustworthy; do we know for sure how people will use our money, or will it be squandered? The more we believe in the cause, the more we are willing to give. People whose hearts have been trained by the Lord give beyond their means, yet they are rarely in need. In the world today there is probably more poverty and famine than any other time in the history of the world, and there are more charities than ever too, yet people are still hungry and famished and starving and dying. Nothing gets done, meaning there are more shysters and con artists than ever, who take the money that we give to their charities. If every dollar got to the place where it was supposed to go, poverty may be averted, or at least we would have made a dent in it. This is why Jesus said that poverty and human travesty would persist throughout the generations (Mat 26-11). That is, the rich will always find opportunities to become richer by oppressing the poor. Put the Macedonians in our world and see how willing they would be to give. If God ministered to them and gave them a heart of liberality, the lack of trust would get in the way, just as it gets in our way of giving. Compare insurance companies to charities; people give them money when they have no product, making every penny pure profit, minus the occasional claim they must pay and the few dollars that trickle to the cause. Also, both are based on a promise that they will be faithful if we will be faithful to them, the promise broken more often than not. Patrons hand them money hand over fist, and they use some of that money to pay big layers to get out of paying claims and law suits for misallocating funds. They see all this free money entering their treasury, and it corrupts the bureaucracy, like politicians, who may have had good motives at first but eventually cave to the temptation to enrich themselves, raking a little off the top, and it goes to the next person who rakes off a little more, and so on, until the giant mountain of money become a small knoll, which is then given to the cause, but it’s never enough to meet the need. In contrast, in Paul’s day the saints giving were sure that every penny went directly to the cause. In some cases Paul himself took the money directly to the needy churches and saw that it was spent properly, or else he had highly reliable people take it, and there was integrity among the saints so trust could develop, and the people were fed and clothed, and the Church grew. 2Cor 8-1 (31i) Gift of God >> Grace >> Having the ability to respond to the word -- This verse goes with verse 9 KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 8-2 (188g) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Suffering >> Enduring your circumstances – Believers in Jesus, convinced of the truth, know that the Church has the answer that the world needs, and that their brethren in the faith are more their siblings in eternity than their immediate family. We do not depend on the circumstances of our lives to decide how much we should give to our brother in need; instead, we depend on God who “gives to all liberally and without reproach” (Jm 1-5). Poverty cannot stop us from giving what our brother needs. They say we cannot give what we don’t have; but to those who belong to Jesus, we can give all we have, resulting in our own needs met. This is one of the joys that God has of supplying the saints with everything we need for serving Him. His faithfulness cannot be out-given. The Corinthians were convinced of the importance of giving to those in need of like faith. Although the Corinthians were steeped in poverty, they overflowed in their liberality of giving. They didn’t depend on their circumstances to help their fellow brethren in the faith. If we give only when we can afford it, we will never give; but if we give regardless of the circumstances when we know it is God’s cause, he will lead us deeper into His own purpose and calling that He has prepared for us. The more we invest in each other, the more God will entrust to us, and the more others will invest in us. Giving is an aspect of unity; it is an act of faith, and faith is the groundwork of love, and the reward of giving is a deeper revelation of the truth that the recipients of our giving belong to God, as we do. 2Cor 8-3 (75c) Thy kingdom come >> Motives of the heart >> Being motivated to do the will of God 2Cor 8-5 (247a) Priorities >> God’s priorities >> God’s interests >> God is interested in His people >> God is interested in the Church 2Cor 8-6,7 (44i) Judgment >> Transformed >> Fulfill your ministry >> Calling from God >> Complete it -- These verses go with verses 10-16 2Cor 8-6 (44c) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Complete >> Fulfill the requirements -- This verse goes with verses 10&11 2Cor 8,7-15 (235d) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >> Tithing >> Offerings >> Help your weaker brother -- These verses go with verses 1-5. Paul taught that giving is based on what a person has, not on what he does not have. That is, if we are ready to give a million dollars but don’t have a million dollars, that doesn't count. The joy of giving can thrive only if everyone feels the same way about giving, but if we have one or two cheerful givers in the Church and the rest clam-up, thinking those who give have lots of money so they don’t have to give, this attitude will break down the joy of giving in the Church so that pulling a nickel from the congregation will be like pulling teeth. If not everyone is giving, then eventually no one will give. 2Cor 8-7,8 (78f) Thy kingdom come >> Sincerity >> Embracing your first love >> Single devotion -- These verses go with verses 16&17 (101b) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal for the manifestation of God’s kingdom >> Zealous for good works -- These verses go with verse 16. Paul was sincere when he described his heartfelt love for the Corinthians. It’s good to be spiritual, but if our spirituality never materializes, then it is useless. Part of manifesting our faith is giving, and part of giving is about giving money. Paul’s request was not a command, nor was it for money's sake but was for the Corinthians to get involved in giving and prove their desire to help others. Had the Corinthians not gotten involved and given of their surplus, those in need would have been supported some other way, and the blessing would have gone elsewhere. Consequently, the ones who suffer most are those who refuse to get involved, and too often they are not aware of what they are missing. 2Cor 8-7 (80i) Thy kingdom come >> Know the word to minister to God >> Know the word to know God (85e) Thy kingdom come >> Words that are spoken in faith >> Powerful when spoken by the Spirit >> by the anointing (250b) Priorities >> God’s prerequisites >> Sequence of priorities >> In all things ... >> Be obedient in all things KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 8-8 (156c) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Loving God is evidence of salvation >> Expressing your feelings toward Him -- This verse goes with verse 24 2Cor 8-9 (12l) Servant >> Jesus is the servant of man – Jesus left the glory of the Father to come live with us, trading His eternal frame for our mortality, His purity for our grit, His heavenly existence for our earthly toil. He did it so we could trade our poverty for His riches, our sin for His perfection and our futility for His purpose. God’s loving-kindness demonstrates His infinite character and has earned our complete trust. He created us like Himself (Genesis 1-26) then became like us when born through the virgin Mary, so at the resurrection we will become like Him (1Jn 3-2). In heaven He will invite us to sit with Him on His Father’s throne to become co-managers of His creation. See also: Jesus is infinite and eternal like the Father; Rev 22-13; 56i (23f) Sin >> Poverty (Oppression) >> Rich are those who are poor in their own minds -- This verse goes with verses 1-4 (31i) Gift of God >> Grace >> Having the ability to respond to the word -- This verse goes with verse 1 (35a) Gift of God >> God is willing to Give >> He is generous with the flesh of His Son (37i) Judgment >> Blood of Jesus >> He emptied Himself >> From equality with God to human frailty (57g) Paradox >> Opposites >> We become rich through His poverty (64i) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Weaknesses of God >> God subjects himself to human frailty >> His weakness makes Him small compared to men (64j) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Weaknesses of God >> Foolishness of God – Jesus lived in heaven as the king of all creation, except that He didn’t reign over man and demons who were in rebellion against Him. Through His sovereignty and infinite wisdom He became poor and dwelled in a body of human weakness and died in utter shame and was raised by the power and glory of His Father, so that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life. Our place is reserved with Christ in heavenly places, and we will become rich like Him, and He will be our king, and He now holds sovereign rule over those in rebellion against Him, reigning over both the righteous and the wicked, His entire creation, and we will reign with Him on His Father’s throne. It was through weakness that God subjected all things to Himself. (227h) Kingdom of God >> God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God working in you >> Dependence on Jesus >> Depending on Jesus to impart His gifts into us >> He gives us what we give to each other (249h) Priorities >> God’ s preeminence >> Wealth >> True perception of wealth >> The infinite and eternal wealth of God >> Being rich in Jesus – Jesus took on our poverty while we took on His wealth. He came from heaven, divested all His glory and went from owning the entire creation to peeling off every layer of power and glory in order to take on the form of a man, born naked in a manger and suffered the hardships of the curse in which He subjected the creation, and then He died on a rugged cross. He did this to bless the human race with Himself. For Jesus to be born in a manger on Christmas Eve was God approaching the human race with all He loved and cherished and offered Him to us. We need to stand firmly on the platform of faith to inherit this abundance through Christ. When Jesus emptied Himself and became poor like us, even in the depth of His poverty He was richer than the wealthiest king in that the one thing he retained from God was the Holy Spirit, which was His very soul, hence the essence of God. So, when the Father took even that from Him while He hung bleeding on the cross, He cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?” Through all the hellish things that led to the cross He never thought God was forsaking Him, but the moment the Spirit left Him, He cried those words, and then died. Jesus could not live without the Holy Spirit, and now that He dwells in us, neither can we. The indwelling Spirit is our ticket to heaven and our way of communicating with God, and the Holy Spirit is the Father's means of transferring all His wealth to us through the cross. KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 8,10-16 (44i) Judgment >> Transformed >> Fulfill your ministry >> Calling from God >> Complete it -- These verses go with verses 6&7 2Cor 8,10-15 (7l) Responsibility >> Use time wisely >> Get ready >> Use this time to gather (96i) Thy kingdom come >> Attitude >> Positive attitude about giving -- These verses go with verses 1-5. Desiring to give is just as important as giving, and later Paul talks about having a proper attitude about giving, to be cheerful about it. If we grudgingly give, it is the same as not giving at all, in that the only gift passed is the gift itself. Money doesn't solve problems, people do. The attitude of cheerful giving will solve some of the biggest problems, but a grudging attitude cannot for-give. Forgiveness is the highest form of giving, and in this way forgiveness means more than money, like the one who accompanies the gift with a cheerful heart, completing the ensemble. (189d) Die to self (Process of substitution) >> Separation from the old man >> Holy sacrifice >> Costly sacrifice -- These verses go with verses 1-5 2Cor 8,10-12 (74h) Thy kingdom come >> Heart is central value system >> The heart is what drives man’s desire -- These verses go with verses 1-5 2Cor 8-10,11 (44c) Judgment >> Satan destroyed >> Complete >> Fulfill the requirements -- These verses go with verse 6 (76j) Thy kingdom come >> Desires of your heart >> Desiring to do the will of God (232c) Kingdom of God >> Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the kingdom >> Count the cost >> If you must count the cost, the price is always too high (246j) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Outward demonstration of an inward work KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 8,12-15 (13h) Servant >> Support the body >> Serve selflessly – These verses go with verses 1-5. (130f) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Committed to caring for the needs of the body >> Committed to supporting one another -- These verses go with verses 1-5. Giving from your abundance is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality, meaning that everyone's needs are met. Instilling desire in people to give is a divine act of God, and is based on a vision, not so much on what their giving can buy, but on what their vision can see. Each person is one piston in a fine-tuned engine that helps perform the will of God, and the pastor leading the flock is fully engaged and overseeing the work. (131g) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Interdependence >> Serving one another – A day may come after we have given from our abundance that now we are lacking, yet people have seen our giving. Since giving is missionary work and helping the poor is the crux of Christianity, we become a recipient of people’s giving by way of equality. This has always been Paul’s aim and it was something Jesus tried to instill in His disciples, especially in the later chapters of the gospel of John. Jesus said that He wanted unity among His people as His number one goal and His High Priestly Prayer, though it its also the prime target of satanic attack. Unity has the power to minimize Satan’s influence in the world, so the devil works day and night to destroy unity in the Church. With unity that establishes equality giving may continue in abundance, so everyone is benefited, both the giver and the receiver, and if circumstances change and the giver becomes the receiver, their lack will surely be supplied. 2Cor 8-12 (11g) Servant >> God’s standard is in proportion to our output 2Cor 8,13-15 (57i) Paradox >> Opposites >> Less I have the more I receive / my abundance is a Supply for their need – Paul was saying that giving is comparable to collecting manna in the wilderness in the days of Moses, for "he who gathered much did not have too much and he who gathered little had no lack." There were some Israelites who did not gather much manna, or maybe it didn't richly fall in their area, but there were others who gathered more than they needed for one day, so when someone came lacking their daily sustenance, they assisted their neighbor through their abundance. The manna would spoil over night, so it was advantageous to give away what they wouldn’t eat that day. God wants us thinking like the animals, one day at a time, not storing up resources to last weeks, months and years, equating money with manna. In hard times the option of storage is unavailable; living from day to day and from hand to mouth is not a bad thing. It is how mankind has lived throughout the millennia. What money you make today is spent that day. The next day you go back to work and make more money for that day; this is the concept of manna; God does not condemn anyone for living this way. If your life is reduced to this level, there is no cause for alarm. It has only been in the last few centuries that we have been able to store-up sustenance for the future, and now it seems we are returning to the old way of life. 2Cor 8-15 (141i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Old Testament bears witness to the new >> Old Testament is for our instruction >> Teaching from the Old Testament KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 8,16-24 (72j) Authority >> Hierarchy of authority >> More Authority The More Responsibility >> The strong shall help the weak – Paul had high regard for the people who helped him. He honored them greatly and spoke well of them. Paul needed encouragement from his helpers more than he needed their help; he needed to see that people loved God as much as he did. When people like Titus came along and demonstrated a genuine zeal for God, and proved they were true servants both of the Lord and of the Church, he lifted them up very highly and commanded the Church to honor and respect them as they would him. The Kingdom of God is all about servanthood, and those who serve understand God's will like no one else. 2Cor 8,16-20 (144a) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Popularity >> Men who follow God are popular – Paul spoke about Titus as though he were famous, and maybe he is famous now in heaven, but in the world no Christian was famous, but among Christians perhaps he was well loved. Who is famous in Christendom today and for what? They are probably not famous for the right reasons. People in Christendom today are mostly faithful to their unrighteous mammon. Titus was a man of God, whom Paul completely trusted with money. Titus cared about missionaries and the poor, both being synonymous with Christianity back then. He cared about allocating money to the right people, but how do famous people in Christendom allocate money today? They buy private jets with it and live better than the people who give to their ministries, which is evil. This is certainly something Paul did not do; he ministered mostly to the poor, yet he lived poorer than them. This is the kind of sacrifice that Christianity requires to remain spiritually healthy and to keep its head above greed. Without nurturing the gospel, without giving to it more than we take from it, we do it more harm than good. 2Cor 8-16,17 (78f) Thy kingdom come >> Sincerity >> Embracing your first love >> Single devotion -- These verses go with verses 7&8 2Cor 8-16 (101b) Thy kingdom come >> Zeal >> For the manifestation of God’s kingdom >> Zealous for good works -- This verse goes with verses 7&8 2Cor 8-17 (4l) Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >> Being accountable to your brother KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 8-18 (142i) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Having a reputable ministry >> A reputation of ministry in the word 2Cor 8-19,20 (62g) Paradox >> Anomalies >> Being clever >> Maintaining a blameless reputation 2Cor 8-19 (72f) Authority >> Transferring authority >> Receiving the delegated authority of men – Titus was elected by the churches to travel with Paul and his companions. Titus had been in Christian circles long enough for people to see his commitment to the faith. He had developed a reputation for good works and was consistent in his walk with God, not serving the Lord one day and backsliding the next but faithful to Christ. This secured a good reputation with Paul and his travelers and with the churches they would visit and the communities where they preached Jesus and made new converts. What is necessary to be appointed by God is not a heavy anointing and not just knowledge of the Scriptures, but also a good reputation that guarantees consistency of these things. Of utmost importance Paul needed reliability in the people who surrounded him. He could not use somebody who would abandon him in his darkest hour when he was trying to reach a community for Christ. If he accomplished his goals, he would need reliable help who would stand with him in times of persecution and threat of physical harm and death. That was Titus. 2Cor 8-20 (9a) Responsibility >> Prevent being blamed for something you did not do >> Prevent accusations 2Cor 8-21 (1d) Responsibility >> Avoid offending God and people >> Maintain a good reputation (92j) Thy kingdom come >> The narrow way connects you to God >> It demonstrates your faith in Him – We honor the honorable and despise all that are dishonorable in the sight of God and men. We show our disgust for things that are depraved and exalt things that bring glory to God, that which is seemly and born of humility, produced from love and good will... (Phi 4-8). We honor those who remain faithful in the face of adversity for extended periods. We honor the faithful who have endured without encouragement, who held the torch for others that they might have confidence in the day of evil, and we honor those who have suffered unjustly for the cause of Christ. (127l) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >> Rewards for doing good >> Honor is the reward for doing good (142h) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> Reputation exposed to slander >> Protect your reputation – Take the acid test: does our ministry take more from the gospel than it gives? One way to tell is whether the preacher has a higher standard of living than the people under his ministry. Paul said he takes all these precautions so as not to discredit the gospel. He wanted to make sure everyone knew where the money was going, and gave every opportunity for anyone to follow the money trail from the giver to the receiver. This is part of what makes a cheerful giver. That is, without trusting the people in charge of the money and believing in the cause, you cannot give cheerfully. Paul regarded not only what was honorable to the Lord, but also what was honorable to men. He cared what his fellow Christians thought of him. (143c) Witness >> Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >> The public >> The disciples ministered publicly (246hh) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Materializing the inner man KJV WEB / Navigation Bar 2Cor 8,22-24 (73c) Authority >> Respect your leaders >> The ministry to the saints – Paul is writing about the team of evangelists that were working with him, indicating that he was by no means working alone. He didn’t waltz into Corinth and start preaching Jesus all by himself but brought Titus with him and others such as Silvanus, Timothy, Barnabas and many others who came and went. It wasn’t always the same people, because he would leave some behind to continue teaching the people about Jesus and establishing them in the faith and laying down rules of the Church, how to live with each other, worship God together and conduct themselves in the house of God. How Paul and his team instructed the churches back then was in no way how the churches behave today. There is little resemblance, and we think it doesn’t matter because we have our ways and they had theirs, as though it were a cultural thing, but it isn't. There were rules of the Church and there were ways of ministering to one another in order to maximize effectiveness of in the body of Christ to establish individuals in the faith. Today, if anybody wants to spiritually grow, he will have to do it on his own, because sitting down and hearing a sermon, standing up and singing a song, sitting down and passing the plate, etc., never established anybody. The Bible teaches that everybody had an opportunity to minister in the body of Christ, but how many ministers are there in each Church today, one? (130k) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Unity >> Accept one another >> Love tears down social differences in the Church – Love is proof of God. Love is like a suitcase; we open the suitcase, and find all the other fruits of the Spirit that define the attributes of love. People attribute the word love to emotions. That's fine, so long as we demonstrate all the other fruits of the Spirit, but without them emotions are useless. That is, if we love somebody, then we must also emulate joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to that person. These give us the right to slobber all over the person we claim to love. The proof of faith is love, and the proof of love is all the other fruits of the Spirit, and what is faith? We say it is “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11-1). If our faith lacks substance, it means love is missing. 2Cor 8-22 (5l) Responsibility >> Discipleship tested >> The Church tests the disciples (100d) Thy kingdom come >> Diligence >> Diligence in your service to others – Above everything else diligence was an important attribute to Paul, which is akin to zeal. He was once a Jewish “zealot”, which carries a negative connotation, especially to the world that interprets any amount of zeal to be religious fanaticism. Paul tested those who served with him in their knowledge, their discipline and their lifestyle, but the attribute that mattered most to him was diligence, because without it, all the others meant nothing. Diligence is like the current of a river; without diligence it is just a meandering swamp. Many people know a lot about God, but if they are not diligent, the gospel of Christ will never go beyond them. Paul’s whole purpose was to bring the knowledge of God to the known world; there were few places he didn’t visit, and when he got there, he used his knowledge and life to convey his message, but without diligence, he wouldn’t have gone there in the first place. (101i) Thy kingdom come >> Ambition >> Be an ambitious businessman for God >> Investing spiritual currency -- This verse goes with verses 1-15 (122h) Thy kingdom come >> Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in yourself as you die to sin >> Confidence in the Church through your ministry – Those who served with Paul became all the more diligent, because of his great confidence in them, and the only way he could have confidence was for the Corinthians to show him earnestness in their walk and sincerity in their faith. This gave Paul occasion to have great confidence in them, for who would invest himself into a people that didn’t care? Had Titus come to the Corinthians and no one showed him any real interest in their faith, it would not encourage him to dedicate his time and effort into them, so if we want our teachers to teach us more effectively, we need to show them earnestness of love, sincerity and faith. 2Cor 8-23 (14l) Servant >> Ministry of helps >> Helpers fill in the gaps >> Messengers help in communications – Communications was an angelic ministry. Titus was set apart from the rest of the brethren as a fellow worker with Paul, standing beside him in his trials and persecutions for the cause of Christ and lightened the load in Paul's daily needs. There were many other brethren who acted as messengers on foot between the churches. It was a respectable ministry that has since been eliminated by the telephone and Internet, as in so many cases with our technological society. Back then communicating was a ministry. These conveniences have eliminated many jobs, and in many respects has unwound society who were at one time involved and employed because of their greater needs, the human element being far more personal and effective than simply using a telephone. Sill, there are ministries that need our attention, so many ways to bless others and fill needs in the Church. 2Cor 8-24 (84d) Thy kingdom come >> Words of your mouth >> Boasting >> It needs to be said and no one is saying it >> Boasting of my (156c) Witness >> Validity of the believer >> Evidence of salvation >> Loving God is evidence of salvation >> Expressing your feelings toward Him -- This verse goes with verse 8 accomplishments in Christ (246k) Kingdom of God >> Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >> Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God demonstrates His glory >> Demonstration of His love See next page