Christian Sharing
“Moreover, brethren we make known to you the grace of God bestowed in the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded into the riches of their liberality.” (2 Corinthians 8:1) The Macedonian Christians were financially poor. Yet, their gracious natures developed by the Spirit dwelling in them resulted in finding a way to be both impossibly joyful and creatively generous. The same Spirit today can produce the same results if only the faithful let it happen.
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8) The gracious nature developed in each faithful person by the Spirit makes each capable of things ordinary people are not. In this context, that sufficiency extended to having an unexplainable means to finance what needed to be done. This sharing was not coerced or mandated but the miraculous product of godly character. We don’t have to know how it works; just trust the promise.
“Now all who had believed were upon the same and, having all things in common, would sell their possessions and goods and distribute them among all as anyone had need.” (Acts 2:44 – 45) As the story unfolds, such generosity continued for many years. So, those with assets did not blindly cash out everything but rather met needs responsibly to such a degree that outsiders were astounded. When the church is united like family, no one takes advantage, and no one holds back.
“…And great grace was upon them all. Therefore, not anyone in them was in need…” (Acts 4:33 – 35) The Spirit had begun the transformation of the early Christians; their characters were becoming remarkably gracious. A natural result was that everyone shared. First, they knew one another well enough to know when a need was present. Second, they were personally motivated to fix the problem. They did not wait for a special collection or a program that used other people’s money. This should still characterize the church today.
“Then the disciples [of Antioch of Syria], as anyone was prospered, each of them, committed into service to send to the brethren dwelling in Judea.” (Acts 11:29) The Gentile Christians in Antioch, who likely had never met any of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem, and despite the Jewish Christians not accepting them, immediately began assembling famine relief funds, even though they, too, would be affected by the same scarcity of food. The devotion between distant faithful spirits was and should be legendary.
“Now concerning the [famine relief] collection for the saints…” (1 Corinthians 16:1) The faithful in Corinth, 800 miles air miles from Jerusalem (much farther without planes), collected famine relief funds for a shortage predicted in advance by Agabus the prophet. As Paul later wrote, “I speak not by commandment…” (2 Corinthians 8:8). This donation was entirely out of their generosity, even if prompted by Paul and Titus. The faithful are connected. They take care of one another.
“For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing…” (2 Corinthians 8:3) The congregation of the poorer regions called Macedonia also contributed to famine relief for Christians living around Jerusalem. They felt connected, so they were motivated to rise above what people normally can do. One of the attractions of the gospel is that the faithful routinely accomplish what ordinary people cannot do, in this case in their generosity.
“For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but out of equality, that now in the present time your abundance into their need, that their abundance also may be into your need.” (2 Corinthians 8:13 – 14) Paul explained that these famine relief funds were actually sharing, not just giving, to the point of equality, not hardship, with an expectation of reciprocity should the need arise. The faithful share with spiritual family rather than giving blindly. By the way, their overhead was really low.
“Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread into food, will supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness while enriching into all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:10 – 11) The faithful are miraculously generous, so they accomplish more than humanly possible, plus those projects produce their own positive secondary effects. The bottom line is neither generosity nor good works, but the resulting thanksgiving to God for His obvious intervention.
“…If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well, because they went forth for His name’s sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. We therefore ought to welcome such, that we may become fellow workers for the truth.” (3 John 6 – 8) Some faithful people went on the road, spreading the gospel, not with funding in advance or by means of a salary, but because the job needed to be done. As other faithful encounter such people, John recommends funding them as a way of participating in what they do.
“…That they [traveling teachers of the gospel] may lack nothing, let our people also learn to maintain good works, into essential needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” (Titus 3:13 – 14) Titus was to instruct the faithful on the island of Crete to provide such goods and services such as were needed by those who were already spreading the gospel. Evangelism was happening and would continue with or without them. Participating in maintaining that work was a means of producing fruit from the Spirit that dwelt in them.
“If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great things if we reap material things?” (1 Corinthians 9:11) In this context, Paul, because he was an apostle, asserted that he had the right to demand payment for teaching the faithful of Corinth the things of God. But, he did not use that right for fear that his students would misunderstand, that the gospel might be seen as a means of making an easy living. Also, the teaching was to come first; the compensation, if appropriate, second. But only apostles had this right. Others relied on generosity.
“Let the elders who provide a good example be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in the word and teaching.” (1 Timothy 5:17) Special leaders were appointed miraculously to jump-start the church, who served until that congregation could edify itself (Ephesians 4:11 – 16). Those who were being built up should have realized that this required significant preparation time in addition to teaching time. The vast majority of those teachers were not wealthy, so essential income needed to be replaced. That’s how it works.
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