Giving A Demonstration Of Love

TITLE: Excelling in the Grace of Giving TEXT: II Corinthians 8:1-12 THEME: Generous giving is a key measure of Christian devotion.

Giving A Demonstration Of Love

Happy Birthday Francis Schaffer.

“The Mark of the Christian” "This means showing love to our brother in the midst of our differences—great or small— loving our brothers when it costs us something, loving them even under times of tremendous emotional tension, loving them in a way the world can see …. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and Jesus was sent by the Father."

Charles Colson “Schaeffer's challenge remains pertinent today. The mark of Jesus in us is crucial, and it is compelling. None of our activities— evangelism, social ministry, mission, and worldview work—will receive God's full blessing if they are not guided by the "final apologetic" of demonstrating observable love for one another”

I John 4:10-12 “10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”

Giving A Demonstration Of Love

How does our generous giving demonstrate your Christian devotion?

I. It demonstrates to others the level of our devotion (1-5)

I Corinthians 8:1-5 1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity

I Corinthians 8:1-5 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

I. It demonstrates to others the level of our devotion (1-5) A. They gave beyond their ability

I. It demonstrates to others the level of our devotion (1-5) A. They gave beyond their ability B. They took the initiative.

I. It demonstrates to others the level of our devotion (1-5) A. They gave beyond their ability B. They took the initiative. C. It was driven by devotion to God and others.

‘The privilege of sharing’ The NIV translates charis (normally rendered ‘grace’) as ‘privilege’ here. Paul regarded Christian service as well as Christian salvation as a gift bestowed by God on undeserving sinners

‘The privilege of sharing’ Sharing’ translates koinonia, often rendered ‘fellowship’. Christian fellowship has many dimensions, but its genuineness is suspect if those who profess it close their hearts to other Christians. Koinonia means to share in common. It defines the church of Acts 2 and is the motive for sharing things in common. Their sacrifice showed the level of their devotion and commitment.

Giving A Demonstration Of Love

How does our generous giving demonstrate your Christian devotion?

II. It demonstrates the sincerity of our love for God and others. (6-9)

II Corinthians 8:6-9 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving

II Corinthians 8:6-9 8 I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

II. It demonstrates the sincerity of our love for God and others. (6-9) A. Paul appeals to the competitive nature of the Corinthians to excel in their giving

II. It demonstrates the sincerity of our love for God and others. (6-9) A. Paul appeals to the competitive nature of the Corinthians to excel in their giving. B. Giving is listed among other acts of devotion.

II. It demonstrates the sincerity of our love for God and others. (6-9) A. Paul appeals to the competitive nature of the Corinthians to excel in their giving. B. Giving is listed among other acts of devotion. C. Like Jesus others become enriched through our sacrifice

Williams Barclay “Christ went from riches to rags so that we might go from rags to riches.”

Giving A Demonstration Of Love

How does our generous giving demonstrate your Christian devotion?

III.It demonstrates our willingness to stick to our commitments. (10-12)

II Corinthians 8: And here is my judgment 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.

II Corinthians 8: Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12 For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.

III.It demonstrates our willingness to stick to our commitments. (10-12) A. The Corinthians willingly made a pledge that was not yet fulfilled

III.It demonstrates our willingness to stick to our commitments. (10-12) A. The Corinthians willingly made a pledge that was not yet fulfilled B. We give proportionately based on what we have.

The New Principle of Giving Proportional giving becomes the principle for giving in the New Testament. We are not given a percentage (like a tithe). We are not to give unwillingly or coercively. We are to give according to how God has already blessed.

Giving A Demonstration Of Love

APPPLICATION 1. Paul uses the Macedonian churches as examples to the church at Corinth in the matter of generous giving. Could he have used our church in the same way?

APPPLICATION 2. It has been said that our attitude toward money is a major test of our spirituality. Is this true, and, if so, what does it say about the quality of your own spiritual life?

APPPLICATION 3. Do I regard giving as a privilege or a burden?

APPPLICATION 4. As our church presses forward to fulfill the vision God has given us are you willing to give toward that end?

Giving A Demonstration Of Love

Church Growth Campaign This week is the first week of a campaign to raise the funds for growing our church.

Church Growth Campaign In hiring our Pastor of Worship and Outreach we knew we would have deficit spending for a few years so we raised $50,000 to assure a year’s salary with the understanding that with our reserves we had over almost two years to grow into our budget.

Church Growth Campaign We have been running at deficit slightly more than what we anticipated.

Church Growth Campaign We project the deficit to around $60,000 dollars over the next 18 months.

Church Growth Campaign We are hoping to keep our reserves for future risks and raise the funds we need to operate without them

Church Growth Campaign This will allow us to continue to improve our worship services, expand our outreach and continue our ministries. We believe we are position to begin significant growth over the next two years.

Church Growth Campaign We need your help. We will be asking for giving and pledges and over the next 6 weeks we will invite you to participate in raising the funds to help our church fulfill its vision.

Giving A Demonstration Of Love