2Corinthians 9

September 24, 2022

For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:

2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.

3 Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:

4 Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.

5 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

9 (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

11 Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;

13 Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men;

14 And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

This chapter opens a can of worms for me. I have attended many churches throughout my life and I’ve noticed something that I will never understand; why do people ‘donate’ things to the church that are less than pristine? The parish hall of an awful lot of churches give home to things you would have thrown out had they been in your home but I guess some people can’t bear to throw things out.

Broken toys or incomplete sets of games for children; a bunch of pre-printed note pads that have to be torn off their cardboard backing and flipped to the other side in order to use them for scratchpads; home decor items that lost their beauty about 20 years ago; stained table cloths; pots and pans I wouldn’t give to the nearest charity shop. The list is endless. I know you’ve noticed it, too.

But the other thing is tithes and offerings. Now … your business is your business but I can’t help but notice a lot of folks have the latest and greatest cell phones. I don’t own one but I understand they’re expensive. I see a lot of mani/pedis in church and they don’t come cheap, lol. The kids are wearing the expensive branded clothing they are so happy to model and yet – go to the annual meeting at church and hear about how the bottom line looks; is the church ‘abounding’ or is it like most of us, on a tight budget?

Tithing is one thing but how many people give offerings? When something good happens in your life – put a little extra ‘long green’ in the plate or mail off a check with no designation in note line so the church can use it wherever they see a need. Can’t get out and do a lot of physical stuff for or around the church? Send a check to support whatever outreach your church is involved with. Those paper supplies your church uses for coffee hour each week – buy a bunch and give it to the church; it doesn’t matter how much they have at present, they are consumables and yours will be a nice back up for what’s been used and gone.

A church is a family, we support it like we support our own home families – a little extra here, a little extra there and before you know it, there’s a nice little something for the rainy days that inevitably come.

Ok. You get the idea. I’m going to step down off my soap box now.

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