2 Corinthians - Lesson 8B

• Good morning, guys and welcome back to our study of 2 Corinthians. Last week we finished Chapter 7, where we read (what was) a shift in the tone of Paul’s writings, a shift from that of (what one might call) a negative tone to that of a positive one. That shift was brought on by the report Paul received from Titus.

  • Remember, Titus was a protégé and disciple of Paul, and Paul chose him to deliver a letter, a previous letter that he wrote to the church at Corinth, a letter known as the “severe letter”.

  • Scholars called it the severe letter due to its perceived severity or harshness of tone. If you remember, Paul wrote this letter as a letter of correction, in an effort to correct this church’s behavior. And yes, this church and even churches today misbehave. I think a better word than misbehave would be they were losing their way, getting off track, losing focus.

    • And so, Paul wrote this letter in a last-ditch effort, trying to bring them back into focus, into alignment. And then as we learned, Titus hand-delivered the letter to this fellowship in Corinth.

• But here’s a question for you? What would cause a church to wander, to get off track in the first place? Honestly, it usually happens when someone inside the fellowship begins to think or hypothesize. Think or hypothesize about what they think might be a good idea, or what they think might be a better way to do ministry, or, even worse, when they think they know what God meant (a different interpretation).

  • And as I said, this is always brought about when our mind begins to ponder or think or hypothesize. And once those thoughts take hold, it’s at that point we begin to drift and wander. We lose our focus on “The Northern Star”.

    • I use the Northern Star as a reference point because it is a point in the sky that never moves. Well, it moves a little, but in a circle. The Northern Star is a focal point, and it creates a visual destination, and as long we stay focused on it and continue to walk toward it, we will never lose our way.

  • Now, this concept or idea (if you will), applies to just about everything in life, business, career, health, marriage, family, etc. And what’s interesting is, it’s a really easy concept to understand, yet a very difficult one to maintain for a long period of time. But why? Why is it hard to maintain?

    • Because we are human, and even the most focused of individuals tend to wander.

    • The best illustration of this Northern Star concept comes when we imagine walking outside at night and you see the Northern Star in the sky.

• The Northern Star is this stationary, immovable object. And because it never moves, you can depend on it, which means you can trust it and you can focus on it and know as you walk toward it you will never lose your way. That eventually you will end up at your destination.

  • And so, as I said, this is a simple concept to understand. But if that’s the case, then why, (if this is the case), do people lose their way so easily? It’s because as you walk, the ground you are walking on is moving. Follow me here.

  • The Northern Star is stationary. Yet the earth is not. The earth moves, which means the moment you take your eyes off the Northern Star, you begin to drift ever so slightly in a different direction, because you lose your focal point.

• Now from a real-life application standpoint, what is our Northern Star (if we are Christians)? It’s Jesus and His teachings - His word. And so, if that’s the case, then how do we as believers, and then by extension the church, how do we get off track? Through abandonment! By abandoning the disciplines and directions of our Lord and Savior.

  • Generally speaking, it’s usually the shiny things of life that start the process. It could be a new set of friends, ones who may not be believers. It could be a new house, a new hobby, a new passion or interest of some sort, it could be sports. Whatever it is, it always starts out innocent in seemingly minor and or minuscule ways, but then gains strength, slowly growing into something bigger.

• Now, as I studied this concept of wandering or straying off track, my mind immediately went to the Book of James. Listen to what James had to say about his very thing:

James 1:15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
James 1:16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.
James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.
James 1:18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

• I won’t belabor this point, other than to say, James says - “when lust is conceived” - which by the way, starts with the eyes (1 John 2:15), which then gives way to a thought of the mind, and when lust is conceived, it gives birth. Birth to what? Sin! And then sin leads to what? Death.

  • And let me just say this. This isn’t just talking about people who aren’t saved, or those who died in unbelief and therefore will not inherit eternal life. No, this death can take place as you live and breathe on this earth. Is your marriage falling apart? Go back to the beginning.

  • Remember when it was at its best? Was God in the picture? Were you living your life to please him, or where were you living your life to please you?

    • It’s always, at least for believers, that things were great until they weren’t, and the ‘until they weren’t’ part of that equation has a direct correlation to the abandonment of commands, which includes the forsaking of his people (the assembly - the church).

    • And it all starts with the eyes, then evolves into a thought, and then when fully conceived, gives way to sin, and then sin to death. It may not be actual death, but death of marriage or career or relationship or whatever. Now, based on our analysis of how this happens, you might think preventing this wandering from happening would be easy, right?

  • I mean, just stay focused. Don’t take your eyes off the Northern Star. But the reality is, it’s extremely difficult to do, because as I said, once again, we are human, and according to scientific research, the average human can only focus for roughly 15-20 minutes. Not sure what that means for me, but anyway. You get the point.

• Now this fact, when you think about it it's somewhat discouraging, because as Christians we have to focus for a real long time. “A lifetime”. Right, we must focus for life. Paul gives us a sense of this very thing and his own struggles all throughout his writings. One example of which shows up in Philippians 3:14, when he says,

Philippians 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

• Even in the Old Testament we hear the same thing. Joshua 1:9 says,

Joshua 1:9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

• And these are just a couple of places (among many) with that same thing over and over and over again. And so, this is important for us to realize, because knowledge is power, and when we understand that the only way we stand a chance, that our marriage stands a chance, that our children stand a chance, is to stay focused.

  • All we need to do is double down and do it, and never compromise. Discipline and dedication to the Northern Star is what is required to stay on track. But dedication and discipline to what? Well, for one answer let’s look at what Paul wrote in the book of Acts when he said the following:

Acts 2:41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

• The most important words in all these verses (at least as it relates to our study today) are the words “continually devoting”. The Greek combination of these words is (pros-kar-ter-eh'-o). It’s a verb and it means:

  • 4342 /proskarteréō means "to continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty – 'to devote oneself to, to keep on, to persist in'" (L & N, 1, 68.68).]

  • So, what is it that they were doing? They were devoting themselves. First to the Apostle’s teaching, second to fellowship, and third & fourth to the breaking of bread and to prayer. There is your recipe for staying on track and never losing your focus:

    • Study of God’s Word

    • Fellowship

    • Breaking of Bread, which is just another form of fellowship.

    • Prayer

  • And guess what, that is not what the church at Corinth was doing, and the result was they lost their way because some individual joined their church and began to think, and the result was he helped ease them off track.

  • And so, Paul wrote them a letter, the severe letter, all in a last-ditch effort to get them back on track. And what was the result? It worked. They repented. It worked and Titus, just now here in 2 Corinthians 7, has reported this very thing. Which is what caused Paul to make a shift or change in the tone of his writing.

  • And from there Paul also does something else. And what does he do? He not only shifts the tone of his writings, but he also shifts the topic of his writing. And here’s what we read last week, moving on to Chapter 8. My NASB entitles this next section, ‘Generosity Commended’ - and I want you to listen to what Paul wrote:

2 Cor. 8:1 Now, brothers and sisters, we make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia,
2 Cor. 8:2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.
2 Cor. 8:3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave voluntarily,
2 Cor. 8:4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints,
2 Cor. 8:5 and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
2 Cor. 8:6 So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well.
2 Cor. 8:7 But just as you excel in everything, in faith, speaking, knowledge, and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you also excel in this gracious work.
2 Cor. 8:8 I am not saying this as a command, but as proving, through the earnestness of others, the sincerity of your love as well.
2 Cor. 8:9 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.

• Last week I told you guys about how it was that I don’t preach topically. I teach through the Bible - book by book, word by word, verse by verse, and chapter by chapter. Which means I only teach you what comes up in the text of scripture. In the 10-year existence of this church, I have probably only touched lightly on the topic of giving maybe once or twice, and even then, it was brief.

  • But as I said last week, with the new opportunity of moving locations, which by the way, just came about roughly three weeks ago. With that opportunity presenting itself, the topic of giving has come up quite a bit (and not just from me).

  • Many have been concerned, and rightly so, for obvious reasons, because in this new facility we will have some expenses. But still nothing major, because we won’t be going into debt for this building, which we can thank God for.

    • What’s interesting is, if you didn’t know better, you would think I somehow timed last week and this week’s lessons in conjunction with the consideration of this facility. But we know that’s not the case, because A) Well, I don’t plan that far ahead for anything, and B) I’m really not that smart, and C) As everyone knows, we teach through the Bible.

• Therefore, since we started 2 Corinthians in January, it would have been really hard to have planned the teachings in conjunction with a building that wouldn’t come on the market until some nine months later. And so that leaves only one answer, which is it was God’s Sovereign decree. He planned it that way.

  • Anyway, so last week I told you I want to teach about giving from a Biblical standpoint, and along with that I want to debunk some of the myths surrounding this controversial topic.

  • Now, before we begin, let me start out by saying I have a deep-rooted disdain for preachers and churches who push giving or tithing as a means of receiving. And why? Because I assure you, that teaching is not a teaching of scripture. Having said that, there are times when you will receive a financial blessing after giving.

  • But I submit to you, the giving itself was not the reason you received the blessing. It was your obedience to God’s word which brought the blessing. I will also tell you, if God so chooses to return a financial blessing back to you, it’s not so you can buy more stuff. It’s so you can bring more honor and glory to Him! Another way to say it is, if God trusts you with finances He will bless you in that area of your life, all so that you can return those blessings back to the Kingdom. And that is the testimony of scripture.

    • And just to back up what I am saying as it relates to giving verses obedience, specifically which one is the most important, I want to back up and re-read what I read you last week regarding this topic. One more time, 1 Samuel 15:22 says this,

1 Samuel 15:22 Samuel said,
            “Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
            As in obeying the voice of the LORD?
            Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
            And to heed than the fat of rams.

• Here in 1 Samuel, we clearly see that our obedience is what God is after. It’s not about the sacrifice itself, it’s about obedience. And just remember, obedience is a faith, a trust, and a heart issue.

  • And honestly, when you stop to think about it that makes sense, because do we really think God needs our money? Seriously, it’s already His. It’s not ours, we are simply tending to it for a time, and then it moves on to someone else. In reality, we don’t actually own anything.

    • We think we do, but we don’t. We are just sharecroppers at best, someone who lives on the land, tends to it, makes a living off it, but doesn’t actually own it. Because as I said, eventually it transfers to someone else. Money is simply a tool, a means for our survival, it’s temporary, and we are to use it as we wait for the Lord’s return to our permanent home.

• Now, let me say one more thing before we move on this morning. Giving is nothing more than a form of sacrifice, and just like other sacrifices in the Old Testament, it’s a requirement. And it’s important to remember, one sacrifice does not offset another. Meaning, if you sacrifice in one way, say with your time, that doesn’t offset the requirement of your tithe sacrifice.

  • Let me explain what I mean. In the Old Testament there were five main types of sacrifices. Three were voluntary and two were mandatory. The Burnt offering, the Grain offering, and the Peace offering were all voluntary.

  • Time doesn’t permit this morning, but next week we are going to touch on why there were voluntary sacrifices versus mandatory, along with the purpose and benefits of both, because it’s important, and you’re going to want to hear it - I promise.

  • And so, the first three were voluntary and the final two were mandatory, and those mandatory sacrifices were the Sin offering and the Trespass offering. And each one of these sacrifices had a specific purpose, and as I said earlier, one didn’t offset the other.

    • And the same is true for your tithe to your local church. This is important because sometimes I will hear people say, “ Well, I don’t give, but I give of my time”, or “I don’t tithe but I donated XYZ to some charity organization”, or “I gave some of my old clothes to goodwill, or I cleaned out my pantry and gave some food to whatever organization takes food.

    • If that’s your thinking, you would be incorrect because that’s not how it works.

• Now, as I said at the onset of our teaching, I don’t just want to teach you about giving from a Biblical perspective, I also want to debunk some myths about this subject as well. And let me start with a couple of misunderstandings on this topic.

  • One, I am required to give 10%. That is not the case. That is an Old Testament teaching. The New Testament teaching says we are to give as we’ve been blessed, which is interesting in and of itself.

    • Personally, I like the 10% requirement. That way I don’t have to think about it. But in the New Testament God changed it, which means you do have to think about it. This type of giving requires you to listen to your heart and examine all the ways you’ve been blessed, and then give based on that conviction.

    • That’s a little bit tougher than just simply giving 10%, don’t you think? (I’ll touch on this next week as well).

  • The second myth I would like to debunk is, if I give to another organization other than my church then that fulfills my tithe requirement to my local fellowship. Just like the first myth, this also would not be the case.

    • Now this may step on some toes, but let me remind you once again, I’m not making the news I am simply reporting, and I will always back up what I am saying from the pages of scripture. Also let me say, just from a purely pragmatic and logical standpoint, does that make sense?

• Please hear my heart on this, because I am not being smart. If tithing to the local church that you attend is a requirement, then God must have had a reason that he wanted us to do it, right? And if that’s the case, then how could we give to another organization and think that would fulfill the requirement of tithing to our local fellowship?

  • In other words, if there is a reason God asks you to support the church you attend, then how could giving somewhere else fulfill that same need? It couldn’t! Easy now preacher. Guys, one more time, giving is between you and God. It has zero to do with me. I don’t know what people give and never will.

  • But, if we really want to understand giving and the tithe principal, then we must start out with the why, as in why God commanded us to give to our local fellowship in the first place? And why was it? Well, there are at least two reasons.

    • First - Because God said so, and it’s a test of your obedience/faith and trust in Him. And then second, because He wants us as believers to support the church we attend.

    • But why? Well, it’s actually not for the reasons you may think or for the reasons you may have been taught. For most of us, we’ve been taught that we should support our ministers and take care of facilities and various programs.

    • And although, yes, this is correct to a point, this concept has been abused and has really lost its way. For example, nowhere in scripture does it say, or for that matter, do we see a Pastor who was paid to work at the church and that was his only occupation.   

• Now some might say hold on preacher, nowhere in the scriptures were there a lot of things. There were no church buses, gyms, church league softball teams, organs, pianos, or air conditioning. But I don’t hear you complaining about those items. This is true but hear my heart one more time.

  • I’m not complaining about a pastor or music guy, or youth guy being paid. I’m not. I’m simply telling you there were no pastors in the New Testament scriptures who received their full compensation from the church.

    • As a matter of fact, the concept of a fully compensated staff is a fairly new concept, relatively speaking, at least as it relates to the history of mankind. This actually only became a thing in the last, what, 50 to 60 years (at least as a common or standard practice).

  • I will say this though, there’s has been a lot of good come from men and women who were paid full-time ministers. But having said that, I’m not a fan of it. And why? Because it changed the entire dynamic of church and let me explain what I mean.

• The biblical structure (organization chart) of the Church is this: you have Elders, older men who lead the church from an administrative standpoint, then you have Deacons, younger men who attend to the needs of the people in the fellowship, the widows as well as other needs.

  • And you have a Pastor/Teacher, who is also an Elder, but who is gifted to teach. The Bible tells us the church is to be run by a plurality of Elders, meaning more than one. And then of course, last but certainly not least, we have the women. They are to serve and teach and lead and guide the younger women.

  • This is the Biblical structure of the Church, and what you will find when you study this structure, which shows up in the Pastoral Epistles - 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy. and Titus; what you will find is that the Pastor is not the CEO, nor is he the one who does everything.

• The Church of the Bible is a church full of people who all work, which means if the work and responsibilities are all delegated out, then you don’t need one or two or three people receiving an exorbitant pay. Pay, by the way, that sometimes exceeds the pay of the average church member.

  • And why? Because the ministers aren’t doing all the work. Everyone is involved. But guess what? That’s exactly opposite of what the church has evolved into today, and that dynamic is not good for two reasons:

    • One, it robs you (the believer and member) of the opportunity and responsibility of contributing to the fellowship, participating in the work of the ministry. And two, it puts an unrealistic expectation on the Pastor/Teacher, which is why so many of these guys are quitting ministry. They can’t handle it.

    • Also, let me say the majority of ministries happen on the highways and the byways of life as we go about our day. It’s not in church, at least as it relates to the outside world. And so, for the Pastor to be out among the people is extremely important.

  • But that is not necessarily the case anymore because man had a better way, and as we know, we are smarter than God, so we helped Him out and fixed it, and the result is churches are dying and Christians are weak because they never mature, and they never really get in the game.

  • All because we set our churches up much like going to the movies. You buy your ticket/you pay your tithe, and you attend and wait to be entertained. And let me say this, no one elected me the foremost authority on this topic, I am simply a man and a Pastor/Teacher who has observed this church thing for almost 30 years, and then said to myself, what’s the deal?

    • Something’s not right. And then, because it bothered me, I went and studied it for myself to find that these things might be true. You know, like what the Bereans did in the Book of Acts.

• And let me say one more thing before we close. For all those people who say, well you’re just saying that because you’re not full-time in a church. To you I say, “O contraire mon frere”. You would be incorrect! Let me be clear, if that was what God called me to do, that’s where I would be.

  • I remember one time several years ago, someone said to me, “I heard you are a preacher.”

  • I said, “that is correct”. They said, “so you are bi-vocational”? I said, “I am”. And they said, “ahh, that’s good”. The sense was, ahh isn’t that cute. You get to act like a real preacher. I said, “yeah, I’m bi-vocational, just like Paul, Peter, Stephen, Barnabas, Appolos, John, and drum roll please – JESUS."

    • They all had jobs, including Jesus. There was no such thing as a paid preacher who strictly worked at the local fellowship in the New Testament. There was in the Old Testament, and they were called Priests. And not priests as in the Catholic priests we have today.

• And so, what am I trying to say? Am I saying preachers shouldn’t be paid? Nope, not saying that at all, but your tithe and God’s money was not meant to just pay for preachers or ministers, or for that matter, keeping up extravagant facilities.

  • Well then preacher, what was it for? You will have to come back next week to find out. And I promise, if you do, I promise we are going to talk about giving from a Biblical Perspective. Today, I just felt the need to set the stage. And so, let me just close with this.

    • If you struggle with giving. You look at your bill’s week in and week out and you say to yourself, well I can pay the light bill, or I can give to the church, do not give out of guilt. Give out of obedience and know God will take care of your every need.

  • Remember, I am not speaking to you as a preacher who gets paid. I am speaking to you as a man who has seen the absolute worst of financial times, harder financial times than most people will ever see.

  • And if I feel so compelled, maybe I’ll tell you a few stories next week. Stories that I assure you will blow your mind. Stories that highlight how God showed up in our lives, financially speaking, when it appeared we were done.

• Let me just tell you that I have been so far down financially speaking, that those closest to me didn’t know what to tell me. As a matter of fact, many times people treated me like Job. They said, what have you done to God, because obviously based on your financial condition you have done something.

  • People have said to me (people who loved me by the way), they said God must be punishing you for not doing ministry full-time, which is actually funny when you think about it because there is no such thing as a part-time pastor. They are all full time.

    • But anyway, those are some of the comments I received during my hardest financial times, and honestly, at times I thought to myself, maybe they are correct. But I stand here before you today with the benefit of hindsight to tell you that wasn’t the case. God was doing something, preparing me, molding me into what I am now.

    • I will also tell you, once again with the benefit of hindsight, at no time did Daffeny and I ever waver on our giving. There were few times when I thought to myself, oh this is tough. Should I hold out? But we didn’t, and we are going to explore all of this over the next several weeks.

• And so, I want to encourage you to be here, because even though we didn’t delve into the scriptures on this topic this morning, I am going to get to it and teach about giving from a place that you may have never seen before, and next week will be different. I promise.