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Archive for September, 2009

Meet the Author
Week 32
2 Corinthians 7-11

One of the most asked questions on the People to People broadcast is about tithing. Many people ask the question because they feel guilty for not tithing and are wondering if this is going to lead to some type of punishment. Some believers want to know what blessings they can expect if they do tithe. And still others are just plain confused because of all the mixed messages they have heard on the subject.

This question really shouldn’t concern us because tithing is an Old Testament practice put into effect to support the Levites. We don’t live under the Old Covenant, and the Levites are not our priests. We live under the New, and in this New Covenant we are called to participate, actually to excel, in the grace of giving. Paul tells us all about this grace of giving in 2 Corinthians 8-9. Here are the highlights:

1. Give yourself to the Lord first.

And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.
(2 Corinthians 8:5)

2. Give willingly.

Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do
it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means.
(2 Corinthians 8:11)

3. Give from what you have, not from what you don’t have.

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable
according to what one has, not according to what he
does not have.
(2 Corinthians 8:12)

4. Give enthusiastically.

For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.
(2 Corinthians 9:2)

5. Give generously.

So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift youhad promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, notas one grudgingly given.
(2 Corinthians 9:5)

6. Do not give grudgingly or sparingly.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap
generously.
(2 Corinthians 9:6)

7. Give cheerfully.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart
to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver.
(2 Corinthians 9:7)

New Covenant giving is done in response to what Jesus Christ has done and continues to do in our lives. The grace of giving flows from the heart. And it is in the heart that the Spirit of God does His work to transform us into people eager to share in God’s work. As we trust Him, we can experience the joy the Macedonian churches experienced as “they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints”(2 Corinthians 8:4).

These believers were experiencing severe trials and tribulations. They were impoverished, yet they pleaded with Paul for the privilege of sharing in “this service to the saints.” Their generosity was not prompted by a law or command requiring them to give. God’s grace had done a powerful work in their hearts, and as a result, they desperately wanted to give of themselves and their resources.

What about you? Are you still asking the question about tithing, or have you been set free to excel in the grace of giving?

A Tale of Two Paths

After reading several chapters from Andy Stanley’s book, The Principle of the Path, I couldn’t help but think of 2 Corinthians 3 where Paul compares and contrasts the Old Covenant to the New. Stanley puts forth a rather simple premise. Path determines destination, and the path you are on trumps everything else in life. This seems obvious, but it is very often overlooked.

For example, we all try to lose weight. Every year we make our resolutions. Certainly, the path to get us there is clearly marked. In spite of all our good intentions, however, when it is all said and done, the “why-can’t-I-lose-weight” frustration leaves us scratching our heads trying to figure out what went wrong. The answer is simple. We stayed on the wrong path and it took us to the only place that it could–a bigger number on the scale. Read the rest of this entry »

What’s love got to do with it?

Paul may be the first on record to give an answer. To him, it meant everything. Just check out 1 Corinthians 13. Love is more important than speaking in tongues or giving all that you have to the poor, or even having the faith to move mountains. As impressive as these may be (can you actually imagine that any of these would impress God?), if they are done without love, they are meaningless; just a bunch of noise makers. Of the three things that will remain, faith, hope and love, love tops the list. Read the rest of this entry »