THE GRACE OF GIVING

2 Corinthians 8:1-2 

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

I am very grateful for my Baptists heritage.

While I did not grow up in a Baptist home, I became a Christian watching a Television program when I was 18, when I began attending church at age 21 it was an Independent, Fundamental Baptist Church.

And its pastor connected closely enough with the Baptist Bible Fellowship that I received very early on a booklet that was the doctrinal statement for the fellowship.

It contained just twenty basic doctrines that those Baptist pastors involved in the Fellowship agreed upon.

The twentieth of those doctrines was called “The Grace of Giving.”

I do not know who first came up with that term, but I don’t believe I fully appreciated the thoughtfulness and accuracy of the phrase until just recently.

While the Baptist Bible Fellowship eventually slipped away from its roots, some of the earliest men in that Fellowship were preachers of extraordinary gifts.

It was a young man still in his twenties named J.O. Combs who proposed the name of the fellowship,  “We are Baptists, let us fellowship around the Bible.”

The first missions director of the Baptist Bible Fellowship was a man named Fred Donnelson. He and his wife were missionaries in China for 16 years before being captured by the Japanese and held as prisoners of war for two years.

Fred Donnelson made two statements that have held a powerful place in me my whole life:

• “Let missions be the strong right arm of the fellowship” and
• “The light that shines farthest shines brightest at home”

The Faith Promise plan for supporting missions was not “invented” by the Baptist Bible Fellowship, but Clifford Clark of the Tulsa Baptist Temple (who incidentally was led to the Lord by Pastor Dave Brown’s, of Yakima, dad) was the one who introduced it into Fellowship churches.

And the more I learn the Bible, the more I believe Faith Promise giving is the Bible’s plan for supporting missionaries.

There are some differences between how things were done in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 and what we do today.

For instance, this is a missionary raising money to support a poor church, not churches raising money to support missionaries.

There were some extenuating circumstances:

The members of the first church ever were suffering very badly.

• These were the roots of the faith
• Every Christian owed their very faith to that church

Paul had great love for that church and longed to see it blessed.

But the pattern for Faith Promise giving is clearly found in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9.

For instance, have you ever wondered why we make our faith promises for a year at a time?

It’s because that is the pattern found in these chapters,

2 Corinthians 8:10

And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.

2 Corinthians 9:2

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.

• We are preparing a year in advance
• We are doing it to encourage others to do the same
• We giving so missionaries won’t be in want

All of which is the pattern of these two chapters.

And notice that Paul referenced the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia and not on the Christians of Macedonia.

Christianity is a church thing. No one practices true New Testament Christianity apart from doing that in a local church.

So our giving to the cause of Christ ought to be done in and through our local church.

I want to go back to one of my first thoughts in this message, that of “the grace of giving.”

The word grace is found seven times in these two chapters, five of them in chapter 8.

I intend to walk us through each of those five this morning that we may learn what a gift of God it is that we can give.

I. GRACE AND POVERTY

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (KJV)

Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;

How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;

Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

We often think of the grace of God in terms of its benefit to ourselves. 

• His grace in saving us
• His grace in providing for us
• His grace in empowering us
• Etc. 

The grace of God Paul wants us to learn of here might not be so attractive. 

This grace

• Was in the midst of trials and affliction and
• Was despite their deep poverty 

The churches of Macedonia experienced no relief, so far as we can see, from these troubles and yet God moved upon them to give. 

Paul goes further to say this gift was not what he hoped for from them but went far beyond what could possibly have been expected. 

When God moves his people to give beyond their reasonable means, that's called grace. 

II. GRACE AND LEADERSHIP

2 Corinthians 8:5-6 (KJV)

And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.

I see three sources of leadership in this passage

A. The leadership of the churches in Macedonia

Paul has himself been inspired and “stirred” by this incredible grace in Macedonia.

B. The leadership of Paul

Paul leads Titus to go ahead to Corinth and get them stirred up.

C. The leadership of Titus

The point of all of this is that it is 

• Appropriate, 
• Scriptural and 
• Proper

For a pastor to desire his congregation to give graciously and sacrificially and to lead them to do so.

Titus had begun working with them to give

Paul told him to see it through – make it happen

When God gives a church a pastor who leads them to give – that’s called grace.

III. GRACE ABOUNDING

2 Corinthians 8:7-8 (KJV)

Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.

Three thoughts here

A. It’s not enough to abound in one thing

Look at this. They about in:

• Faith
• Utterance
• Knowledge
• Diligence and
• Love

Paul said they about in every thing.

Wouldn’t you have thought if a person was really caring and a great encourager, he could get by without being a great giver too?

Wouldn’t you have thought if a person was a great preacher and teacher, he might get a pass on giving too?

Paul told them to be great in all of those things AND in the grace of giving too.

However

B. It’s not a commandment

No one is forced to give and no one should feel like they are forced to give.

There is no coercion involved.

It’s just that God’s grace moves upon us and we give willingly.

C. It’s about sincerity

If a man told his wife, “I love you with all of my heart, but I am not going a sacrifice anything on your behalf. I want you to know up front that you will have to pull your own weight, you will never get a gift from me and should not expect one. I will not care for you when you are sick and if you ever stop being a solid contributor to this arrangement, I will dump you for someone who will be.” Would you believe that his love for her was sincere?

Paul told the Corinthians “You abound in love. Now prove it.” 

IV. GRACE AND THE LORD JESUS

2 Corinthians 8:9

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

The churches in Macedonia had been an inspiration to Paul and he had turned that inspiration into action.

But the true example was not 

• The churches of Macedonia, or 
• Paul or 
• Titus

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is called here, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

• His incarnation was an act of grace
• His sinless life was an act of grace
• His death on the cross for you and me was an act of grace
• His victory over our sin was an act of grace
• His promise of eternal life for believers is an act of grace

Every time we fulfill our promise in giving we are imitating in small measure the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

V. GRACE AND THE WORLD

2 Corinthians 8:19

And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:

The grace this verse speaks of is obviously the offering that the churches gave.

That grace, Paul said, could travel.

Whenever Lance Hohenstreet steps into: 

• The RCF here at JBLM or the
• The USDB at Fort Leavenworth or the
• Naval Brig at Miramar or 
• Chesapeake or 
• Charleston

He takes some of our grace with him.

Whenever missionaries:

• John Allen Papua N.G.
• Ed Butler Philippines 
• Bruce Claypool Alaska
• Jerry Lantz Brazil

Or any one of the 40 missionaries that we support step into their place of service, they have traveled there taking our grace with them.

It is for this reason that in a very real sense each and every one of us can obey and fulfill the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19-20 (KJV)

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

I can’t go to every nation but I can send some of the grace God has given me with 

• Jim Males in Scotland or
• Bohannan McKenzie in Anacortes or
• Dan Young in Panama

And, as an added blessing, whatever fruits they see harvested in whatever field they serve is applied to our account.

Philippians 4:17 (KJV)

Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

Whenever our missionaries travel, they take our grace with them, and they return with fruit put in our account.

Conclusion

In just three Sundays from now we will make our Faith Promises to God for the coming year.

We don’t want to make that promise hastily or with little prayer and leading of the Holy Spirit. For that reason we will spend the entire month focused on missions and missionaries.

• Pray
• Seek God and on March 27
• Promise the grace God puts in your heart to give