2 Corinthians 8:16-24

2 Corinthians 8:16-24

And thanks be to God, who gave in the heart of Titus the same eagerness for you all, for he received the appeal and also while being in the state of eagerness he went to you all of his own accord.  And we sent with him the brother – of whom is praise in the Gospel through all of the assemblies.  And not only that, but even after being appointed as our travelling companion by the assemblies with this gift that is a service by us for the glory of the Lord and our goodwill.  While avoiding this, lest someone should find us at fault in this abundance that is a service by us, for we consider ahead of time not only what is good in the presence of the Lord but also in the presence of mankind.  And we send with them our brother who we examined in many ways while being eager – and who is much more eager now for great reliance that is upon you all.  And regarding Titus, he is my partner and a fellow co-worker into you all.  Regarding our brothers, they are apostles of the churches – the glory of Christ.  Therefore, demonstrate a display of your love and our boasting for you all into them – into the presence of all the churches.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Let’s talk about Titus.  Paul says something that is really neat here about Titus.  Titus was not drafted to go to Corinth.  Titus was not assigned to go to Corinth.  Titus went on his own accord.  Titus saw the need and he acted upon it.  This adds nicely to what Paul talks about when he speaks of Titus’ cooperative nature at the end of this section.  Titus is a team player.  He is a co-worker.  He isn’t seeking his own glory; Titus is seeking the glory of God.  Paul speaks quite highly here about Titus in very important but understated ways.

Do you have a spirit of doing or a spirit of only doing after being asked?  Are you a team player seeking the glory of God or an individual player seeking your own glory?

Second Thought:

When we talk about this “other brother” that went with Titus, we unfortunately don’t know who this man is.  But we do know a few things about this brother.  We know that this man has a passion for the Gospel.  He is praised throughout all of the churches about his ability to focus of Jesus Christ.  But he is also spoken of as a person who enjoys the Christian service of the Lord.  I think this is a great point to bring out.  When people go out to collect for missions, we don’t need to send the financial gurus.  When we want to collect for the work of the Lord we need to send out the people who are passionate about that work!

When you hear about money in churches, who is typically doing the speaking in your experience?  What does this say about your experience with Christian fundraising?

Third Thought:

You might be wondering why Paul talks about all of the people that he is sending with Titus.  Paul understands that God holds us accountable to our gifts.  Paul wants the Corinthians to feel confident that should they give Titus and these associates the collection that it will be used appropriately and in the manner for which it was intended.  You see, many people have an opinion of giving in that “I gave generously, and if I accidentally give to an organization that is a fraud – or a person that is a fraud – that God knows my heart.”  Sure, God knows your heart.  But God also hold us accountable to make sure that we are good stewards of our money.  If I give to a fraud, it’s on me just as much as being on the fraudulent person or organization!  This is why Paul takes so much time and space here to make sure that the Corinthians understand the collection process.

Why is it easy for us to put the onus of giving on the recipient and not on the giver?  Why does the giver have to share the burden of stewardship for the things that God has given to them?

Passage for Tomorrow: 2 Corinthians 9:1-5