We now come to a couple of chapters that spend quite a lot of time dealing with giving. The believers in Jerusalem were experiencing hard times and Paul was involved in collecting money to help them. The process had started in Corinth, but had not been completed.
Paul talks about the grace that had displayed itself in the Macedonian churches. We are all to give, but giving is also a gift. A generous heart with generous actions is clear evidence of the work of God's grace in a person. Our God is a giving God, so His people should be a giving people.
In Macedonia the church was also experiencing severe trials, and with this poverty. Yet the result was overflowing joy and rich generosity. We see here the true prosperity gospel at work. The grace of God in them overcame the circumstances and produced the exact opposite results that one might have expected.
They gave extravagantly and joyfully. Paul urged Titus to encourage the Corinthians to do the same.
In these two chapters we will learn a lot about appeals for money and giving, and the lesson has only just started, but one of the things we can learn is that it is fine to ask for money. Churches can be reluctant to talk about money, but if money is needed we should talk about it. We also see that giving is a grace, and is evidence of God's grace.
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