EPISODE 135 2 CORINTHIANS CHAPTERS 8 and 9 "All About Money"

Welcome to Share the Word. First and foremost, we want to thank Margie Biasotto for taking the time over the Christmas holiday to work on this podcast episode. We're on 2 Corinthians and combining chapters 8 and 9. And as I go through this chapter, I'm left with a question: why is it so difficult to talk about the topic of money? Let's find out. Hello, my name is Margie, and welcome to Share the Word.

Today we'll be talking about chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians, which is all about money, specifically giving money. And the big idea? Well, it comes directly from chapter 9, verse 7, which says, God loves a cheerful giver, so give it all you got. He loves to hear you laughing when you're in an awkward spot, and when the odds against you, it's time to stop and sing praise God. To praise Him is a joyous thing. Okay, maybe it doesn't say that exactly, but the first time I heard that song, I was an adult helper in a five-year-old Sunday school class.

That's actually where I've learned most of my Bible stories and songs. And I get it. No one really wants to hear a lecture on money. Honestly, none of us wanted to give it either, but I drew the short straw today. As I'm writing this, it's Christmas time, the time of year that we are being solicited more than ever, which of course makes listening to a podcast on giving or tithing even less desirable. But before you shut this podcast off, please remember, we are just here to explain the one big idea from each chapter, or in this case, two chapters.

We are not trying to persuade you, guilt you, pressure you into doing anything. And in regards to 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, I've noticed, sadly, that sometimes the Apostle Paul's words have been misunderstood, taken out of context, misused to coerce or to shame people into parting with their money. So we'd like to take the opportunity to correct those errors and to put these chapters into historical context as well as appropriate application. As I mentioned before, I did not grow up in a Christian home, but occasionally we did visit churches with family or friends, and almost every time we went, the message was on giving. It seemed to me there was always something that those church people wanted: money for a new organ or pews or choir robes or the youth mission trip.

I had my suspicions that the only thing the clergy ever talked about was tithing, and I must say that sometimes the same thing happens even now. I invite some poor unsuspecting soul to come visit church with me, and what are they talking about? Money. Seriously. Now I just warn people. When I was growing up, my Nana said that in polite society, topics that one should always avoid were sex, politics, and money.

Not that I ever wanted to discuss those topics with adults, but over the years, the philosophy has changed dramatically. All of those off-limit topics are ones of great discussion nowadays. My Nana's probably rolling over in her grave. Right now, as I'm typing this, we are in El Zonte, El Salvador, a.k.a. Bitcoin Beach, and here, pretty much all folks talk about is money, currency, financial opportunities, well, that and surfing. This country is actually planning to develop an entire city devoted to Bitcoin investing and mining.

Well, if you're interested in that sort of thing, then you need to research it for yourself, as I do not understand it and I definitely cannot explain it. This year in the United States, we just came off of a presidential election. According to the Gallup News, out of the 22 issues that were presented, 52% of the voters indicated that the economy was the topic most important to them. That percentage is actually the highest point of interest since the recession of 2008. People are very concerned about wanting to keep their hard-earned cash. Unlike my Nana, folks are no longer timid about financial discussions, and God is never shy to weigh from talking about money either.

Envoy Financial reports that there are 2,350 verses concerning money in the Bible. That's almost twice as many verses than there are about faith and prayer combined. Jesus, too, had a lot to say about money. Nearly 15% of everything that he spoke about related to money or possessions. Sixteen of the 38 parables were about money or material wealth. And we see from these chapters that the Apostle Paul is not adverse to discussing money either.

In the letter of First Corinthians, Paul only discussed tithing four verses. But in this letter that we call Second Corinthians, he devotes two chapters to the topic of giving. And I'm sure most of us would rather hear a talk on God's great love, forgiveness, and faithfulness, which of course are all true. But this needs to be mentioned as well, for the Lord clearly has an interest in our pocketbooks and how money relates to our faith. But before we get too far along, I think it's time for our joke. Well, this time jokes, one for each chapter.

The witty British author Catherine Whitehorn once said, The easiest way for your kids to learn about money is to not have any. The legendary comedian and philanthropist Bob Hope described a bank as a place that will lend you money only if you can prove you don't need it. Well, in Second Corinthians 8 and 9, the Apostle Paul does not use humor to make his point when he approaches the topic of giving, nor does he back away from the tension it may cause. Instead, he directly encourages the Corinthians to remain generous with their abundance of wealth. In order to bring praise to God, represent Jesus' sacrificial giving, benefit the poorer churches, and to show gratitude. And he does it all without using manipulation, coercion, guilt, or compulsion.

Just a quick recap of the history of the Corinthian church since we've been on a little hiatus, or in case you're joining us for the first time. The Apostle Paul is actually writing this second letter to the Corinthian church from Macedonia, where he established churches in Philippi, Berea, and Thessalonica. He tells us in these chapters that the Macedonian churches gave generously, sacrificially, and joyfully—oh, I should say cheerfully—out of their severe trials and extreme poverty. Corinth was a prominent first-century city. It was the capital of the Roman province Achaia, located between the Aegean and the Ionian Seas, which gave it military and commercial advantage. It was a prosperous city, but also known for its immorality.

Once there, Paul worked for Aquila and Priscilla making tents. He used his income to support himself as he taught and preached the gospel, not wanting to rely on a salary from the church members. In earlier podcasts, we have been addressing the attacks made upon the Apostle Paul by the false prophets who infiltrated the church after his departure. These men planted doubts in the minds of the Corinthians by telling outright lies about Paul to undermine his influence, intention, reputation, credibility, and authority. In these two chapters, the Apostle Paul is having to address the slanderous attacks made by the false teachers in regard to the church offerings. These men were accusing him of keeping the money collected from the Gentile churches that was earmarked for the persecuted and impoverished church in Jerusalem.

Apparently, as a result of their falsehoods, the Corinthian church members' trust in the Apostle Paul had waffled, and along with it, their generosity. Unfortunately, it is easy for people to believe the worst about others, and we know that corruption does happen within the church. Occasionally, I think church folks give people outside of the church good reasons to think that believers are thieves and hypocrites. In the 1980s, there was a huge scandal involving Jim and Tammy Faye Baker. They were arguably the most famous Christian televangelist celebrities at the time. Eventually, it was revealed that there was a lot of corruption within their ministry, and Jim Baker ended up serving five years in prison for 24 counts of fraud and conspiracy.

I wish I could say that that was a one and only case, but as we know, there are several prominent, in quote, Christian folks that have had a similar fate. I can think of three men right now who are coming under scrutiny for having private jets, $200,000 Lamborghini SUVs, and multiple million-dollar estates. Please hear me, I am not accusing these people of any wrongdoing, and I'm not judging them. I'm just saying that sometimes situations like these put a harsh spotlight on the sincere, honorable, and well-intended organizations. Dishonest or greedy behavior makes the unbelieving population very skeptical regarding the motives and the intentions of Christians. We know, however, that this was not the case with the Apostle Paul.

Paul lived a life of honesty, poverty, and servitude. He worked to pay his own way, rather than taking money from the churches that he planted, taught, and served, because he did not want to be a burden, but to bless. Up to this point, to their credit, the Corinthian church had been very generous. Because of the false teachers' influence, they stalled, and they were more reluctant to give. But rather than scolding the Corinthians, the Apostle Paul actually applauds and compliments them. In several verses in chapter 8, he encourages them by saying, You excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, in love.

See that you also excel in this grace of giving. And then he reminds them, Last year you were the first not only to give, but also to have the desire to give. And in chapter 9, he adds, There is no need for me to write you about this service to the Lord's people, for I know your eagerness to help, and I've been boasting about it to the Macedonians. Your enthusiasm has stirred most of them into action. And then he immediately reminds them of the reasons to give. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

Historically speaking, we do know that Jesus was in the lower socioeconomic class. His earthly father, Joseph, was most likely a carpenter, so Jesus was probably trained or apprenticed in the same trade. Perhaps. What we would describe as working middle class, but certainly not the wealthy upper class of society. And then for three years or so, Jesus traveled as a rabbi with no more than the robes on his back. But that is not the poverty to which Paul refers.

He is meaning that Jesus left everything in heaven, his royal holy throne, his high position, to take the form of a man, giving up all of his rights as God to become a creature in the very world he created, one of lowly station. As a man, he was subject to limitations without his nobility and glory, choosing to forego his power and knowledge to become a poor human being, making a way through a sinless life on planet Earth with the goal to reconcile us with the Holy God, therefore giving us access to all the riches of eternal life and heavenly glory. Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to emulate that mindset, to follow the example of Jesus and his intentional sacrificial giving. He was rich, and yet he became poor so that we could be rich with spiritual gifts. The Apostle Paul actually uses the words grace, gifts, and riches interchangeably some 20 times in these two chapters.

As we've discussed before, grace is a term frequently used to describe the process and the principles of salvation. In the Greek, grace, charis, actually means pardon, favor, blessing, an unearned, undeserved gift, which is freely given, not as a wage or merit for a work performed. Therefore, God's grace can be defined as his active gift of showing favor and giving salvation, eternal life. To those who deserve the wage or the payment of death, the gift, which is received through faith in Jesus. We don't deserve it. We can't earn it.

But God offers it to us freely, generously, mercifully, lavishly, completely, cheerfully, which is the same attitude we should have when we give cheerfully. Let's check out what Paul actually says in chapter 9, verse 7, the big idea verse. Each of you should give what you have decided in your hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Then he adds, Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. It's this time of year we hear so many stories about surprises and presents and packages, but this true story still touches my heart. It is a special story about a special gift told through Associated Press, NYahoo News.

In 2009, Gabriel Hurls was celebrating his sixth birthday. So focused was he on his birthday cake that he hadn't noticed the giant package in the corner of the room until one of his classmates pointed it out. Quickly, Gabriel ran over and began to tear off the wrapping paper. Could it possibly be a bike, a computer? Nope. It was his dad, Army Specialist Casey Hurls, on leave from the war in Iraq.

He'd been gone for seven months, but when Dad realized his leave coincided with his son's birthday, he hatched a plan to wrap himself up as a gift, much like God did for us some 2,000 years ago. Wrapped himself up in flesh in the form of a babe. The Word of Life, the God of all eternity, wrapped in swaddling clothes, He cheerfully gave Himself to us and for us. The Apostle Paul also shares a practical plan for collecting the money. He put safeguards in place to give the Corinthians comfort and confidence, to protect his reputation, and to protect the gifts they were giving. Paul says, To avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift, we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of man.

The Apostle Paul not only put his trusted companion Titus in charge, but two other earnest brothers of faith as well to accompany him to safely deliver the offering. Now, there's been some speculation as to who these two men might be. Some have identified them as Luke and Barnabas, or Silas and Timothy, or maybe John Mark. We do not know for sure, but clearly the Corinthians knew and trusted these brothers. The point is, rather than being defensive about the Corinthians questioning his motives, the Apostle Paul is taking the initiative to make sure the money is kept safe for the church in Jerusalem, set apart for God's glory, and to give the Corinthians peace of mind. Paul wanted their gift to be free of concern and compulsion.

He wanted them to give from a cheerful heart, which would bring thanksgiving and glory to God's name. Elizabeth English tells a story of Christmas in 1949. She and her husband Herman locked the door of their small-town appliance store at about 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve. They were dead tired and had pretty much sold out of everything, including record players, bicycles, dollhouses, and games. They only had one package left on layaway, only because a person never came to claim it. The next morning, Elizabeth, Herman, and their 12-year-old son, Tom, woke up and opened their gifts.

Tom was growing up, and his childish exuberance of the past years was gone. Soon he was headed to the neighbor's house to play. Husband Herman mumbled something about going back to bed, so Elizabeth found herself alone, cleaning up after the aftermath as the holiday doldrums set in. And though it began to sleet and snow and the wind rattling their windows, Elizabeth, in her own words, suddenly had this crazy feeling she should go for a walk. She got on her coat, gloves, scarf, found herself down by the store where she was surprised to see two young boys. There she is!

See, I told you she would come! The little boys appeared half frozen. What are you children doing here? You should be home on a day like this. They were dressed poorly with no hats or gloves. We've been waiting for you, miss.

My little brother didn't get any gifts for Christmas, and we want to buy him skates. See? We have three dollars. It broke Elizabeth's heart to tell them that they had pretty much sold out of everything. But then the layaway package came to mind. Wait a minute, she chirped hopefully, and quickly went to the shelf, praying for a miracle.

And sure enough, there were skates in the package that were just the right size, a perfect fit. When they handed Elizabeth the money, she refused to take it, saying it was rewarding enough to see the wonder and the joy in their eyes. And then she added, How fortunate you two are that I did come in today. Oh, I knew you would come, said the older boy, because I asked Jesus to send you. Upon hearing those words, chills went up Elizabeth's spine. God had planned this.

And all the family and friends who heard about the gift of the skates celebrated greatly, giving much thanksgiving and glory to God, which is exactly what the Apostle Paul promised would happen because of the Corinthians' generous gift, adding yet another promise that God is able to bless you abundantly in all things at all time, having all you need, you will abound in every good work. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion. I've heard it said that those promises spoke to J.D. Rockefeller and changed his life. As you probably know, Rockefeller was a business magnate who controlled 90% of the oil in the United States, making him one of the most powerful and wealthy men in America. But what you might not know is that he was also a very committed Christian.

As the story goes, after hearing John Wesley's teaching on this passage, summarized as, Earn all you can, save all you can, and give all you can, Rockefeller made a drastic life change by enthusiastically applying these principles. And as a result, J.D. became one of the most famous, well-respected philanthropists of all time, allowing him to give away millions during his 97 years on earth. Now, as I mentioned earlier, at Share the Word, our job is to explain the big idea in each chapter. It is not to insist that you believe our way or feel compelled to do what we say. If you're not a church person, don't believe in the Bible or God or this Jesus fellow, but are open enough to listen and to check out the scriptures, well, good for you, and thank you so much for your time. As it stands, today you're off the hook.

For this topic of giving, Paul addresses two B levers to church people. But if you are a church person, you call yourself a believer, a follower of Jesus, then perhaps you might consider the charge the Apostle Paul gave the Corinthians: Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do may be matched by your completion, according to your means. Now, this is not to guilt you in any way, maybe get you jazzed, inspired to do more, do better, to put your money where your mouth is, so to speak. God loves a cheerful giver. We should give Him all we got. Thank you so much for joining us.

I'm Margie, and this is Share the Word. Thank you, Margie, for such great insight, for that awesome rendition of the song, and for taking on a topic that seems to have caused so much turmoil and anxiety throughout most of man's time on this earth. How is it that we have no problem spending five dollars a day, one hundred and fifty dollars a month on coffee, and yet we will barter with our spiritual salvation? When you come to realize that everything we have comes from God, your perspective changes. When we live open-handedly and give cheerfully, your life changes. And when you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, where you spend eternity will change.

From all of us at Share the Word, our blessings and prayers go out to all of you.