In this enlightening episode, delve into 2 Corinthians Chapter 8 to uncover powerful principles about giving and generosity. Host Alan J. Huth guides us through a meaningful exploration of generosity by reflecting on personal experiences and biblical teachings. Learn how the churches in Macedonia serve as exemplary models of selfless giving, and discover insights that can transform your own approach to generosity. As aspirations to read the Bible more frequently rise, understanding the actual challenges can enhance our spiritual discipline. Join Alan as he emphasizes the importance of consistency in scripture reading amidst the fast-paced demands of modern life.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
SPEAKER 03 :
Today we are in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. We will listen to the 24 verses as read by our guest reader, Dr. Michael Elliott. He is pastor of Regency Christian Center in Parker, Colorado, and was my pastor for over 15 years and the first chairman of the board of the Ezra Project.
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2 Corinthians chapter 8. We want you to know brothers about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia. For in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify and beyond their means of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. And this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. Accordingly, we urge Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. But as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in earnestness, and in our love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich. And in this matter, I give my judgment. This benefits you who a year ago started not only to do this work, but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well so that your readiness in desiring may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but as a matter of fairness, your abundance at the present time should supply their need so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little had no lack. But thanks be to God who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. For he has not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he is going to you of his own accord. With him, we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. And not only for that, he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our goodwill. We take this course so that no one should blame us about the generous gift that is being administered by us. For we aim at what is honorable, not only in the Lord’s sight, but also in the sight of men. And with them we are sending our brother, whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. Now as for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men.
SPEAKER 03 :
In 1994, on 2 Corinthians chapter 8, I wrote, give financially to support the work of the ministry. Then I referred to verse 11, finish doing it also. Complete what I start. And related to verse 15, God’s supply line, not too much, no lack. And then referring to verse 21, be honorable in the sight of God and men. In 2004, I read 2 Corinthians 5 through 9 on the same day, but I did have a couple of entries related to this chapter. I wrote, quoting verse 7, And then I quoted verse 11. but now finish doing it also, so that just as there was readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it in your ability. In 2015, I read 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 on the same day. You might remember I was in Australia at the time on a Gideon assignment. So I referred to chapter 8 when I wrote, Give according to our means and beyond to the Lord. God blesses accordingly and for what is honorable to God. 2 Corinthians chapter 8 is a great chapter about our attitude about giving. So let’s go over some of the key verses here. Verse 3 says, So principle one is we can only give according to our means. If God has blessed you, you may have more to give. If you have limited means, you give according to your means. But the tail end of this verse says, but they also gave beyond their means of their own accord. So, in other words, they weren’t arm-twisted to give more. They wanted to give more, a little bit beyond maybe what they thought they could give initially. Verse 7 says, you do well in many things, Corinthian church, so you can also do well in the act of giving. Actually, the verse says, but as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace also. And this act of grace is the act of giving. So principle two in giving might be to excel in giving. Principle three comes a few verses later when it says basically complete what you pledged or complete what you started. The middle of verse 10 says, this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work, but also to desire to do it. Verse 11 then says, so now finish doing it as well. Maybe you’ve given a faith pledge to your church or to a building program or to a missions organization. This verse tells us, complete the task, do what you said, and finish. In any kind of a church giving campaign, we not only start eagerly, but we have to finish eagerly. Principle four is God meets the need. I think it’s found in verse 15. Paul writing, as it is written, whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little had no lack. So whether you have much or whether you have little, God can meet the need. Those are four wonderful principles of our attitude toward giving. How do you measure up on those four principles? Do you give according to your means and maybe even sometimes beyond your means? Do you excel in the act of giving? Do you honor your pledges? Do you start strong and finish strong in your giving? And lastly, do you praise God because he meets the need, whether you have much or whether you have little? Finally, verse 21 says, For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight, but also in the sight of man. I hope how you give, what you give, your attitude toward giving is honorable in the sight of God and also in the sight of man. Lord, we thank you that you give us means, that you equip us, that you bless us with the standard of living, whatever it is, and that you tell us to give according to our means. Let each of us be part of meeting the needs of your kingdom building here on earth. You set a principle of the tithe, and it’s my understanding that if all the Christians gave 10%, there would be no needs in the church today. So we thank you for the challenge in this chapter about our heart, about our attitude, about giving. Help us, Lord, to give according to our means. Help us to excel in giving accordingly. Help us to not only start well, but finish well in our giving. And help us realize that whether we have much or little, you provide exactly what we need. May our attitude and our actual giving be honorable in your sight. We pray it in Jesus’ name. Amen. Well, after that wonderful lesson, what a great chance to give to the Ezra Project and support AdBible. Just visit EzraProject.net. Look at how you can join Club 365 today. Thank you, and God bless you. According to a recent Barna research study entitled Bible Reading, A New Year’s Resolution, most Americans are not satisfied with their current level of Scripture reading. A majority express a desire to read the Bible more than they currently do. Born-again and practicing Christians are the most likely to desire more Bible reading in their day-to-day lives. It should not come as a surprise that the majority of Americans wish they read Scripture more than they do, says Roxanne Stone, editor-in-chief of Barna Group. After all, two-thirds of Americans agree that the Bible contains everything you need to know to live a meaningful life. Why wouldn’t you want to read such a book more often? The study continues. However, like other New Year’s resolutions, such as exercising more and eating healthier, Scripture reading is often an aspirational goal. It’s the goal that for most people probably doesn’t feel necessary to survive and so can easily get swamped by the day-to-day demands of a busy life. Scripture reading takes time and focus, two things that feel like scarcities in today’s fast-paced and on-demand culture. Like exercise, like dieting, regular Bible reading does not offer instant payoff. It’s a discipline whose rewards are reaped over the long haul. And the study continues, when people go from feeling they should read the Bible more to needing to read the Bible more, they find the time. Access to the Bible is not the issue in the USA, is it? We all have Bibles. According to another study done a few years ago, 88% of Americans own a Bible. We have 3.5 Bibles in our homes. And this is amazing. 59% of people who have no faith or are atheists even own a Bible, probably just in case. So if you have a smartphone, you have access to the Word of God. My Gideon Bible app has over 2,100 languages. Access to the Bible is not the issue. The issue is changing our beliefs about the Bible to behavior with the Bible. So where are Christians with the Bible today? Christians are well-intentioned when it comes to the Bible. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe, we just don’t behave. Our belief in the Bible and our behavior with the Bible are inconsistent. The middle ground related to the Bible seems to be disappearing. The decrease of Bible-neutral and Bible-friendly people and the increase of Bible antagonists suggests that more people are picking a side. Which side are you on? Are you a Bible antagonist questioning the Bible? Are you Bible-neutral? I just don’t know. Or are you Bible-friendly? I love the Bible. Wherever you are, pick a side. Because of our neglect of God’s Word, we are becoming biblically illiterate. For example, in a private religious elementary school, kids were asked about the Old and New Testaments. Here are some funny things that they had to say. The first commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat that apple. Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt by day but a ball of fire by night. What kind of man was Boaz before he married? ruthless. The epistles were the wives of the apostles. Christians have only one spouse. That’s called monotony. So, if we think about Bible literacy or illiteracy, we think about it this way. If God decided to come down from his throne in heaven, become an author here on earth, you’d think his book would be on the bestseller list. And the fact is, the Bible is the number one bestselling book of all time. 2.5 to 5 billion, according to research. It’s also the most read book of all time. Praise the Lord, that alone might be evidence that the Bible, not any other so-called writing, is God’s Word. According to a weekly World News report, here are a few other Bible facts. About 50 Bibles are sold every minute. The Bible is the world’s best-selling book. It’s also the world’s most shoplifted book. That’s interesting. And that doesn’t even count all the Gideon Bibles stolen out of those hotels. So I encourage you to enjoy a portion of God’s Word every day. Make it a daily spiritual habit. And so until next time, I’m Alan J. Huth, and this program is sponsored by The Ezra Project, with support from listeners like you. Visit EzraProject.net to keep AdBible, connecting God’s people to God’s Word, on the air. I know you’re going to like it and want to share it with others.
