We begin a new section of 2nd Corinthians tonight. And this new section consists of chapters 8 and 9. And we're going to be reading through the passage as we work through it. We're going to cover all of chapter 8 tonight, I believe. Chapter 8 begins with Paul now having arrived in Macedonia. Now this is his second time there. We don't know if he's in Philippi or if he's in Thessalonica or Berea or maybe somewhere else. But chapters 8 and 9 are a whole new section, as I said, a second section of this letter. It's been several years now, as he's writing, since Paul's initial 18-month stay in Corinth. And it's also been about five years since he's been in Macedonia or near that. We remember after he'd left Corinth four or five years earlier, he spent three years in Ephesus. He'd had at least one trip to Jerusalem. And at some point he'd made that short, sorrowful visit to Corinth that we've talked about that had not gone well at all. And where the affection for Paul was waning, And Paul had told them, remember, he intended to stop in Corinth on his way back to Macedonia. Well, in light of the troubles he'd encountered, he didn't do that. He decided against it and wrote that sorrowful letter that we have talked about that we've never read because it's since been lost. In chapter 7, after a lot of discussion on doctrine in the chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6. And after a great deal of discussing the trials and difficulties he and his co-workers had encountered. And his great concern over his relationship with the converts in Corinth. His tone in chapter 7 took a dramatic turn. Look at chapter 7, verse 4. He says, Great is my confidence in you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. Now this is after he just said, Open your hearts to us. Well what had happened was, Titus had arrived with a good report from Corinth. Titus had arrived and met him in Macedonia. So Paul says, I'm filled with comfort. I'm overflowing with joy in all our affliction. God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus. And Paul wrote, verse 7, We were comforted not only by his coming, but by the comfort with which he was comforted in you. So Titus had responded joyfully to what was going on now in Corinth. As he reported to us, Paul says, you're longing, you're mourning, you're zeal for me. So I rejoiced even more. So now things are repaired because in Corinth they had repented of their failure to discipline the sinning member. And so they'd now once again opened their hearts to Paul. And he says, look at verse 11. What earnestness this very thing, what eagerness to clear yourselves, this godly sorrow has produced in you. Godly sorrow leads to repentance. That was his lesson for us last week. What vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging of wrong, what readiness to see justice done. In everything, he says, you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. Remember, church discipline is for the purpose of restoring the member, bringing him to repentance so that he may be restored, not merely to kick him out of the church. And so in going through this process, the Corinthians came to realize just how much Paul meant to them. In verse 14 of chapter 7, we saw that through it all, Paul had maintained his confidence in the Corinthians, which is kind of amazing given the struggles that they had. He had had great hope all along that they would follow His godly instruction, and they proved Him correct. In verse 15, we see the impact of the repentance of the Corinthians on Titus. Paul says, His affection abounds all the more toward you, as He remembers the obedience of you all, how you received Him with fear and trembling. So this section of the book, this first seven chapters, concluded with Paul rejoicing because of his confidence in them that they will persevere in the faith. Remember, Paul was traveling all over the world to bring people to Christ so that they would live with Christ forever in glory. Because apart from believing in Him, there's only eternal damnation. So chapter 8, Paul turns to discuss with the Corinthians a matter of a collection which was being taken in the Gentile churches. And we read about this in Galatians and Romans and several of Paul's letters. The collection was being taken in Gentile Christians to assist poor Jewish Christians in Judea who had been hit hard by both persecution and famine. In Acts 11, Beginning in verse 27, we see the largely Gentile church in Antioch in Syria had sent relief with Barnabas and Saul to Jerusalem. And by the time Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, which was about a year before this letter, around 55 AD, he'd already begun canvassing the churches, the Gentile churches in Galatia and elsewhere, seeking to collect some relief for the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Now look at 1st Corinthians 16.1. Now here's what Paul had written about a year earlier. Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week, each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections will be made when I come. He doesn't want to be there collecting the money personally. When I arrive, whomever you may approve, I'll send them with the letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem. Paul does not want to touch the money. And if it's fitting for me to go with them, then they'll go also with me. So that's where he left off about a year before they'd begun this work of this collection of this gift. By the time 2nd Corinthians was written, this letter, about a year later, Paul had contacted the Macedonian churches. And in verse 4, look at what he says here. They had begged him for the privilege of taking part in the relief of the saints. Maybe Philippi, maybe Thessalonica. Now these people, as we saw from Paul's previous experience there, were also in persecution. Paul is now using the example of the generosity of the Macedonians to motivate the Corinthians to rekindle their fervor for giving help to the Judean Christians. Chapter 9, Paul says that the zeal of the Corinthian believers had stirred up the Macedonians. But then their zeal seems to have waned. But now Paul sought the reverse. He's seeking to teach these local churches, including local churches like us, that we're all part of one universal church. And the importance of us all supporting one another. Now that doesn't mean we divest ourselves of our ability to continue on, but it does mean if there's a church that's struggling and we can help, we should. That's why we send aid to the places we send it. The contribution of the Gentile churches to Jewish believers in Judea would have another effect. It would have the effect of bringing about harmony and unity between Gentile Christians and Jewish believers. Now this was a pretty critical issue in the first few decades of the church. Why? Because there were Judaizers, remember? We saw them in Galatia. We see them in Corinth. We've seen them elsewhere. who were stirring up people everywhere Paul went. They were showing up in Asia, they were showing up in Europe, and they were falsely preaching what? That Christians had to also comply with all the old Jewish rituals, which Christ had rendered obsolete at the cross. Hebrews 8, 13. The situation between Gentile Christians and Jewish Christians was a serious one, right from the beginning. So Paul begins by informing the Corinthians of what is happening in Macedonia. 8-1, Now brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction... There's a great ordeal of affliction in this Macedonian city. ...their abundance of joy and their deep poverty, overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. Liberality would be generosity. So when Paul had first come to Macedonia four to five years earlier, as we read in Acts 16, he was met with great opposition, with hostility, with persecution. Jailed in Philippi. Attacked by a Jewish mob in Thessalonica. Who followed Paul to Berea. Stirred up the people against him there. Now it's five years later, and Paul describes the Macedonians as still in a great ordeal of affliction, as Paul continually was. And yet, despite this great ordeal of affliction, and out of their deep poverty, their generosity overflowed. The giving spirit of those in Macedonia was the fruit of the grace of God to them. It was the fruit of His Spirit working in them. Paul never failed to recognize the work of God in his people by His Spirit within them. And how is His Spirit within them evidenced in Christians? It's evidenced in the fruits of the Spirit that are manifested in them. The fruit of the grace of God and His Spirit within and among them was generosity toward others. That's the fruit. God is generous. While we were yet sinners, He gave His Son to die for us. Romans 8, 32. He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? God is a generous God. And where His grace is experienced in His people's lives, we're going to see the evidence of that same Spirit, a similar generosity, a similar love for others. So Paul, remember, is writing this letter about the generosity of the Macedonians to the believers in Corinth, who only now he has learned have become reconciled to him. So he's doing this. He's writing about the Macedonians to motivate the Corinthians to join in their generosity, to help provide some relief themselves to these saints in Judea. Now, because of their deep poverty, what they probably gave was probably not very much. They didn't have much to give. But measured against their poverty, it represented what Paul called a wealth of liberality. So he says, verses 3, 4, and 5, For I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord. Paul didn't ask them for the money. They gave of their own accord. They begged Him with much urging for the privilege of participation in the support of the saints. They begged to participate in giving of what little they had. And this, not as we expected, he says, but first, what stirred them, what moved them to do this? First, they gave themselves to the Lord. And to us, he said, by the will of God. Once you give yourself to the Lord, then you're His servant. And you do His will. You're not motivated so much by your own lustful desires. So they gave not only according to their ability, but beyond their ability. Beyond what could have reasonably been expected of them. They did not have to be asked. They gave of their own accord. Just imagine somebody from another church sends us a letter like this. Boy, you ought to see how generous these people are. They don't have anything, but yet they're giving whatever they have for these people down here. Well, this is the sense that they would have gotten in Corinth. The people in Macedonia begged Paul that they be permitted to share in this support of other believers who had less than them, whom Paul referred to by the name of saints. Paul sometimes called believers saints. That's what a saint is to Paul. So they were already coming to understand the unity of all believers in every place. And they considered the opportunity to give to others a privilege Now Paul says this was not in any way anticipated by him or by his co-workers. And he said that what was behind all of this was at first they'd given themselves to the Lord, as we've discussed. This is another way of describing what it is to die to self. His will is what guides you, not your own will. They come to see themselves not as people seeking to obtain all of the worldly treasure they could, but they saw themselves as servants of the Lord to be used as instruments in His hands for His purposes, for the benefit of others. This is how they saw themselves, as servants. And by the will of God, They had entrusted themselves, despite this four or five year absence, to Paul and his co-workers. Now we have reason to believe that some of his co-workers had been in Macedonia during much of these five years. Luke had remained in Philippi when Paul left there the first time to return to Asia. But they had given themselves over to them, to Paul and his co-workers, to serve God under their leadership. They appear to have recognized Paul as having God-given authority. And their response to his appeal on behalf of these poor Judean Christians was a recognition of his authority as one sent by God, as well as an expression of compassion for people in need. Remember what Jesus says in Matthew 25. you visited the sick, when you fed the hungry, when you clothed the naked, when you do it for the least of these, you did it for me." So Paul longed to see the same attitude of heart in the believers in Corinth. Now we've seen back in 1 Corinthians 16, there had been great enthusiasm in Corinth for this giving. But it appears their enthusiasm, in the midst of all their struggles and disputes and false teaching, had begun to wane. So Paul says, verse 6, We urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. There's a great body of scholars who believe that it was Titus who was sent with the sorrowful letter to Corinth. And that Titus, when he met with Paul finally in Macedonia, had returned with their response to the sorrowful letter. And of course, it had been a very positive response. Now if you look down to verse 10, you'll see that it confirms here that there had been some initiatives taken in Corinth about a year before. And that's what we read, of course, in 1 Corinthians 16. And that Titus had been involved in that effort. And there's an implication here that Titus on his most recent visit Perhaps with that sorrowful letter, had also worked with them on this collection. Had begun to renew the subject with them. Well, verse 7, Paul then exhorts the Corinthians directly. He encourages them. He doesn't command them. He exhorts them directly to participate in this work of giving. Now remember, he said a bunch of very nice things about them in chapter 7. Your earnestness, your eagerness. And now here he says, as you abound in everything, in faith, in utterance, in knowledge, in all earnestness, in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. You're doing real well, Corinthians. Here's the next step. In your progress in the faith. In your conformity to His image. Paul wanted to see the same progress in their hearts for giving that he'd seen in their progress in the faith. In their speech. In the knowledge of the things of God. In their earnestness. In zeal to pursue God and His kingdom. And in their love of Paul. Their love of one another. Now let's add this to it. He hoped to see the same earnestness of generosity in them. But He doesn't make this in the form of a command. Giving under a command is one thing. Giving under compulsion is one thing. But it's not the same thing as giving out of love and concern for others without prompting. That's what He says in verse 8. I'm not speaking, this is a command. But it's proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. And then Paul draws on another example of someone who gave of himself for others. Verse 9, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. Remember, Jesus is God. He has always been God from all eternity. In and through Him, everything was made. All things were created through Him. He's the creator of all things. And yet, He became flesh and dwelt among sinful men and suffered and died a brutal death on a cross. so that He might mediate heavenly riches to His people on earth." No greater act of giving has ever occurred. Philippians 2, 5, "...have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. Verse 10, to which we alluded earlier, Paul recalls that the believers in Corinth had begun a year earlier to take a collection for the saints in Judea. And Paul says to do this is to your advantage. It'll result in a blessing to you. Now, we give for different reasons. People give for different reasons. Sometimes just to quiet our conscience. Sometimes just to get somebody off the porch. But giving to those in need, when done from the heart, leads to and aids in the way of our transformation to conformity to the image of Christ. That's a whole different matter. Giving from the heart is Christ-like. It's Christ-like. That's how He is. He gives to those completely undeserving, even. So a desire to give, just a desire to want to be able to give, is a gift from God, a gift of His grace. It's a heavenly thing. And Paul desires to see in them, he says, not only the act of giving, but a desire to give. So, as I said, there's a difference between giving under compulsion, or a sense of obligation, or to gain some advantage on the one hand, and giving from a heartfelt desire to just give on the other. That's what he says in verse 10, I give my opinion in this matter, For this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago, not only to do this, but also to desire to do it." And this helps us to understand with 1 Corinthians chapter 16, the time frame here. At the same time, He says the flip side of this. A desire to give must lead to actual giving if it is to be worthwhile. And so in verse 11, Paul exhorts them to complete the work of giving they'd begun. He says, "...but now finish doing it also, so that just as there was a readiness to desire it, so there may also be the completion of it." Because they'd shown the desire. It seems to have waned. But now they need to complete what was begun in that desire in their hearts. So we see here a contrast between a heart that feels some empathy or sympathy for the difficult plight of others and a heart that acts to help relieve the plight of others by giving of themselves and of their resources to help them. Paul exhorts them not only to have this desire to give but to act for the benefit of the saints of Jerusalem by giving. Now part of what was behind Paul's words at this point was the fact that soon he was going to be coming to Corinth. He was going to be accompanied by some Macedonians. And he was telling them what a great, generous people these people in Corinth are. Don't shame me when we get there. For if the readiness is present, verse 12, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he doesn't have. Paul assures his readers that when they give just according to what they have, that this is acceptable and well-pleasing to God. And that's certainly a lesson for us. Now verses 13, 14, and 15, he says this, For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality. Not by way of equity, by way of equality. at this present time, your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance may also become a supply for your need, that there may be equality. As it is written, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little had no lack. Paul's referring back here to Exodus chapter 16 with the manna God had sent them in the wilderness. Now there's a couple things we want to understand here. Paul is not speaking of sharing what you have with others under compulsion by some civil authority. That we call communism. That's not at all what he's talking about. He's talking about the heart of a Christian, of a true disciple of Christ. He's talking about what is the heart of a Christ-like believer. There's a great difference between the civil compulsion to do something and doing something because Christ has changed your heart. Those in Christ who give to others do not give so that others may live in ease and comfort and not work at their expense. But a willingness among Christians to give to help provide for the basic needs of other believers whose need is not because of their failure to seek to work is a mark of a true disciple. These people were in need because of famine and persecution. Paul alludes to this example, as I mentioned, in the experience of the sons of Jacob in the wilderness, in the Exodus from Egypt. They're gathering the manna provided to them by God. In Exodus 16, 18, Moses writes, When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, he who had gathered little had no lack. Every man gathered as much as he should eat, regardless of how much he gathered. This is another lesson following in what has been a theme in all of Paul's writings. Christians are born again of the Spirit of God to be a part of His church, not to be solo Christians, not to be spectator Christians. How many times has Paul written to us about serving the brethren and loving the brethren? That's all he's talking about here. Remember what he said about the weaker brother even in the faith and how we must help to uplift and strengthen him. Well the same can be true of material needs. We're all part of the same body. That's what he's trying to show us. And that was a huge issue in the first century between Jewish believers and Gentile believers. So the stronger, more affluent members must help with the needs of those who are, by no fault of their own, in great need. Now if a man won't work, that's another story entirely different. Now verses 16 through 24. Paul is about to send three men from Macedonia to Corinth. One of them is identified. These are three brothers in Christ. They were being sent to help administer the collection there. They're going ahead of Paul. One of them was Titus. Verse 16, But thanks be to God, who put the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus. For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he's gone to you of his own accord. Pretty likely Titus is taking this letter to Corinth from Macedonia. Paul commends Titus, notice this, and his earnestness for the spiritual condition of the Corinthians. He is praying for these people who they know, who had only recently, it appears, spent time with them. Titus had been there fairly recently. They knew Titus. And Paul tells them, Titus was coming of his own desire. This is his idea. He wants to come there. And that Titus didn't need any persuasion from Paul to make this journey down there, to deal with this issue of this collection. And Paul again gives thanks to God because he's the one who put this earnestness in Titus' heart. Paul never fails to acknowledge God is the one who gives to us so that it issues in godliness in us. Now verse 18, he sent two other men with Titus. The first one in verse 18, along with Titus, we've sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches. Who is this? This is a brother who had become well known in all the churches for his service in the gospel. Perhaps a preacher. I suspect he was preaching the gospel. The English Standard Version translates this. He was famous for his preaching of the gospel. The other versions don't do that, but that does seem to be the sense here. It's not certain, but it seems to be the sense. And not only this, look at verse 19. He has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work. which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our readiness." Well, Ron, who is it? Well, Barnabas is one of the suggestions. Since the days of the first century, the early church, many have all wondered, who is this brother? And to this moment, nobody knows. But God, and Paul in heaven, and perhaps Titus and the one he sent. Why didn't Paul identify him? Usually when we're not told something in Scripture, it's because it just isn't important to our understanding of what God wants us to hear and know. So among the candidates who have been mentioned by some, Luke, Barnabas, Timothy, Silas, Mark, Aristarchus, Apollos, maybe Peter, maybe John. Now some conjecture that the brother here is Luke. And there's some interesting facts with a lot of holes in them. But that lead us to believe this may have been Luke. Acts 16, 11. If you look at Acts 16, 11, it says, So putting out to sea from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace. Now that we means what? That means Luke's on the boat. They're heading to Samothrace, Neopolis, and they land in Philippi. So then Luke starts talking in terms of we, in us. Then when Paul and Silas left Philippi, Luke resumes with the pronoun they. indicating he may well have stayed behind in Philippi in Macedonia to minister there. Now it's five years later when this letter's written. From some city in Macedonia. We don't know what it is. This is why I said there are quite a few holes in this idea. But in Acts 20, verse 5, after having gone to referring to Paul and Silas and others in third person. When they're in Philippi in Acts 20, verse 5, But these had gone on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas. So they're in Macedonia preparing to leave. And Luke returns to we and us. Now there is something else. And again, we cannot prove this. And we're just not certain. But there are some interesting factors here. And one of them is, in the earliest century of the church, there were Syrian translations of the Bible. There were Greek manuscripts. There were Coptic manuscripts. And there were Byzantine manuscripts. And many of the ancient Byzantine manuscripts feature an explanatory note at the end of this letter that say, the second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi through Titus and Luke. I don't read Byzantine, but it's there. Now if this is true, this would add the fact that Luke did visit Corinth after this letter was written. And that perhaps he had stayed there for some time. If this letter was written from Philippi and Luke was still there, he could have been this famous brother. I don't know if this was worth the time to review this history. But I thought it was interesting. And many ancient and modern writers all support the idea that this was Luke. But the truth is, nobody knows. We do know that there were opponents of Paul and of the gospel who were questioning not only his doctrine and his authority, but his motives in financial matters. Now in Paul's letters, we see frequently him having to defend himself against one accusation or another. often having to defend his integrity and his apostleship. But in his mind, this collection, which was desperately needed in Jerusalem, was too important both for those in need in Judea and for the unity of the church. This was a gift from Gentiles to Jewish Christians. And so he was not going to allow this act of generosity and unity and harmony to be frustrated by accusations against him. This was going to be a large sum of money. And you know how far it is from Corinth to Jerusalem? Say by car. Do you know how far it is from Corinth to Jerusalem by car? 1,834 miles. This is on foot or by horn. I looked it up today. I couldn't believe it. They're going to take this money. I think it's going to be seven of them before they head out. All this distance. We haven't even talked about robbers and marauders and all. But the last thing Paul wants is an accusation that he, somewhere in this 1834 miles, got his hands on this money and took off. But there were those who told people Paul can't be trusted. And he was aware of that. And preachers who go around chauffeured in Rolls Royces don't do anything to quiet this kind of suspicion. So Paul writes here, verse 20, We are taking precaution, so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift. For we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. Again, if a preacher is discredited, his message will be discredited. The gospel will suffer. The apostle here, his ultimate concern was that the administration of the collection be honorable in the sight of the Lord, and it be seen as honorable in the sight of men, so that the gospel would not suffer. So, to preserve his credibility, he took every precaution to distance himself from any contact with the money. You look back, 1 Corinthians 16, 3. When I arrive, he said, whomever you may approve, I'll send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem. He wasn't even going to necessarily go with the money. Now, Paul and the Macedonians also sent a third man to supervise the collection in Corinth. We can't piece together anything about this man. He says, "...only we've sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent or earnest in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you." Well, this brother is completely unknown to us. But he's commended because of his diligence and because of his confidence in the Corinthian brethren. His high regard in which he holds them. And Paul says, as for Titus, verse 23, He is my partner. My partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brethren, they are messengers. Literally the word is the same word as for apostles. Once commissioned and sent by the churches. So these are all men who have the respect and who are given authority and sent by the churches. And he says, they're a glory to Christ. This is a way of saying to the Corinthian believers, deal with them as you would with me. And this was Paul's imprimatur. And the imprimatur of the church in Macedonia on these three ambassadors. And this work, Paul says, these brethren is all to the glory of Christ. Paul indeed loved the Lord. He concludes, verse 24, Therefore openly before the churches show them the proof of your love and of our reason for boasting in you. I've told everybody in Macedonia what generous, loving, giving people you are. Because of the dividing wall. Remember, this dividing wall that had stood for 1,500 years between Jews and Gentiles. Now it's torn down at the cross, bringing the two together into one body was going to be a great challenge. Remember Jews were told to stay away from all, you're unclean if you go near a Gentile for 15 centuries. Now they're in one body. So there was a very real possibility, and I mentioned this earlier, that Gentile Christians and Jewish believers would each go their own way. that we'd have two separate churches. And there are people in pulpits trying to encourage this sort of thing. Jewish believers going their own way. Or Jewish unbelievers not seeking Christ but seeking to please God by their own works. Here's the thing, God had reconciled both Jew and Gentile to Himself in Christ at the cross. And He had reconciled the two groups to one another. Ephesians, look at Ephesians 2.14. This is important and this is ignored by far too many in the Christian church today. It's ignored by far too many Jews today. Ephesians 2.14. And we could read back to verse 11 and on to verse 19 or 20, but I think this is enough to catch the truth. For He Himself, Christ, is our peace, who made both groups, Jew and Gentile, into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is what? It's the law of commandments contained in ordinances, the ceremonies, the dietary laws. so that in himself he might make the two into one new man, one olive tree, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body, Jewish Christians, Gentile Christians, one body, to God through the cross, and by it having put to death the enmity, the dividing wall between the two. Remember the Jerusalem Council, Acts 15, had met in an attempt to resolve, to begin to resolve these differences and try and work them out. What do we tell the Jews? Stop doing what you've done all your life. What do we tell the Gentile believers? Start doing what the Jews have always done. The Jerusalem Council really at root was to help to foster that reconciliation of the two groups. But it wouldn't happen overnight. But God had already reconciled. So now it was just a matter of people following what God had done. And Paul is the representative on the whole earth, really, more than any other man who's explaining this to Christians of both stripes. And so this collection, this collection being taken up among Gentile converts to be given to Jewish Christians was to be a tangible expression of the reconciliation which God had already effected between the two groups in Christ at the cross. And because of this, their giving from the Corinthians and the Macedonians and the Ephesians was to the glory of God. Because it was leading to this reconciliation of people whom God had called all into one body in Christ. And there was something else. Remember, who was attacking Paul wherever he went? Who was it? The Judaizers and the Jews. And this collection was now, Paul was making a collection from Gentiles to take to some Jewish believers. It would show the goodwill of Paul and his co-workers toward the Jewish believers in Judea and elsewhere in an attempt to thwart this and so that they would not be discredited among the Jews. From this passage, we can extract some of the divine principles which should direct all of us in our stewardship of the gifts and resources God has given us. God's given us everything we have. There are many other such principles. We're going to see some of them in chapter 9 next week. But Paul's showing us here, we must learn like the Macedonians. not to be so preoccupied with our own wealth, our own assets, our own possessions. Or even the possessions and affairs of our own local church that we fail to assist others. We've had that little dish out there, and I've been so blessed, and we both have been. It just, you know, it always fills up. People in Africa we don't know. But it's a wonderful blessing that every time I ask, Wendy, is that account okay? It's always overflowing. Always overflowing. Usually it's children who have no way to support themselves and nobody to support them. Jesus said, no man can serve two masters. You can't serve both God and money. And in this passage tonight, God wants us to realize that as His people, we must reflect Him. And that means to be people who are a giving people, who give from our hearts in love of others for the love of God and for the glory of God. I used to hear it at other places, sermons about giving. I've never even had to think about it here. And it's just been a great blessing that there's always been that kind of giving heart here. And I'm certainly grateful for it. Lord, we thank you that you open our hearts and teach us day by day, week by week. showing us what Christ-like life looks like, whether in the example of our Lord himself or his apostles, or believers who you have transformed into giving, generous, loving people. Lord, I pray you'll help us to grow, that you'll bring this Word to us in the power of your Spirit. And Lord, that we might be people who pursue day by day Christlikeness, conformity to the image of your Son, who divested himself for a time of such riches and gave himself to us, that we might be saved. In His name we pray, Amen.