It Starts Small

In the final chapter of Paul’s long letter to the church in Corinth, he gives instructions about a special collection. He also shares his upcoming travel plans.

In this season of his ministry, Paul was raising funds for the Christian Jews living in Jerusalem. They were suffering through persecution for their faith in Christ, as well as extreme poverty. Paul was collecting donations from many of the Gentile churches he had helped to establish, including the church in Corinth.

He makes it clear that he wants them to prepare their donation before he arrives. He does not want them scrambling to collect something at the last moment. To achieve this, Paul gives instructions that many modern churches still apply to Christian giving. Paul tells the Corinthians to set aside some money on the first day of every week. This money was to be in proportion to how God had prospered that family during the previous week.

For the sake of integrity and transparency, apparently, Paul did not plan to touch the money himself. Instead, he told the church to appoint and accredit some to carry the gift to Jerusalem. They could travel with him if that seemed like a good idea. Paul reminds us of the God’s Principles on giving.

² So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. ³ But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:2-4

When you give to the needy, do not trumpet it.

³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Luke 6:38

By your standard of measure it will be given to you.

⁶ The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Be cheerful. The bountiful sower will reap bountifully

8 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that was given to the churches of Macedonia: ² During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. ³ I can testify that, according to their ability and even beyond their ability, of their own accord, ⁴ they begged us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in the ministry to the saints, ⁵ and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us by God’s will.

2 Corinthians 8:1-5

They pleaded for the privilege to share by giving.

¹⁰ Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much. ¹¹ So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will trust you with what is genuine? ¹² And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to someone else, who will give you what is your own? ¹³ No servant can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Luke 16:10-13

People who manage a little money well will also manage a lot of money well. However, if one doesn’t manage a little well, he won’t manage a lot well.

Next, Paul reveals his plans to return to Corinth to spend time with them before the following winter. He wrote this letter from Ephesus. He planned to travel from there to the churches in Macedonia after Pentecost. He intended to arrive to spend the winter with them. In the meantime, the door in Ephesus was open to effective ministry. However, many were opposed to the gospel.

Paul did plan to send Timothy and some companions to Corinth. He insisted that the Corinthians treat Timothy well and send him back to Paul in peace. Apollos was also in Ephesus. He did not choose to return to Corinth with Timothy. This was despite Paul’s strong urging. Perhaps Apollos did not want to contribute to any more division among the Corinthians.

As he does near the end of many of his letters, Paul fires off some quick commands. He tells them to be watchful and to stand firm in the faith. He may be referring to false teaching that was creeping into their church. He adds that they should be men of courage. They should be strong. He uses military terms to indicate how intensely they should resist false teaching. He adds, though, that everything they do should be done in love.

A group from the church in Corinth visited Paul in Ephesus. The group consisted of Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaius. They perhaps brought with them the letter Paul has been replying to in this letter. Paul commends the household of Stephanas to the Corinthians. They were the first converts to faith in Christ in the region of Corinth and devoted servant-leaders. He tells the Corinthians to submit to their leadership.

Paul signs off with greetings from the churches in “Asia,” which as defined then includes Ephesus. Aquila and Prisca also send greetings. They were former members of the church in Corinth. Furthermore, all the believers known to Paul send their greetings. He finishes by taking the pen from his scribe and writing a curse and a blessing in his own hand. He curses anyone who lacks love for the Lord. He prays for the grace of Christ to be with everyone else. He adds an urgent prayer that the Lord would return. He declares his love for all of them in Christ.

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