EmmDev 2016-11-29 [Treasure in Clay Pots (2Cor)] Generosity (5): Decently and in Order

Generosity (5): Decently and in Order

I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honour the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.      (2Corinthians8:16-21)

Paul is now making practical arrangements for the Corinthians to offer the gift they had promised to assist the suffering Church in Jerusalem. From the book of Acts we know that this was quite a significant and unifying gesture in the broader church and in Paul's careful arrangements here, we see some good clues around handling money:

• Paul sends Titus who is known, trusted and loved by the congregation.
• He then indicates that Titus will be accompanied by a brother (we think it is Barnabas) who:
  - is highly regarded
  - is specially chosen by the wider church for this task.
• Paul also makes the motive clear: to honour the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.
• He indicates a desire to "avoid any criticism" and "do what is right" in the eyes of God and the people.

Handling money in the church is an area that can often go wrong and often very badly so. Paul very deliberately walks a high road in working with other people's generosity.

• Work with trusted people who are recognised by the wider community
• Be clear as to why we are doing this
• Do things transparently and responsibly

This should always be true when we handle other people's money.

Giving is something that we should take seriously.

• We must take the giver seriously. We should be clear about the need and the reason we are asking them to give.
• We should have a good process with checks and balances and high credibility to protect both the giver and the recipient.
• We should take the receiver seriously too:
  - We should not create dependence.
  - It's good to give through an intermediary to reduce the sense of indebtedness.
  - We should make the glory of God the clear motive rather than pity.

During this Christmas Season we will be confronted with many needs. We can be generous in a haphazard fashion or we can be focussed and deliberate like Paul was.

---