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NEW TESTAMENT AND GRACE SHARING AND GIVING:

Why Are You All Wasting Your Money And Giving, It Is Not Going To God, Nor Is It Use To Support Or Build God's Kingdom!!!.

Apostle Winfree, James, R, Sr. The Lord's Messenger, Blogger, Publisher, Writer, Truth Seeker, Biblical Mentor:

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian Churches.

  ( 2 Corinthians 8:1 ) 

The Churches & Ministries Giving Should And Must Be To And For The Believers In The Lord Jesus Christ, First!!!

Apostle Paul begins his gentle appeal by speaking of God’s grace.  The Greek word for grace is ( Charis )and it means such things as gracefulness, loveliness, kindness, goodwill, favor.  God had poured out His grace upon the Macedonians and they were more than ready to share their gifts with the needy Jerusalem Church.   “…If I were to put that on a scale of one to ten, I would say that it grace rates absolutely number one as a motive for giving...” 

As we enter into the subject of giving, there are a few things we need to understand.  Nowhere in the New Testament is Christian Believers commanded to give the tithe to everything in the Law or Old Testament, as was the case for the Old Testament people.  Initially, in the Book of Acts, we see that, because of God’s grace upon them, the Christian Believers went far beyond any concept of Israel tithing.  They sold their properties and gave the whole to the Lord ( Acts 4:33-37 ).  We should thus never limit our giving to the Out-dated tithe or ten-percent.  It the old covenant giving must be perfect as all that is written in the book of the law...the Hebrews fail and rob God because their giving and worship was not perfect accord to God's standards.

Old Testament giving began at the tithe or 10 percent that comes into your hands, had Nothing at All to do with an American paycheck..., but it never ended there.  In an agricultural economy, the Sabbath observance would have cost the farmer the equivalent of another 14:2 percent in lost labor.  The Sabbatical Year would have required another 14.2 percent.  On these special years, all Hebrew slaves were to be freed and all debts owed by fellow Hebrews were to be canceled ( Deut. 15:1, 12 ).  Then, there were a lot of smaller laws, like the matter of not going back for second-pickings but leaving these for the poor ( Lev. 19:9 ).  Speaking from my farm boy experience, these things would surely have cost the Israelite farmer another 5-10 percent.

Of course, we are already getting up over 50 percent of total income offered to God.  All this does not count the offerings. There were offerings of the first-born and first-fruits, plus, all males were required to go up to Jerusalem three times each year ( Ex. 23:17 ), and they were forbidden to appear before the Lord empty-handed (Deut. 16:16).  They had to bring a choice of animals from their flocks each time.  Then there were the whole offerings, cereal offerings, drink offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, and trespass offerings ( Lev. 1 – 5 ).  All these offerings could easily total up to another 5-10 percent of a family’s income. There were several other offerings that we could mention.  If the Hebrew, who did not know the grace of the Lord Jesus, could make such offerings, then what are we to do?  At least we can understand how the newly-saved Macedonians were anxious to give although they lived in near poverty.

These Macedonian cities, which surely included Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, were felt to be in a natural rivalry with the cities of Achaia.5  No doubt Paul is using this to create a friendly rivalry in the area of giving.

“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity” 

( There is a curse over the Religious Churches because of you all trying to keep and obey the Old Testament Laws ).

 The Apostle makes clear that the Macedonian Churches were under trial and that they were very poor.  Elder Paul and Elder Silas were severely oppressed when they brought the gospel to this area.  From what we read, it seems that the oppression continued after the team left.  Big Brother Paul was even oppressed here as he returned to the area.

In many countries of the world, today Christians are persecuted, and this often happens in the workplace.  We regularly read in mission journals of how Christians are often forced to take the most menial jobs, and how they are even oppressed on these lowly jobs. No doubt the Macedonians were experiencing this type of persecution and it was rendering them poverty-stricken.

However, all this persecution did nothing to diminish the great joy they had in Christ.  “The greater was the depth of their poverty, the greater was the abundance of their joy. A delightful contrast in terms, and triumph, in fact, of spirit over flesh… ( Compare Romans 12:8) ( 2 Corinthians 9:1).”   My, how God loves a cheerful giver (9:7)!

“For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people” 

( All your half-heartily Old Testament giving is in vain and pointless in God's eyes ). 

 The Macedonians probably began their giving around AD 55.  It is entirely likely that this was the reason Teacher Paul sent Timothy and Erastus to Macedonia ( Acts 19:22 ).    It is clear that the Macedonian Christians were truly excited about giving to the needy in Jerusalem.  They were obviously begging Apostle Paul to let them give more.

The word “sharing” is an interesting one.  It is the Greek word ( Koinonia, ) which is usually translated “fellowship.”  “In the Christian life, there is a Koinonia which means ‘practical sharing’ with those less fortunate.  Apostle Paul three times uses the word in connection with the collection he took from his Churches for the poor saints at Jerusalem ( Rom. 15:26; )... ( 2 Cor. 8:4;)... ( 2 Cor. 9:13; ) ... (. Heb. 13:16 ).  The Christian fellowship is a grace way in Christ, and He has set and made Israel and the Gentiles nations, Free from the Law and Old Covenants.”   It is amazing that in order to have true fellowship there must be true cheerful and free willing giving.

We Share The Good News Of The Gospel Of Jesus Christ, That Is Changing And Transforming Lives, Forever!!!

2 Cor 9:7, So, let each one of us give as he and she have purposes in our hearts, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Go Our And Be God's Love To Your Spiritual Family, First, And Go Out And Be The Churches That Jesus Christ Birth And Built Himself!!!

apostlejrwinfree@gmail.com