The Biblical Reaction to Grace Received

In one paragraph

This message came from 2 Corinthians 8, part of First B's long walk through the Bible in chronological order. The pastor traced Paul's argument that receiving God's grace naturally produces grace extended toward others, whether financially, spiritually, or through forgiveness. The Macedonian churches, broke and under pressure, became the example Paul held up for the wealthier Corinthians. To set...

Read together

1. 1 Corinthians 16:8 Paul says he will stay at Ephesus until Pentecost, establishing where he wrote 1 Corinthians from
2. 2 Corinthians 2:12 Paul came to Troas to preach but could not find Titus there and his spirit was not at rest
3. 2 Corinthians 7 Paul took leave of Troas and went to Macedonia, afflicted at every turn, fighting without and fear within
4. 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 Paul tells the Corinthians about the grace of God given among the Macedonian churches and their giving out of extreme poverty
5. 2 Corinthians 8:5 The Macedonians gave themselves first to the Lord and then to Paul, not as expected
6. 2 Corinthians 8:6 Paul urges Titus to complete among the Corinthians the act of grace he had already started
7. 2 Corinthians 8:7 Paul urges the Corinthians to excel in this act of grace as they excel in faith, speech, knowledge, and earnestness
8. 2 Corinthians 8:8 Paul says he is not commanding but proving by the earnestness of others that their love is genuine
9. 2 Corinthians 8:9 Christ was rich yet became poor so that by his poverty believers might become rich
10. 2 Corinthians 8:10-11 Paul gives his judgment that it benefits them to finish what they started a year ago
11. 2 Corinthians 8:12-13 The gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not what he does not have, and others should not be eased while the Corinthians are burdened
12. 2 Corinthians 8:14-15 Abundance should supply need so there may be fairness, quoting the manna passage about gathering much or little
13. 2 Corinthians 8:16-19 Thanks to God who put earnest care for the Corinthians in Titus, and the sending of a brother famous for preaching the gospel
14. 2 Corinthians 8:20-21 Paul aims at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man, guarding against blame over the gift
15. 2 Corinthians 8:22-24 Sending a tested and earnest brother along with Titus, described as messengers of the churches, urging the Corinthians to show proof of their love
16. Luke 21:1-4 Jesus saw the rich putting gifts in the treasury and a poor widow putting in two mites, saying she gave more than all
17. 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 Paul's instruction to set aside a collection on the first day of every week as God has prospered them, for the saints in Jerusalem
18. Exodus 16:9-21 The manna story where whoever gathered much had nothing left over and whoever gathered little had no lack, and those who hoarded found it bred worms and stank

Talk about it

1. The pastor talked about the Macedonian Christians giving out of extreme poverty with abundance of joy, and noted that nearly every missionary report says the same thing about poor communities. Have you seen or experienced that combination of poverty and joy yourself, and what did it do to you?
2. The sermon kept coming back to the idea that the biblical reaction to grace received from God is to extend that grace to others, and that this applies not just financially but also to forgiveness and sharing peace. Where in your own life is it hardest to pass on what God has given you?
3. Paul told the Corinthians he was not issuing a command, and the word voluntary comes up again and again in this passage. What is the difference, in your own experience, between giving because you feel you have to and giving because grace has already moved in you?
4. The Modesto Manifesto came up as an example of people putting accountability structures in place before temptation arrived. What does that kind of intentional integrity look like in ordinary life, not just in ministry?
5. The sermon closed with the story of a man who came in off the street, broke and grieving, and the church was able to say yes to him because people had already given. Can you think of a time when someone else's earlier generosity made it possible for grace to reach you, or for you to reach someone else?