22 May 2023
For the rest of 2 Corinthians, Paul's writing is mostly personal in nature. In it he shares some of the most interesting details of his life after coming to Christ. It is here he mentions an out-of-body experience wherein he spent some time with the Risen Lord.
It's here we also get the impression Paul had a very powerful mind, yet had no particular charisma when standing before an audience. He lacked the oral eloquence to hold people spellbound. This kept Paul from taking pride in the flesh. He reveals a great deal about how he would have been tempted by such a thing, but being a charismatic leader was simply not possible. Instead, he relied on the Holy Spirit to bring the message home to people.
He also writes about the relief fund the churches are collecting for the original disciples back in Jerusalem. In the process of congratulating them on being rather generous (Corinth was a big money town), he enunciates a strong principle of sacrificial giving. While no one verbally disputes this today, we see far too much money today wasted on building little kingdoms for religious celebrities and institutions. If not ornate facilities and resources, many religious institutions waste far too much on advertising, while giving far too little toward quietly blessing others in the small ways that make such a huge difference.
The problem is that too many religious institutions are building their branding and not the souls of people. If you can't tell the difference, your generosity means nothing. Paul's appeal is not to help the disciples in Jerusalem build a monster facility to rival the Temple that Jesus said would soon be destroyed, nor did he suggest that the disciples there would die without the money. Rather, it was a way of showing love to those who had no inclination to waste any gifts. The folks in Jerusalem were under some of the most severe persecution anywhere. It was not an "investment in the future" but a return on the past investment of love, given back to the people whose faithfulness made all of this mission work of Paul possible. The money was just a symbol. Thus, it returns us to the principle of loving each other as Christ loves us.
If you haven't given yourself to the Lord first, there's no meaning to whatever else you might give. Also, the money did not go to the aggregate "poor and needy" but to the household of faith. Jesus warned that a broad-based charitable operation was not the right approach. The mechanics of poverty and need is not the issue. It's simply a part of the Curse of the Fall and it cannot be cured without a miracle from the Lord. Human need was never the issue. The issue with material resources is to use them in a way that brings glory to the Lord Himself, not some impersonal ideal.
You cannot depersonalize virtue. Either it reflects the personal Presence of God or it is evil. There must be a personal touch in what we do, and it must maintain the boundaries of faith. Our charitable work must remain mostly inside the Body of Christ. There are far too many needy believers who are neglected for programs that seek public notice.
Finally, you'll notice that nothing in the New Testament promotes membership tithing of monetary income. Paul says people must give in response to the Holy Spirit working in convictions. The big push for "planned giving" and "tithing" is simply materialism. The church leaders prefer to operate like a business with a consistent stream of revenue for their professional budgeting. No matter how you wrap it and paint it, this is flatly refusing to trust the Lord to do things His way in His time.
In the Old Testament, "tithing" applied only to agricultural produce (and war plunder), nothing else. Lots of people made a good living doing other kinds of work and they were never expected to tithe that income. That exclusion becomes significant by its absence from the Law of Moses. Rather, people working outside of agriculture were commanded to pray and listen to their convictions and give from their hearts. There was nothing wrong with fundraisers, but Temple operations were based on trust in the Lord to provide through His people.
The modern religious institutions are evil for demanding a businesslike operational standard. Stop the guilt trips. Don't support a church that plays that game. The entire gamut of religious activity must operate on faith in every way. It's the same with money as with personnel: You don't create a logical plan and look for ways to implement it by manipulating the people. You take what you have and discern how He wants you to use it. That's Covenant Law.
This document is public domain; spread the message.