In chapter 8:1 to 9:15 Paul deals with the subject of the grace of giving. He wants to encourage the members of the Corinthian church to support the "saints" (Jewish believers) in Jerusalem. For Paul, this is a very important ministry as it fulfills prophecy. The prophets foretold of the day when the Gentiles would come to Zion bearing gifts to the historic people of God. The passage before us, 8:1-7, introduces his exhortation that they "excel in this grace of giving."

v1. "We want you to know about the grace that God has given." Paul uses the word "grace" to describe the ministry of the Macedonian Christians who gave generously to the appeal for the Jewish believers in Palestine. This is a very interesting use of the word. He is clearly saying that their generosity is a ministry-gift of the Spirit, cf. Rom.12:8. In 8:7 he calls it "this grace of giving." God's grace is seen in the free gift of salvation, also in the gift of apostleship to a rebel like Paul, and here, the gift of generosity. Therefore, generosity is a work of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, a fruit of the Spirit's renewing work.

v2. "Rich generosity." The Macedonian churches (Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) had little to give because of the persecution they faced. Their generosity is similar to the widow in the treasury, Mk.12:41ff. Yet they joyfully gave what they had; this is rich generosity.

v3. "They gave ...... beyond their ability." Although they gave out of a limited resource, they gave a great proportion, disregarding their needs. This they did without being asked. Paul probably knew of their plight and didn't ask them to share in the collection for the "saints" in Jerusalem, but they gave none the less.

v4. "They... pleaded... for this privilege of sharing in this service." As far as they were concerned, it was a privilege to share in this ministry. This was something for the Lord and they wanted to be part of it. The gift was for the "saints" - the Jewish believers in Jerusalem. It was to serve as a sign to all Jews that the new age of the Kingdom had dawned. When Gentiles bear gifts to Israel then you know that the Kingdom of God has come close to you.

v5. "They gave themselves first to the Lord." Their generosity was sourced in their commitment to Jesus, a commitment that renounced self, cf. Mk.8:34ff, 1Cor.6:19ff.

v6. Given that the other Macedonian churches had gotten behind the appeal, Paul had given Titus the task of renewing the appeal in Corinth.

v7. Paul concludes this section with an exhortation. The Corinthians were greatly blessed with spiritual gifts. They abounded in wonderworking faith, 1Cor.12:9, 13:2, "utterance" which is probably prophecy, 1Cor.12:10, "knowledge" which is probably the word of wisdom, 1Cor.12:8, 10, "earnestness" which quality all believers should possess, and "love". Given that they posses such an abundance of spiritual qualities, Paul exhorts them to excel in generosity.

Paul the apostle had a project that served God's Kingdom. He collected funds from the Gentile churches and used the money to finance a caring ministry toward Palestinian believers. In his thinking, the Gentiles needed to bear gifts to Israel as a "thank you" offering for the gift of the gospel from Israel and thus, as a prophetic sign to the unbelieving Jews. The Macedonian churches (Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) excelled "in this service to the saints." Paul has several things to say about their "rich generosity":

i] It was a "grace" of God, v1 - "this grace of giving", v8. In sum, their "rich generosity" was a fruit of the Spirit's renewing work, an overflow of Christ's impelling love. In the end, generosity is more a product of the prayer of faith, a prayer for renewal within, than an effort of the will. Let us pray that Christ will melt our grasping heart and replace it with a generous one.

ii] It was "beyond their ability", v3. The Macedonian Christians were caught up in persecution and as a result, had limited funds to spare, v2. Although what they gave was small, it was beyond what was reasonable. It was like the widow's mite. They gave sacrificially for "this service to the saints." Although it was little, it hurt them. This is why Paul calls their gift "rich generosity." You see, the amount we give is not the issue, it's that we give sacrificially to Christ's cause.

iii] It was freely offered, v3, 4. It wasn't a product of mind-games, guilt manipulation, social engineering or arm-bending. In fact, it seems that Paul hadn't even asked them to give. Their situation was too difficult, yet "they urgently pleaded" to share "in this service to the saints." Let us be a people who plead to share in giving.

iv] It was a "privilege", v4. The Macedonians didn't regard Paul's project as a nuisance. They wanted to be in on it because it was a privilege to be part of the ministry. What a wonderful attitude and one we would do well to emulate.

v] It came out of their commitment to Christ, v5. Now here is the substance of the issue. They "gave themselves first to the Lord." Freely given generosity cannot grow in a heart that has not met Jesus.

The Lord's word to us is, "see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

"The church is always on about money." How would you handle this complaint?