What are the results of people giving away their time, talent and treasure? What is the outcome of our generosity? Why should we be generous?
2 Corinthians 9:11 – 15…
11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
In this passage the apostle Paul is preparing to come to the church at Corinth and collect a financial offering that they had promised to give. Paul is attempting to motivate the Corinthians to follow through on their promise to give. As we examine these verses we learn that God calls us to be people who understand the results of our giving…
When I give a portion of my money to the Lord I want to know what the results of my giving are. I don’t want to waste the money that the Lord has given me. I want to be a faithful manager of what the Lord has entrusted to me. So it’s good to ask what my investment will produce. There are five things in this text that I want to look at briefly.
1. Your giving produces thanksgiving to God… (11; 15)
Paul says that God will enrich us to be generous in every way and our generosity will “produce thanksgiving to God. Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift.” The inexpressible gift that Paul is referring to is God’s surpassing grace. It is this surpassing grace (or unlimited grace) that motivates us to give generously. When we model God’s unlimited grace in our giving it produces thanksgiving to God in people who are on the receiving end of our ministry.
2. Your giving supplies the needs of the saints… (12)
Paul says that, “the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.” When we give generously to the work of the gospel we help to pay the bills of ministry. We help to pay for the cost of outreach, discipleship, missions, facility expenses and staff salaries. Our giving blesses people and the people who are blessed through our ministry give thanks to God for the ministry of our church.
3. Your giving causes others to glorify God… (13)
Paul says that people who are on the receiving end of our ministry ”will glorify God because of your submission.” Look around the room in our Sunday gathering. Or think of the people in your gospel community. Or think of the people who have been baptized as new believers. Or think of the people who have been blessed by our outreach efforts. There are many people who are living lives that glorify God today because of your financial investment in the ministry of the gospel through The Well.
4. Your giving proves your confession of the gospel… (13)
Paul says that your generosity “comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ.” I say this all the time. When someone comes to an authentic confession of faith in Christ they begin to understand the generosity of God in the cross of Christ. This confession of faith that we hold to, that Christ gave himself sacrificially, willingly and generously, produces a new desire to be generous. You cannot out give God. Therefore your giving proves your confession of the gospel, which is your trust in Christ.
5. Your giving produces longing and prayer… (13; 14)
Paul says that the generosity and contribution of the Corinthian church is producing longing and prayer in the people who were on the receiving end of their giving. I know this to be true in my own life. I get the privilege of reviewing the giving statements of people who financially support our ministry on a weekly basis. Every time I see that report I see people’s faces that have worked hard to earn the money they give away freely.
I am constantly amazed at the generosity of hard working people. I am constantly amazed at the growth in giving among us. When I see these reports I pause and I pray for people by name. I long for the Lord to bless each person by name in prayer.
When I see those names I know that I’m not alone in my own sacrificial giving. I know that we are in this together. We are becoming a family that gives generously to the work of the gospel. This creates a bond of fellowship and a partnership in mission that lasts for eternity. This reality causes me to pray for other people who are sacrificing for the work of the gospel.
Summary…
So these are the results of our giving. Our giving produces thanksgiving to God. It supplies the needs of the saints. It causes others to glorify God. It proves our confession of the gospel. And it produces longing and prayer. What an opportunity we have when we give!