by Jacob Ninan
"Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints" (2Cor.8:1-4). This is a most challenging passage for us when we look at our heart and its desire to serve others. This church in Macedonia was so eager to serve their needy brothers and sisters in Jerusalem, that they overcame their preoccupation with their own circumstances – affliction and deep poverty – and they begged the apostles to be given the 'privilege' of serving their brothers! Normally, people would have thought that their own problems were too much to deal with and concluded that they would not be able to care for others. But the Macedonian church gave beyond their ability!
Apparently, they had learnt the lesson that it was much more blessed to give than to receive (Acts.20:35). This was the result of the work God in the short time they had come to know Him. This God who was known for His love for people in that He gave His own Son for saving us from our sins was giving them the same heart. Now that He was in the heart of His children, they were also learning to give, even sacrificially. May God help each one of us to allow Him to change us to become like Himself in this way.
Another thing we see here is that they gave 'of their own accord'. They did not have to compelled by warnings or promise of blessings, or reminded again and again to give. They wanted to give, so much so that they 'begged' the apostles to be allowed to give. Just see how preachers are threatening people these days to give the tithe (and further offerings) saying how they would be stealing from God if they did not. These preachers who talk about being free from the Law cling on to this small part of the Law for their own advantage! Some even compel those who are struggling with hardly anything for themselves to give the tithe! When the widow gave her two mites, which were all she had, it was out of her own desire and not because of any compulsion. When we come to the new covenant, there is no compulsion at all, but it is all a matter of how willing we are in our heart. We are to give as much as the Lord has prospered us, cheerfully, secretly, etc. It is a new heart we need and not the vestiges of the Law threatening calamities if we did not give!
Giving is not just about money, but also about helping others in many practical ways as well as giving spiritual help. Sometimes it is practical help that is necessary and not preaching. If we give a message to a hungry man, it is not going to be received well. We must not also think that giving practical help is of less value than spiritual help. We must not think that a preacher is more valuable in the kingdom of God that someone who looks after orphans, because each one is doing the part God has given him in the body of Christ. Jesus said that if we, as His disciples, gave someone just a cup of water, that would not miss its reward (Matt.10:42). What we need is to be led by the Holy Spirit and know what to do at different times.
Jesus did not primarily come into the world to heal the sick or to cast out demons. His task was to save us from our sins. But He felt compassion for the needy when He saw them and reached out to help them. What we need first of all is a heart of compassion. We see from the parable of the rich man and Lazarus that the problem with the rich man was not wickedness but his lack of concern for his Jewish brother who was suffering from hunger and sickness just outside his house. We will not be able to help all the needy in the world, but perhaps God is drawing our attention to someone nearby.
When it comes to helping someone spiritually, we will find that our natural strengths are not enough. Even if we have degrees in theology and expertise in homiletics, we need the Holy Spirit to empower us and lead us if we are to touch the lives of those who listen. The apostle Paul knew this, and he was concerned that the 'faith' of his listeners should not be based on his natural abilities (1Cor.2:4,5). We have to grow up as children of God and become familiar with the ways of the Holy Spirit before we can become useful to people to touch their in their spirit.
We cannot become spiritually minded people just by being born again. There are born again Christians who are carnal, who live according to their fleshly desires, doing whatever they like. Then there are also 'natural' Christians who are not carnal, but what guide their lives are their natural abilities. Their reasoning and logic are what guide them. These natural abilities are not enough to help someone spiritually.
Imagine a group of natural minded Christians gathering together for a Bible study. Each one has his opinion about the meaning of the passage. They discuss these ideas and come to some conclusion, which may be far off from the truth of God. Unless we depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal His truths to us, because He is the One who inspired the writers at first, how can we hope to understand what He meant?
Luke gives us a passage (11:1-13) in which Jesus brought out certain powerful truths. First, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. One main thing that we can take away from that which can be a guiding direction for us is the goal of His name getting honoured, His kingdom coming, and His will being done. This is not about our name, our kingdom or our will. Then Jesus gave the parable of a man going to his neighbour late night, asking for food to give to his friend who had dropped into his house. This man faced an irritated neighbour and the possibility of being rejected by his neighbour, because he wanted to give food to his friend. Again, the emphasis Jesus places is not about praying for our needs (which is not wrong at all), but 'praying' for others. Then Jesus tells us to ask and keep on asking. James tells us that many times we do not receive what God wants to give us because we don't ask (Jas.4:2). God Himself many times waits for us to ask before giving us something. He can do whatever He wants, but because He has created us with a free will, He waits for us to ask. Finally in this passage, Jesus tells us about asking for the Holy Spirit.
Many people these days shrink back from asking for the Holy Spirit because they see the excesses some people go to in the name of the Spirit. But here Jesus is assuring us that if we ask God with sincere motives, He will not give us any counterfeit gifts. People who seek for spiritual gifts for their own thrill, excitement, satisfaction, name, etc., have to be aware that deceiving spirits are waiting around to fool us with spurious gifts. But if we ask God for the Holy Spirit because we cannot manage without manage without His empowerment or guidance, God assures that He will not give us false experiences. God says that even earthly fathers would not cheat their children who go to them for different things.
Paul exhorts us to 'earnestly desire' spiritual gifts (1Cor.14:1). In chapter 12, he had been describing spiritual gifts (this is not a complete list of gifts but just indicative, because in other places in the Bible we can see other lists also). He mentions that all these gifts are for serving others. Then at the end of that chapter he tells them that he will show them how to use these gifts. That is where the so-called chapter of love, chapter 13, comes in. The he resumes the discussion on spiritual gifts in chapter 14 and tells us to be earnest about seeking for the Holy Spirit. We cannot serve without Him.
We cannot imitate one another in our service. Each one has a different function in the body of Christ. One way by which God indicates to us what He wants us to do is to give us a burden. When someone sees children on the street without food or clothes and feel burdened about it, that can be starting of an orphanage!
Think of the satisfaction and the sense of fulfilment knowing that we are doing what God wants us to do. Think of receiving from the Lord one day this greeting, "Well done, good and faithful servant" which the Lord will give to everyone who has been serving Him in His kingdom. May we ask Him to give us such a heart?