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The Acts of the Apostles
giver.”
Acts 20:35
;
2 Corinthians 9:6, 7
.
Nearly all the Macedonian believers were poor in this world’s
goods, but their hearts were overflowing with love for God and His
truth, and they gladly gave for the support of the gospel. When general
collections were taken up in the Gentile churches for the relief of the
Jewish believers, the liberality of the converts in Macedonia was held
up as an example to other churches. Writing to the Corinthian believ-
ers, the apostle called their attention to “the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia; how that in a great trial of affliction
the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the
riches of their liberality. For to their power, ... yea, and beyond their
power they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty
that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the
ministering to the saints.”
2 Corinthians 8:1-4
.
The willingness to sacrifice on the part of the Macedonian believers
came as a result of wholehearted consecration. Moved by the Spirit of
God, they “first gave their own selves to the Lord” (
2 Corinthians 8:5
),
then they were willing to give freely of their means for the support
of the gospel. It was not necessary to urge them to give; rather, they
rejoiced in the privilege of denying themselves even of necessary
things in order to supply the needs of others. When the apostle would
have restrained them, they importuned him to accept their offering. In
their simplicity and integrity, and in their love for the brethren, they
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gladly denied self, and thus abounded in the fruit of benevolence.
When Paul sent Titus to Corinth to strengthen the believers there,
he instructed him to build up that church in the grace of giving, and
in a personal letter to the believers he also added his own appeal. “As
ye abound in everything,” he pleaded, “in faith, and utterance, and
knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye
abound in this grace also,” “Now therefore perform the doing of it;
that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance
also out of that which ye have. For if there be first a willing mind, it
is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he
hath not.” “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that
ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every
good work: ... being enriched in everything to all bountifulness, which
causeth through us thanksgiving to God.”
2 Corinthians 8:7, 11, 12
;
9:8-11
.