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August 19, 2007AM
2 Corinthians 8:1-9
God’s GRACIOUSness
On September 9, 2007 something miraculous is going to happen.
On September 9th we begin a brand new ministry.
On September 9th we begin multiple morning worship services.
On that day we will have the potential to become a congregation of 280.
What is going to be required to grow from a congregation of 140 to 280?
A miracle of biblical proportions will have to take place in our midst.
Something far beyond us is going to have to grip our lives.
Something inexplicable will need to transpire.
A miracle of God’s grace will need to occur.
The Apostle Paul was in need of that miracle.
The Christians in Jerusalem were suffering terribly.
They were being fiercely persecuted.
They were being devastated by a famine.
They had few if any resources.
Many of them were dying.
Paul’s heart went out to the Jerusalem church.
Something had to be done.
He was feeling overwhelmed by needs that were so far beyond his resources.
He had already responded personally.
He had nothing left to give.
He had sacrificed it all
He arrived in Macedonia completely drained, exhausted.
Look at what he wrote in 7:5, “For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest but we were afflicted at every turn – fighting without and fear within.”
But he was not ready to give up on his vision.
He was depending on a miracle of God’s grace to see his vision become reality.
And God moved upon the Macedonian churches in a miraculous way.
That is why he could write to the Corinth church “We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedonia.” (8:1)
There were amazing results of God’s miraculous grace.
The Christians in Macedonia did not have an easy life.
They themselves were experiencing a severe test of affliction.
Yet God’s grace shown to them resulted in an abundance of joy.
They were experiencing extreme poverty.
Yet God’s grace shown to them resulted in an overflow of liberality.
It resulted in a wealth of liberality.
They were so poor they could qualify to be on the receiving end.
Yet God’s grace shown to them resulted in them begging.
Not begging to receive, but begging to give.
They begged to take part in the relief of the saints (v. 4)
They had truly learned to live by grace.
When God’s grace consumes our hearts liberality longs for expression.
When God’s grace grips our lives liberality struggles for freedom.
The grace-filled Christian asks, “What more can I do?”
That was the experience of the Macedonian church.
They had experienced the miracle of God’s grace.
And Paul could testify that they gave beyond their means.
There was no explaining it on the human level.
How is it possible to do more than we are capable of doing?
They chose to extend themselves beyond their abilities.
They willingly went beyond expectations.
Those Macedonians completely restored Paul’s life.
How did they do it?
They gave themselves to the Lord (vs. 5).
They held nothing back.
They were sealed, marked by God’s grace.
All they had, all they were, was God’s.
But the Corinthian Church was a different story.
They were situated in the region’s financial capital.
Money poured through Corinth.
Many in the Church had more than enough.
They were wealthy, but riddled with problems because of it.
They were a self-serving, me-first congregation.
They were in a position financially where they could have done so much.
They could have single-handedly wiped out the inequity.
But they had a hard time separating themselves from their resources.
Paul knew they had abundance, but they were tight-fisted.
They were reluctant to respond.
Paul said, “your abundance at the present time should supply their want.” (vs. 14)
In their wealth they needed a miracle of God’s grace.
And so do we.
We are not going to amount to anything without it.
When we live in God’s grace we earnestly want to give and help.
There is no such thing as too poor to give.
There is no such thing as too busy to help.
There is no such thing as too weak or too old to contribute.
These excuses communicate a false love to the world. (vs. 8)
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.” (vs. 9)
Paul desired that the Corinthian Church know God’s best.
That they live in the fullness of God’s grace.
That they experience the miracle of God’s grace.
That they find joy and cheer in everything they do for God.
That is the miracle that is available to us.
One of this year’s missionary books is entitled “They Saw Only Feet”.
It includes the story of our earliest missionaries to Guatemala.
It is a story you should read for yourself.
Richard and Maude Anderson served as missionaries in Guatemala in 1904.
Within the first year they almost died of a disease.
That same disease claimed 500 lives in their village.
Within the first year they ran out of money.
They did not have a single friend.
They questioned if they were in the right place.
Had God really led them to serve as missionaries in Guatemala?
They started another mission work in a new area.
Things were no better there.
Antagonism from the Catholic Church was powerful.
People were afraid to go into the Anderson’s little church.
They might be ridiculed, lose their businesses.
The people feared physical abuse – even death.
For a solid year Maude played her organ and Richard preached to an empty church.
Not a single person came inside – for a year.
But they knew God was working.
They knew His grace was reaching.
They knew there would be a miracle.
People were listening.
They saw feet between the ground and the bottom of the wall.
All that time people stood outside the church and listened.
All that time they were hearing the gospel.
All that time they learned God loved them.
That Jesus became poor so they might become rich.
Finally one person had the courage to step into the church.
That person accepted the Lord.
That was the beginning of the miracle.
An empty building did not mean the message was not working.
God’s grace prevailed as they were faithful.
God’s grace prevailed as they obeyed.
God’s grace prevailed as they refused to waver.
God graced their ministry in that place another 40 years.
40 years after Richard Anderson’s death Guatemala named a public school after him.
It was not a decision made at the local level.
It was a decision made at the national level.
Many of the boys and girls he taught are now political leaders.
They wanted to honour him for bringing God’s grace into their lives.
I put myself in Richard Anderson’s place.
Would I preach to an empty church for an entire year?
Would I preach to an empty church even once?
Would I invest my life into a ministry which by appearances seemed futile?
Let’s remember that God’s grace is working when it seems nothing is happening.
I must never take my eyes off God’s Miraculous Giving.
He is gracious.
He is slow to give up.
We have feet all around our church.
Feet that will come in if we refuse to sow sparingly.
Feet that will come in if we remain faithful.
Feet that will come in if we do not change our mind about serving Him.
Feet that will come in if we do not become discouraged.
The story of the Anderson’s closes with these comments.
“We all must keep our faith in the One who calls us. You just never know whose feet you might be preaching to.”
There was a miracle of biblical proportions.
The Church of the Nazarene in Guatemala now has five Districts.
The largest district in Guatemala has over 22,000 members.
We want you to know about the grace of God.
It gives an abundance of joy.
It gives a wealth of liberality.
It gives a desire to reach out to others.
Are you experiencing God’s life-transforming grace?
Song Power of Your Love