Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us: Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men. And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which I have in you. Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be inquired of, they are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ. Wherefore shew ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf. 2 Corinthians 8:20-24

As we continue to look at what Paul teaches us about being the Church, I think we can learn another valuable reason to remain in a local Church, its called accountability. One of the many reasons Christians need each other is to keep us all on the narrow path. When your alone, its easy to stray off the path, get tempted into sin, and then try to hide the sin from others. However as Paul is teaching the Church here “The eyes of The Lord are everywhere” (Proverbs 15:3)

Let’s see what Paul is saying here to the Church “Avoiding this, that noone should blame us in this abundance, which is administered by us, providing for honest things” Again this goes back to accountability. The Church is being tasked to handle large amounts of money which are going to support other Churches, including themselves. Often whenever there is large amounts of money, there is alot of temptation by many people to embezil it, anyone remember Judas? 

Now while not everyone is tempted with money, often many people are and can’t control themselves. Paul wants to make sure the Church is handling the money openly and honestly, so there is no question about their integrity. Often if you want to know if a group is a cult or false religion, all you have to do is follow the money trial. 

Notice what Paul says next “not only in the sight of The Lord, but also in the sight of men” God is watching everything the Church is doing! All these false prophets and cult groups that think they are getting away with stuff, are just storing up wrath of God for themselves, God will not be mocked! But as the Church , not only are the eyes of Jesus on us, but the eyes of the brethren are on us also! There is accountability with one another, as scripture tells us, if you see someone in your Church continually living in sin, you need to address it with them (Matthew 18:15, 1 John 5:16-17)

Paul ends by saying “Therefor show to them, and to the Churches, the proof of your love and of our boasting on your behalf” One way we know if someone is a true Christian is by the testimony of other Christians that we trust and know. Sometimes you meet a new Christian, and your just not sure if they are a true convert, and you consult with other Christians who you trust and can give you an honest opinion. This is part of the Church structure, the accountability, the leadership with the Body of Christ. 

Regardless of your thoughts on the Church, Jesus Christ is the head of the Church, that is his bride and the gates of hell will never prevail against it. Nobody will ever be able to remove Christ Church because Christ eyes are on his Church and because you are the Church, Christs eyes are on you! Walk worthy of your calling by the Holy Spirit, Amen!

But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you. For indeed he accepted the exhortation; but being more forward, of his own accord he went unto you. And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches; And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind: 2 Corinthians 8:16-19

Again we see the Apostle Paul referring to Titus for his service and dedication to the Church. Now we hear the name the Apostle Paul alot, he wrote over half the New Testament, he was a vessel for Jesus Christ (Acts 9:15) However Paul was just one part of the Body of Christ, just as Titus is another part, and you are another part. It’s important to understand the “Church concept” that nobody does anything by themselves, we are all the Body of Christ and all Glory goes to God

We see Paul mentioning brother Titus to the Church “Thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you” Paul didn’t accomplish anything on his own accord, just as we don’t accomplish anything on our own accord. We need to reply upon each other as the body of Christ, and we need to rely upon the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. When you understand this is a group effort, then you understand the reason for the Church. We are all one in Jesus Christ our Lord!

Paul mentions another individual who is not even name “We have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the Churches” People who are driven by the flesh would want their name in lights, however those who are driven by the Holy Spirit, are looking to give God glory and not themselves. This brother was obviously highly respected by the Churches, yet it didn’t matter what his name was, because he was a servant of Christ!

We as Christians, as part of the Body of Christ, can learn from this. Do we need credit or glory for everything we do at Church? Everything we do is for the Glory of God and our Lord knows everything you have done. We don’t need the credit from men, we just need to be faithful in our calling to Love God and Love our Neighbor

Another point to make is , are you active in your local Church? The idea of being a “lone wolf” is not Biblical. How can you be part of the body of Christ, when you reject the rest of the body? None of the work done by the Church was possible without the group effort of the Church. If you want to know why you should belong to a local Church, its because you can’t fulfill your calling unless you are part of a Church, because you are the Church!

Working to build the Kingdom of God is an amazing calling and an overwhelming thought. Everything you do for God is for eternal purposes, one day we can look back with our fellow brothers and sisters and see what we have labored for , filled with the Holy Spirit and obedient to our Lord , Amen!

For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over; and he that had gathered little had no lack. 2 Corinthians 8:13-15

What is the Church? Sounds like a simple question , but many might come up with different answers , the Greek word its usually translated from is “Ekklessia” which means called out assembly, in short the Church is the people, the Born Again believers in Christ

The pandemic I believe taught us alot about what the real Church is, as many buildings were closed, the Church still lived on. The Church is not a building, its the body of Christ, its you and me, our sisters and brothers in Christ. Wherever you are , there is the Church! With that said, we should physically gather whenever its possible, especially on The Lords Day!

So why belong to a Church? Because we are a family of God, we are all  brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, therefor we need to take care of one another as a family. That’s what the Apostle Paul is teaching the Church here “For I dont mean the others should be eased and you should be burdened, but by an equality” Paul is teaching the Churches to take care of one another, when one is in need the other will help them. Then when that Church is in need, then the other Church will help them

This is how a family operates, right? We all go through seasons of good and bad times, when we are going through a bad season, we need our family to help us out. And this doesn’t just mean financially, we need to help each other out spiritually and physically. Maybe somebody just needs someone to talk to or to just give them a ride somewhere, the body of Christ should be there for one another like a family

It’s interesting, Paul quotes the book of Exodus here “He who gathered much had nothing left over and he who gathered little had no lack” (Exodus 16:18) The Church who has an overabundance should share with the Church who is lacking. In the Kingdom of God, nobody is lacking because everyone takes care of one another! This should be the model of the Church, a family in Jesus Christ, Amen!

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 1 Corinthians 16:1

As we come to the last Chapter of 1 Corinthians, many might glance over it and see nothing really significant to learn here, but at a second glance, Paul gives us very valuable teachings and  early Church history that we can apply to the Church today. Here we see the topics of tithing  for the New Covenant Church.

The topic of “tithing” has always been confusing when applying it to the Church, the questions arise how do we apply the tithing command from the Old or Mosaic Covenant to the New Covenant? I emphasize this because Christians need to remember you are in the New Covenant with Christ, you are not an Israelite in the Mosaic Covenant, otherwise you would still be dead in your sins.

The Tithe was a commandment of God and a tax to support the Levitical priest line. The priest line, who were from the line of Aaron, didn’t inherit any land or have an occupation other than serving God and the Temple. Therefore the Priests couldn’t financially support themselves or their families, so God commanded a tithe be given to them. Now the “Tithe” wasn’t just money either, it was also food, as the Priests didn’t have any land to farm for themselves. So God provided for the Priests through the people, as all things are provided by God anyway

Now applying this to the New Covenant, obviously we don’t have a Levitical Priest line anymore, however we are all Priests through Christ (1 Peter 2:5) However not all Christians dedicate their full lives to serving God, many Born Again Christians also work and can support themselves. There are many Christians who do dedicate their lives to serving God and the Church, such as a full-time Pastor or Bishop, we should financially support them, as Jesus said “Freely give, as you have freely received” (Matthew 10:8)

We see in the book of Acts, the entire Church community supported each other, “and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.” Acts 2:45   The Apostle Paul said this to the early Church quoting The Lord Jesus Christ “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35) As Christians we should have a heart of generosity, willing to support the Body of Christ, or those who are in need. 

The Apostle Paul also says this about supporting your Church leaders “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18)

While in the New Covenant, there is no longer a “Tithing Law of 10%” in place, with regenerated hearts, we should have a giving and generous heart. But when Churches require Christians to give 10%, there is actually no Biblical law for that in the New Testament. Here we see the Apostle Paul taking up a collection for the saints (Christians), As Paul also said  we as the Body of Christ need to support each other, to fulfill our work in The Lord, the Great Commission, Amen!

Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law. And if they will learn any thing, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is a shame for women to speak in the church. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35

These scriptures are probably some of the most controversial scriptures possibly in the whole Bible. The question is how do we interpret and respond to them? I’ve heard arguments that these verses were added at a later date, I’ve heard arguments that this was just a cultural issue with the Church of Corinth, regardless of what your interpretation is, we must deal with these scriptures in honesty and obedience.

The Apostle Paul says a little later “What I am writing to you is The Lord’s command” (V37) So this totally destroys the idea that this was just Paul’s prejudice towards women. The Apostle Paul is stating these are commands he received personally from The Lord Jesus Christ. So either Jesus is your Lord (Master) or he’s not. If Jesus is your Lord, then you must be obedient to his words and commands.

The full context of this paragraph of scripture is order in the Church. Yes women are filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) and women can prophesy and speak in tongues, however when it comes to a Church structure , there is supposed to be order. Remember earlier Paul taught us the order of creation “ the head of every man is Christ, and the head of every woman is man, and the head of Christ is God” (1 Corinthians 11:3)

This is a creation order from God, the woman was created from the man , and the woman was created for man (1 Corinthians 11:8-9) Now in a liberal crazy world we live in , this concept is unacceptable to the world, but this is the reality of creation. You either believe the word of God or you reject the word of God, there is no in between

Regardless of what the world says, Men and women are different and were born for different roles. I, as a man, can’t conceive and deliver a child, that is biologically impossible. That’s the reality of creation, we are different , and we were made and designed for each other. This doesn’t mean the man is greater than the woman, it means we were designed for different roles from God for serving family and the Church

The Apostle Paul dives more into this in 1 Timothy Chapter 2, The Apostle Paul says “ I do not permit women to have authority over a man,  Adam was formed first, then Eve” (1 Timothy 2:12-13) A couple things here we can clarity:

1. This is not a cultural issue specifically aimed at Corinth, as Paul teaches on this multiple times, specifically in his letter to Timothy
2. The issue is regarding creation order, God created Adam first, and Eve was created from Adam’s rib
3. The Apostle Paul specifically mentions that these are commandments from Jesus Christ himself
4. We can’t reject parts of the Bible we don’t agree with, if you reject one part of the Bible , you reject all authority of the BIble

Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret? But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.  1 Corinthians 12:27-31

I think the opening statement here by Paul , sums up most of his teaching on the Church. Paul said “Now You Are The Body of Christ” You Are The Church! We as Christians waste so much time debating who is the correct denomination or raising money for buildings, the simple understanding is you are the Church, as a Born Again believer in Christ, the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, you are now the Temple of God, there is no denomination in the Kingdom of God, everywhere you go, there is the Church! Think about that!

Most of you know I live in Pennsylvania, and Penn State football is huge in our area. I’ve been to a few games at Beaver Stadium where they can seat over 100,000 people, tied for the largest stadiums in the country. And during the games they chant “We Are” and then the crowd roars “Penn State” this is obviously a pretty cool experience hearing that many people chanting the same thing.

Now what if we were as excited to be part of The Church? Do you get excited to assemble with our brothers and sisters, or is it a dread or a box to check off for the week? Imagine all Christians united chanting “We Are The Church” But unfortunately many Christians refuse to worship together, some even communicate with each other, over man-made interpretation of traditions. As Jesus said “They honor me with their lips , but their hearts are far from me” (Matthew 15:8)

Again Paul here is emphasizing , we all have different gifts and different roles of the Holy Spirit, this should not be a reason to divide or be envious of your brothers and sisters, we are all on the same team! Right? Jesus is our Lord, we are his hands and feet , fulfilling the Great Commision and building God’s Kingdom, why would you be angry if a brethren demonstrates a gift of the Holy Spirit? Going back to the football analogy, is everyone the Quarterback? Is everyone the Head Coach? Is everyone a lineman? Of course the answer is no , we all play different roles and functions, but everyone is important, this is the same with the Church!

The Apostle Paul finishes with a strong message “But covet earnestly or desire greatly , the best gifts, yet show I unto you a more excellent way” Just imagined if everyone actually followed the will of God, used their gifts given to them by the Holy Spirit, and worked in unison with each other? The gates of Hell would not prevail against this Church as Christ said, this is the excellent way, be obedient to God and love your brothers and sisters because We Are the Church, Amen!

If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. 1 Corinthians 12:15-20

We continue to look at Pauls teaching on how the Church is the Body of Christ. As Paul taught earlier, we are all One Body (Church) by the Holy Spirit and we all have been given gifts as the Holy Spirit wishes. There are many different gifts and many different callings to Christians, but together we are One Body of Christ. When we put all these gifts and talents together, we are an unstoppable force for the Kingdom of God. Sadly many Christians neglect each other, and we don’t get to see all the potential that can happen with a united Body of Christ

Paul uses the illustration of a physical human body for us to understand our roles as Christians within the Church. If the foot shall say because I am not the hand, I am not of the body (Church), don’t we see alot of this today in the Church. Well your a Catholic, your not part of the Body of Christ, well your a Baptist, your not part of the body of Christ. We like to pretend we are the Holy Spirit and we can determine who is saved and who is not, focus on our mission as disciples of Christ and let the Holy Spirit do his work!

Now I know comparing roles and denominations is not an accurate portrayal, I was just trying to demonstrate the point, we divide and discriminate within the body of Christ, just because we don’t know or understand a brother or sister. The Church is a diverse family with many different talents and experiences. However we are all united through Jesus Christ, our Lord and God

As Paul is teaching here, one Christian may have a different gift or calling, where another has another totally different gift or talent, that doesn’t mean one is greater than the other, or one doesn’t belong to the Body. The foot is a valuable part in itself as is the hand is a valuable part, if they were removed from the Body, it would make a noticeable difference. The Body is more strengthened with a strong hand and a strong foot, with all the parts working together , the parts can compliment and empower each other

Not everyone is going to be called to be a Pastor, not everyone is going to be called to be a Sunday School teacher, however every role and part of the Body of Christ is important, nobody is greater than the Head of the Church, which is Jesus Christ! Amen!