RICH THROUGH JESUS’ POVERTY (THE MEANING OF OFFERING I)

RICH THROUGH JESUS' POVERTY (THE MEANING OF OFFERING I) (212 downloads)

2 Corinthians 8:1-15
Key Verse 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

[As part of the ministry of reconciliation, Paul had been collecting an offering from all the Gentile churches to take with him to give to the church in Jerusalem. His purpose in collecting the offering was for the relief of the Jerusalem church who was suffering from famine, and, to build spiritual unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians (Romans 15:26-27).]

1. How could the Macedonian churches make such a generous and joyful offering? (1-2; Here, “the Macedonian churches” means the Philippians and the Thessalonians.)

2. How was their offering surprising to Paul and Titus? (3-5) What does it mean that they gave themselves first to the Lord? (5)

3. How did Paul encourage and challenge the Corinthians? (6-8)

4. What does it mean that Jesus became poor? (John 1:1-3; Philippians 2:6-8) What does it mean that we are rich? (Ephesians 1:3,7-8) How does the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ affect our Christian life, and especially our giving? (9)

5. What kind of attitude makes the offering acceptable to God? (12; cf. example of the poor widow in Mark 12:41-44) How does Exodus 16:18 relate to offering? (13-15)