8/19/13

From Gary... A word to the young (and those young at heart)


Her name is Arsa and she lives in Romania.  What a treasure!!!  She is the absolute picture of youth and vitality!!!  I remember looking at the world through eyes like hers and that grin; such a grin!!!  This picture caught my attention some time ago, but I just haven't had the time to post it!  While viewing it this portrait, these words from Ecclesiastes came to mind...

Ecclesiastes, Chapter 11

 7 Truly the light is sweet,
and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun.
  8 Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all;
but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many.
All that comes is vanity.
  9 Rejoice, young man, in your youth,
and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth,
and walk in the ways of your heart,
and in the sight of your eyes;
but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
  10 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart,
and put away evil from your flesh;
for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.


It has been said that it is a pity that youth is wasted on the young- on those who don't really appreciate what they have.  But, this young lady appears to be enjoying life.  So, verse 9 above is appropriate and even more so as its latter part and verse 10 remind us all of the future.

PS. Even though I no longer have the glow of youthfulness, I still feel young at heart and that is half the battle of enjoying life.  The other half is seeking to know God's will and to try to do it!!!  That second part can be demanding, but then again- the reward of heaven is eternity with God!!!

From Jim McGuiggan... MY NAME IS "IMPASSIONED"

MY NAME IS "IMPASSIONED"

Is God jealous? The Bible says yes!

“I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt…You must have no other gods besides me. You must not make a carved image for yourself…You must not bow down to them in worship; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:2-5, REB)

But Exodus 34:14 puts it even more bluntly. “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”

Isn’t that an astonishing name he gives himself? Bless me, he doesn’t even seem to be embarrassed by it and in fact the tone of the text makes it clear that he wants Israel to keep it in mind. In other places he speaks of himself as someone who delights in love and kindness and compassion but here he just as plainly says, "Call me 'Jealous'."

So does that mean that God’s like the pouters who sulk, who disappear in a shroud of sullen silence, who make everyone in the house miserable so that they speak in whispers and mothers say to children, “Shush, be quiet, your father’s in a bad mood.” Is that the sort of thing he's talking about? If it is, he does it more than occasionally—he says, “That’s my name! That’s the word that describes me.”


Take as an example, Sydney Crittenden, the great pouter, who's nearly always in a bad mood. What is it that distresses the poor thing? Well, he feels he isn’t appreciated. And what is it that makes him feel that way? Um…he heard someone being praised and he felt that that made less of him. His name didn’t come up in numerous conversations and there were several occasions throughout the week when no one asked for his opinion and, in fact, there was one occasion when he gave his opinion and someone else’s was thought better. Then there was the time when his wife simply went on and on about how John Jones made her laugh and how nice he was to be around. That’s the kind of thing that made his bottom lip swell to the size of a watermelon and go all trembly. He was the jealous type!

That’s what God’s like?

Yes, I can understand non-believers and pathetic little celebrity gurus taking offense at biblical texts like the above and I do understand that there are preachers who are all thunder and no light, who go around screaming and foaming at the mouth about a God who is so obsessed with his own reputation that you’d think Philippians 2:6-8 wasn’t in the Bible.

The words often rendered “jealousy” have a wide range of meaning but central to all of them are the notions of heightened passion, an intense state of mind that lead to actionnotions that are the opposite of ideas like “laid back” or “unruffled” or “calm” and therefore feeling no need to do anything. The words are often rendered zeal (compare Isaiah 9:7). The Jewish Publication Society translation renders Exodus 34:14, “The Lord whose name is Impassioned is an impassioned God.”

Context alone determines the precise meaning of words in their given texts and to have God himself telling us, “I am peevish, envious and obsessed with my own praise” is sheer silliness.

The word “jealousy” is used now, almost exclusively, of a mean-spirited attitude, something that wouldn’t exist in a really fine person. That being the case it’s now a misleading rendering of passages like Exodus 20:5.

    God's jealousy is an intense feeling on behalf of someone else.


Eric Fairbairn adored Jeanie Duncan, Frank Boreham tells us, so he is furious when Jeanie becomes infatuated with Rex Crawford, a user and a villain who played with her and robbed her of what she couldn’t afford to lose. Eric's rage was not only that his own love was now being sidelined—though true love does seek love in return even if it doesn’t get it—his rage was that Jeanie was missing his love and the benefits that his love would mean to her.

God rages against all that robs his people in particular and the human family in general. God isn’t jealous of our friends, our gardens, our jobs, our children and families, our lovers or our health (bless me, they're his gifts to us) but he cannot bear with indifference, as if it didn’t matter, when we set our hearts on things that undermine our commitment to him or so set our hearts on his gifts that they rob us of Him.

To ask God to love us and not care that we’re losing what we can’t afford to lose is not to know God—his name is Impassioned!

To prefer a God who will simply leave us alone and make no demands of us empties the life of Jesus and his suffering, resurrection and glorification of all significance and turns it into a long shrug. God cannot not care intensely what happens to us. If we don't understand that we've lost the right to speak about real love and certainly we don't understand the love of God.

To make the word “God” mean anything or nothing depending on what we want to experience signals the changeless doom of the oppressed and the millions that have been oppressed into the grave.

Isaiah 9:1-7 speaks of Jesus, the Son of God, in whom light would come to the world and the oppressed will find deliverance. The prophet insisted that the zeal (jealousy) of the Lord of Hosts would see to it. We mustn't rob God of his passion!

Here’s the real question: The relationship you have now committed yourself to, the person or child who has now entered your life, the enterprise you are now engaged in—does it destroy your commitment to God, his agenda and method? If so, you should be glad God is zealous (jealous) and is opposed to it. Does it enrich your relationship with God and call you upward in gallantry and honor; does it bind you more closely to him, to his agenda and method? If so, this too is the work of God’s zeal. God gives us marvelous gifts and wants us to fully enjoy them and when we do it pleases him for he means us to enjoy them!

Can you imagine a parent making a great breakfast for the kids being offended when they devour it with pleasure? The parental pleasure is the pleasure of seeing the child's pleasure. A spouse, parent, child or friend that we so love that we'd throw ourselves in front or a train for them is a gift of God. He gives us these and is then upset because we love them with all our hearts? Nonsense!

God is “jealous” of nothing but what would use and abuse you, what would rob and corrupt you. Don’t ask him, now or in the end, to leave you alone—he won’t do it! 


He’s a jealous God and loves you too much to do that!

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Jim McGuiggan... Mr. Wonderful blunders

Mr. Wonderful blunders

Now that I think of it I think I should have had a clearer awareness of it long before now, though I wasn't completely ignorant of it in the past. Mrs. Clennam (click) despised herself and as a consequence she despised other transgressors and had come to hate evil-doers. There was something of that in Javier, Hugo's obsessed policeman in Les Miserables. 
Each of us has some influence over others and the influence we have is not always the purposed kind; much of it we aren't aware of because we aren't consciously trying to exert it.
If we're overly severe with ourselves and forever self-critical we're proclaiming a definite message to those we live with. If I call myself "stupid" (or some such thing) when I make a mistake, even in silly things (maybe, spilling milk, breaking a cup, burning the toast), I'm creating an atmosphere around the home. If I'm Mr. Death on my moral wrongs, so severe that I verbally whip myself to shreds and show no mercy, I'm sending out a message: transgressors deserve to be punished without mercy.
Certainly in relation to those I have influence with, when they see me withholding forgiveness or allowing it only grudgingly and after a severe beating, they'll tend to think they should withhold forgiveness from themselves; and so the infection spreads as we each influence someone else.
If I show no mercy toward myself and those who are to some degree shaped by me show no mercy to themselves, what will we feel toward others? If we learn to despise ourselves because we're transgressors, will we not come to think that all transgressors are to be despised and treated with prolonged severity?
This came home to me quite some time ago when I was working with Ethel, doing a tricky little cleaning job and replacing a burst colostomy pouch. It took a while and some patience but I finally got it done, only to discover that the pouch was facing in the wrong direction and in the process of replacing that one I goofed and had to replace the urostomy pouch also. It infuriated me and I gave myself an audible and over-the-top verbal beating. Ethel asked: "Did you do it on purpose?" She was right but I wasn't prepared to allow room for my failure without a string of self-insulting remarks. (Who'd I think I was that I wouldn't allow myself to blunder? Samuel L. Jackson, the actor, said an honest caddy taught him to control his temper on the golf course. In ill-temper Jackson had flung his club away and the caddy said: "You're not good enough to be that angry.")
If I was injuring anyone at times like that I was injuring only myself (I think I must have thought) but it wasn't true. Maybe that's when I first linked my own behaviour with Ethel's habit of calling herself "stupid!" when she spilled water or forgot her medicine or jammed her hand between the door and the wheelchair. Why would she speak that way? Because she'd heard me do it for years and was led to believe that if I made no allowances for myself she should make none for her. I learned it from her and she learned it from me.
It turns out that to withhold forgiveness from yourself creates a culture in which forgiveness is harder to accept as well as to offer. Nelson Mandela said "As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same." Hmmm, there's something in that statement that sheds light on this topic and I want the truth of it to be part of me.
Would all this have any effect on our understanding of forgiveness offered by God in Jesus Christ, do you think?

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

From Jim McGuiggan... Missing Someone

Missing Someone

When they moved in the house he said
"I’ll fix that gate one day."
In later years he changed his tune—
"Creaking gates hang longest—look at me!"
She came to love the gate, it told her things,
told her when he was coming home.
After the funeral her son said
"I’ll get that gate replaced, Dad
never got around to it."
The new gate is silent, swings smooth
on oiled hinges, closes
with a well-oiled click,
but the music has gone out of her life
And she is left with a feeling of betrayal.
R.P Fenwick wrote that. His own experiences helped to make him sensitive both to the capacity of love to transform dissonance into music and to the awful pain lovers feel at profound loss.
Ah, sin, to hell with you!

©2004 Jim McGuiggan. All materials are free to be copied and used as long as money is not being made.

Many thanks to brother Ed Healy, for allowing me to post from his website, the abiding word.com.

From Mark Copeland... Addicted To The Ministry Of The Saints (1 Corinthians 16:15)



                 "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS"

             Addicted To The Ministry Of The Saints (16:15)

INTRODUCTION

1. Many people have addictions to one thing or another...
   a. Some are negative addictions:  drugs, alcohol, cigarettes,
      gambling, etc.
   b. Some are positive addictions, such as exercise

2. In the KJV translation of 1Co 16:15, we read of a family with a very
   positive addiction...
   a. "...ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the first fruits of
      Achaia"
   b. "...and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the
      saints"

3. The Greek word translated by the KJV as "addicted" is tasso...
   a. Which literally means "to arrange in an orderly manner" - Strong
   b. Most other translations render it as "devoted" (NKJV, NASB, NIV,
      etc.)

4. Playing on the word "addicted" (for the sake of illustration)...
   a. If we are addicted to something, what a more noble habit?
   b. Would it not be wonderful if we were all "addicted" to serving one
      another?

[In this lesson, we shall see why everyone should have such an
addiction, and offer some suggestions on how to get hooked...!]

I. WHY BE ADDICTED TO THE MINISTRY OF THE SAINTS?

   A. TO FULFILL THE LAW OF CHRIST...
      1. When we bear one another's burdens, we fulfill the law of
         Christ - Ga 6:1-2
      2. Thus we are encouraged to do good to another as we have
         opportunity - Ga 6:10
      -- If addicted to the ministry of the saints, we are more likely
         to utilize our opportunities to fulfill the law of Christ!

   B. TO PROVE THAT WE HAVE THE LOVE OF GOD IN US...
      1. We cannot have the love of God in us if we do not love one
         another - 1Jn 4:20-21
      2. Loving the brethren indicates that we have passed from death to
         life - 1Jn 3:14-20
      -- If addicted to the ministry of the saints, it is a positive
         sign that we are truly the children of God!

   C. TO FULFILL OUR PART IN THE BODY OF CHRIST...
      1. God intends for members of the body to be concerned for one
         another - 1Co 12:24-27
      2. For the body to grow as it should, every member must do its
         part - Ep 4:15-16
      -- If addicted to the ministry of the saints, we will do our part
         in the body of Christ!

[There are both personal and altruistic motives to becoming "addicted"
to serving one another as brethren.  That being so, here are some
thoughts on...]

II. BECOMING ADDICTED TO THE MINISTRY OF THE SAINTS

   A. GETTING ACQUAINTED IS REQUIRED...
      1. Will Rogers once said, "I never met a man I didn't like"
      2. Allow me to rephrase that:  "I never loved a person I never
         met"
      3. Unless we know each other, there is little hope to becoming
         addicted to serving one another
      4. Getting acquainted requires some effort; how much?
         a. More than just seeing each other for a few moments, once or
            twice a week
         b. Whatever it takes so that when one is absent from one
            assembly, others are concerned
      5. It requires being given to hospitality - cf. Ro 12:13
         a. What I knew growing up as "southern hospitality"
         b. Not the cold, hands off, keep your distance, attitude so
            prevalent in some circles
         c. But the love of strangers that opens heart and home, and
            turns them into friends
         d. A willingness to visit, and be visited
         e. Truly believing in the phrase "mi casa, su casa" (my house
            is your house)
      -- We must know each other well enough to like one another if we
         are going to be truly concerned about each other

   B. PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR BECOMING ADDICTED...
      1. For addictions to be developed, habits must be formed
      2. Make it a habit to learn the names of  the members and others
         who visit frequently
         a. Learn a new name each week
         b. Greet those you know by name each week - cf. 3Jn 14
         c. Continue until you know everyone by name
      3. Make it a habit to practice hospitality with one another - cf.
         1Pe 4:9
         a. Invite people into your home, or out for dinner
         b. Accept invitations when offered, for hospitality is a
            two-way street!
      4. Whatever abilities you have, use them in service to your
         brethren - cf. 1Pe 4:10-11
         a. For the goal is to become addicted to serving our brethren
         b. Whether it be serving through teaching, helping, etc.
      -- The more we know one another, and the more we grow in our
         abilities to serve, the easier it is to become addicted to the
         ministry of the saints

CONCLUSION

1. The family of Stephanas left behind a wonderful reputation...
   a. They were devoted to the ministry of the saints - 1Co 16:15
   b. They made Paul glad and refreshed his spirit when they came to him
      - 1Co 16:17-18

2. What kind of reputation will we leave behind...?
   a. Devoted to serving our brethren with love and zeal?
   b. Or unwilling to render loving service because we were too busy or
      disinterested?

May we all become "Addicted To The Ministry Of The Saints"...!

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Mark Copeland... Act Like Men (1 Corinthians 16:13)


                 "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS"

                          Act Like Men (16:13)

INTRODUCTION

1. In 1Co 16:13, Paul commands the Corinthians to "be brave" (NKJV),
   also translated as...
   a. "quit you like men" (ASV, KJV)
   b. "act like men" (ESV, NASB)
   c. "be courageous" (NRSV), "be men of courage" (NIV)

2. The Greek word is andrizomai, and is defined by Thayer...
   a. to make a man of or make brave
   b. to show one's self a man, be brave

3. For our study, I would like to focus on the idea of acting like
   men...
   a. What is involved in showing oneself to be a man (besides bravery)?
   b. Especially as a man in Christ, what does it mean to be a real man?

[The answer is to be found in the New Testament, where men of God are
often commanded to behave a certain way.  For example, consider how a
man of God should conduct himself...]

I. AS A BACHELOR

   A. BE AN EXAMPLE TO OTHER CHRISTIANS...
      1. This is the charge given to Timothy, who was single - 1Ti 4:12
      2. Likewise to Titus - Tit 2:7
      3. Even as Paul did himself - 1Th 2:10
      -- A single man should provide an example of what it means to
         serve Christ

   B. USE YOUR FREEDOM FOR THE LORD...
      1. Paul wrote that the unmarried can do more for the Lord - 1Co 7:32-34
      2. They do not have spousal and parental duties
      -- A single man should utilize the extra time and energy they have
         for the Lord

[Of course, many men do not remain bachelors, they marry and have a
family.  How then does one act like a man...]

II. AS A HUSBAND

   A. LOVE YOUR WIFE...
      1. Husbands are charged to love their wives - Ep 5:25
      2. As Christ loved the church - Ep 5:25-27
      3. As they love their own bodies - Ep 5:28-29
      -- A real man is one who unselfishly loves his wife

   B. TREAT HER WITH RESPECT...
      1. Render the affection that she is due - 1Co 7:3-4
      2. Seek to understand her, give her honor - 1Pe 3:7
      -- A real man is one who is considerate and seeks to exalt his
         wife

[When children come along, acting like a man involves accepting
responsibilities...]

III. AS A FATHER

   A. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN...
      1. Fathers have the duty to bring their children up in the ways of
         the Lord - Ep 6:4
      2. As God expected of Abraham - Gen 18:19
      3. As God command Israel - Deut 6:6-7
      4. Providing the kind of leadership Joshua did for his family
         - Josh 24:15
      -- Fathers who act like men will provide spiritual leadership for
         their children

   B. BE PATIENT WITH THEM...
      1. Fathers are not to provoke their children to wrath - Ep 6:4
      2. Fathers must not be so overbearing as to discourage their
         children - Col 3:21
      3. This does not mean there is never discipline - He 12:5-11
      -- Fathers who act like men will seek to provide the proper
         balance between love and discipline

[Even after a man has become a husband and a father, acting like a man
still involves some duties...]

IV. AS A SON

   A. HONOR YOUR PARENTS...
      1. A duty for all children - Ep 6:1-2
      2. A duty that involves providing for them in old age - cf. Mk 7:
         9-13
      -- A son acting like a man will not try to avoid caring for his
         parents

   B. SUPPORT YOUR WIDOWS...
      1. Children (including sons) are to provide for their mothers and
         grandmothers - 1Ti 5:4,16
      2. Failure to do so makes one worse than an unbeliever - 1Ti 5:8
      -- A son will see that his mother or grandmother is cared for
         - e.g., Jn 19:25-26

[Finally, some thoughts on what one acting like a man will be...]

V. AS A CHRISTIAN

   A. EXERCISE YOURSELF TO GODLINESS...
      1. So Paul charged Timothy - 1Ti 4:7-8
      2. Which involves fleeing some things, while pursuing others
         - 1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 3:16-17
         a. Fleeing the love of money and youthful lusts - 1Ti 6:10;
            2Ti 2:22; 1Co 6:18
         b. Pursuing righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience,
            gentleness - 1Ti 6:11; 2Ti 2:22
      -- A man of God will make every effort to be a true child of God

   B. UTILIZE YOUR GIFTS...
      1. By God's grace, we each have gifts, differing abilities - Ro 12:3-6
      2. We should therefore use them in service to one another - Ro 12:
         6-8; 1Pe 4:10-11
      -- A man of God will make the effort to discover his gift(s) and
         use them in service to the family of God

CONCLUSION

1. More can certainly be said, for the scriptures are full of wisdom and
   instruction of what it means to be a real man of God

2. Sadly, the world often presents an entirely different picture of what
   it means to be a man, confusing machismo (exaggerated masculinity)
   with true manliness

As noted in the beginning, the word translated "act like men" conveys
the idea of being "brave, courageous".  Will we who are men be brave
enough to behave the way God wants us to, and not just imitate those
"models of manhood" who are often spiritually and emotionally
immature...?

   "But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness,
   godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.  Fight the good fight
   of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called
   and have confessed the good confession in the presence of
   many witnesses." - 1Ti 6:12


Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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From Mark Copeland... Concerning The Collection (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)


                 "THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS"

                   Concerning The Collection (16:1-2)

INTRODUCTION

1. Among many churches of Christ, visitors are often surprised to
   find...
   a. That there is not a lot of passing the plate to "take up an
      offering"
   b. A collection is taken only once on Sunday, the first day of the
      week
   c. No collection is taken during other times, such as midweek
      services, or special events like gospel meetings (what some may
      call revivals)

2. The practice reflects a desire to follow the New Testament pattern...
   a. Not just in giving, but in every aspect of church worship
   b. To allow the example and principles found in the early church to
      guide us

[What exactly is revealed "Concerning The Collection" in the New
Testament?  With 1Co 16:1-2 as the text for our study, let's first
review the...]

I. HISTORY OF THE COLLECTION

   A. EARLY CHURCH NOTED FOR ITS LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER...
      1. In the church at Jerusalem, the charity of its members was
         remarkable - Ac 2:44-45
      2. Their liberality continued for sometime - Ac 4:32-35
      3. Granted, there were extenuating circumstances that may explain
         why selling everything they had did not become normative for
         the church
      4. But they demonstrate the extent to which brethren were willing
         to go

   B. SUCH LOVE WENT BEYOND THE LOCAL CONGREGATION...
      1. The church in Antioch took up a collection for the needy saints
         in Judea - Ac 11:27-30
      2. The churches in Greece took up a collection for the saints in
         Jerusalem - Ro 15:25-26

   C. A SYSTEMATIC COLLECTION WAS ESTABLISHED...
      1. Paul gave instructions to churches in Galatia and Corinth
         - 1Co 16:1
      2. A weekly collection, gathered on the first day of the week
         - 1Co 16:2

[Thus began a practice that remains to this day among churches of
Christ.  Note carefully now the...]

II. PURPOSE OF THE COLLECTION

   A. TO PROVIDE FOR NEEDY CHRISTIANS...
      1. It was "the collection for the saints" - 1Co 16:1
      2. It was "for the poor among the saints" - Ro 15:26
      3. It concerns "ministering to the saints" - 2Co 9:1
      4  It "supplies the needs of the saints" - 2Co 9:12

   B. BOTH LOCALLY AND ABROAD...
      1. As the church in Jerusalem cared for its own - cf. Ac 2,4,6
      2. As the churches in Antioch, Macedonia, Achaia, and Galatia
         cared for those in Jerusalem and Judea - cf. Ac 11, Ro 15, 1Co 
         16

   C. INCLUDING PREACHERS OF THE GOSPEL...
      1. Who were certainly worthy of their support - 1Co 9:3-14
      2. Paul received support from various churches - 2Co 11:8,9
      3. One can infer that such support came from the church treasury
         for needy saints
      4. As individuals who devoted their full service to the Lord,
         becoming dependent on others for support, they would certainly
         qualify as "needy saints"

[For the work of benevolence and evangelism, it has become customary for
the weekly collection to support what is the proper work of the church
(including edification).  Now consider the...]

III. BLESSINGS OF THE COLLECTION

   A. THE GIVERS ARE BLESSED...
      1. For it is more blessed to give than receive - Ac 20:35
      2. Cheerful givers who sow bountifully will reap accordingly
         - 2Co 9:6-7
      3. That they might have an abundance for even more good works
         - 2Co 9:8-11

   B. THE RECIPIENTS ARE BLESSED...
      1. The needs of the saints are supplied - 2Co 9:12a
      2. They are filled with praise to God and longing for their
         brethren - 2Co 9:13-14

   C. GOD IS BLESSED...
      1. Such liberality abounds with many thanksgivings to God - 2 Co 9:11-15
      2. By the beneficiaries and those who witness it - ibid.

[Thus the collection for the saints has great potential for much good!
Lastly, let's review some...]

IV. GUIDELINES FOR THE COLLECTION

   A. WHEN TO GIVE...
      1. On the first day of the week - 1Co 16:1
      2. The day in which disciples came together to break bread - Ac 20:7

   B. HOW TO GIVE...
      1. Proportionately - as one may prosper - 1Co 16:2; 2Co 8:12-13
      2. Willingly - with a willing mind, according to what one has
         - 2Co 8:12
      3. Purposefully - with thought, as one purposes in his heart
         - 2Co 9:7
      4. Cheerfully - not grudgingly, or of necessity - 2Co 9:7

   C. EXAMPLES TO INSPIRE...
      1. The Macedonians - who gave sacrificially, beyond their ability
         - 2Co 8:1-7
      2. The Achaians - whose zeal stirred up many others to give - 2 Co 9:1-2
      3. Jesus Christ - who though rich, became poor, that we might be
         rich - 2Co 8:9

CONCLUSION

1. The practice of a weekly collection continued after the apostles
   died...

   "On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country
   gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the
   writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then when
   the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts
   to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and
   pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and
   wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers
   prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people
   assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a
   participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those
   who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are
   well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is
   collected is deposited with the president, who succors the orphans
   and widows, and those who, through sickness or any other cause are in
   want, and those who are in bonds, and the strangers sojourning among
   us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is
   the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the
   first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and
   matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day
   rose from the dead." - Justin Martyr, First Apology (110-165 A.D.)

2. There is certainly good reason for it to continue today, for it is a
   practice...
   a. With apostolic approval
   b. Free from coercion that often accompanies an appeal to give
   c. Sufficient to supply the church with the funds to do its work

When one properly understands what is revealed in the Scriptures
"Concerning The Collection", a Christian will truly give as they have
been prospered, with a cheerful heart and willing mind...



Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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