Encouraging church to church ministry

Context: 2 Corinthians 9
The Apostle Paul gives direction and encouragement to the church at Corinth to partner with the church at Jerusalem. As the saintly intermediary, facilitating the gospel witness that comes from churches partnering with each other, he writes:

Reflection on the Scripture
‘Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them.’

Our service to each other as the church is an important and powerful ministry in itself- spurring one another on to good works and encouraging brothers and sisters in Christ. It is our readiness to serve which gives courage to all.

‘But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident.

Our strongest passions to serve each other must be held to account so that we may not fall away from what we desire and commit to do. The reputation of the Lord and his church are at stake: we place our confidence in Him.

‘5So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.’

Often times a saintly intermediary serves as a conduit for churches to partner together. However, ALL parties must have Christ’s church as the focus of their servitude. The ‘gift’ must be prepared, waiting to be delivered, as a sign of unwavering love and commitment to the receiver. The church that would serve must not prepare the gift at the last minute as an afterthought. Like the Father who… ‘has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him,’ the desire to love and serve another should always be present in our hearts.

6The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

This is a simple but powerful principle: he who gives of himself sparingly will receive sparingly. I think of the woman who washed our Lord’s feet and wiped them with her hair: “he who as been forgiven much loves much”. How much we have been ‘sowed’ into by Christ. The reality of what we have been given must transform the magnitude of our sowing into others- as was done to us. And Christ did all this to attain the joy that was set before him. He gave up all to have all placed under his authority.

7Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
9As it is written,

"He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."

Give in faith, according to the prompting of your heart. Give with the assurance that God is able to provide your every need and to have grace abound in your life not only for our needs but that we the Church may be equipped to do good things to others bringing God his deserved glory.

10He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.

All things come from the Father. He is faithful and always supplies what is necessary for His righteousness to be displayed through the church so that the Godhead may be glorified. He is the same God that sustains our every breath. We only live by His providence.

11You [the giving church] will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us [the intermediary] will produce thanksgiving to God. 12For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

We [the Church] are blessed to be a blessing- not only to the nations- but to each other as well. The impact of one church empowering another solicits thanksgiving from:
• the giving church for what will be accomplished through their generosity.
• the receiving church because of how they have been empowered to reach their community with the Gospel;
• and by the surrounding community, as the Gospel witness overflows to unbelievers who are redeemed by the Holy Spirit.
Not only does God supply what is needed for the churches, He creates an overflow of thanksgiving through the empowered witness of the church.

13By their approval of this service [the receiving church], they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14while they long for you and pray for you,

When a church supports another it is done in humility (knowing that one church cannot accomplish all things) and in submission to the Gospel. This is a testimony to God’s grace, because humility and submission are sole characteristics of a true Gospel confessing church: this testimony is not lost on the unreached. Again, the generosity does not stop within the relationship of the churches; it flows to ‘all others’ as well.

When churches work together for the sake of the Gospel and with a passion for the lost, a deep relationship of love is fostered as one church longs to be with the other and as they pray for each other, which is powerful mark of true endearment.

14b because of the surpassing grace of God upon you.

And how does all of this occur? And why is church to church ministry eminent? Because of what Christ has done and is doing among the churches: washing us completely with his surpassing Grace. His grace will continually and thankfully surpass our humanness.

15Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Let us praise God, for this is our reasonable response for the gift: The Church of Jesus Christ.