Summary: Love is defined in many different ways, shown in many different ways, and sought after in many different ways. In a culture that had many different definitions and understandings about what "love" was, Paul wanted to communicate with clarity to the church how followers of Jesus are to show the true love of Jesus to others (both inside and outside of the church). Paul gives a simple equation for us:
Grace --> Joy --> Generosity = LOVE
Text: 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 8; 2 Corinthians 9:7-8
GRACE:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:1
1. What is grace? How would you define it or describe it? A dictionary definition of grace is "receiving something that you did not deserve." According to that definition, what has God given or made available to you that you don't deserve? (God's grace that Paul is talking about is the forgiveness of sin, salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus being made available to us).
2. God's grace is not only a one time grace given by Jesus, but grace given to us each day. What grace does God give you each day? (life, health, provisions, family, friends, job, influence, etc).
The first step to understanding how to love Jesus and how to show the love of Jesus to others is to embrace this gift of grace and remind yourself of it daily!
JOY:
Read 2 Corinthians 8:2
Next Sunday we are going to talk about how you can have real joy in life. DON'T MISS IT! BRING A FRIEND!
1. Imagine that you were in the middle of facing some hard tests in life. What if right now your life was filled with agony, suffering, and great pain (affliction defined). Financially, put yourself in someone's shoes that is facing "extreme poverty."
Paul mentions that some Christians in Macedonia (Northern Greece) were experiencing these same things. Yet, he described them as having "abundant joy." How can that be? How could those terrible things not choke the joy out of their life? What would your response be?
2. Read Habakkuk 3:17-18. EVERYTHING (and I mean EVERYTHING) went wrong in this guys life! But his response was rejoicing and joy in God. Here is the key: Joy is linked to your source of life, not your experiences in life. God's grace (the source) produces joy no matter what your experiences (death, loss, hardship, poverty, pain, suffering) may be.
Without focusing on the source, you'll never have joy; and remember that the source that Paul mentions is the understanding of the grace of God.
GENEROSITY:
Read 2 Corinthians 3-5.
1. List some of the things that happen when Grace leads to Joy, and Joy produces generosity.
a. Gave according to their means (obedient to the tithe in their giving)
b. Gave beyond their means (faithful generosity over-and-above the basic tithe)
c. Of their own accord, begging us to give (no one forced them to give or guilted them into it)
d. Taking part in the relief of the saints (they identified needs around them and tackled them)
e. Gave themselves first to God (their lives, their heart, their soul, that went first)
f. By the Will of God (did you know that God's will for your life is to be generous unto Him?)
g. Gave themselves to us (they didn't just look after their own needs/ministries/church, but to other needs as well)
READ 2 Corinthians 8:8
1. An understanding of grace, joy, and generosity lead to a powerful show of the love of Jesus. The church in Macedonia had no idea that their obedience and faithfulness would produce a story that was told not only 350+ miles south in Corinth, but in the pages of Scripture for billions of people to read.
What is your "love" story? If the story of your response to grace, your joy, and your generosity were told, would it be a powerful show of what the love of Jesus looks like? Or would you be embarrassed or ashamed? You can start a new story today! Start with embracing grace in your life, and see what God does in you and through you to show the love of Jesus to the world.
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