Northeast & Southwest Ohio Joint Sunday School Convention

Nor theast & Southwest Ohio Distr icts
3r d Episcopal Diocese
Fire Bapt ized Holiness Church of God of t he Am ericas, Inc.
1st
Joint
Sunday School
&
H.Y.P.U.
Convention
Convening
August 9 - 12, 2018
Cathedr al of Faith Baptist Chur ch
2815 East 25th Str eet
Indianapolis, Indiana 46218
Elder Allen B. Wilson, Nor theast Ohio
Elder Reginald Poellnitz, Southwest Ohio
Theme: "Pr eser ving the Chr istian Faith"
Jude 1:3
Host Pastor : Dr . Pr eston Cr owe, Her i t age New Li fe FBH Chur ch
Nat i onal Mot her : Mot her Mar gar et Wat son
Pr esi di ng Bi shop: The Ri ght Rev. A. L. Rodger s

WELCOME!
Pr aise God fr om w hom all blessings flow , and gr eetings in the
matchless name of Jesus Chr ist!
We ar e indeed excited about this histor ical Joint Sunday School and
H.Y.P.U. Convention. We w elcome each of the delegates and
attendees of the Nor theast and Southw est Ohio Distr icts. We ar e
looking for the Lor d to pour out His blessings in each session.
Our theme, "Pr eser ving the Chr istian Faith" Jude 1:3, is a most
needed subject to expound because w e ar e indeed living in per ilous
times w her e the tr uth of God's Wor d has been polluted w ith er r or s
ther eby making it of non-effect and br inging many under
condemnation. We, w ho know the tr uth, must stand valiantly, living
holy, and pr oclaiming the tr uth in these last and evil days.
Elder Reginald Poellnitz
Ruling Elder, Southwest Ohio District
To the assembly of delegates fr om the Southw est & Nor theast Ohio
Distr icts, I gr eet you in the Mighty Name of Jesus.
As w e come together for our 1st Joint Sunday School and H.Y.P.U.
Convention, w e need God, by His Spir it, to teach us, impar t into us,
and empow er us to "ear nestly contend for the faith w hich was once
deliver ed to the saints" (Jude 3).
It is my sincer e pr ayer that God w ill gr ant us an over flow of His
Wisdom, Pow er , and Glor y fr om our 32nd Quadr ennial Gener al
Council and our .Y.P.I. Congr ess.
In Expectation,
Elder Allen B. Wilson, Sr.
Ruling Elder, Northeast Ohio District

Thursday, August 9, 2018
Opening Session - 11:00 a.m.
Call to Wor ship
Pr ayer
Scr iptur e
Pr aise Ser vice
Pr esentation of Elder
Ser mon
Holy Communion
Communion Offer ing
Or ganization
Announcements
Adjour nment
Dinner
Afternoon Session - 4:30 p.m.
Call to Wor ship
Pr aise Ser vice
Inspir ational Discour se
Announcements
Adjour nment
Evening Session - 7:00 p.m.
Call to Wor ship
Pr aise Ser vice
Welcome Pr ogr am
Response to Welcome
Music
Intr oduction of Speaker
Ser mon
Altar Appeal
Announcements
Adjour nment
Elder Reginald Poellnitz
Elder Allen B. Wilson
Elder Allen B. Wilson
Elder Reginald Poellnitz
2:30 p.m.
Devotional Committee
Bishop A. L. Rodger s
Devotional Committee
Host Chur ch
Pastor Renee Gor ham
Convention Choir
Pastor Beth Poellnitz
Pastor Dar lene Zander s

Friday, August 10, 2018
Morning Session - 11:00 a.m.
Call to Wor ship
Pr aise Ser vice
Intr oduction of Speaker
Ser mon
Noon Day Pr ayer
Repor ts
Announcements
Adjour nment
Dinner
Devotional Committee
Rev. Concetta Lew is
Sister Ellen K. Dinkins
Elder Allen B. Wilson
2:00 p.m.
Afternoon Session - 4:00 p.m.
D.R.E. Wor kshop
Announcements
Adjour nment
Sister Ellen K. Dinkins
Rev. Concetta Lew is
Evening Session - 7:00 p.m.
Call to Wor ship
Pr aise Ser vice
Intr oduction of Speaker
Music
Ser mon
Altar Appeal
Announcements
Adjour nment
Devotional Committee
Pastor Mar y Kidd
Convention Choir
Pastor Joseph Rober ts

Saturday, August 11, 2018
Morning Session - 10:00 a.m.
Call to Wor ship
Pr aise Ser vice
Intr oduction of Speaker
Music
Youth Ser mon
Pr ayer of Re-dedication
Devotional Committee
Pastor L. Reynolds
Convention Choir
Pastor Cynthia Canty
Pastor Sheldon Little
H.Y.P.U. Session
Theme: "Standing Against All Odds" - Ephesians 6:13, Genesis 50:19-20
Or ganization
Youth Pr ogr am
Repor t of Chur ches
Announcements
Adjour nment
Evening Session - 7:00 p.m.
Sister Ellen K. Dinkins
Rev. Concetta Lew is
Call to Wor ship
Pr aise Ser vice
Devotional Committee
Concer t
Northeast & Southwest Ohio Convention Choir
Sister Alice Williams, Minister of Music
Brother Isaac Harris, Minister of Music
Announcements
Adjour nment

Sunday, August 12, 2018
Sunday Morning Sessions
Sunday School Hour
Super intendent
Asst. Super intendent
Secr etar y
Asst. Secr etar y
10:00 a.m.
Sister Alice Williams
Sister Etta Ever har t
Sister Felisha Palmer
Sister Ser ena Andr ew s
Teacher s and Classes
#1 Or dained & Local Men Elder Allen Wilson
#2 Or dained & Local Women Rev. Jackie Wilson
#3 Lay Men Br other Gar y Fizer
#4 Lay Women Sister Evonder Wheeler
#5 Young Adults Sister Shaw dell Nesbit
#6 Inter mediates Sister Daw n Davenpor t
#7 Beginner s Sister Khalilah Reynolds
#8 Pr eschooler s Sister Sor r iah Wilson
Note: Each teacher i s r esponsi bl e for t he sel ect i on of t wo booster s.
Sunday Mor ning Session
Call to Wor ship
Pr aise Ser vice
Mor ning Offer ing
Intr oduction of Speaker
Music
Ser mon
Altar Appeal
Remar ks
Vote of Thanks
Doxology
Devotional Committee
Elder Reginald Poellnitz
Convention Choir
Bishop A.L. Rodger s
Sister Ver nell Tur ner

FINANCIAL
REPORTS
NORTHEAST OHIO

ORDAINED MINISTERS
2017 2018
St . Mat t hew Elder Allen B. Wilson $1,100.00
Rev. Willie Blueford $100.00
Rev. Jackie Wilson $100.00
Mt . Olive Pastor Mary Kidd $550.00
Rev, Mary Rivera $100.00
Mt . Sinai Pastor Darlene Zanders $400.00
New Macedonia Pastor Cynthia Canty $150.00
Rev. Shirley Jones $100.00
Mt . Zion Pastor Maggie Rodgers $130.00
At hens Pastor Renee Gorham $125.00
Northeast Onio District
Tot al $2,855.00

Northeast Ohio District
LOCAL MINISTERS
2017 2018
At hens Bro. William Higdon $95.00
St . Mat t hew Sis. Ellen K. Dinkins $92.00
Sis. Linda McCollough $92.00
Sis. Alice Williams $92.00
Sis. Dora Settler $92.00
New Macedonia Sis. Joyce Glenn $91.00
Mt . Sinai Sis. Bessie Pullie $90.00
Tot al $644.00

Northeast Onio District
DISTRICT OFFICERS
2017 2018
Dist rict Mot her Mother Virginia Blueford $25.00
Dist rt ict Superint endent Mother Johnnie Howard $25.00
Dist rict Edit or Sis. Sorriah Wilson $25.00
Am bassador for Christ Sis. Mary Cooper $25.00
Sis. Charlotte Bradley $25.00
Sis. Kia Mabone $25.00
Sis. Cherilyn Williams $25.00
Sis. Denise Tucker $25.00
Tot al $200.00

Northeast Ohio District
SUNDAY SCHOOL REPORTS
2017 2017 2018 2018
Report
Delegat e
St . Mat t hew $627.00 $5.00
Mt . Olive $598.00 $5.00
Mt . Sinai $300.00 $5.00
New Macedonia $260.00 $10.00
Mt . Zion $130.00 $10.00
At hens $110.00 $5.00
Tot al $2,025.00 $40.00
BOOSTERS
2017 2018
Mt . Olive $50.00
Mt . Sinai $50.00
St . Mat t hew $35.00
At hens $25.00
New Macedonia $25.00
Tot al $185.00

Northeast Ohio District
H.Y.P.U. REPORTS
2017 2017 2018 2018
Report
Delegat e
Mt . Olive $252.00 $5.00
St . Mat t hew $135.00 $5.00
New Macedonia $85.00 $5.00
Mt . Sinai $75.00 $5.00
At hens $55.00 $5.00
Mt . Zion $30.00 $10.00
Tot al $632.00 $35.00

FINANCIAL
REPORTS
SOUTHWEST OHIO

ORDAINED MINISTERS
2017 2018
St . Jam es Elder Reginald Poellnitz $1,000.00
Rev. Concetta Lewis $102.00
Ant ioch Pastor Joseph Sutton $520.00
Rev. Nina WIlliams $102.00
Rev. Patricia Monson $102.00
New Hope Pastor Yvette Clark $300.00
Fait h Tem ple Pastor Beth Poellnitz $225.00
Herit age New Life Dr. Preston Crowe $150.00
Ham ilt on, Mt . Calvary Pastor Michelle Hall $135.00
Rev. Rosa B. Sutton $100.00
Rev. Thomas Cooley $100.00
Southwest Onio District
Rev. Emma Nesbit $100.00
Cit y of Praise Pastor Joseph Roberts $125.00
Rev. Rosa Colquitt $50.00
Rev. Jimeka Green $50.00
Christ ian's Tem ple Pastor Sheldon Little $125.00
Rev. Birt Little $100.00
Rev. Charlene Mearday $100.00
St . Pet er Pastor Joseph Roberts $110.00
Rev. Sarah Jennings $105.00
Springfield, Mt . Calvary Pastor Lavonne Reynolds $120.00
Tot al $3,821.00

Southwest Ohio District
LOCAL MINISTERS
2017 2018
Ant ioch Sis. Jackie Fox $100.00
St . Jam es Bro. Matthew Woodhouse $92.00
Sis. Patricia Wright $92.00
Sis. Evonder Wheeler $92.00
Christ ian's Tem ple Sis. Doreen Little $90.00
New Hope Sis. Cheryl Wilson $60.00
Tot al $526.00

DISTRICT OFFICERS
2017 2018
Dist rict Secret ary Sis. Vernell Turner $35.00
Dist rict Superint endent Bro. Vernell Reeder $25.00
Diret ress Foreign Mission Sis. Dawn Davenport $25.00
Dist rict Edit or Sis. Serena Andrews $20.00
Minist er of Music Bro. Isaac Harris $25.00
Am bassador for Christ Sis. Jackie Watson $25.00
Sis. Roshena Harris $25.00
Sis. Shawdell Nesbit $25.00
Sis. Khalilah Reynolds $25.00
Sis. Arina Turner $20.00
Southwest Onio District
Tot al $250.00

Southwest Ohio District
SUNDAY SCHOOL REPORTS
2017 2017 2018 2018
Report
Delegat e
St . Jam es $870.00 $5.00
Ant ioch $600.00 $10.00
St . Pet er $535.00 $5.00
New Hope $520.00 $5.00
Fait h Tem ple $435.00 $5.00
Cit y of Praise $395.00 $5.00
Christ ian's Tem ple $390.00 $5.00
Ham ilt on, Mt . Calvary $180.00
Springfield, Mt . Calvary $100.00 $5.00
Tot al $4,025.00 $45.00

Southwest Ohio District
H.Y.P.U. REPORTS
2017 2017 2018 2018
Report
Delegat e
St . Jam es $247.00 $5.00
Ant ioch $160.00 $10.00
Christ ian's Tem ple $155.00 $5.00
New Hope $145.00 $5.00
St . Pet er $125.00 $5.00
Cit y of Praise $110.00 $5.00
Fait h Tem ple $80.00 $5.00
Ham ilt on, Mt . Calvary $60.00 $5.00
Springfield, Mt . Calvary $50.00 $5.00
Tot al $1,132.00 $50.00

SUNDAY SCHOOL
LESSONS

Lesson 11 August 12, 2018
Scr i pt ur e Lesson Tex t
II COR. 8:7 Ther efor e, as ye abound in
ever y thing, in faith, and utter ance,
and know ledge, and in all diligence,
and in your love to us, see that ye
abound in this gr ace also.
8 I speak not by com m andm ent , but
by occasi on of t he for war dness of
ot her s, and to pr ove t he si ncer i t y of
your l ove.
9 For ye know the gr ace of our Lor d
Jesus Chr ist, that, though he was r ich,
yet for your sakes he became poor ,
that ye thr ough his pover ty might be
r ich.
10 And her ei n I give m y advi ce: for
t hi s i s ex pedi ent for you, who have
begun befor e, not only to do, but
al so to be for war d a year ago.
11 Now ther efor e per for m the doing
of it; that as ther e was a r eadiness to
w ill, so ther e may be a per for mance
also out of that w hich ye have.
12 For i f t her e be f i r st a w i l l i ng
m i nd, i t i s accepted accor di ng to
t hat a m an hat h, and not accor di ng
to t hat he hat h not .
13 For I mean not that other men be
eased, and ye bur dened:
14 But by an equal i t y, t hat now at
t hi s t i m e your abundance m ay be a
supply for t hei r want , t hat t hei r
abundance al so m ay be a supply for
your want : t hat t her e m ay be
equal i t y:
15 As it is w r itten, He that had
gather ed much had nothing over ; and
he that had gather ed little had no
lack.
NOTES

Shar ing w ith Those in Need
Lesson: II Cor inthians 8:7 - 15
Read: II Cor inthians 8:1 -- 9:15
TIME: pr obably A.D. 55
PLACE: Macedonia
GOLDEN TEXT - "Ye know the gr ace of our Lor d Jesus Chr ist, that though he was
r ich, yet for your sakes he became poor , that ye thr ough his pover ty might be r ich"
(II Cor inthians 8:9).
I ntroduction
What is the most impor tant par t of w or ship?
Ask chur ch musicians, and they might tell us
that it is the singing of pr aise to God by the
congr egation or an inspir ing soloist or
ensemble.
Ask a pastor , and he might say that it is the
message God has laid on his hear t. Sadly,
some chur chgoer es look at the ser mon as
something to be endur ed r ather than a
means of spir itial gr ow th.
What about pr ayer ? No one w ould deny that
pr ayer is impor tant, but is it mor e impor tant
than the things mentioned above? What
about the public r eading of Scr iptur e? Ten
w e have baptism and communion,
obser vances unique to the chur ch and
commanded by Chr ist (Mar k 14:22-25;
GIFTED CHURCH
16:15-16). These ar e obviously ver y
impor tant acts of w or ship.
But w hat about giving? Do people even think
of putting money in the offer ing plate as an
act of w or ship? Unlike other things
associated w ith w or ship, w e cannot be
passive in giving. It r equir es active
par ticipation, even sacr ifice.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. Gi f ted chur ch - II Cor . 8:7
II. Genui ne Love - II Cor . 8:8-9
III. Gr aci ous Advi ce - II Cor . 8:10-11
IV. Gener ous Response - II Cor . 8:12 -15
Exposition: Verse by Verse
II COR. 8:7 Ther efor e, as ye abound i n
ever y t hi ng, i n f ai t h, and ut ter ance, and
k nowledge, and i n al l di l i gence, and i n
your l ove to us, see t hat ye abound i n t hi s
gr ace al so.
While ther e ar e cer tainly similar ities
betw een Paul's var ious letter s, ther e ar e also
str iking differ ences. Each epistle was w r itten
to a par tiular gr oup or individual w ith
unique needs and concer ns. This is clear ly
seen w hen compar ing the tw o letter s penned
to the chur ch at Cor inth. Paul's fir st letter to
the Cor inthians focused on pr oblems he had
been infor med of (1:11) and on questions
they had pr esented to him (7:1). Since the
pr oblems w e face and the questions w e ask
today ar e similar to the Cor inthians, Paul's
fir st letter to Cor inth is amazingly r elevant to
the chur ch in todays w or ld.

Paul's second letter to the Cor inthians is quite
differ ent, how ever. The fir st seven chapter s
ar e mostly a defense of Paul's ministr y ther e.
Both detr actor s fr om w ithin and enemies
fr om w ithout w er e calling into question his
apostolic ministr y. Chapter s 10 thr ough 13
focus on false teacher s w ho w er e attempting
to infiltr ate the Cor inthian chur ch.
Sandw iched betw een these tw o sections is an
exhor tation to complete an offer ing in w hich
they had pr omised to par ticipate. It pr ovides
us w ith the longest single body of teaching on
giving in the New Testament.
As a for mer Phar isee and now as the apostle
to the Gentiles, Paul was w ell awar e of the
depth of animosity that existed betw een
Gentiles and Jew s. In Chr ist, how ever , the
chur ch is one body (Eph. 2:11-22). Ear thly
distinctions have been abolished, "for by one
Spir it ar e w e all baptized into one body,
w hether w e be Jew s or Gentiles" (ICor. 12:13).
One way that unity could be enhanced was to
encour age Gentile believer s to help poor
Jew ish believer s, something Paul was mor e
than w illing to do (Gal. 2:10). So as he
tr aveled among the Gentiles, he collected
funds to help the pover ty-str icken saints in
Jer usalem (Acts 11:27-30). The Cor inthians
had asked about this effor t ear lier , and Paul
had instr ucted them on gather ing the funds
(ICor. 16:1-4).
Fr om w hat Paul w r ote in II Cor inthians 8 and
9, it is clear that the chur ch had not follow ed
thr ough on their pr omise to shar e in this
offer ing. Using the Macedonian chur ches as
an example (6:1-4), Paul encour aged the
Cor inthians to do as they had done. In spite
of their ow n pover ty, the Macedonians had
done mor e than expected. Bust as Paul
pointed out, it was because they "fir st gave
their ow n selves to the Lor d: (vs. 5). This is
w hat inspir ed their gener osity. "Tr ue giving
r equir es giving of oneself, not just giving
money. The gospel is not about w hat w e can
get fr om God but w hat God has given us so
that w e can give of our selves to other s"
(Gar land, 2 Cor inthians, Br oadman).
As w e know fr om I Cor inthians, the believer s
in Cor inth w er e extr emely gifted. Although
this led to some pr oblems in the
congr egation, it could not be denied that the
Cor inthians excelled in many ways - in faith,
in gifted speaking, in know ledge, and in
er nest enthusiasm in ser ving the Lor d.
Since the Cor inthians had excelled in all
thesr r hings, it was fitting that they "abound
in this gr ace also" (II Cor. 8:7). The gr ace Paul
was speaking of her e was the gr ace of giving.
While the w or d "gr ace: is fr equently used in
the New Testament in r elation to salvation
(Acts 15:11; Rom. 3:24; Eph.2:8), it is also
found in other contexts. The Gr eek w or d
tr anslated "gr ace: is charis. This w or k is
r ender ed "liberality" in I Cor inthians 16:3,
w her e it r efer s to the offer ing in question. It
is also r elated to the Gr eek w or k charisma
(1:7; 12:4), r efer r ing to a gift of gr ace and
often used of spir itual gifts (Rom. 1:11; 12:6).
Giving is a spir itual gift (12:8), although some
may be r eluctant to acknow ledge it or
pr actice it. God indeed blesses us so that w e
can bless other s.
GENUINE LOVE
8 I speak not by com m andm ent , but by
occasi on of t he for war dness of ot her s, and
to pr ove t he si ncer i t y of your l ove.
9 For ye k now t he gr ace of our Lor d Jesus,
Chr i st , t hat , t hough he was r i ch, yet for
your sak es he becam e poor , t hat ye
t hr ough hi s pover t y m i ght be r i ch.
As an apostle of Chir st and the founder of the
Cor inthian chur ch, Paul undoubtedly had a
measur e of influence w ith these believer s
that other apostle might not hve enjoyed.
Even so, he w ould not or der them to do w hat
they ought to do. He could have commanded
them to give, but that ould have defeated the
pur pose of giving. We ar e to give because w e
want to. Even if Paul had commanded the
Cor inthians to give, know ing w hat w e do
about the char acter of some of these
believer s, they likely w ould have r esisted
such a mandate.
Paul wanted to test the sincer ity of their love
by compar ing their attitude to the eager
diligence of other s, namely, the
afor ementioned Macedonian saints. Ther e
ar e, of cour se, higher motivations for giving
than this, but it does str ike a familiar chor d.
When w e see other s giving, ser ving, or
helping, it tends to highlight our ow n lack of

dedication and par ticipation. Of cour se, w e
know that some people ar e unfazed by such
good r ole models.
Moving on fr om the example of other s, Paul
appealed to the gr eatest example of all the
Lor d Jesus, Chr ist. Though He enjoyed
heavenly r iches, Chr ist left that for the
pover ty of this w or ld. Not only was His
ear thly life void of r iches or comfor ts (cf.
Matt. 8:20), but He also divested Himself of
cer tain pr ivileges affor ded Him as the eter nal
Son of God (Phil. 2:7-8).
Because Chr ist humbled Himself to become a
man and die for their sins, the Cor inthians
w er e now heir s to heavenly w ealth and even
enjoyed its spir itual benefits in the pr esent. If
Chr ist was w illing to do this for them, could
they not make a few sacr ifices to help their
br ethr en in need? Mor eover , w e might ask
our selves the same question, especially in
light of the fact that most of us have a level of
w ealth that exceeds that of billions of people
in the w or ld.
GRACIOUS ADVICE
10 And her ei n I give m y advi ce for t hi s i s
ex pedi ent for you, who have begun befor e,
not only to do, but al so to be for war d a
year ago.
11 Now t her efor e per for m t he doi ng of i t ;
t hat as t her e was a r eadi ness to w i l l , so
t her e m ay be a per for m ance al so out of
t hat whi ch ye have.
Since Paul was not going to or der the
Cor inthian chur ch to give, he offer ed them
some advice. As most of us know , how w e ar e
told to do something often makes a differ ence
in our r esponse. If the boss tells us to do
something, w e usually do it. If w e r efuse, w e
may be putting our job in jeopar dy. But w hen
it comes to fr iends and family or even
chur ch, w e w ould pr efer to be asked in a way
that does not make it appear as though w e
have no choice, When it comes to advice, the
spir it in w hich advice is given often affects
w hether or not it w ill be heeded.
The advice about to be given w ould be
"expedient" (II Cor. 8:10). This w or d could be
r ender ed "appr opr iate," "advantageous,"
"better ," or "best." Paul was simply outlining
the best cour se of action for the Cor inthians
under the pr esent cir cumstances. "He does
not want to seem to cr iticize them, but he
does want to tell them w hat he thinks is best.
Their or iginal intention was good, but if they
do not car r y it out, it w ould make them look
bad" (Gar land).
Fr om w hat Paul said her e, w e discover that
the Cor inthians had not completely dr opped
the ball r egar ding the offer ing for the poor.
They w er e eager to par ticipate and had
actually given some money or had it r eadily
available w hen the time came for it to be
deliver ed to Jer usalem. They had
demonstr ated their w illingness or desir e, to
give a year ear lier (or at some point dur ing
the pr evious year ). Per haps it was simple
pr ocr astination that kept them fr om
follow ing thr ough. Whatever was behind it,
they had not come thr ough as pr omised.
Paul's advice, ther efor e, was simply to finish
w hat they had begun. They should not wait
until times got better or until people might,
for w hatever r eason, be mor e w illing to give.
As social scientists have discover ed, the
longer w e put something off, the less likely
w e ar e to do it. That pr inciple not only
applies to such things as going back to school
or making a needed house r epair but also to
tr usting in Chr ist or becoming mor e involved
in the ife of the local chur ch.
GENEROUS RESPONSE
12 For i f t her e be f i r st a w i l l i ng m i nd, i t i s
accepted accor di ng to t hat a m an hat h,
and not accor di ng to t hat he hat h not .
13 For I m ean not t hat ot her m en be eased,
and ye bur dened:
14 But by an equal i t y, t hat now at t hi s t i m e
your abundance m ay be a supply for t hei r
want , t hat t hei r abundance al so m ay be a
supply for your want : t hat t her e m ay be
equal i t y:
15 As i t i s w r i t ten, He t hat had gat her ed
m uch had not hi ng over ; and he t hat had
gat her ed l i t t l e had no l ack .
Willing givi ng (II Cor . 8:12-3). Ther e may
have beenvar ious r easons w hy the
Cor inthians had not come thr ough on their
pr omise of r aising funds for the pover ty-

str icken br ethr en. Some of it seems unr elated
to anything specific, but ther e may have been
r easons unknow n to us or simply unstated by
Paul.
Fr om w hat w e do know about this ancient
city, it was r ather w ealthy. Obviously, not all
its citizens w er e w ealthy, as is tr ue in any
city. Since ther e w er e people in the
Cor inthian congr egation fr om var ious
backgr ounds, it is likely that some had ver y
little. Paul's suggestion that they set aside
money each Lor d's Day (I Cor. 16:2) indicates
that most of them did not have excess funds.
This is tr ue in most chur ches today. A few
might be able to give a lar ge sum of money
out of their savings, but most people have to
give in small incr ements, in the same way
they make house payments or pay off a car
loan.
Those w ho par ticipated in this offer ing w er e
to have "fir st a w illing mind" (II Cor. 8:12);
that is, they must want to give. Even today,
some want to give mor e but ar e not able.
Paul was not tr ying to put the Cor inthians on
a guilt tr ip, so to speak, though ther e may
have been some w ho w er e, in fact, just
stingy. Paul simply told them that each of
them should give w hat he had, not w hat he
did not have. No one can give w hat he does
not have, but all can give pr opor tionately
accor ding to their means. Paul emphasized
that he was not tr ying to ease the bur dens of
some at the expense of other s. "He ther efor e
tr ies to deflect any possible complaint by
assur ing them that the Jer usalem chur ch is
not going to live the high life fr om these gifts"
(Gar land).
As an aside, most chur ches and individual
Chr istians actually give ver y little to help the
poor. To be sur e, ther e w ill always be poor
people w ho need assistance (Deut. 15:11;
John 12:8). But if your chur ch budget is
typical, a substantial amount of money goes
for per sonnel and pr oper ty upkeep, Even if a
lar ge per centage of the offer ings ar e
ear mar ked for missions, that usually involves
var ious kinds of ministr ies at home and
abr oad, many of w hich ar e not dir ectly
r elated to helping the poor.
Concer ning pover ty in Amer ica and other
developing nations, ther e ar e usually many
gover nment pr ogr ams in place to assist
people w ith basic needs. Such pr ogr ams did
not exist in biblical times. When w e r ead
about the poor in the Bible, w e often find it
taking about beggar s w ho w er e blind,
par alyzed, or cr ippled (cts 3:1-3). In much of
the w or ld today, the cir cumstances of the
poor est have not changed much since New
Testament days.
Equal givi ng (II Cor . 8" 14-15). Compar ing
the moder n chur ch w ith the ear ly chur ch is
often difficult, especially in the ar ea of
giving. Chur ches today have expenses
unhear d of in biblical times. This includes
the upkeep of buildings and gr ounds.,
var ious kinds of insur ance, utilities, and
adequate salar ies so that staff member s can
secur e decent housing, r eliable
tr anspor tation, health insur ance, and
continuing education.
One pur pose for giving was to attain a
measur e of equality. As the Jer usalem
chur ch had enr iched the lar gely Gentile
Cor inthian chur ch spir itually, so the
Cor inthians could help the Jer usalem
believer s mater ially. And in the futur e, their
r oles could even be r ever sed sos that the
Cor inthians might be in need of the financial
help of the Jer usalem Chr istians.
Though the differ ent member s of the
Cor inthian chur ch had differ ent r esour ces,
they could all contr ibute pr opor tionately
fr om their incomes. Paul did not impose an
amount or even a per centage on them. Since
Jew s r egular ly tithed of their incomes, it
might be r easonable to suggest that Paul
w ould have encour aged tithing, though this is
unstated in the New Testament.
The Jer usalem chur ch ear lier had set a
w onder ful example of compassionate giving
w hen some actuall sold houses and lands and
gave the entir e amount to the chur ch to help
the br ether en (Acts 2:45; 4:34-35). This, of
cour se, was a voluntar y ar r angement, but it
r eveals the gr eat genr osity of some believer s.
Economically speaking, Paul seemed to imply
that things w er e going w ell in Cor inth and
that they w ould not be over bur doned by
giving sacr ificially to help poor Chr istiams.

Conver sely, their br ethr en in Judea w er e in
dir e str aits at this time. None of this should
be taken to mean w hat some pr osper ity
pr eacher s pr oclaim - that if you send them
money, you w ill be similar ly blessed as they
ar e. While that message r esounds w ith the
desper ate and financially str uggling, it is not
biblical. Nor has exper ience pr oved that it
w or ks.
Paul concluded this section w ith a quotation
fr om Exodus 16:18. The context is the
gather ing of manna after Isr ael left Egypt.
Whatever the people gather ed was sufficient
to meet their daily needs. In shor t, the Lor d
pr ovides (Matt. 6:33), and fr om His pr ovision
w e should help meet the needs of those
ar ound us (Eph. 4:28).
QUESTIONS
-John Alva Ow ston.
1. What topics did the Apostle Paul
cover in the book of II Cor inthians?
2. What is one of the things w e know
about the Cor inthian believer s?
3. w hy did Paul r efer to givin as a
"gr ace" (II Cor. 8:7)?
4. Why did Paul not issue commands
to the Cor inthians in r egar d to
their giving?
5. What is the gr eatest example of
giving?
6. How did Chr ist become poor ?
7. What didi Paul ur ge the
Cor inthians to do?
8. What is the fir st r equir ement for
those w ho want to take par t in a
giving pr oject?
9. What is a basic pr inciple of giving
that Paul laid dow n?
10.In w hat sense is ther e to be
equality in giving?
Abound i n ever y t hi ng
Ever y new par ent is concer ned about the
timely development of their gr ow ing
child. Exper ts say that childr en need to
develop in these five major ar eas:
copnitive skills (mind, thinking),
social/emotional skills (inter acting w ith
other s), fine motor skills (finger s and
such), and gr oss motor skills (walking
and mor e).
In our lesson text today, Scr iptur e tells of
these five major ar eas of development for
believer s: faith (in God thr ough Jesus),
utter ance (communicating the gospel and
teaching other s), know ledge (lear ning the
Wor d of God), diligence (tir eless focus on
the Lor d's w or k), and love (even as Chr ist
has loved us).
Thr ough God's gr ace, matur e Chr istians
can r each each milestone.
Addi t i onal Infor m at i on
The Jer usal em Chur ch - Jer usalem is
consider ed the political and r eligious
capital for the Jew ish people.
Dur ing the Day of Pentecost, the Apostle
Peter pr eached and 3,000 people w er e
saved. Day by day, the Lor d incr eased the
number of believer s. The believer s in
Jer usalem developed into the fir st chur ch
(Acts 2).
The Jer usalem chur ch was suffer ing fr om
a ser ious food shor tage due to a dr ought
in Palestine (Acts 11:28?30).
Macedoni a - This was a pr ovince located
betw een the nor th of Gr eece and the
highlands of the Balkans.
Macedonia enter s into the biblical scene
as Paul saw a vision of a man fr om
Macedonia (Acts 16:9). Eventually he and
Silas tr aveled to Philippi, w hich is on the
easter n coast of Macedonia. This was the
fir st city in Eur ope w her e the Gospel was
pr eached and a local chur ch was for med.

Shar ing Gifts w ith the Needy
How often have you hear d the w or ds "You need to shar e"? Per haps you thought your
mom just wanted you to
be nice. But shar ing w ith
other s is a Bible tr uth. By
giving to other s, you can
show people that you
r eally car e. Giving is a
way to show people that
you love Jesus.
Jesus show ed how much
He car ed w hen He left the
r iches and joy of heaven
to come to ear th. He came
know ing that He w ould
die on the cr oss to pay for
our sins. He gave us the
best gift of all - a way to
live for ever w ith Him.
Jesus is our best example.
He was always w illing to
give. Jesus was always
looking for people w ho
needed His help. Many
people tr aveled far just to
see Him because they
hear d about how He
helped many people in
need.
Look for people to help
ever y day. Shar e w ith
those in need w henever
you can. Give out of a
hear t of love for the Lor d.
God does not look at the
size of the gift w e give; He
looks at our hear t
attitude.
Childr en's Lesson: II Cor inthians 8:7-15
GOLDEN TEXT: " Though [ Jesus] was r i ch, yet for your sak es he
becam e poor , t hat ye t hr ough hi s pover t y m i ght be r i ch" (II
Cor i nt hi ans 8:9).