Thursday 18th May
Read 2 Corinthians 8:16-24
“Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. 17 For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. 18 And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. 19 What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honour the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. 21 For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.
22 In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honour to Christ. 24 Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.” (NIVUK)
Sometimes we may be tempted to think that worship is what we do on Sunday and is usually associated with either praise or communion. The other aspects of either the service or our daily lives don’t quite fit that category. When Paul writes to the Corinthians though we see words riddled throughout his exhortation that are ‘worship’ words.
The obvious words are ‘thanks’ (v16), ‘service’ (v18), ‘offering’ (v19) and ‘honour’ (v19, 23). But less obviously Paul’s language exudes two key features of worship – a concern for transparency and a concern for ecumenism. The appeal and offering are to be carried by trustworthy and respected people who represent the church of God well. There is to be no mismanagement and no questioning of where the money is and where it will end up. It must be seen to be a gift from the ‘churches’, plural. Fellowship in giving is an act of worship that honours God. Worship is wider and deeper than we often think.
In correspondence that will focus intensely on ‘boasting’ (Chapters 10-13), as those who oppose Paul in Corinth lift up their credentials and ridicule his, it is fascinating to see what Paul thinks is worth ‘boasting’ about. He boasts about others (Titus (v16-17), and two unnamed brothers (v18, 19, 22)), loudly and consistently, praising their enthusiasm and zeal as evidenced in their commitment to giving. He also boasts about the Corinthians and boasts about his friends boasting about the Corinthians!
We often sing songs affirming that we will only boast in the Lord, or the cross… How do Paul’s words here meet those criteria? When was the last time you ‘boasted’ about another?
