This week, City Central elder Eric Jones invited the church into “The Grace of Giving,” showing that true generosity is not driven by wealth but by worship. Drawing from 2 Corinthians 8 and the example of the Macedonian church, he explains how God’s grace (charis) transforms crushing pressure and deep poverty into joyful, willing generosity rooted in surrender to Christ. Ultimately, the Lord calls the church to see giving not as obligation but as a Spirit-empowered privilege—an overflow of the gospel that tangibly serves others and reflects the self-giving heart of Jesus.
The Crushing Pressure
If you’ve ever scuba before, you’d know, one of the keys for safety is remaining calm. As you descend deeper, your breathing should get deeper. Unfortunately, as you descend, there is greater pressure. It takes practice to not panic under the pressure, but to breath slowly and stay calm. We have amazing gear today that allows us to stay underwater for long periods of time.
The church in Corinth felt a different kind of pressure—one born out of deep poverty. And from their experience, we receive a powerful lesson on true generosity.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 ESV
“1We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,4begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints — 5and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”
For the Macedonians, this extreme poverty created a pressure that many of us would have a hard time imagining. This was a can-crushing, bottom-of-the-ocean poverty.
And here’s what makes this passage so stunning: out of this down-to-depth poverty, out of pressure crushing destitution, they had gave:
- with abundance of joy
- a wealth of generosity
- of their own accord
This equation just doesn’t make sense. From poverty + affliction = a joyful wealth of generosity of their own accord? Paul is showing that giving isn’t a function of surplus but of grace. The Macedonians prove that generosity is not produced by wealth but by worship.
Let’s look at verse 4 again to better understand where their attitude of giving came from.
2 Corinthians 8:4
“4begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints…”
Charis (Favor)
Romans 3:23-24 (ESV)
“3for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 4and are justified by his grace [charis] as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”
Instead of focusing on their lack, on the reality of the pressure of their current situation, the Macedonians begged for the favor of giving.
If we substitute “unmerited favor” in this passage, we can read it as “the Macedonians begged for the unmerited favor of giving.”
Behind the generosity of Macedonia, Paul saw the generosity of God. Grace received produces grace given. Unmerited favor received produces unmerited favor extended. “Reciprocal grace” – we respond to God’s grace by extending grace to others.
2 Cor 8:1 ESV
“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia.”
Koinōnia (Taking Part)
This phrase “Taking part” is the Greek word koinōnia, which means fellowship, community, partnership, sharing, participation. It requires relationship.
2 Corinthians 8:5 ESV
“They gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”
They gave themselves first to the Lord, and then to others. The order matters! But when you give yourself first to the Lord, you are connecting with the vine. He becomes your source of strength and power. From this place of fellowship with Him, giving becomes a joy. Koinōnia becomes the natural outflow.
Diakonia (Relief)
The word “Relief” in this passage is the greak word Diakonia (dee-ak-on-ee’-ah)
Some theologians stress that diakonia means “acting on behalf of another” more than just humble “service.” When Paul calls himself a “minister (diakonos) of the new covenant” (2 Cor 3:6), he’s emphasizing his role as God’s authorized agent or representative, emphasizing God’s work in empowering him to do the work of the Gospel.
What’s radical about this is that when Paul uses Diakonia to describe his apostolic preaching ministry and the ministry of raising money for the church in Jerusalem, he puts giving on the same level as gospel preaching.
2 Corinthians 9:13 (ESV)
“By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others.”
Paul is saying that this diakonia of giving is visible evidence of the Corinthian’s submission to the gospel of Christ. These financial gifts weren’t peripheral to the real work of the gospel—it was tangible evidence that the gospel had truly transformed the church.
Building Beyond
We want our church to reflect the reality that the gospel hasn’t just changed what we believe, but how we live, how we spend, and how we show up for the people around us.
When you give sacrificially, it’s not just about money. When you give sacrificially, you enter into fellowship (koinōnia) that advances the ministry (diakonia) of Christ, demonstrating to a watching world that the grace (charis) of the gospel has truly transformed you.
Discussion Questions:
- In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul says the Macedonians gave “of their own accord.” What does that reveal about their hearts?
- How does remembering the gospel (Romans 3:23–24) reshape our motivation for giving?
- How does generosity create fellowship and partnership within the body of Christ?
- How can generosity serve as visible evidence that the gospel has transformed us?
Application Questions:
- What would it look like for you to “give yourself first to the Lord” in this season?
- Is there a practical next step you can take toward intentional generosity (percentage, planning, consistency)?