In 2 Corinthians 8-9, Paul addresses the subject of the Corinthian church’s participation in a collection being gathered to 1) provide relief for Jewish Christians suffering in Jerusalem and 2) unify the church by minimizing ethnic differences. The sermon text for this Lord’s Day is the fourth of five sermons from these two chapters. It focuses on issues of integrity (the Corinthians must follow through on what they had promised to do), encouragement (renewed zeal for the project would encourage others in their own participation), and blessing (generosity for the cause of Christ brings God’s blessing to both recipients and givers).
