Sermon Tone Analysis

“Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you.

For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord.

With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel.

And not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will.

We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man.

And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you.

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit.

And as for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

So give proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you to these men.” [1]

Some years ago in Vancouver, the spiritual leader of the Cabalarian Society, a numerology cult located in that city, was arraigned before the courts for sexual misconduct and misappropriation of cult funds.

The case was the subject of radio talk shows for months.

The newspapers dispatched reporters to dig into multiplied allegations of misconduct, including financial mismanagement and fraud.

Reporters charged that members of the cult claimed losses greater than sixteen million dollars over a period of years as result of misuse of donated funds.

The charges of financial deceit and deception are not so different from those pressed against Christian spiritual leaders a couple of decades past, including charges against such former religious luminaries as Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart.

It seems as if such shenanigans are more commonplace for religious media stars than we might imagine.

Names such as David Hocking, Gordon MacDonald, Ted Haggard and Benny Hinn are associated with seemingly endless scandals.

Even when their immorality and greed is exposed, Phoenix-like they seem to rise from the ashes of the funeral pyre to begin anew deluding the gullible and promoting their own special connection to God.

When charges were first pressed against Mr. Bakker and later against Mr. Swaggart, supporters amazingly denied that either was capable of financial mismanagement.

The same has been said of the other religious luminaries named a few moments ago.

A frequent theme heard then, and a theme heard among members of the aforesaid Cabalarian Society, was that moneys are given by donors and that is the end of donor responsibility.

Can it be true that when we have given funds to a cause we bear no further responsible?

Have we no responsibility to review the work of those organisations to which we make donations?

As Christians, do we bear any responsibility to insure financial integrity of charities to which we contribute?

What responsibilities does God impose on those churches receiving contributions?

If money represents the labours of those possessing it—money being a medium of exchange obtained through labour—it has an intimate attachment to those possessing it.

Therefore, do we not bear responsibility for the ultimate employment, for the administration of our donated funds?

Contrary to the speculation of man, the questions are consequential; in fact, they are central to wise giving.

Christians are to be generous, and they are to support those institutions which contribute to their spiritual welfare and to the advance of God’s Kingdom.

However, not every religious society bears the blessing of God.

Too many religious societies superficially appear to be Christian though they are actually false.

Paul warned about such people when he cautioned the elders of Ephesus: “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them” [ACTS 20:29, 30].

In the study today, I ask you to note Paul’s instructions concerning an offering for saints experiencing hardship in a distant location.

He didn’t set out to draft rules and regulations for administering congregation moneys, but in reading what he has written we can see some wise rules for administration of moneys.

We must always bear in mind that the gifts entrusted to the church are given for Christ’s glory; the moneys do not “belong” to the congregation—they are but administrators of the grace of God.

Therefore, the people of God must act with discretion to avoid misuse of funds that actually belong to God.

*ADMINISTRATORS OF CHURCH FUNDS MUST HAVE CLEAR CONCERN FOR THE LOCAL CONGREGATION.*

“Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you.

For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord.

With him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel” [2 CORINTHIANS 8:16-18]

Paul has encouraged the Corinthians to collect gifts for the relief of the saints in Jerusalem who were suffering through a famine.

The Apostle presented a plan to deliver these gifts to the needy saints in Jerusalem.

Even a casual reading of what he wrote makes it obvious that he had great confidence in those whom he was sending to Corinth.

These were individuals known to be concerned for the advance of the Kingdom of God, and especially concerned for the welfare of the saints in Corinth.

Moreover, those whom he was sending were known to the Corinthians to be honourable and conscientious individuals.

Whenever we select and appoint those who are to administer the funds donated to the church, we must consider their spiritual qualifications.

I insist on sound financial principles by administrators.

I am equally convinced that we require skilled men and women trained in administering the funds entrusted to the congregation so that an accurate and honest report is always available to the people of God.

Nevertheless, and this is vital to the spiritual advance of the congregation, the first criterion for individuals chosen by the congregation to perform this service is that they must be trustworthy, having the good of the Body uppermost in their minds.

Paul was concerned for the health of all the churches; and he was especially concerned for those churches he had visited and among whom he had invested service, prayer and tears.

In demonstration of his concern he dispatched Titus, whom he trusted much as a father would trust a beloved son.

Accompanying Titus were an undisclosed number of unnamed brothers who were nevertheless known to all the churches.

Most importantly for our focus at this moment is the fact that these unnamed brothers were known to the Corinthian church and trusted as individuals who were concerned for the welfare of the congregation.

Perhaps you are asking, “Who were these unnamed brothers?”

We cannot say with certainty who these men were, but that has not stopped theologians and scholars from speculating.

Probably as good a guess as any is that Luke was numbered among these men.

Whoever the men may have been, they were well-known to the Corinthians.

Their names may be included among a list of travellers who accompanied the Apostle as recorded in ACTS 20:4.

The passage identifies “Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus,” and of course, Luke.

These men were named as being with Paul in Ephesus following his service in Corinth.

You will remember that he had spent eighteen months ministering in Corinth [see ACTS 18:1-16].

Whoever was counted among these brothers, it is evident that all were recognised by the Corinthians, just as they would be recognised among other churches in Macedonia and Achaia.

Take note of what is recorded in the text—it leads me to speculate that all were noted for their evangelistic zeal.

The Apostle wrote, “We are sending along with [Titus] the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in spreading the gospel” [2 CORINTHIANS 8:I8 NET BIBLE].

The brothers were chosen by the churches to administer the funds.

This does not describe a situation in which the Apostle appointed people to perform the services required, though he undoubtedly would have had authority to do so.

Rather, Paul encouraged the churches to choose the individuals who would serve them in this capacity.

Undoubtedly, the churches acted to select individuals who were trustworthy.

However, from the eighteenth verse, it is also apparent that these men were likely noted for their evangelistic fervour.

Among the churches, we are quick to appoint zealous soul-winners to evangelism committees or to other such committees that we associate with outreach and mission; and that is as it should be.

However, I suggest that we would be well advised to insure that each person appointed to a finance committee—or to any church position itself—has an evangelistic heart.

Those administering the funds of the church ought to be zealous for the spread of the Gospel and for winning the lost to the Faith.

Those who have a heart to advance the Gospel will ensure that every available means is employed to accomplish the Great Commission we received from our Lord.

Failure to invest our funds in winning the lost is an offence against divine love.

The church which fails to direct its moneys into evangelism and missionary enterprise is a church which has forgotten its purpose; and appointment of evangelists to the official boards of that church would go far toward rectifying the stupefying malaise which dulls the spiritual senses.

The best means to fulfil the purpose of the church is to ensure that those providing guidance understand the mission of the church, sharing with their heart in the mission.

As a corollary to the matter of appointing those with evangelistic hearts to official positions within the congregation, I note that it is only individuals with a heart for evangelism who are capable of serving to please the Lord.

Only those who desire the salvation of the lost can be said to be concerned for the welfare and the continued vitality of the local congregation.

To neglect the salvation of the lost is to condemn the church to a hopeless future marked by an absence of fresh life and plagued with steady decrease—and ultimately death.

*ADMINISTRATORS OF CHURCH FUNDS MUST SEEK THE LORD’S GLORY IN EVERY ACTION.*

“Not only that, but he has been appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself” [2 CORINTHIANS 8:19].

Is that not an arresting phrase, “for the glory of the Lord Himself?”

The glory of the Lord Himself should be the goal in every act performed by and for the congregation.

Christ will advance His cause and His glory will be witnessed by all mankind.

Those who would honour Him will seek His glory in every work they perform, and especially those labours performed among His churches.

In seeking His glory, believers will align themselves with Him and with His cause, thus sharing in His glory.

Earlier, Paul had written the Corinthians, “Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, ‘I believed, and so I spoke,’ we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God” [2 CORINTHIANS 4:13-15].

Ideally, we would hope that those individuals who are concerned for the welfare of the local congregation will also wish to honour the Lord Christ.

This is not always the case; but it is our expectation.

As a guiding principle to any congregation, and especially to our own congregation, determine that every service, that every ministry, that every act performed by the congregation or by individual members, must have the Lord’s glory central to the planning and implementation.

Paul boldly avers that the administration of funds received is designed “for the glory” of the Lord Himself.

I seriously doubt that anyone present today would dispute the thought that we ought to honour the Lord.

However, I am equally confident that we hold differing ideas of how we may best honour the Lord.

Ultimately, as a people of the Book, we must determine how to honour the Lord, not through listening to the most strident voices among us or through appeal to democratic methods, but through appeal to His revealed will in the Book.

As we continue our study of this letter in the future, we will discover that we honour the Lord through the manner in which we administer donated funds, through adopting an attitude welcoming accountability and through insuring an environment that encourages and promotes generosity.

Each of these actions must have the will of Christ central to both planning and implementation, and Christ’s glory shall be ensured as we witness souls saved and lives transformed through our ministry.

I am concerned by a tendency among our churches to appoint individuals charged with administration of church funds that seem to know the cost of everything but know the value of nothing.

I am concerned, not by legitimate questions which challenge the congregation to weigh the most effective tasks to perform and that seek the most efficient distribution of funds; but I am concerned for that view which sees only the bottom line on the finance sheet.

Such a view exchanges the eternal for the temporal.

That view exchanges true wealth for earthly trinkets and ephemeral baubles.