The Church in Jerusalem was experiencing hardship and its counterpart in Corinth had the financial resource to help them.
What would Paul the leader do?
Would he simply command the church in Corinth to give to solve the problem?
Commanding or forcing doesn’t necessarily produce the willingness of heart. It was this that Paul was seeking.
“Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. The goal is equality, as it is written: ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.’” 2 Corinthians 8:13-15
Paul doesn’t want the Corinthians to be struggling as Jerusalem is relieved of their struggles. That’s not the kind of giving Paul is focused on. Solving problems by creating new ones isn’t solving problems.
Paul wants equality. The Message says he wanted God’s people to stand, “shoulder to shoulder.” There are times for plenty and times for need. Paul is building a network of people who have both experiences of contribution and receiving from each other. Leaders who can build this into their churches and organisations are creating healthy cultures for everyone. Those cultures are filled with relationships that are beneficial for all and not just for a few. We live in a world where it seems the rich get richer, the strong get stronger, the poor get poorer and the weak get weaker. In the healthy Church this does not exist.
Paul uses the story in Exodus 16 of God providing the Manna. His point is that when God did this everyone had enough. The point is not that a few had enough but the whole community flourished as they all had enough.
How do you measure success in this life? Is it your own achievement? Or is there another measure you use? Is it how everyone in your life are also flourishing and achieving? Is it based on how much you have been able to help but also how much you gratefully received from the same people you previously had invested in? This equality is the success Paul was seeking and what should be at the heart of every Christian and Church.
Missions Paul 