{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"First Day","title":"2 Corinthians 8: It's Just Right","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1347,"description":"(NRSV, 1989)1 We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; 2 for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means, 4 begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints— 5 and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to us, 6 so that we might urge Titus that, as he had already made a beginning, so he should also complete this generous undertaking among you. 7 Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking. Paul now turns his attention away from his and Titus’ relationship with the Corinthians to tackle what is the most pressing problem facing the Church of Christ: relieving the hardship faced by Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. What this hardship was is not precisely known, but many believe that a famine had, again, begun in Jerusalem as it was, apparently, present in Macedonia as well. Paul praises the Macedonians for demanding to help him in his collection for the Jerusalem Christians, and even more because the Macedonians were in “a severe ordeal of affliction…and…extreme poverty [yet had] overflowed in a wealth of generosity…” The Macedonians gave what they could. This generosity was the result of their commitment to Christ, since “they gave themselves first to the Lord and, by the will of God, to [Paul]”—perhaps to encourage Titus to motivate the Corinthians to follow their lead. Paul tells the Corinthians that as they first commit themselves to the Lord they will grow “in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in [Paul’s] love for them” and, subsequently, their generosity. 8 I...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/QuQW_cZXSsuBMOigLtAJwx1STWkIimOEzRB22DVXWLI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzMwOC8xNTM2OTc2/NTk0LWFydHdvcmsu/anBn.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}