The Church in Action. Lesson 12 Lesson Text—II Corinthians 8:1-3 II Corinthians 8:1-3 1 Moreover,...

The Church in Action

Lesson 12

Lesson Text—II Corinthians 8:1-3

II Corinthians 8:1-31 Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia;2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.3 For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves;


II Corinthians 8:4-64 Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.6 Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.


II Corinthians 8:7-107 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.8 I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love.


9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.10 And herein I give my advice: for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward a year ago.


II Corinthians 8:11-1211 Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.12 For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

Focus Verse—II Peter 1:10

II Peter 1:10Wherefore the rather,

brethren, give diligence to make your calling and

election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never

fall.

Focus Thought

Diligence is necessary for the Christian to maintain a spiritual life. Neglect of duty will cripple

spiritual strength and resilience, producing discouragement and

decay.

I. Diligence in SalvationIntroduction

The word diligent means to be hard-working and industrious. A person’s diligence not only will affect his everyday working life but also can positively impact his spiritual life and individual relationship with the Lord. Due diligence in the work place is essential; however, this quality also is vital in one’s spiritual life. Peter pointed out the vital nature of diligence in one’s spiritual life in II Peter 1:10:

II Peter 1:10

“Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to

make your calling and election sure: for if ye do

these things, ye shall never fall”

(II Peter 1:10).

A. Surrendering the Heart A believer should work diligently to develop his ongoing relationship with Jesus Christ. Someone observed that diligence expended in living for God will make one’s spiritual life much easier to live and maintain. On the other hand, living for God halfheartedly makes one’s spiritual life hard to maintain. Diligence makes all the difference.

I. Diligence in SalvationDiligence in

SalvationA. Surrendering the Heart

Saul of Tarsus was focused on destroying the followers of Jesus Christ. He was “breathing out threatenings and slaughter” (Acts 9:1), and he obtained authority from the religious leaders to take decisive action against believers: “If he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem” (Acts 9:2).

A. Surrendering the Heart Saul was diligent in his desire to stop the growth of this new group—the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though Saul was diligent and sincere in his heart, he was sincerely wrong. Like all prospective believers, Saul’s diligence was insufficient for salvation. To be saved, he first had to respond to the gospel of Christ with faith and surrender his heart to the Lord.

A. Surrendering the Heart 1. Response to the gospel—the first requirement of faith. The Lord desires for individuals to give Him their heart. Jesus preached, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15). The Lord will go to great measures to get our attention, but then the choice to believe or reject is ours. The Lord stopped Saul on the Damascus road with a bright light and spoke directly to him in an audible voice.

Acts 9:4-5 “And he fell to the earth, and

heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why

persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And

the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against

the pricks” (Acts 9:4-5).

B. Keeping the Heart

It took an act of faith for Saul to believe that the voice he heard was the voice of Jesus, the very One whose influence he was attempting to destroy. It always takes the drawing of the Spirit of the Lord to melt a hardened heart and bring a person into relationship with God. (See John 6:44.)

B. Keeping the Heart 2. Surrendering the heart—the

first step of faith. When individuals experience the tugging of the Spirit of God on their heart, they have to choose how they will respond to God and whether or not they will draw near to Him. If we draw near to God, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). Faith comes by hearing the Word of God preached (Romans 10:17), but faith demands an active response demonstrated through either acceptance or rejection. For example, upon hearing Paul’s testimony, Felix trembled with conviction.

B. Keeping the Heart However, Felix chose to disregard the wooing of the Spirit, and he openly declared that he was almost persuaded to be a Christian.

The first step of faith is for an individual to yield his heart to the Lord. Peter declared, “Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe” (Acts 15:7). Believing will open the heart of an individual to receive the Word of the Lord.

B. Keeping the Heart This process was evident in

God’s call to Saul on the Damascus road. A persecutor of the gospel heard a voice from heaven, and the experience opened his heart. He faced a vital choice, and in response he took a step of faith and obeyed the instructions he received from the Lord.

3. The diligence of conversion—total commitment and surrender. Often, if a person has served the world and sin passionately, when that person yields his life to the Lord he serves God with the same intensity.

B. Keeping the Heart Such an individual becomes totally committed to the cause of the gospel and is willing to suffer if necessary for the privilege of sharing the glorious message of redemption.

The bright light from heaven blinded Saul. In this encounter with the Lord, the voice that accompanied the blinding light instructed him to go into the city where he would meet a man who would explain what he needed to do.

B. Keeping the Heart The men who were traveling with Saul took him by the hand and led him into the city where Saul met Ananias. When Ananias prayed for Saul, he received his sight and was baptized.

Saul totally surrendered his heart and life to the Lord. By faith he accepted and obeyed the voice of Jesus Christ and followed the instructions of the man whom God sent to him, Ananias. What a change that took place in the life of Saul!

B. Keeping the Heart The Scriptures declare, “And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?” (Acts 9:20-21).

B. Keeping the Heart With the same diligence that he

served the religious Sanhedrin in an attempt to stop the followers of Jesus, Saul (“who also is called Paul,” Acts 13:9) became a strong proponent of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When conversion occurred in his life, he became totally committed.

B. Keeping the Heart B. Keeping the Heart

1. Keeping the heart keeps the issues of life. Solomon declared, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Adam Clarke explains, “Above all keeping, guard your heart. He who knows anything of himself knows how apt his affections are to go astray. For out of it are the issues of life. The goings out of lives.”

A. Commanded to Give All Diligence to Spiritual Development

How necessary it is to keep our heart pure and sensitive to the spirit of the Lord. The Bible declares, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). If we are not careful, many evil and wicked influences in this world will deceive our hearts. How important it is to keep our hearts free from issues that distract and hinder our diligence in serving the Lord!


Adam Clarke’s Commentary explains the idea of the issues of life in his comments on Proverbs 4:23: “Is not this a plain allusion to the arteries which carry the blood from the heart through the whole body, and to the utmost extremities? As long as the heart is capable of receiving and propelling the blood, so long life is continued. Now as the heart is the fountain whence all the streams of life proceed, care must be taken that the fountain be not stopped up nor injured. A double watch for its safety must be kept up.


So in spiritual things: the heart is the seat of the Lord of life and glory; and the streams of spiritual life proceed from him to all the powers and faculties of the soul. Watch with all diligence, that this fountain be not sealed up, nor these streams of life be cut off. Therefore ‘put away from thee a froward mouth and perverse lips—and let thy eyes look straight on.’ Or, in other words, look inward—look onward—look upward.”


2. Diligence preserves the calling and makes the election sure to guard against failure. It is important to keep our hearts clear from any obstacles that would hinder us from full surrender in our service to the Lord. Diligence is the key to preserving the calling of God on our lives and ensuring that we are in a right relationship with Him.

When we make up our minds to do the will and the work of the Lord, it is amazing what we can accomplish.


We can live a life that is over and above the reproach of sin. Even as we face the storms of life, we can live in victory, knowing that the Lord is with us. We can live victoriously in a sin-cursed world. We can live in such close relationship with the Lord that He will keep us from falling! Jude 24 declares, “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.”


3. Diligence is the bridge between

the cause (the promise) and the benefit (the blessing). II Peter 1:4-8 gives us words of hope and instruction: “Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.


And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:4-8).


Peter declared that the promises of God were exceeding great and precious. He also declared that they pertain unto life and godliness. What great hope awaits the believer who is diligent in his relationship with the Lord!

II. Diligence in Spiritual GrowthDiligence in

Spiritual GrowthA. Commanded to Give All

Diligence to Spiritual Development

Just as an athlete must give diligence to training and development of physical strength, the Christian also must train and develop in areas of spiritual understanding to obtain spiritual strength.


1. Character. The life of a believer

is like a city set on a hill. The Scriptures reveal that we are shining lights in this world and we cannot hide. Paul wrote, “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men” (II Corinthians 3:2). Our diligence or lack of diligence is evident to others—readily visible to the world in which we live. Let us be strong in the Lord and diligent about our character and commitment.


2. Commitment. “But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (II Peter 1:9-10).

Peter declared that we must be diligent to add spiritual virtues to our lives as believers. Otherwise, we will be spiritually blind and forgetful of our former sinful state.


By diligently adding faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and charity to our lives, we grow spiritually stronger, develop our relationship with the Lord, and stabilize our calling and election in Christ Jesus. Peter revealed that we must do more than only hear the Word of God; we must diligently obey it. He wrote, “If ye do these things, ye shall never fall” (II Peter 1:10). From our hearts must come a strong, unshakable commitment.

B. Diligence Required in Times of Trouble

B. Diligence Required in Times of Trouble

Trouble and difficulties of life will come to every person. It would be wonderful if we could always live at the church, fellowshiping with fellow believers and enjoying the constant presence and joy of the Holy Spirit. However, we live in a real world where we face real problems and a real adversary, the devil.

C. Diligence in Duty to God It is important to understand that trouble arising in a person’s life is not an indicator of that person’s spirituality or a signal as to whether or not he is living according to the will of God. Paul was very much in the will of God and yet he suffered many things in life.

Paul wrote, “Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

C. Diligence in Duty to God Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

C. Diligence in Duty to God Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches” (II Corinthians 11:24-28).

It is vital that a believer maintain his relationship with Jesus Christ daily. No one knows when he will experience the troubles of life. When that happens—and it will happen—that person’s spiritual diligence will pay great dividends.

C. Diligence in Duty to God C. Diligence in Duty to

God

Every believer has a duty to serve the Lord. For example, Paul declared that he had a duty to preach the gospel. He said, “Woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (I Corinthians 9:16). A person’s duty may be teaching a Sunday school class or helping in bus ministry. It may involve music ministry, teaching home Bible studies, or ministry to seniors.

C. Diligence in Duty to God Whatever one’s particular calling of Christian service may be, he is responsible to exercise his duty of ministry with diligence.

Believers also have a responsibility to be diligent in their financial support of the work of the Lord. They have a duty to give liberally from a heart of gladness, for God loves a cheerful giver. Money was essential for the operation of the early church, and finances still are necessary in this twenty-first century for preaching the gospel and reaching the world with the message of Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 6:10

“For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and

labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in

that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister”

(Hebrews 6:10).

D. Diligence—A Way of All Life

No work in the kingdom of God goes unnoticed. From janitorial work to teaching Sunday school to being faithful in prayer, the Lord will reward a person’s labor of love.



Serving the Lord with diligence ought to be a way of life for every believer. It is a lifestyle that one develops, not just a momentary incident. The Scripture declares that we are to abound in faith, utterance, knowledge, and even diligence (II Corinthians 8:7). It should be our lifestyle.

A. Preaching the Gospel The Lord expects His people to be diligent in maintaining all their responsibilities, and He will reward those who are faithful. In the parable of the talents, the master declared to the man who was faithful in the talents allotted to him, “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). The Lord both requires and rewards diligence.

III. Diligence Required in Our Service

Diligence Required in Our Service

A. Preaching the Gospel

1. Commanded to go into all the world and preach the gospel. True believers understand the necessity of the gospel for a person’s salvation—the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Since the gospel is essential for redemption, believers desire to share the gospel with people everywhere.


Every person needs to be saved and lifted out of the pit of sin.

Jesus invested His life in twelve men who would preach the gospel and establish His church after His ascension. The disciples and followers of Jesus were greatly impacted by being eyewitnesses of His ministry, including the miracles He performed. However, Jesus assured them that they would do even greater works than those they witnessed of Him. (See John 14:12.) What an incredible thought to the disciples of Jesus!


They could not imagine doing anything greater than what He had done in His ministry on earth.

Just before Jesus ascended into heaven, He instructed a crowd of about five hundred people at Bethany to return to Jerusalem and await the promise of the Father. What a day it was when the Holy Ghost came upon the believers assembled in Jerusalem!


Peter preached the initial new-birth message of the gospel following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit—the message of repentance of sins, water baptism in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins, and receiving the promised Holy Ghost as initially evidenced by speaking with other tongues by the Spirit’s utterance. (See Acts 2.) That very day three thousand more souls embraced the apostolic message and received the Holy Ghost! The gospel soon would be preached across the entire known world.

A. Preaching the Gospel The mandate for believers today continues to be the preaching of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are to make disciples and spread the glorious gospel of Christ to the four corners of the world!

2. Commanded to be a light to the world. Jesus declared, “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world” (John 9:5). However, Jesus further revealed that all believers would share the responsibility of spreading the light of His gospel.

A. Preaching the Gospel Jesus said, “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14). We are to be faithful shining lights of the gospel, reflecting the light of Christ to a dark and sinful age!

A light that shines only occasionally is not faithful or dependable. One would call an electrician to have the light repaired so that its performance would be reliable and dependable. In a similar fashion, Jesus did not place His power in believers only to shine at specific times convenient to them.

A. Preaching the Gospel All believers are responsible to be diligent about allowing their light to shine in this dark world. We cannot hide the glorious light of Jesus Christ. It will show in our demeanor, glow on our countenance, and be clearly evident in our lifestyle every day.

B. Serving Others B. Serving Others

“Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me” (II

Timothy 4:9).

A. Preaching the Gospel Serving God and serving others

is the design of life for a Christian. It is a joy to be diligent in ministering to the Lord and to one another. To be a true disciple of Jesus Christ is to be a servant as was He. Let us consider some areas where we can serve our Lord.

1. In Sacrifice. What beautiful instructions regarding service Paul gave to the believers at Rome: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

A. Preaching the Gospel The Old Testament records innumerable sacrifices made by people who, as sinful individuals, desired to appease the holy justice of God and enter into His divine presence. In this dispensation of grace today, however, God requires a different kind of sacrifice—not a dead sacrifice, but a living sacrifice.

Diligent servants of the Lord are willing to sacrifice whatever is necessary to please the Lord.

A. Preaching the Gospel However, instead of offering a dead sacrifice on an altar of wood or stone as they did under the law, believers today must mortify the lusts of their own flesh and present their lives unto God—holy and acceptable to Him. Moreover, that is the measure of “reasonable service.” God will never ask us to do that which is unreasonable, but He requires us to give our total lives to Him.

A. Preaching the Gospel The kingdom of God has been

blessed over the centuries by selfless servants who have diligently served both the Lord and His church. For example, numerous individuals served Paul faithfully and assisted in his ministry. In the closing chapter of II Timothy, Paul named some who had blessed his life. He mentioned Luke, Mark, Tychicus, Priscilla, Aquila, the household of Onesiphorus, Erastus, and Trophimus. He also referred to Eubulus, Pudens, Linus, and Claudia.

A. Preaching the Gospel People who are diligent in their relationship with God and service to His purpose are a great blessing to the kingdom of God.

Paul also instructed the believers at Rome that if they ruled, they were to be diligent in their responsibility. In ministry, when one is given the responsibility to rule, it must be done with complete diligence. Diligent leadership is vital to the flourishing of God’s work and kingdom.

A. Preaching the Gospel 2. In exhortation. Jude wrote,

“Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3). We should be diligent about keeping the purity of the gospel of Jesus Christ and in pressing for its advancement in this world.

Jude emphasized the importance of contending for the faith once delivered to the church.

A. Preaching the Gospel To exhort means “to urge strongly, to warn earnestly.” If ever there was a time in which the church needs to strongly proclaim the message of salvation, it is today. Jude was concerned that subversive individuals might attempt to creep in unnoticed to negatively influence believers and their doctrine. In an age of compromise when society blurs the lines between sin and righteousness, the church needs to clearly declare the truths of apostolic doctrine.

A. Preaching the Gospel The message of salvation is the

same today as it was on the Day of Pentecost in the early church. The path to redemption still passes through the necessary elements of repentance of sins, baptism in Jesus’ name for the remission of sins, and receiving the Holy Ghost with the evidence of speaking in other tongues (Acts 2:38). Many of the early believers suffered great hardships and loss of life in order to proclaim the precious gospel of Jesus Christ and preserve it for our generation.

A. Preaching the Gospel We must continue to guard against those who would attempt to turn the grace of God into lasciviousness or deny the only Lord God.

A. Preaching the Gospel Conclusion

There must be a renewed call for every believer to be diligent in his relationship with Jesus Christ as well as in his service and commitment in the kingdom of God. As we rapidly approach the catching away of the bride of Christ, we must be diligent concerning every aspect of our relationship with the Lord.

A. Preaching the Gospel Whether we are serving, ruling,

or exhorting, our hearts must be tender and responsive to the voice of the Lord. We must be diligent in our spiritual growth as well. If we diligently seek the face of God and pursue His will for our lives, we will maintain a right relationship with the Lord.

The Church in Action. Lesson 12 Lesson Text—II Corinthians 8:1-3 II Corinthians 8:1-3 1 Moreover,...

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Transcript of The Church in Action. Lesson 12 Lesson Text—II Corinthians 8:1-3 II Corinthians 8:1-3 1 Moreover,...