For this ministry of service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God. For this service of ministryThe phrase "service of ministry" in Greek is "diakonia tēs leitourgias," which emphasizes both the practical and spiritual aspects of Christian service. "Diakonia" refers to service or ministry, often associated with the work of deacons in the early church, highlighting the importance of serving others as a reflection of Christ's love. "Leitourgias" is related to liturgy, indicating a sacred duty or public service. Historically, this reflects the early church's commitment to communal support and the sharing of resources, rooted in the Jewish tradition of almsgiving and community care. is not only supplying the needs of the saints
"Supplying the needs" translates from the Greek "prosanaplerousa," which means to fill up or supply completely. This phrase underscores the practical aspect of the ministry, focusing on meeting the tangible needs of fellow believers, referred to as "the saints." In the early church, "saints" were those set apart for God, often facing persecution and poverty. The historical context reveals a network of support among early Christians, where wealthier congregations aided those in need, embodying the unity and love within the body of Christ. but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanksgiving to God
The word "overflowing" comes from the Greek "perisseuei," suggesting abundance and excess. This indicates that the act of giving not only meets physical needs but also results in spiritual blessings that exceed expectations. "Expressions of thanksgiving" translates "eucharistias," which is the root of the word Eucharist, reflecting gratitude and worship. This phrase highlights the spiritual impact of generosity, as it leads to a cascade of gratitude towards God. Historically, this reflects the early church's understanding of giving as an act of worship, where the physical act of sharing resources was intertwined with spiritual growth and communal worship. The thanksgiving offered to God is a testament to His provision and the unity of believers, reinforcing the idea that Christian charity is both a practical and spiritual endeavor. Persons / Places / Events 1. Paul the ApostleThe author of 2 Corinthians, writing to the church in Corinth to encourage generosity and service. 2. The Church in CorinthThe recipients of the letter, a diverse and dynamic early Christian community in Greece. 3. The SaintsRefers to the believers, particularly those in need, whom the Corinthian church is encouraged to support. 4. GodThe ultimate recipient of thanksgiving and praise, as the source of all provision and blessing. 5. Service of MinistryThe act of giving and supporting others, which Paul emphasizes as a vital part of Christian life. Teaching Points The Dual Impact of MinistryThe service of ministry meets practical needs and also leads to spiritual outcomes, such as thanksgiving to God. Generosity as WorshipGiving and supporting others is not just a duty but an act of worship that honors God and reflects His character. Community and InterdependenceThe church is called to be a community where members support one another, demonstrating the love of Christ. Overflowing ThanksgivingActs of service and generosity lead to gratitude, both from those who receive and those who give, creating a cycle of praise to God. Encouragement to ServeBelievers are encouraged to actively seek opportunities to serve and support others, knowing it pleases God and strengthens the church. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the concept of "service of ministry" in 2 Corinthians 9:12 challenge your current understanding of giving and generosity? 2. In what ways can you contribute to the needs of the saints in your own community, and how might this lead to thanksgiving to God? 3. Reflect on a time when you received support from others. How did it impact your relationship with God and your community? 4. How can the principles in 2 Corinthians 9:12 be applied to foster a culture of generosity and gratitude in your church or small group? 5. Consider the connection between 2 Corinthians 9:12 and Matthew 25:35-40. How does serving others reflect your relationship with Christ, and what practical steps can you take to live this out? Connections to Other Scriptures Philippians 4:18Paul speaks of the gifts he received as a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God, similar to how the service of ministry in 2 Corinthians 9:12 is an act of worship. Acts 2:44-45The early church shared everything in common and supported each other, reflecting the communal support Paul encourages. James 1:27True religion involves caring for those in need, aligning with the service of ministry described in 2 Corinthians 9:12. Matthew 25:35-40Jesus teaches that serving others is serving Him, which parallels the idea of ministry leading to thanksgiving to God. Hebrews 13:16Encourages believers to do good and share with others, as these sacrifices please God, similar to the service of ministry. People Corinthians, Macedonians, PaulPlaces Achaia, Corinth, MacedoniaTopics Aboundeth, Abounding, Abounds, Abundant, Administration, Awakens, Care, Cause, Chorus, Expressions, Filleth, Filling, Fully, Gift, Giving, Givings, God's, Helps, Lack, Lacking, Makes, Measure, Ministration, Ministry, Needs, Overflowing, Overflows, Perform, Praise, Relieve, Rendered, Rendering, Results, Rich, Sacred, Saints, Service, Supplies, Supplieth, Supplying, Takes, Thanks, Thanksgiving, Thanksgivings, WantsDictionary of Bible Themes 2 Corinthians 9:12 7142 people of God, NT
7155 saints 2 Corinthians 9:6-13 5856 extravagance 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 5503 rich, the 2 Corinthians 9:8-14 4035 abundance 2 Corinthians 9:11-12 8676 thanksgiving 2 Corinthians 9:11-13 6672 grace, in relationships 2 Corinthians 9:12-13 8344 servanthood, in believers 2 Corinthians 9:12-15 7912 collections Library December 25 Evening
Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.--II COR 9:15. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.--For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily PathGod's Unspeakable Gift
'Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.'--2 COR. ix. 15. It seems strange that there should ever have been any doubt as to what gift it is which evokes this burst of thanksgiving. There is but one of God's many mercies which is worthy of being thus singled out. There is one blazing central sun which shines out amidst all the galaxy of lights which fill the heavens. There is one gift of God which, beyond all others, merits the designation of 'unspeakable.' The gift of Christ draws all other …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Praise for the Gift of Gifts
"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."--2 Corinthians 9:15. IN the chapter from which my text is taken, Paul is stirring up the Christians at Corinth to be ready with liberal gifts for the poor saints at Jerusalem. He finishes by reminding them of a greater gift that any they could bring, and by this one short word of praise, "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift," he sets all their hearts a-singing. Let men give as liberally as they may, you can always proclaim the value of their …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892 3D Day. All-Sufficient Grace.
"He is Faithful that Promised." "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."--2 COR. ix. 8. All-Sufficient Grace. "All-sufficiency in all things!" Believer! surely thou art "thoroughly furnished!" Grace is no scanty thing, doled out in pittances. It is a glorious treasury, which the key of prayer can always unlock, but never empty. A fountain, "full, flowing, ever flowing, overflowing." Mark these three …
John Ross Macduff—The Faithful Promiser Letter Lviii to the Duchess of Lorraine
To the Duchess of Lorraine He thanks her for kindnesses shown, and deters her from an unjust war. I thank God for your pious goodwill which I know that you have towards Him and His servants. For whenever the tiniest little spark of heavenly love is kindled in a worldly heart ennobled with earthly honours, that, without doubt, is God's gift, not man's virtue. For our part we are very glad to avail ourselves of the kind offers made to us of your bounty in your letter. But having heard of the sudden …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux 1872-1874. Letter from Rev. A. M. W. Christopher --Letter from Gulf of St. Lawrence-Mrs. Birt's Sheltering Home, Liverpool --Letter to Mrs. Merry --Letter from Canada --Miss
Letter from Rev. A. M. W. Christopher--Letter from Gulf of St. Lawrence-Mrs. Birt's Sheltering Home, Liverpool--Letter to Mrs. Merry--Letter from Canada--Miss Macpherson's return to England-- Letter of cheer for Dr. Barnardo--Removal to Hackney Home. Though human praise is not sought, we cannot but feel peculiar pleasure in giving the following testimony from a servant of the Lord so much revered as the Rev, A. M. W. Christopher of Oxford:-- "Of all the works of Christian benevolence which the great …
Clara M. S. Lowe—God's Answers How to be Admonished are those who Give Away what is their Own, and those who Seize what Belongs to Others.
(Admonition 21.) Differently to be admonished are those who already give compassionately of their own, and those who still would fain seize even what belongs to others. For those who already give compassionately of their own are to be admonished not to lift themselves up in swelling thought above those to whom they impart earthly things; not to esteem themselves better than others because they see others to be supported by them. For the Lord of an earthly household, in distributing the ranks and …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great Perhaps There is no Book Within the Whole Canon of Scripture So Perplexing and Anomalous...
Perhaps there is no book within the whole canon of Scripture so perplexing and anomalous, at first sight, as that entitled "Ecclesiastes." Its terrible hopelessness, its bold expression of those difficulties with which man is surrounded on every side, the apparent fruitlessness of its quest after good, the unsatisfactory character, from a Christian standpoint, of its conclusion: all these points have made it, at one and the same time, an enigma to the superficial student of the Word, and the arsenal …
F. C. Jennings—Old Groans and New Songs The Spiced Wine of My Pomegranate;
OR, THE COMMUNION OF COMMUNICATION. I would cause Thee to drink of spiced wine of the juice of my pomegranate."--Song of Solomon viii. 2.And of His fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."--John i. 16. THE SPICED WINE OF MY POMEGRANATE. THE immovable basis of communion having been laid of old in the eternal union which subsisted between Christ and His elect, it only needed a fitting occasion to manifest itself in active development. The Lord Jesus had for ever delighted Himself with the …
Charles Hadden Spurgeon—Till He Come Meditations of the State of a Christian Reconciled to God in Christ,
Now let us see how happy a godly man is in his state of renovation, being reconciled to God in Christ. The godly man whose corrupt nature is renewed by grace in Christ and become a new creature, is blessed in a threefold respect--First, in his life; Secondly, in his death; Thirdly, after death. I. His blessedness during his life is but in part, and that consists in seven things:-- 1. Because he is conceived of the Spirit (John iii. 5), and is born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Work of the Holy Spirit
The Church of Christ. "It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is ruth."--1 John v. 6. We now proceed to discuss the work of the Holy Spirit wrought in the Church of Christ. Altho the Son of God has had a Church in the earth from the beginning, yet the Scripture distinguishes between its manifestation before and after Christ. As the acorn, planted in the ground, exists, altho it passes through the two periods of germinating and rooting, and of growing upward and forming trunk and …
Abraham Kuyper—The Work of the Holy Spirit Perseverance Proved.
2. I REMARK, that God is able to preserve and keep the true saints from apostacy, in consistency with their liberty: 2 Tim. i. 12: "For the which cause I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." Here the apostle expresses the fullest confidence in the ability of Christ to keep him: and indeed, as has been said, it is most manifest that the apostles expected …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology Sunday after Ascension Day
Text: First Peter 4, 7-11.[1] 7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer: 8 above all things being fervent in your love among yourselves: for love covereth a multitude of sins: 9 using hospitality one to another without murmuring: 10 according as each hath received a gift, ministering it among yourselves, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God; 11 if any man speaketh, speaking as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II Of the Public Fast.
A public fast is when, by the authority of the magistrate (Jonah iii. 7; 2 Chron. xx. 3; Ezra viii. 21), either the whole church within his dominion, or some special congregation, whom it concerneth, assemble themselves together, to perform the fore-mentioned duties of humiliation; either for the removing of some public calamity threatened or already inflicted upon them, as the sword, invasion, famine, pestilence, or other fearful sickness (1 Sam. vii. 5, 6; Joel ii. 15; 2 Chron. xx.; Jonah iii. …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety Links 2 Corinthians 9:12 NIV2 Corinthians 9:12 NLT2 Corinthians 9:12 ESV2 Corinthians 9:12 NASB2 Corinthians 9:12 KJV
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