
Paul wrote to tell the Corinthians to finish what you start. It seems the offering for Jerusalem had begun a year earlier. We can glean details from Paul’s first letter. 1 Corinthians 16: Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once.[1]
During the year in between the letters, there had been some problems. False teachers had come in and probably siphoned off some funds. Paul had sent Titus with a letter of correction that has been lost in history. This tension in relations between the church of Corinth and Paul may have slowed the collection of funds. As a result, Paul plans to send Titus, a young man he has mentored, to encourage the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 8: 6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving… 10 Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. 11 Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving.[2]
Half-Finished
It sounds like the Corinthian church enthusiastically started the collection. Then typical life problems got in the way. Now Paul seems to be appealing to their competitive spirit. They had started first. They had been eager for the project then, but their passion had dwindled. By telling them what the churches in Macedonia (northern Greece) were doing, Paul encouraged them to complete what they had started.
They were to rekindle their enthusiasm. Paul’s pep talk is similar to a coach’s half-time talk in the locker room. They knew Jesus had been God incarnate or God Himself come down to earth. In Jesus, God had taken on human flesh and lived and died as a human. Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection brought us our salvation. It wasn’t easy, but Jesus completed the project.
Now the Corinthians were to express their beliefs not in abstract theory but in real-life action. They were to be practical and finish the collection so they could share the love of Christ through a monetary gift to needy believers in Jerusalem.
The Christian Faith Journey
As new believers, we often begin our faith journey with great enthusiasm. We want to use our time, talent, and treasure to help build God’s Kingdom. But often life interferes. Our enemy, satan, will use even good things to distract us from our faith walk. We skip worship to go to a ballgame. We would rather use our talents to build our kingdom instead of God’s Kingdom. We reduce our giving because experts are predicting an economic downturn.
We can lose our way just like the Corinthian church did. God still says through Scripture to finish what you start. Fortunately, our God allows restarts and will help us along our faith journey. Philippians 1: 6 And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. [3] To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/03faithful-10-18-26
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.








