哥林多後書8:16-24

8:16 多謝上帝，感動提多的心，叫他待你們殷勤，像我一樣。
8:17 他固然是聽了我的勸，但自己更是熱心，情願往你們那裡去。
8:18 我們還打發一位兄弟和他同去，這人在福音上得了眾教會的稱讚。
8:19 不但這樣，他也被眾教會挑選，和我們同行，把所託與我們的這捐貲送到了，可以榮耀主，又表明我們樂意的心。
8:20 這就免得有人因我們收的捐銀很多，就挑我們的不是。
8:21 我們留心行光明的事，不但在主面前，就在人面前也是這樣。
8:22 我們又打發一位兄弟同去；這人的熱心，我們在許多事上屢次試驗過。現在他因為深信你們，就更加熱心了。
8:23 論到提多，他是我的同伴，一同為你們勞碌的。論到那兩位兄弟，他們是眾教會的使者，是基督的榮耀。
8:24 所以，你們務要在眾教會面前顯明你們愛心的憑據，並我所誇獎你們的憑據。

¹⁶ Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. ¹⁷ For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. ¹⁸ And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. ¹⁹ What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰ We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. ²¹ For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of man.
²² In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you. ²³ As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you; as for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches and an honor to Christ. ²⁴ Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.

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    保羅在此介紹同工，也鼓勵哥林多教會要以奉獻表達愛心！

哥林多後書8:8-15

8:8 我說這話，不是吩咐你們，乃是藉著別人的熱心試驗你們愛心的實在。
8:9 你們知道我們主耶穌基督的恩典：他本來富足，卻為你們成了貧窮，叫你們因他的貧窮，可以成為富足。
8:10 我在這事上把我的意見告訴你們，是與你們有益；因為你們下手辦這事，而且起此心意，已經有一年了，
8:11 如今就當辦成這事。既有願做的心，也當照你們所有的去辦成。
8:12 因為人若有願做的心，必蒙悅納，乃是照他所有的，並不是照他所無的。

8:13 我原不是要別人輕省，你們受累，
8:14 乃要均平，就是要你們的富餘，現在可以補他們的不足，使他們的富餘，將來也可以補你們的不足，這就均平了。
8:15 如經上所記：多收的也沒有餘；少收的也沒有缺。

⁸ I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
¹⁰ And here is my judgment about what is best for you in this matter. Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. ¹¹ Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. ¹² For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.
¹³ Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. ¹⁴ 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, ¹⁵ 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.”

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    保羅在此說的奉獻目地和今日的奉獻目地有些不太相同，在當時教會的弟兄姊妹是互相分享財物，有點類似「共產」制度，凡物公用，把自己所有全獻上，彼此互相幫補。今日我們的奉獻是供教會組織使用，自己擁有私人財富，有點不太相同。

    雖然財產方式不同，但是精神類似，就是我們要彼此分享從上帝所得的，不要倚靠金錢，要倚靠上帝！也因此，看見窮乏的要主動幫助，對於教會的十分之一奉獻不可短缺，對於機構的奉獻也要積極，讓上帝慈善工作也能進行！因為我們一切都是從上帝領受的，我們願意「給」，上帝就會更加添！

   總之，我們在錢財的使用上，除了以自己的需求外，更要打上帝在世上運行的聖工當成首要的考慮，上帝就會多而又多的供應，使我們富足有餘！因為生命和錢財都是上帝在供應！

哥林多後書8:1-7

8:1 弟兄們，我把上帝賜給馬其頓眾教會的恩告訴你們，
8:2 就是他們在患難中受大試煉的時候，仍有滿足的快樂，在極窮之間還格外顯出他們樂捐的厚恩。
8:3 我可以證明，他們是按著力量，而且也過了力量，自己甘心樂意地捐助，
8:4 再三地求我們，准他們在這供給聖徒的恩情上有分；
8:5 並且他們所做的，不但照我們所想望的，更照上帝的旨意先把自己獻給主，又歸附了我們。
8:6 因此我勸提多，既然在你們中間開辦這慈惠的事，就當辦成了。
8:7 你們既然在信心、口才、知識、熱心，和待我們的愛心上，都格外顯出滿足來，就當在這慈惠的事上也格外顯出滿足來。

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. ² In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. ³ For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. ⁶ So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. ⁷ But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

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    保羅說到馬其頓的教會的表現讓他得著安慰，因為從他們的表現看見上帝的恩惠：「就是他們在患難中受大試煉的時候，仍有滿足的快樂，在極窮之間還格外顯出他們樂捐的厚恩。」

    這是很不容易的，尤其是馬其頓的教會不是很富足，也不是很平順，他們仍然要面對現實環境給他們極大的考驗。但是他們不管這些，他們仍然很慷慨的奉獻，這實在是不容易！

    很多人都希望從上帝得很多，卻不願意將自己從上帝所得的與人分享，甚至連當奉獻的十分之一都不願意！這都可以看出，生命尚未成熟，必須為這樣的人禱告，讓他們感受到上帝的恩典是大過金錢的，讓他們知道唯有上帝才是真正可靠，不要把金錢抓得死死的，要學習放下金錢來倚靠上帝！

箴言20:6

人多述說自己的仁慈，但忠信人誰能遇著呢？

Many claim to have unfailing love,
    but a faithful person who can find?

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    人對自我的描述都是很好的，從來沒有人會說自己是壞蛋，就如：同強盜殺人越貨，也說自己是替天行道，扶貧濟弱！因為人都是自義的，都以為自己有資格得上帝賜福！

    若是真的如此，《箴言》就不會有下一句的感慨：「但忠信人誰能遇著呢？」

    然而怎樣的人是「忠信」的呢？就是願意承認自己是罪人，無法靠自己的義得上帝的喜悅，只能靠耶穌基督的義得上帝喜悅，與上帝和好！其他的聖徒也不行，甚至聖母瑪利亞也無法讓我們與上帝和好，為什麼？只有耶穌基督才是真正沒有罪的人，只有祂是完全的上帝與完全的人！

    讓我們宣告，我們只能靠耶穌基督的義，不能靠自己和聖徒的義！因為唯有耶穌基督滿足上帝的要求！