Christian Stewardship in Light of Paul’s Collection for the Poor

"Permanently in debt but never bankrupt." No, this is not the motto of a creative investor, but it is a picturesque description of every Christian. Christians are all permanently indebted to the Creator and Redeemer because he has showered them with his gifts of physical and spiritual life, yet they are never insolvent because as stewards of God's gifts of "talents, time, and possessions" they always have at their disposal ways of partially repaying their debt. The apostle Paul affords Christians a spectacular example in using his God-given skills of leadership and motivational discourse to initiate and complete a relief project for needy fellow-believers in the church of Jerusalem. Nowhere else in his thirteen extant letters does he spend 39 consecutive verses speaking about one and the same topic, as he does in chapters 8 and 9 of 2 Corinthians where he encourages his friends in Corinth to complete their collection for this admirable project. In the course of his encouragement, he highlights many commendable ways for Christian stewards to give to God and to others--such as generously, enthusiastically, voluntarily, creatively, regularly, and unobtrusively.