The Grace of Giving By Rev Ronald Ooi

God is the first missionary, coming down from heaven in Jesus Christ to reconcile men and women to Himself. God has put eternity in the human heart, yet money, material things, and chasing after the rainbow’s end cannot fill that empty place. Christ alone gives eternal life and brings restless hearts into rest.

Paul points the Corinthian church to the Macedonian churches, who gave in severe trial, overflowing joy, and extreme poverty. The Macedonian churches did not merely give money. They gave themselves first to the Lord, and their rich generosity flowed out from that surrender. Christian giving is not just charity or emotion. Christian giving is an act of grace, directed by God for His kingdom and for those in need.

The grace of giving makes believers unafraid to release what God has placed in their hands. God makes all grace abound so that His people have sufficient for every good work. The church becomes a conduit, a channel, a pipeline through which God’s blessing flows to others. Mission giving is therefore eternal investment, not temporary investment, because lives, churches, and future generations are touched by the gospel.

Abraham shows what happens when a person moves from being self made to God made. God called Abraham out of comfort, familiarity, and human ability, then led him through test after test. Abraham’s separation opened the way for revelation after revelation. God’s promises did not come cheaply or quickly, but obedience brought Abraham nearer to the destiny God had prepared.

God’s testing is not meant to destroy faith but to deepen revelation. Abraham learned that he could not make a son, create an inheritance, or fulfill God’s promise by his own strength. God enabled what human ability could never produce. The church likewise is not a man made church but a God made church, built by faith and sustained by God’s protection.

Missions begins wherever God sends His people with the ministry of reconciliation. Kingdom culture remains stronger than east or west, comfort or inconvenience, because kingdom people belong permanently to God’s kingdom. God’s grace also meets every changing season of life. Paul’s thorn remained, but God gave him sufficient grace, a “go through grace,” where strength is made perfect in weakness. God remains able to turn impossible into “I’m possible” for those who trust Him through every test.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Give yourself to God first The Macedonian churches found the master key to true giving when they first gave themselves to the Lord. Generosity that begins with surrender is not driven by pressure, guilt, or the need to impress others. God touches the heart before He directs the hand. Such giving becomes an outflow of love for God and His kingdom. [18:24]
• 2. Grace turns giving into joy The grace of giving does not leave believers empty or fearful. God makes all grace abound so that generosity can flow from a cheerful heart rather than reluctance. Giving teaches the heart that God, not possessions, is the final security and provider. Grace enables a person to bless others even when circumstances look small. [37:59]
• 3. Obedience brings fresh revelation Abraham’s journey began when he left what was comfortable and obeyed the voice of God. Separation from self reliance opened the way for revelation after revelation. Every test became an opportunity to know God more clearly. Obedience does not always make life easier, but it brings a person nearer to God’s promise and destiny. [23:29]
• 4. Every season needs sustaining grace Life changes through youth, marriage, work, sickness, retirement, loss, and new responsibilities. God does not promise that every thorn will disappear, but He promises grace that is sufficient. His “go through grace” supplies strength where human strength runs out. Weakness can become the very place where God’s power is known most deeply.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [02:43] - Missions Began With God
• [04:39] - Eternity in Every Heart
• [07:58] - A Personal Encounter With Jesus
• [11:16] - The Grace of Giving
• [15:28] - The Macedonian Churches’ Generosity
• [18:24] - Giving Ourselves to the Lord First
• [20:15] - Abraham: From Self Made to God Made
• [22:20] - Tests, Obedience, and Revelation
• [28:10] - Every Believer Has a Mission
• [35:50] - Kingdom Culture Above Every Culture
• [37:59] - Cheerful Giving and Abounding Grace
• [43:38] - Grace for Changing Seasons
• [45:36] - God’s Sufficient Go Through Grace
• [48:55] - Prayer for Grace and Strength

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 8:1-15
“And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 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. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 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. 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. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 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, 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.” [11:16]

2 Corinthians 9:6-11
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: 'They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.' Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” [11:16]

2 Corinthians 12:9
“But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” [45:17]

Observation questions

1. What circumstances did the Macedonian churches face, and what kind of response did those circumstances produce in their giving? [15:28]
2. According to 2 Corinthians 8:1–15, what did the Macedonian believers give before they gave their financial support?
3. In 2 Corinthians 9:6–11, what does Paul say God provides so that believers can continue doing good works?
4. What was Paul asking God to remove, and what answer did he receive instead? [45:36]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Paul present the Macedonian churches as an example to the Corinthians, especially when the Macedonians themselves were experiencing poverty and severe trial? [16:28]
2. What does it mean that the Macedonians “gave themselves first to the Lord”? How does this change giving from pressure or charity into an act of worship? [18:24]
3. Paul connects cheerful giving with God’s abounding grace. How can generosity show that a believer sees God—not money or possessions—as the final provider? [40:37]
4. God did not remove Paul’s thorn, but He promised sufficient grace. What does this reveal about God’s purpose when believers continue to face weakness, hardship, or unanswered prayer? [46:20]

Application questions

1. What is one area of life—time, money, abilities, plans, or relationships—that is hardest to place fully in God’s hands? What might it look like to give yourself to the Lord first in that area? [18:24]
2. Is there a need in the church, community, or mission field that God may be inviting you to support? What practical step could you take to become a channel of God’s blessing this week? [19:02]
3. Have you ever held back from giving because of fear that there would not be enough left for you? How does God’s promise of sufficient grace speak into that fear? [42:40]
4. What comfort, habit, or form of self-reliance may God be asking you to leave behind so that you can obey Him more fully? [23:44]
5. Which changing season of life are you walking through right now? Where do you most need God’s “go through grace” rather than a quick removal of the difficulty? [46:27]
6. Who has God placed near you—at home, work, school, or in your neighbourhood—who may need the love and reconciliation of Christ? What would a simple, faithful response look like? [36:16]