Give God The Macedonian
The churches of Macedonia….first gave their own selves to the Lord.
II Corinthians 8:1, 5
We have money in the church today but not many Macedonians. People give their substance but not their selves. Fine churches are built, workers are employed, and the members show up on Sunday morning, but never dream of living for God seven days a week. Actually, every Christian is meant to be in full-time Christian service, whether he draws a salary for it or not. Jesus paid it all and all to Him we owe.
Silver and gold we have a plenty, but we are not saying to a crippled world, “Rise and walk.”
Expensive edifices built with “vain oblation”-gifts without the givers-cannot substitute for giving God the temples of our bodies and hearts. Modern Macedonians give money, but the early Macedonians first gave God the Macedonians! The Early Church was all lay witnesses. Too often now it is big business run by a salaried staff paid to do church work, while the rest of us work for ourselves. But we are all on the staff, and no matter how faithfully salaried helpers may work, they cannot do our job nor can we do ours merely by paying them. God wants the Macedonian first.