Overflow

“In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” – 2 Corinthians 8:2

Most fundraisers would be thrilled if donors returned their calls.

Paul had people begging him to take their money.

I want to know why.

This is the time of year when our mailbox and inbox fill with year-end appeals, matching campaigns, and invitations to give.

Most come from ministries we love and already support. And because I also serve on the boards of Christian nonprofits, I find myself on both sides of the fundraising conversation.

Lately I’ve been wrestling with a question:

Are we trying to get people to fund our mission, or are we inviting them to participate in something God is already doing, for their good and His glory?

That question sent me back to 2 Corinthians 8–9, where Paul describes a fundraising campaign unlike anything showing up in my inbox.

Paul describes the Macedonian churches as people enduring:

• A severe trial
• Extreme poverty
• Giving beyond their ability
• Overflowing joy

And then comes the part I can’t get past:

They urgently pleaded for the privilege of giving. Paul wasn’t squeezing them. They were asking him. So how does a community of hurting, impoverished people end up begging for the privilege of helping someone else?

Paul traces their generosity all the way back to its source:

“…we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches… They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.”

Grace came first.

They gave themselves to the Lord, and from that surrender, generosity overflowed toward others. Their hearts had been captured by grace.

Jesus told His disciples, “Freely you have received; freely give.” Apparently, Kingdom generosity is a form of regifting. 😇

The Macedonians had discovered that giving wasn’t primarily about losing something. It was about getting to participate in something.

And that changes the fundraising question.

Kingdom fundraising cannot merely be about acquiring donors or meeting budgets. At its best, fundraising becomes ministry: inviting people to joyfully participate where God is already moving.

Maybe our best fundraising is really faith-raising.

Paul makes the point even clearer in the next chapter:

“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.”
2 Corinthians 9:7

No compulsion.

No guilt.

No spiritual arm-twisting.

God doesn’t need our money. He wants our hearts.

And when grace captures our hearts, generosity begins to overflow.

Maybe the measure of Kingdom fundraising isn’t simply how much money was raised. Maybe it is whether people were helped to see where God is moving and discovered the joy of joining Him there.

Let’s start putting that on spreadsheets. 🔥

The Macedonians weren’t reluctant donors who finally gave in. They were joyful participants who didn’t want to miss out.

That’s the kind of generosity grace produces. And that’s the kind of family God is growing. A family of cheerful givers.

Overflowing with joy.

Run the play.

Finding Our Place in the Story

When you give, does it feel more like something being asked from you, or an invitation to participate in something God is doing?