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18 That they do good, [agathoergeo] that they be rich [plouteo] in [en] good [kalos] works, [ergon] ready to distribute [einai], [eumetadotos] willing to
communicate; [koinonikos]KJV-Interlinear
18 Instruct them to do good, to
be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, NASB
To whom God gives much,
much is expected.
God has given each one
of us a vast treasure of in salvation.It prevents you from spending your entire eternity in the Lake of Fire.That is a gift with vast repercussions for
your life.
God has given each one
of us a vast treasure of doctrine.It
prepares us for spiritual growth, advances us to spiritual maturity, and
completes us for eternity.With it comes
a vast wealth in blessings.
And to these vast
gifts, God expects your obedience in committing yourself to a daily study.Which, when you think about it, is not really
asking too much of us. Yet most folks refuse to even crack open their Bibles, or
even read a daily study, preferring worldly viewpoints to those of God.
And now Paul gives us a
general principle with respect to worldly riches.To some, God gives wealth, while to others
God gives not so much wealth.
As far as doctrine
goes, both (rich and poor) are expected to pursue their spiritual lives, but
while we are living in this world, certain responsibilities attach to our
individual lives.And those
responsibilities follow our circumstances, which by the way, were also given to
us by God.
The rich are in view
for this study.And to them, God gives
four commands regarding their situation and use of wealth.
First, to do good.Second, to be
rich in good works.Third, to be ready
to distribute.Fourth, to be willing to
communicate.
At first glance you
might think that this refers to a lot of do-gooder activities.But such is not the case.
To do good, agathoergeo, occurs here
only, and nowhere else it the Bible.It means
to work good, to pursue for the benefit of good, to
pursue intrinsic good, to toil, to work, to focus or concentrate.And because of their wealth, their pursuits
in life need to be focused on those things that are recognized by the Bible as
good, and not on the things or philosophies or politics of the world, which
taints good due to selfish or evil agendas.
To be rich in good works,
is a play on words.Just as God has given
abundantly, so too their lives need to respond similarly in spiritual works.What are spiritual works?Faith in Christ, daily study of doctrine,
confession regularly in order to maintain a fellowship status, application of
doctrinal principles to ones daily life, obedience to Gods mandates,
fundamental good honesty, integrity, unselfishness, charity, responsibility,
etc.
To be ready to
distribute, and this looks to the generous and unselfish heart.Ready to give help and aid instantly and
without strings attached, without questioning, without second guessing the intent
of the recipient.This does not mean
welfare, or foolish giving.Remember
that the rich are to be good stewards of their wealth, and not throw it away indiscriminately.
If someone is trying to scam them, then
they ignore the plot accordingly, but if someone is in true need, then they are
to recognize it and not embarrass the recipient or make them plead or beg.To be ready means to be proactive in their
efforts of charity.To go looking for
needs and doing what they can with what excesses they have to work with.They are not to sit back in some corner,
hoping that no one will ask them for help, or waiting for requests to come to
them.
And last, to be willing
to communicate. What in the world does
that mean?
The word for
communicate, koinonikos, means liberal or
generously.This means to not do the
minimums, but to go beyond the minimums when doing all of the above.
Some folks will only do
the least they can, in order to get by at work or play.They will do only that, which is necessary to
get attention or recognition or credit, and no more.But God gives us all this command to pursue
with a vigor those things which are of intrinsic
good.
Namely to pursue your spiritual
life with passion.To pursue your
spiritual growth with a passion.To
pursue your temporal responsibilities with a passion.To regard your daily responsibilities with a
passion.To not be lazy in your life, in
your responsibilities, in things expected of you. To be generous and to seek
out ways and means of generosity.To
help people in the things they need, in spiritual things and in temporal
things.
Thus to communicate
means to interact proactively, generously, and to take the initiative, while
remaining responsible to that and to those who you are responsible for, whether
through employment, contractual, or charity.
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End Of Lesson
Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth.
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