In today’s passage, Paul says a few things about his representatives to the church at Corinth—Titus and two unnamed men. Paul sent letters back and forth to the church through Titus, and Titus would be going back there again, accompanied by these two other men, to collect an offering. So in this section, Paul is recommending Titus and the other messengers as his trustworthy agents to take care of this offering.

You may recall that chapters 8-9 of 2 Corinthians deal with an offering that Paul is collecting in Greece for the poor saints of Jerusalem. The people of Corinth had agreed to participate in this offering, but as of yet had not actually contributed.

As we read the text, we’ll find several descriptive words pertaining to Titus and the other messengers. These are good men, faithful men, trustworthy men. These are the qualities that all people who serve the Lord should display.

And in particular, the topic of this text is financial integrity. Paul is affirming the reliability of his colleagues. They will be showing up to collect this offering, and the Corinthians need to have complete trust and confidence in these men. They will handle the money appropriately and securely.

As we consider money management in our church, we must insist that those who handle the money—the offerings of the church—are credible, responsible, and accountable. We must avoid any kind of financial mismanagement. We must handle finances wisely.

Obviously, the people that handle the money must be of the highest Christian character. In fact, everyone who participates in Christian ministry must be of high moral standards and operate with honesty and integrity.

Let’s consider various character qualities we should look for in the lives of those with ministry responsibilities. If we are serving the Lord, these qualities/virtues should be evident in us as well. Do you have these qualities? Would anyone recommend you for a job like this? These are the kinds of Christian virtues that should be evident in those fulfilling any kind of ministry within the church.