Most of us have probably had the rather embarrassing experience of receiving a late payment notification. We had bought something, agreed to pay for it, and had been late in sending in the payment. We usually try to take care of those situations as quickly as possible.

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

In today’s passage, Paul mentions some men that he sent to Corinth to collect this offering. In this section, Paul is recommending Titus and the other messengers as his trustworthy agents to take care of this offering. Paul is trying to show the Corinthians that his colleagues are trustworthy, reliable people.

As we approach the text this morning, we should ask ourselves if we have these same qualities or virtues. Would anyone recommend you for a job like this? Are you the kind of person that others see as trustworthy and honest? These are the kinds of Christian virtues that should be evident in those fulfilling any kind of ministry within the church.

We’ve seen three characteristics necessary for those who serve the Lord—diligence, approval by the church, and faithful administration. The church needs people with these qualities to serve. These are the kinds of people that we want to be serving in the various ministries of the church.

Today we’ll consider two more of these qualities necessary for those serving the Lord.