Week 1: Christian Stewardship Defined
Genesis 1:26-28c
26 Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind* in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,* and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’
27So God created humankind* in his image, in the image of God he created them; * male and female he created them. 28God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it…
Matthew 25:14-30
[Regarding the Kingdom of God]: 14 ‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15to one he gave five talents,* to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, “Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.” 21His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 22And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, “Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.” 23His master said to him, “Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.” 24Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, “Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.” 26But his master replied, “You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Note: all the text in [italics], with the exception of Scripture quotations, are taken from an article from www.faithwriters.com by Richard Laribee
Stewardship is about Trust
[What is “Stewardship”? Definition: Stewardship is managing somebody else’s stuff. A “steward” is a manager of resources that belong to another.]
The Kingdom of God is…‘For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them…’
[The essential idea of stewardship is trust. Not that the steward trusts the owner or king, but that the owner or king trusts the steward. Stewards are entrusted to care or manage the resources that do not belong to the steward.]
In the creation account God created everything (including us as human beings) and made us responsible for taking care of “every living thing.” (Peterson’s The Message) God entrusted us with all of his creation… what an awesome thought.
“For every wild animal of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills… *and all that moves in the field is mine… for the world and all that is in it is mine.” Psalm 50:10-12
KEY STATEMENT – [ Faithful stewards manage the resources not for themselves, but for the purposes of the one who has entrusted them.]
What is God’s purpose? To live in perfect relationship with all of God’s creation. Since God’s creation is separated from God and unable to live in perfect relationship with God; God’s purpose is redemptive in nature; working to reconcile creation to Himself. That redemption is expressed in the Person of Jesus Christ and effected by people of faith… the body of Christ… the church… God chose to entrust His creation to human beings for the purpose of reconciling humanity to himself…
In the words of Eugene Peterson’s The Message: Prosper! Reproduce! Take Charge! Be responsible … for every living thing… on the face of the earth.
This truth has implications not only for our use of our natural resources, caring for our environment, but also for providing for the care and nurture of ourselves as human beings:
Physically, emotionally, materially, and spiritually (which really encompasses all aspects of our humanity)
As Such:
Stewardship helps meet our most fundamental need
[The most persistent myth about stewardship is that it has something to do with God’s needs, with funding ministry, with church budgets, or with controlling how others use our gifts. These are simply and entirely false. God has no needs. “If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.” (Ps 50.12). Stewardship is not about funding the ministry, funding the church, or funding God. It is how God transforms us into servants; it is a basic way in which God is changing us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. It’s not about what God needs – but what we most desperately need in our deepest, must fundamental being.]
What is God’s purpose? To redeem our relationship with Himself. God wants us to grow into the character and nature of Jesus…
Stewardship is not about meeting God’s needs (funding ministry, church budgets, etc.)
Stewardship is about the means by which our most fundamental need is met… reconciling us in our relationship with God… ; [it is a basic way in which God changes us into the likeness of Jesus Christ]
Well done good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master
The payoff for the servant was the nature of the relationship with the master… the parable didn’t say, “hey good job with investing the money, you deserve a raise, or here’s a corner office, or new Cadillac or condo, or vacation home… the payoff was entering into the joy of the master
We need to remember that from God’s perspective stewardship is not primarily about meeting our physical needs… (more in Investing in God) but our spiritual needs
Stewardship Frees Us
[Another popular myth is that somehow giving releases God’s power, that it triggers miraculous power. One may hear that by giving sacrificially, God’s power is released into the world. This is simply and entirely false. God’s power is not passive, latent, or dormant. It needs no external release mechanism or trigger. On the other hand, people find themselves in bondage to fear, greed, and envy. By becoming faithful servants of God, we discover who really owns all of heaven and earth, and we become free. Stewardship does not release God, but it does release us.]
So in this sense only does stewardship release God’s power… by freeing us God’s power is able to flow in and through our lives to achieve his purpose… it’s a matter of perspective… by growing in our stewardship we become more aware and able to live out of God’s perspective… we become freer from the world’s ideas of ownership; not only of material things but also of our own abilities and gifts and relationships… we become less bound to seeking our own security, our own welfare (regardless of what that looks like… physical, financial, or emotional)… and become more motivated to look to the welfare of others…
[Stewardship is essential to our discovering our own spiritual freedom.]
The servant that held onto the talent that he had been given based upon his fear of his master… another way to see it was his lack of trust in his master… his master trusted him but he did not honor that trust… he was a slave to his mistrust and as a result was incapable of making the best use of what he was entrusted with… it kept him from using it to benefit his master’s purpose; from using it to benefit others; and he received no benefit or blessing from it… he did not enter into the joy of his master. He was held captive to it…
Stewardship is about investing in God not ourselves
[A third popular myth is based on human greed. It views giving as a kind of investment. The more I give, the more I get. This is simply and entirely false. Although God may entrust some of God’s faithful servants with great wealth, Scripture claims that many of his most faithful servants live in poverty, while many of the most evil become rich – sometimes at the expense of the faithful. On the contrary, the Scriptures consistently teach us to give ourselves, to sacrifice ourselves for the good of others, with the assumption of no reward in this life. We are to follow the example of Jesus, who “made himself poor that others might be made rich.” Stewardship assumes that we God’s flock, the sheep of God’s pasture. What God chooses to do with us is entirely up to God. God calls us to become servants, to be faithful stewards, regardless of whether we become wealthy or poor in the process of our stewardship.]
While it is true that God gives us guidance on the proper use of our finances that can and do benefit us financially… the emphasis is never on our accumulation of wealth. It is always on being blessed to be a blessing regardless of our economic standing (rich or poor or somewhere in between)
Go back to the example of the first two servants… what was the blessing that they received? Was it money? Was it power? Was it position? No. They received more responsibility AND entered into the joy of their master. Their master placed more trust in them to serve his purpose and they grew in their relationship with him… we might even say that grew to be more like their master… they became an even more influential expression of who he was… when people saw them (the servants) they knew that they were acting on behalf of the one who sent them…
Effective and healthy stewardship is not about gaining something for ourselves… it’s not about what we have or don’t have; it’s not about what will or will not get (materially speaking)… it’s about investing in what is important to God and God’s creative purpose.
Summation: Stewardship is the means not the goal
[Stewardship is about Spirituality. The Scriptures present faithful stewardship as the means, the basic discipline, for learning how to follow Jesus. Stewardship is not the goal of the Christian life, but a method. It is designed to break our addiction to control, greed, the demand for personal security. This is why Jesus told the young man first to sell it all, give it all away, and then to come follow Jesus. It was not the goal, but the gateway.]
With this in mind in the coming weeks we will be looking at Stewardship as expressions of our core purposes as the Church, the Body of Christ
Evangelism; Discipleship; Membership; Mission/Ministry all of which are expressions of our Worship
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