Stewardship
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BF&M 2000: Stewardship
BF&M 2000: Stewardship
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. Christians have a spiritual debtorship to the whole world, a holy trusteeship in the gospel, and a binding stewardship in their possessions. They are therefore under obligation to serve Him with their time, talents, and material possessions; and should recognize all these as entrusted to them to use for the glory of God and for helping others. According to the Scriptures, Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer’s cause on earth.
Memory Verse
Memory Verse
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What a great memory verse as we go into studying stewardship today. In our culture of chasing more, the “BBD” (Bigger Better Deal), and keeping up with the Joneses, learning Biblical Stewardship not only goes against the cultural norms, it also frees us to live in the Providence of God.
This verse reminds us to not look at the physical, but the invisible. Not look at the now, but the later. Not this world, but the one we truly belong to.
What is Stewardship?
What is Stewardship?
Stewardship is the responsibility to manage resources God has placed in our care.
So God created man in his own image;
he created him in the image of God;
he created them male and female.
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you, for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
God took man, blessed them, and assigned the responsibility to be stewards of the garden that God had created.
At the heart of stewardship is the understanding that stewards (us) do not own what God has entrusted us with, but instead are managers of His resources.
God is the source of all blessings. This is a simple fact. And the incredible, and unbelievable fact that goes along with it is that God has entrusted us to care for things we have no entitlement to.
A Holy Trusteeship
A Holy Trusteeship
In the Church we have people who are trustees. This is a legal term. For us, as Trustee is someone who will make sure that the belongings of the church are handled in a proper manner should the church find reason to close the doors. There is a legal obligation, and mismanagement would mean legal consequences for our 3 Trustees.
Christians are also Holy Trustees.
for you were bought at a price. So glorify God with your body.
This tells us that we were bought at a price.
What was the cost?
Who paid it?
What are we to do in light of this information?
We belong to Christ, and all that is ‘ours’ is at His disposal.
This is a great truth. Again, it is freeing because it releases us from an unhealthy attachment to worldly material. While the world fights to grab as much as possible, to scrape to get by while attaining more dust, Christians are freed. We get to understand that the world is meant to be enjoyed and used only on a temporary basis. One day everything we see will go away like dust in the wind.
I am obligated both to Greeks and barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish.
Here Paul teaches a truth that will force you to think deeply. Those who are purchased by Christ, those who have the saving grace of Jesus in their life, are commanded to give up and even sacrifice our material possessions for the cause of the Gospel, so that others may also come to know Christ.
In other words: we should not love the things of this world so much that we would rather cling to those possessions while people remain on the wide path of destruction.
Jesus teaches us in Matt 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Pretty simple.
Question:
What happens to treasures on earth?
How can you store up treasures in heaven?
For the Glory of God
For the Glory of God
Sometimes we Christians are confused or uncertain about the use of material possessions or money. We tend to lean that stewardship means money more than anything else.
Christian stewardship extends to our energy, our time, and the totality of who we are. We are to use our Time, Talents, and Tithes for the Glory of God. We are to use our Spiritual Gifts for the Glory of God. Those gifts that God gave you are not for personal edification, but for the building up of the Church.
Question:
Your body, mind, abilities, time, influence and spiritual gifts all come from God.
How can you be a better steward of each?
Body - (Example: nutritional diet, sufficient exercise, adequate rest)
Mind -
Abilities -
Time -
Influence -
Spiritual Gifts -
Obviously there are other areas that we could go into when we think about the totality of who we are, the point here is to get us to understand that it is the totality of who we are that we are to use for the glory of God.
Those that do not know Christ will look at this list and the calling and think it is a heavy burden. They may even read that and think that Christians are archaic and trying to make everyone live like the Amish (which is not a bad thing).
Those who do know Christ understand that we are joint heirs with Jesus and that this high calling is not a burden, but a blessing. True stewardship is not motivated by obligation, but by Joy. And there is little that brings more Joy than being a part of someone’s salvation story.
Tithe
Tithe
We cannot discuss Stewardship without talking about the controversial topic of tithes.
Tithe - one tenth of a person’s income and belongings given to God through the church.
In the OT God commanded the people to give a minimum of 10% as an offering.
“Every tenth of the land’s produce, grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. If a man decides to redeem any part of this tenth, he must add a fifth to its value. Every tenth animal from the herd or flock, which passes under the shepherd’s rod, will be holy to the Lord.
Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,” says the Lord of Armies. “See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.
Some people argue that Christians are no longer under the law, and therefore are now free from the responsibility of the tithe.
Responsible Christians understand that Christians bear no less responsibility for giving than God commanded of His people in the OT. Actually, those who have been called by Christ are called to a higher standard, motivated by something far greater than law and obligation.
“Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, and yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.
Some use this as a verse to not tithe. But Jesus is not telling them to not tithe, instead He is saying (in paraphrase) Great job in giving your 10% of all this stuff, BUT WHAT ABOUT ALL THESE OTHER AREAS? Because it is the totality of all!
Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver.
Question:
Are you giving as you are supposed to?
Are you a cheerful giver?
