W
hat’s a Steward? Literally a steward is a person who manages the affairs of a household or an estate for the owner. In a Christian sense, a steward is the manager of the affairs of God on earth. God has put in our possession the care of all His creation to give Him glory as the Creator and God. Stewards are God’s ministers and ministering servants that manage the resources of their Dad. Everything we have is given to us by God: time, health, relationship, talents, property, the Gospel, the environment and treasure. Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians saying, “So then let a man so accounted of us as of the ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it’s required in stewards that a man be found faithful and trustworthy, [1 Corinthians 4:1-2].
When we surrender fully to Jesus, He becomes our Lord. Jesus becomes the Lord of our time, talent and treasure and everything we possess [whatever God has entrusted to us]. We are not our own any longer. Jesus bought us with a price. [1 Corinthians 6:19-20]. Therefore the life we live, we live in Christ, by Christ and for Christ glory. God had made each one of us a steward and has given us abilities and talents that are unique. We should use these abilities and talents to serve God. When we talk about stewardship, most people’s mind goes to money. But stewardship is more than money; it involves: time and talent and treasure [3T’s]. These three work together; you cannot separate one from the other.
Biblical Stewardship: Teaching on the Dynamic Giving System, Pastor Dr Rod Rogers defines: All our resources, time, talent and treasure: comes from God, belong to God and must be put to work for God. A God’s steward is one who manages the resources of another to accomplish the goals /purposes of the owner. A steward is not a hired servant; He/she manages the resources of his/ her Dad. He/she is an heir of the kingdom. A Christian steward serves God out of love and gratitude for these gifts, knowing that it’s not how much we have but what we do with what we have that is important. Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received [1 Peter 4:10].
Here are some stewardship quotations from the scripture:
1. The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. [Psalm 24:1].
2. The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants. [Leviticus 25:23].
3. The silver is mine and the gold is mine, declare the Lord Almighty. Haggai 2:8].
4. You are not your own; you were bought with a price. [1 Corinthians 6:19-20]
5. Remember the God who gives you power to make wealth-become rich [Deuteronomy 8:18].
6. Moreover, it’s required of ministers and stewards that one be found trustworthy and faithful [1 Corinthians 4:2].
Three Realities of Stewardship Principles:
[i] God owns all our wealth and every creation. [Psalm 24:1ff]; [ii] God enables us to earn all our money/wealth. [Deuteronomy 8: 17-18]; [iii] As God’s stewards, it’s our responsibility to manage God’s treasure to accomplish the goal of God [the owner].Three Implications of stewardship Realities:
[a] Owner has right; steward has responsibility. [b] Every spending decision is a spiritual decision [c] The primary requirement for a steward is faithfulness/trustworthiness.God’s stewards: Once again, a steward of God is a manger that takes care of his Father’s resources to meet the plans and goals of God and His kingdom. Stewards manage not only money or time or talent but all resources [human, economics, environmental, spiritual etc] that our Creator has put out at our disposal.
Let us examine some key gifts and how good we use them in stewardship:
[I have adopted some materials from Galileanspastors.com in this presentation]
- Our Bodies: Our bodies are the house of the Holy Spirit. How do we care, expend and utilize them for His purpose? What we put into them [eats and drinks]; what do we feed our bodies with? Whatever we eat, drink, read, watch, speak and act [yield in] we are responsible and accountable to God. Whatever negative things we put into our minds and bodies, force the Holy Spirit within us to participate in what we are doing or grieves Him into inactivity and could chase Him out of the body. [1 Corinthians 6:12-20; Luke 4:12; 1 Corinthians. 10:9].
- Read and meditate on scripture. How often do you read and meditate on the word of God? Is it as much as you watch the TV; go to movies and read newspapers and magazines as well as spend time on internet? I suppose a lot less; do you read it when you are faced with fears or trials? You could read the scriptures as a literature but reading it as the word of God require reflections and meditation. The devil and sins shall stop you from reading the Word and the Word shall keep you from sin and worldliness as well as death. We battle not against flesh and blood ……… [Ephesians 6:10-18]. If you do not learn to control your mind, someone or something else will. [Romans 8; 5-9, 12:1-2].
- Prayer time [Mark 1:35]: Many want a relationship with God but they do not make effort each day to spend time with Him, discuss with Him and listen to Him. Our God desires to have quality time with his children. It should be our desire and pleasure to enter into conversation with our God and Maker. We need good stewardship of our prayer time, work time, play and quiet time. Despite His busy schedules, Jesus, always made time to relate with His Father. As ambassador of Christ it’s important we call home all the time. As managers we must take instructions from our master and report back to Him daily; appreciate his approval and provisions as well as accept his rebukes and discipline.
- Worship time: Worship is being one on one with God, giving Him the praise, glory and honor; an act of stewardship. You focus must be on the Lord; not on the worship team, praise leader or pastors. Worship is more than singing. We can worship God in solemnity but the center of our worship is God. It’s only Jesus, only Him; nothing else matters. God must be worshipped in truth and in Spirit [John 4:24]. The whole duty of man is to fear God and worship Him [Ecclesiastics 12:3].
- Your mind: [Ephesians 4:22-24].What type of mind do you have? Most time people expose their minds to sins, feeble things and sexy features through reading, watching romancing or sexy films. These things can bring us down instead of building us up. We need to take captive of every thought of our mind [Eph 6:10-15]. The mind is a battle ground and negative thoughts, lying Spirit, lustful spirit, spirit of greed and fears, anger, ego and gains etc – all play on the mind. However the Spirit of Christ is availed to us when we are born again; to help us live Christ-like and stay away from sin.
- Relationship: How good a steward are you of your relationship? As spouse, how good have you managed your relationship with your partner? Are you a good steward in the marriage relationship? [Eph. 5:21-33]. Many people manage their offices and businesses well but have problem in their dealing with their spouses and family. For this reason, many succeed at work but fail at home. As parents, have we dealt with the children God entrusted into our care with patience and understanding? How far have we taught and mentored our children about our faith and culture? Are we good moral examples to our household? Do they feel the love of God in the house? Do we impart them with God’s gifts? [Matthews 18:1-6; James 3:1]. Are they involved in bible studies, prayer fellowship and worship services? Are they in a good environment that supports Christian growth? Do we respect and submit to our spouses and love them? What about other relationships in our lives? Do we take them for granted or make them relevant only when we use them to satisfy our selfish desires? We use them when we need them and drop them when we do not need them. What kind of a friend is you – are into dip and skip or mutual, selfless relationship? Let the truth of God’s word search you.
- Treasure: When we think about treasure our minds go to money and wealth. No doubt money is an important ingredient in stewardship but stewardship is bigger and goes further than just money. We must honor God with our money and first fruit because He gave us the power to get it. We seek God first in all we do and every other thing shall be added unto us [Matthews 6:33]. We give God before anything else – paying bills, provide for food and entertainments etc. Proverbs 3; 9-10; Matthews 6; 25-34]. We should remember that all we have came from God. It’s therefore out of the plenty that He has given us do we give back to Him. As matter of fact He demands a portion, just to test how we honor and esteem Him.
- Gospel: Most people hear the Good News of the Gospel through the witness, testimony, teaching or exhortations of someone else. If the person heard it and became saved without reaching out to other people, you may not have heard it. The strength and power of Christian stewardship is the blood–bought salvation that Christ expended for everyone. This has given us new purpose and new hope in life; we are given new hearts and renewed minds. Having been forgiven, saved and redeemed, by our Lord Jesus Christ, we now live in the reality of our salvation. That means the life we live is not just about us but about God who bought us back through the blood of His son, Jesus Christ. It’s also about others whom this precious and atoning blood saved and shall seek and rescue. Curry R. Blake says, “If your Gospel isn’t touching others, it hasn’t touched you.” “The Great Commission is not an opinion to be considered; it’s a command to be obeyed.”
God has also given us a vocation – the soul saving and life changing Gospel through His word and sacrament. We are called to embrace, cherish, evangelize [witness], guard, defend and preserve [Jude 3] the message of our Lord Jesus Christ. [i] It’s this message that we gather every Sunday to hear and be equipped with to go out and witness. [ii] We should invest our time, talents, and treasure in these treasures of the Gospel. [iii] Do not burry this treasure but put it to work. [iv] God wants us to share the saving Gospel He has entrusted to us, so that with it and through it others may be won for Him for all eternity [Mark 5:19-20]. He died for all [2 Corinthians 5:15]. It’s His will that no one should perish but be brought back to repentance and faith [2 Peter 3:9]. Little wonder Apostle Paul says, “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” [Galatians 2:20].
All other things in our possession were lent to us by God. It’s therefore a sacred trust from our heavenly Dad [Haggai 2; 8; Leviticus 25:23; Psalm 50:10ff]. Everything belongs to God [Psalm 24:1] and he allows us to use His creation for His own glory. For this reason, Apostle Paul says, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it’s certain we can carry nothing out” [1 Timothy 6:7]. Christian stewardship is how we manage and use all that our good and gracious God has put in our possession, which include money, talent and time. These three work together and can’t be separated from one another. We therefore have the privilege, duty and responsibility to give sacrificially for the work of the kingdom. It becomes a sacred duty to support the work of the Church through our financial offerings and give our time and talent to share the gospel to the world, rescuing the perishing, healing the sick and provide for the poor and less privileged.
Why some Christians don’t give?
- Lack of Pastoral leadership:
[i]A Pastor is the key spiritual leader in the church and has the most influence in Church’s giving practices. Some Pastors do not teach biblical principles of stewardship. Most of their teachings are like defending why members should pay tithe. This makes members see giving as a punishment or tax instead of a blessing. Christians should know that God owns everything, even the life they live is borrowed from Him [2 Kings 6:5]. They should know we receive by giving; live by dying and win by stooping down. Giving is our way of love; God loves and gives, but Satan hates and steals while human beings are selfish and hoard. When we become saved, our minds are renewed to become like the mind of Christ. God blesses us: to establish Him as our source of life; reveals his nature as Giver and gives us the opportunity to become givers as well as make us blessings. God knows how much He has blessed you with, how little or great you have. “Your obedience to God’s word always secures God’s attention. What you are ready to loose [give] to God’s kingdom determines what you gain [your rewards]. Your seed blesses another while your harvest is anything that blesses you”.
[ii] Pastor / Church leaders do not live what they preach and profess. We must be exemplary in giving and blessing. Some Church leaders live very flamboyantly and in flagrancy; I mean in a different world that is not relevant to the realities of the people around them. Apostle Paul Charges, “those who are ministers of the Gospel and stewards of God’s mysteries are required to be faithful and trustworthy [1 Cor.4:1-2]. Some ministers live in mansions that they have no business living in; ride in jets and own investments that suggest they have treasures on earth. While they live these utopian lifestyles, those who support their ministries in prayers, in giving and services live as ranting ants or trivial fugitives in abject poverty. They are insensitive to the realities of their followership. J.W. Ferguson. says, “People find it difficult to believe a man who gives his whole energy to money-making or career building and then tells them he is waiting for the son of God from heaven.” Again William MacDonald says, “ It’s difficult to see how a Christian can cling to riches in view of the appalling need everywhere, the imminence of Christ return and the Lord’s clear prohibition against laying up treasure on earth. Hoarded wealth condemns us as not loving our neighbors as ourselves.” And Apostle Paul says, “……………But you, man of God avoid all these things…………… [1 Timothy 6:6-16].
[iii] Lack of responsibility, transparency and accountability in leadership. As much as we urge people to give to their God through the Church, Ministries and Faith-based organization as well as Pastors, these institutions/persons represent God’s kingdom and are stewards of God’s resources. They must show reliability, accountability and responsibility. The bible says judgment shall begin in the house of God and everyone shall give account for whatever we did. God is not a respecter of persons. If you in the name of God solicit funds, good gestures and donations from God’s people, it’s your responsibility to be accountable first to God and then the donors. You cannot accept funds and turn your back on God and his people; live double standards in a strange world. That would amount to cheerful deceit. We must be blameless and transparent such that our lives shall not pose hindrances to those who would want to become Christians and stewards of God. Apostle Paul says, I have kept nothing from you that is profitable……have taught you all publicly…….testifying both to the Jews and the Greeks and have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. I have coveted no man’s silver or gold or apparel …… [Acts 20:20-21, 27, 33f]. Samuel said unto Israel, “I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day……If I have done anything wrong accuse me now in the presence of the Lord and king. Have I taken anyone’s donkey, cheated or oppressed or accepted bribe from anyone?……I will pay back what I have taken………. [1 Samuel 12:1-5].
2. Their pastors haven’t challenged them to give according to the biblical principles of stewardship.
Some Pastors and Church leaders are afraid or reluctant to talk about or teach on giving early at the commencement of a Church. Their fears could be that members may withdraw from the Church. It’s an open secret that nothing in life is done without money. When we get into clubs, we pay membership fees as well as when we go to play golf but people don’t like talking about money when they start a Church. To hire a Church hall, pay light and telephone bills, purchase chairs, and other furniture as well as keeping it clean; maintenance and other expenses – all involves money. In some large Churches they run high administrative costs including payment of staff and their allowances, evangelism, welfare and others. The truth is whether you teach on giving or not, those the Lord has not called to you shall leave. If those members are your sheep, they shall stay. If you think education is expensive try ignorance. What will hinder giving is non-teaching them true Christian stewardship and living an absurd lifestyle. There is nothing wrong about talking about money. Pastors should teach stewardship from the start; talk about money respectfully, dedicatedly and hopefully [Exodus 35:4-9, 20-24; 36:: 4-7; 1 Chronicles 29: 9-11; 2 Chronicles 24:8-10; Nehemiah 13:10-12; Haggai 1:1-15].
3. Members could have Spiritual problems:
[a] Perverted priorities: Some Christians’ need to put right their priorities. They put themselves first before God and in some instances, do not remember the God who made them what they are. In some advance countries of the world, they consider their constitution before the Word of God. I once asked a woman if a health hazard happens, who would you talk to first: God or 911? Her answer was 911. According to her, God has already known the problem, let us call 911 for immediate care. Once, the children of Israel lived in mansions while the temple of God lies in ruins. God was provoked to wrath and He sent word through prophet Haggai to them; explain why they are having draught on the land, in their wealth and pocket and grains and crops [Haggai 1; 4ff]. Each time people disregard or neglect God and His commandment, the people suffer pain and anguish. Be careful, the God of love is still the God of justice. [b] Lack of contentment: Brethren, do not forget that godliness with contentment is great gain. Many Christians have Oliver Twist spirit, always asking for more. The grab and grab and are never full or satisfied. These people are greedy, covetous and selfish. Apostle Paul advises, “Those that are rich in this world should not be high-minded or trust in their riches; they should be rich in good works [1 Timothy 6:6, 17ff]. “I have learnt in whatever state I ‘m to be content………I know what it is to be in need and to in plenty; that whichever way I adapt to be content…..I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” [Philippians 4:11-13]. [c] Lack of faith: God created everything else before creating mankind. However He charged mankind to be fruitful, multiply, have dominion and subdue the whole earth. Man occupies special place in the heart of God. God has given every man an atom of faith. It’s our responsibility to exercise it. Faith is confidence in God [Hebrews 11:6]; doing something because God or His word asks you to do it. It comes from hearing the word of God. If God could care for birds, insects, animals etc, why should He not care for man? [Matthew 6:30-33]. Whatever is outside faith is sin [Romans 14:23b]. God sees our faith not our fears and tears. If God says give and you shall receive, do it and receive your blessings. It’s God’s responsibility to fulfill His promises. Since God is no man, He cannot lie or fail. He shall fulfill his promises or better put bring it to pass, to His glory and pleasure. So take a step of faith. Whatever you let go, determines what God brings to you. It only takes faith in God to let go our possession or hard earned money. The most difficult aspect of Christian’s stewardship is our pocket. However to receive, you must give and to live, we must die. These only work with faith. In the natural it sounds stupid. Ours is to obey God and do not weaver; God brings the outcome to pass. Without faith we cannot please or receive from God [James 1:8]. [d] Covetousness: The last of the Ten Commandments spoke against coveting. Covet means an immoral desire or crave especially in excessive or improper of that which belongs to God or your neighbors. Our natural inclination is always to consider ourselves first. – Me first mentality. We think our interest and selfish; and do not care about others. Selfishness is the root of human transgression of God’s commandment. Psalm of David says, “The wicked does not care about God. In his pride he thinks God does not matter [Psalm 10:4]. Jesus says you cannot serve two masters – God and money. On hearing this, the Pharisees made fun of Him because they loved money [Luke 16:13-14]. A Christian and Church leader must not love money; for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil [1Timothy 3:3; 6: 10]. Covetousness is a sign of the last days and mark of apostate [2 Timothy 3:2; 2 Peter 2:14]. We are coveting when we eat or applied to other uses what belongs to God. The book of Malachi calls it robbery or cheating. It’s a curse to cheat on God, who has provided us with all we have. [Malachi 3: 8-10]. [e] Hides and hoards God’s resources: When God blesses someone it’s for him to be a blessing to God and others. To hide or pretend to be poor so as not to use your blessing to serve God and God’s children is the greatest act of ingratitude. You cannot hide from God. He knows how much you are blessed; you have even in bank accounts. He’s the one who gives you power to get wealth [Deuteronomy 8:18]. Every good and perfect gift comes from God………. [James 1:17]. By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent gifts [Hebrews 11:4]. Do not attempt to hide or pretend to lack but glorify the God who had brought you out of poverty into your sufficiency. [f] Hold opinion, to avoid responsibility: Some people keep sealed lips over matters and pretend they do not know to avoid being given assignments. They hoard the talent our gracious Lord had endowed in them. There is an honor and a blessing in sharing your knowledge and experiences with others. You cannot afford to bury what God has deposited in you for the general good. That is not only selfish but wickedness. In the parable of the talent, the servant given one talent hid it in the ground. The master rebuked the useless servant saying you could have put it in the bank to accrue interest. He was considered a bad servant for his inactivity and laziness. He was relieved of his position and thrown out into darkness where he suffers pains and gnashing of teeth.People often neglect one thing or one chance or one event ‘Yet we live life once and if we plan it well once is enough.’ We should remember that our salvation is a one chance thing, Jesus Christ is a one precious gift to the world; Samuel and John the Baptist were all one child that imparted their world. There is so many one event or thing or person in our life that has made great and remarkable impart on us. Have you heard of the man called Ananias? He’s a one-note player. He showed up one time but left a landmark. He led Saul of Tarsus to Christ, then promptly exit [Acts 9:10-19]. Saul whom Christ named Paul was an Apostle to the Gentiles. This former persecutor of the people of the way, a lawyer turned Evangelist became a battle axe in the hand of God. Today we read much more letters in the New Testament from Apostle Paul than any other Apostle of his time. His letters, and testimonies in Acts of the Apostles are evidences of his Christian journeys and ‘light afflictions.’ We should not mess with one opportunity; that could be the only and last chance for us to use our exposure and wisdom to defend our faith, glorify God and serve His kingdom.
Reach Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill at: weefreeministries@yahoo.com or Box, 720035, Houston, TX, 77272.