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Home » stewardship

Kingdom Stewards

By Paula

Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. Matthew 21:43

When we read the Gospels, it is easy to criticize the religious leaders.
They challenged and opposed Jesus at every opportunity.
Willingly blind to the truth that stood before them.

Israel was given a solemn stewardship.
They were to point people to the coming Messiah and the Kingdom of God.
Isaiah 11 describes the Messiah and His kingdom:

For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. Isaiah 11:9

In Matthew 21:33-46, Jesus told a parable about that stewardship.
Israel was depicted as tenant farmers who beat and killed the messengers the vineyard owner sent until they finally killed the owner’s son.

At the end, Jesus pronounces this judgment.

Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. Matthew 21:43

If the stewardship of the kingdom has been taken from Israel and given to the church …

Then the question we have to ask …

How have we done with it?

How have I done?

 

 

 

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: kingdom, Matthew, parable, stewardship

Don’t Be a Collector

By Paula

Don't Be a Collector...As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

We are collectors. Antiques. Baseball cards (people still do that, right?). Ornaments. Shoes. Legos. Dolls. Pens. Books. (Those last two are just so you know I’m included.) We do it for fun, For a hobby. Because the objects please us, entertain us, give a sense of accomplishment or have sentimental value.

Our collections can be conversation starters. (Admittedly they can be conversation stoppers with the uninitiated.) They can open up doors to new relationships and new friendships. Managing our collections often means rearranging our stuff so we can store or display them. Sometimes, it means travel so we can add to them. Let’s face it, we put a lot of time, energy, and often money, into our collections. Obtaining. Keeping. Maintaining.

However, that collecting mentality should not apply to the gifts of God. In context, 1 Peter 4:10 specifically deals with the spiritual gifts God gives each individual believer to equip them for service in His kingdom. However, I don’t think it’s too far out of line to consider everything we receive from God in this.

The key word is “stewards.” It means one who uses and manages what God gives for His glory and for the growth of His kingdom. The blessings, the talents, the lessons, the resources, the comfort, and the insights God pours out to us aren’t meant to be collected, but rather dispensed.

What we receive isn’t meant to be ours exclusively. Instead, God entrusts it to us to manage it, and to use it for His kingdom. That is an amazing trust and responsibility.

Let me give you an example of how it works. One of the big challenges of my adult life has been working through depression. God has come alongside and taught me a great deal about His love for me, and how my brain sometimes twists that truth around. If I am only a collector, then I keep those lessons to myself, and I wait for more. If I’m a steward, I’ll share what I’ve learned with someone going through a similar struggle. (Or maybe put the lessons in some character’s mouth sometime.)

God intends for believers to be a community, and this idea of stewardship over what we receive helps us build it. If we develop a habit of looking around and asking, “Who needs what I have?”rather than “What am I lacking?” it will change not only how we view others but it will impact those relationships in a way that bonds us and ultimately glorifies God.

And glorifying God is our primary purpose.

 

 

Filed Under: Thursday Theology Tagged With: 1 Peter, believers, spiritual gifts, stewardship

Study Tip: Second Corinthians

By Paula

 

Second Corinthians is the most underrated, underappreciated book in the New Testament, maybe the whole Bible. In it, Paul is passionately personal in his defense of his ministry and his authority, but he also exhorts and encourages the believers in Corinth in a touching heartfelt way. It is packed with tremendous truth. (I could do several posts on my favorite verses…)
 
One thing worth noticing, even keeping a list of, is everything Paul says about God, Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit. 
 
For example in 1:3-4, Paul says "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God."
 
  • The Father of mercies
  • The God of all comfort
  • He comforts us in our tribulation
 
Some major topics Paul covers include:
  • What does it mean to be a minister (and we are)? What are our responsibilities? What should we be doing? (You'll find these answers mostly in chapters 2-6)
  • What are our responsibilities when it comes to giving? (Look at chapters 8-9)
  • How a leader should conduct himself and how should we in the body respond? (Try chapters 10-13)

 

But the guts of the book are found in chapter 5:17-20. It is perhaps the most succinct statement of what God did for us and what our job is as a result. Love these verses!
 
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
 
 
Is Second Corinthians the most underrated book? If not, which one would you say?
 
 

Filed Under: Book study, Study Tip Tuesday Tagged With: 2 Corinthians, Bible study, comfort, ministry, New Testament, Paul, stewardship

The ‘Gift Zone’

By Paula

Vacation Bible School in this week, so that’s at the front of my brain, and will likely be the subject of the posts. Several j0305743years ago, I got put in as director. While I love VBS, love leading the music, love being around the kids, I hate being in charge of things. Hate it. Leadership is not my gift. Administration, I can do. I’m a great assistant director, but our church is small and we don’t have that luxury, so here I am in my fifth year as director.

My point is God often takes us outside our comfort zone to stretch and grow our faith. However, He’s not going to take us outside our ‘gift zone’. How can you tell the difference? Ask God to show you your heart as you pray and study. Ask yourself these questions as a guide.

  • Am I passionate about what I’m doing? Does it bring me joy or dread?
  • Does it cause unhealthy stress?
  • Do I procrastinate (more than usual) with this task?
  • How do I respond to others when I am in this role? Am I irritable, or defensive?
  • If I stop doing it, do I miss it?
  • Do I have ideas for ‘next year’?
  • Does it help or hurt the cause of Christ to be miserable in His service?
  • Is this ministry for Him or for me?

Tough questions, I know, and the answers aren’t any easier. Several years ago, I stopped doing youth ministry with my husband after more than ten years. My stress level dropped, but the tip-off to me that I had made the right decision was that I didn’t miss it. I still cared deeply for the kids, but I wasn’t visualizing new program ideas or study topics or outings.

As a body, we tend to suffer from “Institutional Ministry Inertia” where we get stuck doing the same thing forever. We’re sure the roof will fall in if we stop doing it or worse, that somebody will think we’re unspiritual or unfaithful. If we’re in ministries that God didn’t call us to, and didn’t gift us for, then we are unfaithful stewards of His gifts.

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Filed Under: Living Tagged With: administration, Leadership, spiritual gifts, stewardship, VBS

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