Stewardship Matters

Introduction

Good morning and welcome!

After taking a couple weeks off to celebrate our German Soccer Camp, we turn back to our series on giving, called Money Matters. We’ve been working our way through 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, where the Apostle Paul addresses the Corinthian church to encourage them to give. You’ll remember that he pointed to the Macedonian church, who stepped up and gave in a surprising way, in spite of their poverty and the oppression that they were under.

We pick up this morning in chapter 8, verses 16 and following, where Paul begins to give instruction about how the special offering should be collected. We will look today at some of the attitudes regarding the stewardship of God’s resources and how we should respond to opportunities to give to the work that God is accomplishing among his people...

2 Corinthians 8:16–24 CSB

16 Thanks be to God, who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he welcomed our appeal and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice. 18 We have sent with him the brother who is praised among all the churches for his gospel ministry. 19 And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gracious gift that we are administering for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. 20 We are taking this precaution so that no one will criticize us about this large sum that we are administering. 21 Indeed, we are giving careful thought to do what is right, not only before the Lord but also before people. 22 We have also sent with them our brother. We have often tested him in many circumstances and found him to be diligent—and now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker for you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 Therefore, show them proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you.

[pray]

What is a Steward?

Lexham Theological Wordbook (Stewardship)

The steward was a household servant who managed the household affairs for the head of the family.... Managing the family involved delegation, discipline, encouragement, and, most important, accountability to the head of the household.

We use this word “steward” in today’s context when we talk about those in the church who manage the church finances. Here at FBC Pharr, we do have a Finance Committee, but we call it the Stewardship Committee. We use the term in this way because we want to remind the members of the church that we are not administering our own money, but money that God has entrusted to us for the work that he has given us.

God initially gave mankind stewardship of all that he had created on the earth. After he created the animals, he created man saying...

Genesis 1:26 CSB

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

The word for rule is רָדָה radah , which means that he gave authority to man over the animals.

This pattern followed when he created families as well as when he created nations and created his church. God put people in charge over these things to care for them and provide for their needs in a way that honored himself.

Jesus spoke of stewards many times in his parables. I’m reminded of the parable of the talents, where Jesus told the story of the man who entrusted different amounts of talents to his stewards. We’re not told what instructions they were given, but the text reveals that some servants invested the money and used the money wisely. Others did less with what they were entrusted. And the poor guy who was only given one talent hid the money in a hole. When the man returned, he called in his servants for an account of they money he had entrusted them.

The servants that used the money wisely were given charge over many things and the one who did nothing was cast out into the outer darkness.

The summary statement of the parable can be found in Matthew 25:29.

Matthew 25:29 CSB

29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.

This statement does not really speak to us about whether we are rich or poor, but how we use the gifts and resources that God gives to us.

The Roman statesman, Cicero, said “the main thing in all public administration and public service is to avoid even the slightest suspicion of avarice [greed].” Paul seems to agree when he gives the reason for his concern with handling this properly in verse 20...

2 Corinthians 8:20 CSB

20 We are taking this precaution so that no one will criticize us about this large sum that we are administering.

Paul goes on to give his reasoning for this policy...

2 Corinthians 8:21 CSB

21 Indeed, we are giving careful thought to do what is right, not only before the Lord but also before people.

This ministry team that Paul put in charge of the collection was given stewardship over the collection. For this reason, Paul provides some of the credentials that he required in selecting is messengers for this task. Let’s take a look at some of the credentials that Paul highlights in this passage.

Credentials for a Steward

1. Desire to Serve That Comes From God

Paul explains that Titus desired the best for the Corinthians and wanted to serve them...

2 Corinthians 8:16–17 CSB

16 Thanks be to God, who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus. 17 For he welcomed our appeal and, being very diligent, went out to you by his own choice.

Titus was not pressed into service by God nor by Paul. He volunteered to help in this way. Titus had history with the Corinthian church and had developed a deep bond of friendship with them.

This bit about him being “diligent” is interesting. The Greek word is σπουδαῖος spoudaios, which can mean “hasty, eager, diligent, or earnest.” While the word “diligent” in our common understanding would be ideal for stewardship—we generally understand it to mean “careful” we might not think so highly of someone who was “hasty” to administer the funds. The word that we translate here as “diligent” actually means that Titus was ready with his response, knowing that this task was one that he could do well. He was well-suited for the task of administering the funds.

Serving on the Stewardship Committee is not the easiest volunteer position in the church. It is difficult, because it requires the steward to exercise great care over the church’s resources. Our church leaders that serve on the Stewardship Committee do it because they care about this church and want to ensure that our funds are administered properly. The church leadership takes great care to find people that truly have a calling and those who have earned the trust of the church membership

2. Evangelist’s Burden for the Lost

Paul explains that there was another messenger, who had a burden for the lost...

2 Corinthians 8:18 CSB

18 We have sent with him the brother who is praised among all the churches for his gospel ministry.

Titus was joined by an unnamed messenger, who had a reputation for evangelism. That’s what Paul is talking about here when he says “gospel ministry.” This unnamed messenger shared the Gospel message with others, telling them about Jesus. In fact, he was known and widely praised for his evangelistic efforts. This brother had a burden for the lost. We know this because those who have no burden for the lost do not share Christ with others—at the very least they evangelize with some resistance. But this brother was recognized for his work among the lost.

What does evangelism have to do with the finances of the church?

It would be easy to put this brother on the missions committee or have him visiting the community or serving in another way. I believe it is important to put evangelists on the Stewardship Committee of this church so that they can help to hold us accountable for the way that we use our resources and for the way we spend our money. Evangelists help to remind us WHY we do the things that we do as a church body.

If stewardship simply comes down to paying the bills and griping about how much things cost these days, we could fill the committee with people who simply want to hoard away funds in CD’s and investment accounts. And if we did that, we would become a church that was inwardly focused and declining. However, when a church can prove it reaches the community well by showing account that they are spending money, that is a church that is growing and lively.

Looking at a churches budget statement is one of the surest ways of telling whether the church is growing or if it is declining.

I look at what this church did last week and can see how we spent money and resources to share the gospel with our community and can see that this is work that is worthwhile for the church to accomplish. God blesses and honors the church that gives cheerfully to the work that he is calling them to accomplish.

3. Honors God

This messenger was selected by the church to act as their representative in overseeing the administration of this gift...

2 Corinthians 8:19 CSB

19 And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gracious gift that we are administering for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help.

Paul says here that this collection was being administered for the purpose of God’s glory. When we look to apply this in our context, the leadership of the church should seek to glorify God with everything that is entrusted them. If we miss the mark on this one, we have made a grave error in selection. If our stewards have no desire to honor God and have no desire to use his money in a way that honors him and accomplishes the work that his word calls us to accomplish, then we are missing the opportunity to bring honor to God.

4. Reputation for Honesty & Diligence

Paul goes into a bit of detail explaining why they are taking such care to explain their methods of securing and administering the collection...

2 Corinthians 8:20–22 CSB

20 We are taking this precaution so that no one will criticize us about this large sum that we are administering. 21 Indeed, we are giving careful thought to do what is right, not only before the Lord but also before people. 22 We have also sent with them our brother. We have often tested him in many circumstances and found him to be diligent—and now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you.

Paul comes right out to explain that the leaders of the early church were not only concerned about what God might think of their stewardship efforts, but the people in the churches as well. They wanted to make certain that everyone knew the measures they were taking and that they were acting above reproach in their selection.

The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Seven: The Grace of Giving—Part 1 (2 Corinthians 8)

J.B. Phillips translates 2 Corinthians 8:21: “Naturally we want to avoid the slightest breath of criticism in the distribution of their gifts, and to be absolutely aboveboard not only in the sight of God but in the eyes of men.”

The church must also function as a business, and indeed by the laws of the state and of the nation, we are formed as a business, albeit a nonprofit business. Good business demands a high level of accountability. However, we have an extra accountability more than just doing things for the sake of good business.

Verse 22 speaks to the diligence of this messenger. This is the same Greek word that we saw previously. In this case it shows that the brother has been found to have a “keen interest (or intense desire)” to perform the task well. Diligence is one aspect of stewardship that is really easy to overlook.

Some ministries and churches have suffered from a lack of wisdom in selecting the people who oversee their funds.

I know of one church in central Texas that discovered that their financial administrator had pilfered hundreds of thousands of dollars from the church accounts. This comes from a lack of diligence and good business practice.

Other times church treasurers have been known to keep sloppy books and deliver careless reports. This inevitably leads to problems for the church sooner or later.

This should never be the case as the word reminds us to be diligent and hold each other to a high standard of accountability.

5. Spirit of Cooperation

Finally this section speaks to the partnership that Paul and Titus shared.

2 Corinthians 8:23–24 CSB

23 As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker for you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 Therefore, show them proof before the churches of your love and of our boasting about you.

There was a real sense of collaboration and alignment here between Titus and Paul. Paul called Titus his partner in this endeavor. Paul and Titus had history together. They had worked together since the Council of Jerusalem. They had been through tough times together. This is the only place is scripture that Paul refers to a colleague as “my partner.”

This stewardship committee that was overseeing this offering and administering and disbursing the funds knew that this money was not their own. They were stewards, managing the money with care and honesty as they served God. This committee served the churches that gave the funds. They were agents acting on behalf of those churches.

This offering being collected for the benefit of the Christians in Jerusalem was important to Paul and equally important to him was that the church at Corinth would participate in this collection. I love what Kent Hughes draws from this passage:

2 Corinthians—Power in Weakness Summary Call (vv. 23, 24)

The importance of the offering extended beyond the Corinthians into eternity. 1) It would prove the validity of their faith—that it was not in vain. 2) It would help the impoverished church in Jerusalem survive. 3) It would demonstrate the miracle of the new covenant—Jews and Gentiles are actually one in Christ. 4) It would declare the glory of the Lord to the church and to the world.

Like the Corinthians, we also have significant opportunities to give. The work that God has put before us goes beyond the maintenance of these buildings and keeping the lights on. We have a calling to reach our own community and share the love of Jesus Christ with our neighbors. That’s exactly what we were doing last week at soccer camp.

We had the opportunity to represent the name of Jesus Christ with people throughout our local vicinity and beyond.

What we here at FBC Pharr do with our money is of significance to the people around us and of significance to people around the world. We have opportunities support work right here close by and throughout the state, and even throughout the world.

Let’s participate together in that work.

[offering]