Pt. 2 - Stewardship

Staying Out of The Ditch

Acts 20:35 “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ””

Blessed - in Greek literature it was a poetic word, later used to express the rich’s freedom from cares and worries.

In the Greek Septuagint it refers to Blessedness as fullness of life and relates to such things as a wife, beauty, honor, wisdom, and piety. The OT contains many warnings against purely external judgment, so that the true blessedness is that of trust in God, forgiveness of sins, righteousness even in affliction, and final deliverance.

And in the New Testament it’s primary usage expresses the distinctive joy which comes through participation in the God’s kingdom.

Happy

The Spiritual Discipline of Stewardship (in all of this we listen to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit and consult Scripture for individual application)

Spending wisely

Living simply and frugally within your means and get out of bad debt.

Saving

Being prepared for God’s future plans.

Leave an inheritance for the future.

This is stewarding well.

So that...

Generous

As we are about to read, “I will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion”

2 Corinthians 9:6–15 (NIV)

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

The Apostle Paul presents 3 main points in this section he begins with “Remember This”

Give willingly, not under compulsion

The reciprocity between giving and receiving: those who give generously will also reap generously. God responds to believers who are generous by giving gifts generously to them.

Third: Paul stresses that the gifts the Corinthians give to the Lord’s people ultimately bring glory to God as others praise Him because of their example.

2. Poverty mentality

Is being poor virtuous?

1 Timothy 6:6–10“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Luke 16:13 ““No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.””

Is it a spiritually superior position to take? Are we at an advantage spiritually by being poor?

Some of the great monks thought so,

John Chrysostom - Took a prominent position but kept the monastic mindset and sold off all the nice things to care for the poor. His attacks on the rich made him many enemies...

“The gold bit on your horse, the gold circlet on the wrist of your slave, the gilding on your shoes, mean that you are robbing orphan and starving the widow. When you have passed away, each passer-by who looks upon your great mansion will say, “How many tears did it take to build that mansion; how many orphans were stripped; how many widows wronged; how many laborers deprived of their honest wages? Even death itself will not deliver you from your accusers.”

St. Francis of Assisi the founder of the Franciscan order.

Yet it was having non-possessions with the security of necessities provided for by the wealthy who helped fun the Monastery.

This was to ensure that they didn’t trust in riches but trusted in God.

Again the question, is poverty, giving up all possessions a superior spiritual position or just having enough for my daily necessities?

Yet we learn that it doesn’t take the actual possession of things to trust in them, many of poorest people trust not in God but things.

To trust in God and not in riches is a work of His Spirit of Grace, not a condition based on what we may have or not have.

Possession of things, an abundance of things, is not an evil in and of itself.

Things are neutral, they take the character of the steward.

1 Timothy 6:17–19“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Paul is encouraging them to live the “Blessed life” because it is more blessed to give than to receive.

If possessions are evil, this would have been a most opportune time for him to recommend selling it all and getting rid of that which is evil, however, that is not encouraged.

When we view abundance as inherently evil, we are not far from the Gnostics who saw creation and material things as inherently evil, which is why they deny Jesus Christ coming in the flesh… God isn’t evil so He couldn’t have had a body.

Yet, our calling to have dominion and subdue the earth requires us bring the wisdom of God and redemption to the steward of earth’s resources.

Dallas Willard says, “The godly should control and possess the wealth of the earth.”

Why? Because we tithe (well 26% do) we are generous and don’t believe it belongs to us but to God.

For those who are convinced of the superior spiritual position of poverty, Questions:

If you believe poverty is holy or just simply having just enough for your family needs, how can you do the most holy action of caring for the poor and helping those in need?

If you believe possessions and abundance to be evil, are you happy to leave the stewardship of the earth’s resources in the hands of the ungodly and evil who have no love for God or people?

Or are we called as stewards, to take the rule of God into every part of our vocations to exemplify what God’s rule looks like in our work and resources, to show what God is like by our generosity.

Prosperity Materialism mentality

Our western culture deals with this much more, we are inundated every day with advertisements that promise a better more comfortable life.

Symptoms of materialism (Those who have found their home in the world rather than with Christ):

A drive for more!

You deserve more, You would be happier if you had more, you need more, you will be complete if you have more.

1 John 2:16 “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”

Advertising agencies go after this ungodly lust for more in the flesh.

Looking to things for a “better” life and fulfillment.

If we just had this, then…

Materialism takes a good thing that God created to be enjoyed and turns it into an ultimate thing, a thing that takes the place of God, a thing we try to gain significance and fulfillment from rather than from God.

This drive for more takes our focus away from God and His plan for my life and puts it on things leaving me miserable and unhappy.

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Comparison

Looking at what others have and seeing what you don’t have.

We get angry and envious at the abundance of others or we feel better about ourselves when we are in presence of those with leses.

Eyes off of God and on others - comparison will rob you of the joy of contentment.

Our contentment is not founded on our possessions or lack thereof but rather that God is with you: Hebrews 13:5 “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.””

You feel greater significance and seek fulfillment from what you possess.

As Paul already said, they are called “uncertain riches” - it is false security. I know it seems real but the only true everlasting security is in Christ.

Luke 12:15 “Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.””

And I think the author of life knows what life consists of.

May we remember that we will outlive our possessions

Jeremiah 9:23–24“This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches, but let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord.”

The problem with both of these mindsets is that you have “things” on your mind, either the lack of it or the more of it. We are called to seek first His Kingdom - Luke 12:31 “But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.”

The answer:

Revelation: A Shorter Commentary Suggestions for Reflection on 6:12–17

Idolatry commenced in the garden with Adam’s choice to find his security without God and his independence from God in the fruit of the forbidden tree. The commentary maintains that idolatry is still the fundamental sin of men and women, and that it is always expressed in attachment to created things rather than the Creator.

We Christians are pilgrims in this world. Unbelievers are at home in this world with their trust and security in material wealth, ideologies, immorality, self-worship.

It will all be destroyed but you, the church, will remain.

Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

We need the grace and strength of Christ in the midst of our prosperity, perhaps even more than when we are in need. Because much our understanding of prosperity comes from the world’s perspective… The world correlates having much with their well-being.

We correlate our well-being to the strength that Christ provides.

My well-being is correlated to being in Christ Jesus.

His grace and wisdom will enable me to steward that abundance well. Because when I give, I don’t lose - I didn’t lose my well-being.

I will spend wisely because I don’t see that thing that I would have gone into debt in the past for because I know it will not provide me the well-being I thought it would. Which empowers me to enjoy the simple things of life. Instead of always needing more.

I will save well because I want to be prepared for the plans of generosity God has prepared for me. I will “always have all sufficiency for all things”

I will be generous because Christ has been so generous to me.

Proverbs 1:32 “For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them;”