030407 Stewardship Principle 1
Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God—God’s family the church—in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.
Maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do!
I. GOD’S STEWARDS ARE GOD’S STEWARDS.
This means that God’s stewards are stewards by virtue of creation and re-creation in Holy Baptism; therefore, they belong to the Lord.
When we first encounter the words of this principle we might think it’s just another example of double-talk. But it’s not. Rather it is the articulation of the foundational principle that God is the Creator of all things and that He has redeemed, or re-created, us in Holy Baptism. Stewardship is, as someone once put it: “everything I do after I say I believe.” Stewardship is not doing what we might think is good. Instead it is the good that God works in, and through us. This means allowing ourselves room to change. Paul says it this way:
"Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 2 Co 3:17-18
My point is this: Biblical stewards do not simply “belong” to a congregation in the sense that only those things done for the congregation are examples of good stewardship. Biblical stewards “belong” to God, their Creator. As Biblical stewards mature, they continue to seek out God’s will which changes the attitudes and practices of their stewardship. We could even say it this way: They have a right to know what God desires in this world. They also have the freedom to help support what God desires in this world with their time, talents and resources as they are led by the Spirit of God.
Genesis 1:1 underscores the basic truth that God created all things, visible and invisible, and thus He is the rightful Owner of all things. If we do not have this basic principle of “ownership” in the proper perspective, then we are tempted to believe that all the things we have in this life are ours to do with as we please.
Isaiah 43:1 affirms that God is our Creator and Redeemer. He loves us so much that He knows us by name and cares about how we live our lives. St. Paul confirms this truth when he writes:
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
Romans 6:4 is the seat of God’s teaching that explains our connection—in baptism—to the death and resurrection of Jesus. The promised Holy Spirit who lives within us after baptism is the one who empowers us to do those things pleasing to God. Baptism marks us as one who belongs to God. For us, this means new life—a changing life. The old life dies in Jesus’ death. But the new life, the “resurrected” life, lives to serve God. That new life is mindful of God at work in our lives. That new life is diligent to seek God’s will because of the mercy and power received from Him. How many ways can you think of that might give proof of our faith to the glory of God? We can certainly start by thanking God for the refreshing and renewing waters of baptism and the marvelous change it makes in our daily lives!
The words of 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 state clearly that we are new creations in Christ. This new creation is because sins have been forgiven for Christ’s own sake. Jesus is the one through whom God reconciles the world to Himself. So, those in whom the life of Jesus has been awakened are no longer content to live according to our own reason. No, it is because of God’s mercy that Paul writes:
" I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Then he goes on to speak regarding how spiritual worship tends to manifest itself in the new life:
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness." Ro 12:1-8
We could spend a lot of time reflecting on what it means to be new creations in Christ:
· On how the Holy Spirit brings forth the fruits of righteousness in us.
· On how our minds are changed regarding what we do, think, and say.
God’s stewards find contentment in doing what is good and pleasing to God because they know God has put them right in the midst of what He wants them to be about—like Paul whom God made an apostle to the Gentiles.
Verses 8-10 of Ephesians 2 eloquently state the truth that being God’s workmanship is all a matter of grace. I find it very comforting to know that my salvation does not depend upon us and our works. If it did, I would never have the assurance that I have done enough.
There is a very important point for God’s Stewards to take hold of in verse 10. Biblical Stewards are not just “saved from” sin, death and the devil. They are also “saved for,” God’s purpose of doing good works. The illustrative word Paul uses here literally means that we are free to “stomp around” in those works God has prepared for us. And when we do, we bring honor to God and blessing to others. This is what it means when we say God’s stewards are God’s stewards. He created us and re-created us in Jesus Christ.
Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God—God’s family the church—in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.
Maturing stewards do the right things for the right reasons and strive for excellence in all they do!
So, HOW IS THIS DONE? How does our stewardship manifest itself in very practical terms?
As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit's help, we will:
· Recognize that we are made stewards by God's activity;
· Respect Christian stewards for Whose they are; and,
· Remind stewards that they are God's new creation each day.
As children of God through faith in Jesus Christ, and with the Holy Spirit's help, we will not:
· Use short-cut methods that consider stewards to be merely "donors," "clients" or "customers" or means to an end;
· Neglect to name the name of the Lord who is the Source of all stewardship; or,
· Present stewardship as limited to a single area of life, such as money.
Our stewardship is best when we treat it as a whole-life, year-round thing that applies to all ages. May God continue to bless us with biblical stewards of His grace. Amen.