The Marks of a Steward – Teaching Plan
Key Thought: Real stewardship forms the basis for purpose, success, meaning, and a sense of belonging.
1. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 11:8-12.
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. In what ways could we be loyal to someone or something that is not good? Can loyalty be misplaced?
c. Personal Application : How loyal are you to the Lord who died for you? In what ways can you better reveal that loyalty? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your relatives states: “I’m loyal to my family first, then to my country, then to God. Someone else might put it in a different order, but that’s how I see it.” How would you respond to your relative?
2. Have a volunteer read Hebrews 10:19-22
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. What does it mean to have an evil conscience and one seared with a hot iron?
c. Personal Application : When you are feeling down and unworthy, what promises can we claim from the gospel that can help? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your friends states, “I struggle with a guilty conscience. It is a terrible feeling, but I don’t know how to deal with it. What is the solution to feeling bad and guilty?” How would you respond to your friend?
3. Have a volunteer read Romans 10:16,17.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What does it mean that it is better to obey than sacrifice?
c. Personal Application: Does being open to criticism help improve or validate our integrity? Does being adverse to criticism show a lack of integrity? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “How do we emphasize righteousness by faith and faith alone for salvation and yet not fall into the false gospel of cheap grace? How would you respond to your neighbor?
4. Have a volunteer read Luke 16:10-12.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What practices could we adopt that might help us trust God more?
c. Personal Application: Think of someone you know is trustworthy. What can we learn from that person that would help us as well? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.
(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).
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Thank you for these thoughts! I am facilitating this week and am trying to find an applicable angle to this week's lesson. I wish I had last week's lesson as it would have been a breeze to do! (humor) This will hopefully help should I get in a jam. I will continue to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the right light to share to others. These six principles have been misrepresented by many in our time, and had we tapped into the "love", we might not have lost so many youth. Thank you again!
This lesson of Stewardship helps us open our eyes to whom we should be royal to. It differentiates us from the world and places us on a right platform as Children of Yahwe God almighty. This also helps us to become partake of the different divine nature. God help Adventists worldwide to become loyal stewards AMEN.
This quarter's lessons are so skewed toward money that we have decided to replace half the lessons with emphasis on stewardship of the environment. Topics will include: The Genesis Plan, Stewards of the Ancient Environment (Old Testament passages about Israel's agronomy), The New Earth in Isaiah and Other Prophets, Modern Environmental Problems and the Christian Response (Pollution, Mining, Air Quality, Climate Change), Modern Food Production and the Christian Responsibility (Food Security, Meat Production, Stewardship of Longevity). .
I think we are predisposed to the idea of stewardship is related to money, but I always regard the lessons as a starting point for study and discussion rather than being prescriptive. Your suggestion of topics to include in the stewardship discussion is very relevant and in our own Sabbath School class we have discussed similar ideas.