Introduction: Stewardship – Motives of the Heart
The Life of a Christian Steward
As Christians, we need to recognize our sinful condition before we see a need for change. That change can come only and thoroughly through Christ working in us. And one expression of His work in us is in the area of stewardship. Though stewardship encompasses many different aspects of the Christian’s life, we will define it now, broadly, as managing tangible and intangible possessions for the glory of God.
As taught in the Bible, stewardship becomes, among other things, a powerful tool against the dangers of materialism (the love of owning things), or worldliness in general – one of the great spiritual snares the enemy of souls sets before us. Many people fail to realize that wealth and possessions are cheap, artificial seasonings that eventually lose their flavor. Unfortunately, many souls will be lost because of their failure to break free from their love of the world. The ways of the world – “the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16) – can all be tempered, even avoided, through the principles of stewardship lived out in our lives.
That is why this quarter we will look at stewardship and what it can teach us about how to live as God would have us live, which includes freedom from the love of the world, in all its manifestations. Stewardship is the daily practical expression of what it means to follow Jesus; it is an expression of our love for God, a means of living out the truth that we have been given in Christ. We are stewards because God first loved us.
Our living of the steward’s life, then, involves our attitude, conversion, commitment, self-discipline, and much more. We are to be God’s faithful and trustworthy servants, living selfless lives by connecting to Jesus in everything we do and say. We discover in the school of Christ that the outcome of stewardship is the contentment of righteous living. We are to learn to manage God’s possessions for His glory, funding His mission to finish His work.
God’s stewards now “see in a mirror, dimly” (1 Cor. 13:12, NKJV), but Jesus sees clearly. He entrusts us to do His work. Even through the haze of the lure of the world, we are still responsible for the proper management of our talents, finances, health, and environment. These lessons are geared to teach us what our responsibilities as stewards are and how we can, through God’s grace, fulfill those responsibilities, not as a means of trying to earn salvation but as the fruit of already having it.
Our lives as Christian stewards reflect God’s character to the world. There is beauty, happiness, and godliness in the lives of those who dare to make a stand for biblical principles, especially against the trend and current of our culture. Everyone is tempted to live godless lives; the temptations are all around us, in open and in subtle ways. As Christians, especially as Christian stewards, we have not only been shown how to escape these temptations but promised the power to do so.
In the ultimate end, we are going to hear one of two sentiments spoken to us: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (Matt. 7:23, NKJV), or “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matt. 25:23, NIV).It is our hope and prayer that what is taught about stewardship in this quarter’s lesson will help keep us on the path that will indeed make the words, “Come and share your master’s happiness” the words that we do hear.
John H. H. Mathews, D.Min., from Andrews University, is an ordained minister who has served in Florida, Alabama, Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee, and Nebraska. Today he is the North American Division Stewardship Ministries director.
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The introduction to this quarter's lesson states that "As Christians, we need to recognize our sinful condition before we see a need for change. That change can come only and thoroughly through Christ working in us."
Do I need to only recognise my sinful condition in order for me to be thoroughly changed, or is there more that I need to be actively involved in?
In humble answer to your question, sin is going in the wrong direction. A 180 degree turn means you recognize your sin; that you were headed in the wrong direction, and the turn puts you in the right direction of following Christ and His righteousness. The rest will come. Says Matthew 6:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."
Hi
I have been struggling with this tithe thing for the past months. As I learnt that tithing is not a requirement in the new testament since Christ came and put an end to it. That the Israelites were required to offer a tithe to the Levi priest; that Abraham only returned a tithe once from his spoils.. it is interested that this topic comes out now and I hope i learn the truth.
I think Baswell, your suggesting that you hope to learn the truth from the study of this topic is a good one. We have 3 months of study ahead of us on this one and will be good to get the big picture of what stewardship really means. Tithing is only part of the issue.
The topic and focus of this quarter's lessons is very timely. Learning what is Biblical stewardship is what all of us need to clearly learn in order for us to live the proper Spirit led christian life. And, good stewardship is more than just the narrow subset of financial management. It is also choosing God's way and this requires personal commitment, discipline and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to be successful. When we are evaluated on our conduct in the final judgment let's hear the "well done, good and faithful servant!" from our Master!
The introduction to lesson number 1. "materialism" is interesting in that the memory verse is found in a book of discussion for 13 weeks previously. Romans 12:2 is the memory verse. Many of the same admonitions that the Apostle Paul wrote about are also applicable to our problem with materialism. The first question that comes to my mind is, who and what is responsible for this problem? Is Satan to blame for the massive amounts of "things" that we find attractive? Do we suddenly run into a blind alley when the point of view strikes home? When we take inventory of all the communication technology that we use nearly on a continual basis, it has to be very near the top of Materialistic possessions. So what is the answer? Maybe we don't really want to know. Toes may get stepped on? Romans 14:12,13 is still applicable. I know that each new year the new cars and computers and more will be much more plentiful and much more expensive. Oh, how about God? Doesn't He have a part in the equation? Oh, don't tell me we forgot. This may be more serious or embarrassing than we thought. Hopefully someone will have some timely answers. A prayer for enlightenment could help. Thank you Lord.
I am looking forward to learning more about stewardship as it relates to what God admonishes me to do/my part to carry the message/gospel to a dying world.
Stewardship encompasses not only the individual but also the collective or corporate steward responsibilities too. For example, a local church needs to be faithful to it's needs and to properly handle the finances needed to not only cover operating costs but also to plan and budget for all outreach programs that are undertaken by the various departments. Another example would be the various Conferences, Unions, Divisions as well as the GC. Recent reports show the concern that our World GC leaders have regarding this matter of financial planning as well as current realities. We need to realize that materialism can be manifest at each of these levels. Evidence the excessive financial cost ($31 million plus) for purchase of the NAD office building a few miles down the road from the GC building where there was adequate space available at an affordable rental cost for the NAD operations. How do we respond to realities of such "materialism"? What is the individual's responsibility when such things take place? To this SDA member it seems that we should be putting all financial resources available and all our collective efforts in supporting programs rather than in real estate and buildings. The end of time is near and it won't be long before our ability to give the 3 Angels message will be limited or ended. Several of our various ministries (Amazing Facts, It Is Written, Voice of Prophecy, Loma Linda, etc) are also enlarging their real estate holdings and/or buildings. How should we respond as good stewards to such current issues?
Hello David,
From the looks of it, the Spirit is convicting your heart. Why not let him continue leading you into all the truth? (John 16:8; John 16:13-14)
Richard
I believe we must seek for organisations that are truly in need and are working to aid the homeless and orphans
If the church united would work in the mission fields we would see Jesus come soon
Its a patchwork of ministries with their own facilities and out reach services some even duplicating the other
Read john 17
One of my favored topics.Looking forward to learn more on our role as Stewards. We have been given different gifts that we should all utilize to do God's work. Financial management is part of this stewardship role. Be blessed
I just like this; Stewardship is the daily practical expression of what it means to follow Jesus; it is an expression of our love for God, a means of living out the truth that we have been given in Christ. We are stewards because God first loved us.