Memory Verse:
“The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it” (Psalm 24:1).
THE KINGDOM OGF GOD IS NEAR
There is a crisis in Christianity today. Many churches and denominations are struggling to reach their financial goals and fund their visions. We in The Christian and Missionary Alliance are no strangers to this struggle. But the crisis we face is not primarily a struggle of stewardship. It is a crisis of discipleship. Certainly, stewardship flows out of this broader category of discipleship, but the central issue is the totality of what it means to be a follower of Jesus in the twenty-first century.
The time has come for The Christian and Missionary Alliance to revisit the meaning of biblical stewardship, to relearn the principles that guide our earning, spending, saving and giving, and to recommit ourselves as men and women devoted to radical obedience. Toward this goal, as with all areas of daily discipleship, we must remind ourselves of the central message of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Reading Mark 1:14 to 20:
What do you observe?
Why is Mark telling us? What did Jesus mean when he made that declaration in Mark 1:15?
What does this mean for us today? What does it have to say about stewardship?
Jesus’ bold proclamation directly addressed humanity’s central problem: its fallenness.
The fall of man resulted in a hostile takeover of this planet. The ensuing alienation between man and God and between man and his fellow man horrifically displayed the rule and reign of evil on this earth. Jesus’ mission was to reestablish the redemptive beachhead of the rule and reign of God. Dallas Willard paraphrases Mark 1:15 to convey this awesome truth: “Jesus then came into Galilee announcing the good news from God. ‘All the preliminaries have been taken care of,’ he said, ‘and the rule of God is now accessible to everyone. Review your plans for living and base your life on this remarkable new opportunity.’”
In other words, Jesus was making available a whole new economy under which we may live. “‘Here it is,’” declares Jesus, “‘the kingdom of God is within your reach. God’s rule and reign is available to all who will receive it.’”
Matthew’s record of this announcement includes the well-known directive, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17). Inherent in this call is the requirement to turn from the direction one is heading and to move into a whole new reality. Repentance (Greek: metanoeo) means to change one’s mind or purpose. “Change your life. God’s kingdom is here,” is how Eugene Peterson renders this verse in The Message. He captures the heart of Jesus’ message. You can enter into the Kingdom of God only if you are willing to let go of the “apparent” control you have over your own life. A Kingdom proclamation that neglects the call to reconsider and repent of previous values and priorities brings forth lifestyles that fall short of what Jesus sought.
Some have suggested that this Kingdom reality was and is for a future time, that the Kingdom is not available now, but someday will be. While there are certainly elements of the Kingdom that we have yet to experience, Jesus appears to have been inviting his listeners to enter into something immediately accessible. The perfect tense of eggiken, usually translated “is at hand” or “has drawn nigh” (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 10:7; Mark 1:15), indicates that the “coming” is a past action with present results. Jesus proclaimed that the rule and reign of God, though not yet fully consummated, is available now.
If Jesus’ call to the Kingdom was really a call to receive the rule and reign of God, it is obvious that the one responding to this call cannot remain the same. Clearly falling under God’s lordship would be the use of his or her money, gifts, abilities and all resources. We who enter the Kingdom, therefore, undergo a radical change. We serve a new Master, and everything we have belongs to Him (Psalm 24:1). If God owns our hearts, He will most certainly have our 4 T’s of stewardship: our “Time, Talents, Treasure and Testimony”
DEFINING BIBLICLA STEWARDSHIP
When you hear the word “stewardship,” what comes to mind?
The dictionary defines a steward as “a person who manages another person’s property or affairs.”
Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines a steward as “one employed in a large household or estate to manage domestic concerns (as the supervision of servants, collection of rents and keeping of accounts).” In short, a steward is a person who takes care of someone else’s property. There are several examples in the Old Testament, where they are described simply as those “over the household” (Hebrew: al-habbayit, e.g. 1 Kings 4:6, 16:9, Isaiah 36:3 NASB), as well as in the New Testament, where they are called managers or stewards (Greek: oikonomoi, e.g. Luke 12:42; 16:1). We should also mention Paul’s illustration in Galatians 3:24 likening the Old Testament law to a household slave put in charge of children (Greek: paidagogos). Perhaps the most vivid biblical story illustrating stewardship is Joseph, the manager of Potiphar’s house (Genesis 39:4-6). While these passages offer helpful illustrations of the occupation of stewardship, the heart of the Bible’s teaching on stewardship as a point of discipleship goes much deeper.
What does the Bible mean when it speaks of the Christian as a steward? Use the following verses to help you in your understanding.
Reading Genesis 1:26 to 31 & 2:15 & Psalm 24:1
What do you observe?
Why is Moses telling us? What did God mean when he declared “let them rule” in Gen 1:26?
What does this mean for us today? What does it have to say about stewardship?
THE CONCEPT OF STEWARDSHIP IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Hebrew concept of stewardship begins and ends with God. God is the creator and possessor of all things. Human beings who possess God’s creation do so only as God graciously delegates.
This idea may be traced throughout the entire Old Testament. In Genesis 1 and 2, when God grants Adam and Eve dominion over the creation, He is asking them to rule on His behalf. The responsibilities of naming the animals, filling and subduing the earth show that they are being given an ambassadorial reign as God’s vice-regents. However, there is never any doubt as to who is the true Sovereign. The judgment Adam and Eve underwent after they chose to go their own way and come out from under the rule and reign of God in Genesis 3 shows that they were held accountable by the Lord. Stewardship responsibility in the Kingdom of God was established from the beginning.
Reading Genesis 14:17 to 24
What do you observe?
Why is Moses telling us? What did Melchizedek mean when he declared “God Most High, Possessor of heaven and Earth” in Gen 14:19?
What does this mean for us today? What does it have to say about stewardship?
In Genesis 14, when Melchizedek brings out the bread and the wine and blesses Abram, the first words out of his mouth are, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor [Hebrew: qanah] of heaven and earth” (v.19 NASB). Verse 20 records the first tithe in Scripture: “And he gave him a tenth of all.” Two verses later Abram raises his hand and makes Melchizedek’s blessing personal, in essence declaring, “Lord God Most High, everything I have belongs to You.” It is fitting that this tithe is framed by the bold declaration that the Lord is the creator and possessor of all things.
In Deuteronomy, when the Israelites were poised to move into the Promised Land, they were carefully instructed to remember that the land truly belonged to God. They were, at best, temporary tenants. The land was God’s gift and their inheritance from Him (Deuteronomy 25:19). They could not do anything they pleased with it. Rather, they were to be good stewards of the resources
God had entrusted to them. This notion was behind many of the laws concerning their use of the land. Two examples are worth noting here.
First, God commanded that His land was to lie fallow every seventh year to receive a Sabbath rest from planting and harvest.
“For six years you are to sow your fields and harvest the crops, but during the seventh year let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove” (Exodus 23:10,11).
The crops from preceding years were promised to be sufficient to carry them through the sabbath year of rest. Through this law, God was teaching His people that He was to be their source of sustenance, that they should trust in His ability to provide for them more than in their ability to provide for themselves. Over the years, the people of Israel sadly ignored this Sabbatical year law. When the Chronicler looked back on the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C., he interpreted the people’s downfall and the Babylonian captivity in terms of their inability to trust and obey God in this very matter: “He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant . . . The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests” (2 Chronicles 36:20-21).
Second, the concepts of stewardship underlay laws concerning the Year of Jubilee. Every fiftieth year was consecrated as a fresh start throughout the land (Leviticus 25:8-54). Outcasts and prodigals were to return home. Debts were to be forgiven. Land was to be returned to the original owners. Why was this done? The Lord declared that the land rightfully belonged to Him, and no one but Him could claim absolute ownership of it. “The land must not be sold permanently, because the land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants” (Leviticus 25:23).
Thus, the covenant people of God in the Old Testament had a very clear understanding of the concept of stewardship. Even their songs of worship contained references and reminders to this important spiritual principle. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it . . .” (Psalm 24:1,2).
Again, through the Psalmist, God asserts, “For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine and all that is in it” (Psalm 50:10-12).
This theology of God’s ownership also undergirds the Israelite practice of tithes and offerings. There are three different tithes mentioned in the Old Testament:
>a tithe for the Levites (Numbers18:21-24),
>a celebration tithe of agricultural products (Deuteronomy 12:6,7; 14:22-26), and
>a charity tithe (Deuteronomy 14:28,29).
Regardless of the earthly purpose, the core purpose of these offerings was always to be the heart worship of the God who was the owner and giver of everything and the witness of God’s sovereignty.
Reading 1 Chronicles 29: 8 to 17
What do you observe?
Why are we being told David’s prayer? Why does David declare “ Yours is the glory” 1 Chron 29:11?
What does this mean for us today? What does it have say about stewardship?
This heart worship is beautifully illustrated in the Chronicler’s description of the gifts the people of Israel brought for the building of the temple. “The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord” (1 Chronicles 29:9). David, overwhelmed by this outpouring of generosity, breaks into praise, saying, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand. . . . I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you. O Lord, . . . keep this desire in the hearts of your people forever . . .” (2 Chronicles 29:14-18).
The Old Testament teaching on stewardship may be summarized in three principles:
1) God is the owner of everything.
2) God’s covenant people are held responsible for their management of God’s resources.
3) Giving is a worshipful response to God’s ownership of all things and a witness of God’s glory.