Having previously taught on the above subject matter, in Part One, today I am continuing with the second part under two sub-topics, the first of which is:
SELFLESS SERVICES: THE HALLMARK OF A FAITHFUL STEWARD HERE ON EARTH
Luke 17:7-10; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23.
The watchword for any responsible steward should be faithfulness. This is so because as a person employed to manage another’s assests, the steward’s primary focus should be on prompt service delivery; personal interest, or self gratification, must be shelved and not allowed to interfere with that goal!
“So, likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do”. Luke 17:10.
The statement by our Lord Jesus Christ, which is quoted above, has aptly defined how the Christian steward’s attitude towards ministry should be:
- The steward should do “… all those things which are commanded…” them in their area of service by the Lord, or by whomsoever He delegates His authority to so command. See Hebrews 13:17.
- The steward should also carry out such services as “… unprofitable servants…” as though they have no rewards to gain from it. See 1 Corinthians 9:1-23.
- The steward should view such services they render in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as an obligation they owed to Him, and not as a volunteer work that must await their convenience. They should see it as “…that which was our duty to do…” 1 Corinthians 9:16-17.
When we bear in mind that Christian stewardship refers to the responsibility that the Christian has in maintaining and using wisely the gifts that God has bestowed on them, (be they financial, intellectual or spiritual gifts) for the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every living soul, and to the world at large, then we would be more careful to deploy those gifts solely for that purpose, instead of consuming it on ourselves. For this to be possible, we must do the following:
1. Live An Examined Life: _2 Corinthians 13:5-6; Lamentations 3:40
By constantly taking stock of our lives we can be sure that we are still yielded and surrendered to doing the will of God. This is very important because it is our continued obedience to, and dependence on, Jesus Christ that gives us more grace, strength and renewed zeal for the fulfilment of our stewardship in line with His will.
If something goes wrong with our relationship with Jesus Christ, we can be sure that it will affect our ability to continue to be faithful stewards of the gifts which God has bestowed on us for the services of His Kingdom.
“Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” 2 Corinthians 13:5.
It is possible to gradually drift away from the Lord until all that is left for us to hold unto in ministry are the memories of our past relationship with Him, whereas we do no longer receive further instructions from Him anymore. If this describes our present relationship with Him, we would do well to humbly admit it and seek reconciliation with Him once again.
“Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord”. Lamentations 3:40.
However, if anyone fails to return to the Lord, upon discovery that their relationship with Him has been compromised, that action could open them up to demonic manipulation, as seen in the scripture below.
“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron…” 1 Timothy 4:1-2.
This is the sad case with most self-professed servants of God today, but their undoing actually began when they failed to constantly examine themselves to see whether they were in a right standing with God, or not.
2. Live A Controlled Life:
Titus 2:1-8; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Proverbs 25:28; Galatians 5:22-26.
If by God’s grace we have passed the test of self-examination, then we must also strive to possess the virtue of self-control, which is one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, if at all we are to render a selfless service to mankind as Christ’s faithful stewards.
It usually takes a great deal of self-restraint, coupled with constant prayer, fasting and trust in God’s power, to be able to serve others selflessly. This is so, because man is instinctively self-centered, and this self-elevation needs to be broken down before he can be able to serve as a truly faithful steward of Christ.
A lack of control over our 5 basic emotions of joy, fear, sadness, disgust and anger would certainly leave our lives open to the forces influencing self-centeredness.
“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without a wall”. Proverbs 25:28.
The joy of success at achieving our aims, the fear of losing the things or people we cherish, the sadness we experience when things don’t work out the way we’d wanted, the disgust we feel for things or people who don’t measure up to our expectations, and the anger we express when we feel belittled or taken for granted; all have a profound effect in driving up the human instinct to give their self-interest top priority. While this may be applauded in the secular world, the Christian faith, on the other hand, frowns at self-centeredness or selfishness and views it as a vice which can impair a Christian’s stewardship.
The Bible teaches that the Christian should put other people’s interest above their own as a mark of true humility and love, which are key in the rendering of selfless services. To be self-controlled means much for the Christian steward; it means that they can effectively cast a restraint, rather than gratify any desire of their heart, which will not glorify God, or enable them to serve others as Jesus Christ would have done. Matthew 25:31-40.
“Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others” Philippians 2:3-4.
Below are some areas of our lives where we need to be self-controlled in order to render a selfless service to others in Christ’s stead:
i. When we control our appetite for food so we can:
a. Fast more often and, thus, be spiritually strong and sensitive to effectively minister as Christ’s stewards. Mark 9:28-29.
b. Share our food with those who are not privileged to have as much, or as little, as we do. Matthew 25:35
ii. When we control our spending habit so we can give more to support the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the needy persons around us. Malachi 3:8-12; Matthew 6:19-21; Deuteronomy 15:7-11
iii. When we control our fleshly desires. We can be a model of Christian purity to the world around us and, thus, be able to lay a good example for them to follow. 1 Corinthians 9:27; Titus 2:11-12; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; 1 Peter 2:11-12.
iv. When we control our temper or desire for revenge and, thus, choose to suffer wrong patiently that we may be a silent witness of the beauty of the Christian life to our offenders and to the world at large. Romans 12:17-21; Matthew 5:38-45; 1 Peter 2:21-23.
v. When we control our success or achievements in life so that we do not unnecessarily direct attention to ourselves rather than on the gospel we have been called to preach for the salvation of lost souls. Romans 12:3, 16; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 4:6-7.
3. LIVE A SACRIFICIAL LIFE
Romans 12:1; Luke 9:23-24; Matthew 10:38-39; 19:27-29; Galatians 2:20
Christianity is based on the principle of self-sacrifice, which is symbolized by the cross upon which Jesus Christ sacrificed His life in order that those who believe and accept Him in faith as their Lord and Savior may be saved. John 3:16.
Following this same principle, the Christian steward is expected to offer a sacrificial service to God and humanity. For this to be possible, we must daily put to death all conflicting personal interests for the greater good of God’s Kingdom so as to effectively preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. This is what Jesus Christ meant when He said we must deny ourselves, carry our cross daily and follow after Him.
“And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” Matthew 10:38.
Below are some areas of our lives which we are required to sacrificially give up in order to offer selfless services to the world around us as God’s faithful stewards:
1. OUR TIME: _Mark 6:30-34; Acts 20:17-21; 2:46-47.
It is interesting how much time Jesus Christ committed to carrying out His earthly ministry. He sacrificialy committed the whole of His last 3 ½ years to doing nothing else but His heavenly Father’s work, while taking no thoughts for leisure or respite from the harsh elements of nature, namely: the heat by day and the cold by night. He had no home to call His own.
“And Jesus saith unto him, the foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head” Matthew 8:20.
We can say the same thing about His disciples, that they went through all of that trouble with Jesus Christ ministering to the lost and hurting without a murmur. They truly understood what it meant to sacrifice their time for the salvation of others.
“And the apostles gathered themselves together unto Jesus and told him all things, both what they had done, and what they had taught. And he said unto them, come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat” Mark 6:31.
When Paul the apostle came to believe in and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, he also imbibed that same virtue of self-sacrifice. He served the people, “…from the first day…” that he came into Asia, and “…at all seasons…” He served and taught them “Publicly, and from house to house…” leaving no one within his reach unattended to with the gospel of Jesus Christ, for the duration of those three years which he spent in Asia. Such commitment and sacrifice deserve our commendation.
Since God is the giver of time, we must use the time He has given to us more for Him and less for ourselves. Like John the Baptist, we should be able to say that “… He must increase, but I must decrease”. John 3:30.
2. OUR TALENT: Ephesians 4:7-13; 2 Timothy 1:6-9; 1 Peter 4:10-11; 1 Corinthians 7:7.
“As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” 1 Peter 4:10.
There is not a soul that ever lived whom God has not properly fitted with some abilities by which they could render services to His Kingdom if they so wish. But, in reality, that is not what we see the majority of mankind doing; most people fend only for themselves by use of those divine abilities but would hardly honour the Lord, who gave it to them, by the use of it.
“For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner and another after that” 1 Corinthians 7:7.
Paul, who made the statement above, lived a life worthy of emulation for those who want to render a selfless service to mankind in Christ’s stead, because as an Apostle richly endowed with spiritual gifts (Romans 15:17-19; Acts 19:11-17), scholastical honours (Acts 22:3) and entrepreneurial skills (Acts 18:1-3; Acts 20:33-35), he never used any of those personal endowments to enrich himself, although it was easy for him to have done so as the sole Apostle to the gentile converts. He, rather, chose to live an austere life and would not utilize any of the benefits attached to his offices, which were his to enjoy and to do with as he pleased.
1 Corinthians 9:1-12:
“Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are ye not my work in the Lord? … Have we not power to eat or to drink…? If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? And they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? Even so, hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. But I have used none of these things: neither have I written these things, that it should be so done unto me: for it were better for me to die, than that any man should make my glorying void”. 1 Corinthians 9:1, 4, 11-15
Such selfless and sacrificial services should be the identifying mark of God’s true and holy stewards today. But what we see, instead, is a selfish and greedy horde of unholy and self-proclaimed “men of God” who devour the helpless and poor souls they claim to be serving. Ezekiel 34:1-16.
Pastors today use their spiritual gifts as money-making machines to enrich themselves rather than to advance the cause of the Gospel. Most evangelists will not accept an invitation to minister unless they are guaranteed financial rewards; in fact, some insist that the money be paid upfront before they honour any invitation. Today Gospel Artists sing for money, not for God’s glory anymore. Christian authors see Christian literature as an investment to fall back on, and not as a tool to reach the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. No doubt God wants us to also benefit from the talents and gifts which He has bestowed upon us, but it must be with such moderation and discipline that clearly demonstrates selflessness. 1 Timothy 6:6-12.
3. OUR MONEY/RESOURCES: Haggai 2:8
Perhaps one of the most difficult sacrifices, which most people struggle to make for God’s work, is that which involves their finances, or assets. This difficulty stems from the fact that we tend to see our financial and material resources as the fruit of our labour and, therefore, see no reason why we should not do with them as we please. This kind of reasoning is wrong for the Christian steward, for it is like a child who refuses to give his father a piece of biscuit from a whole pack that he had given to him simply because there has been a change of ownership.
“For who maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” 1 Corinthians 4:7.
If only we would reason that we are the work of God’s own hands, and that all the blessings that come upon our lives are also by the work of His own hands, then we would have no trouble sacrificially giving our finances and/or resources for His work here on earth.
Since God is the giver of life and every good thing, and since He has chosen us to serve the Lord Jesus Christ, may we sacrificially discharge those duties with the conviction that “… We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do”.
Luke 17:10.
This brings us to the last Sub-topic titles: HEAVENLY STEWARDSHIP: THE EXCLUSIVE PRESERVE OF THE HOLY AND FAITHFUL STEWARD
Matthew 25:14-46
In this last sub-topic under this series, we are going to look at the study from the following points of view:
1. CHRIST’S RETURN TO EXAMINE OUR STEWARDSHIP
Matthew 25:14-19; 25:31-33; 2 Corinthians 5:10
“So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God” Romans 14:12.
Our earthly stewardship would come to an end at the moment we die; but whether we die or remain alive until when our Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth, we His stewards shall be gathered to Him to give account of our stewardship. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15. Each Christian steward will be required by Jesus Christ to account for how they have employed their talents and spiritual gifts, and how they have utilized all the opportunities which God gave to them in the advancement of His cause here on earth.
2. GOD’S REWARD FOR FAITHFUL AND HOLY STEWARDS
Matthew 25:20-23; 25:34-40; 19:27-30; Galatians 6:9-10
The striking thing to observe here is that God is more interested in our faithfulness to carry on with our stewardship than He is in the success of our mission, but it is we who must determine to be faithful to it or not.
Don’t build your hope on the number of persons you are reaching out to in ministry because God adds to His Church with or without your input; strive, rather, to be faithful in your walk with God, no matter how small your labour field is or how few the flock you oversee there. Remember, your attitude to God’s work is more important than the work itself because He can go ahead and do it even without you.
“And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, write, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” Revelation 14:13.
Our eventual admittance into heaven would not be based only on the fact that we have won souls for Christ or have achieved great success in His Kingdom business. There are great preachers and evangelists, with much souls won and great works done to their credit, who are presently languishing in hell because they were not truly faithful to God. God can use anyone either as a holy vessel (2 Timothy 2:19-21) or as just an ordinary channel (Romans 9:14-18; James 7:11-12) to fulfill His will; but the choice as to which way He uses us is always ours: you can choose to either be a faithful and holy vessel in which He dwells to do His work here on earth, or else become an unfaithful steward that He would, nevertheless, use as a sign-post to direct the lost to Himself. Whatever we choose to be, God’s will must still be done!
3. THE REPROOF AND CONDEMNATION OF THE UNFAITHFUL STEWARD
Matthew 25:24-30; 25:41-46; 24:45-51
“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart my Lord delays His coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” Matthew 24:48-51.
God is more interested in showing mercy to the unfaithful stewards than He is in punishing them. 1 Timothy 1:15-16; 2:3-4.
God is longsuffering and merciful; He would only pass judgment on the unrepentant after He has exhausted all other avenues to get them to repent and turn away from their unfaithfulness.
“Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn you, turn you from your evil ways; for why will you die, O house of Israel” Ezekiel 33:11
In Matthew 25:24-30, the Lord did not punish the unprofitable servant only because he failed in his stewardship, but more because he was arrogant and unremorseful. He knew of his failure but did nothing to obtain the mercy that should freely have been shown to him by the Lord who keeps “… mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” Exodus 34:5-7.
We should strive to be the faithful stewards whom the Lord has called and commissioned us to be; but in the event that we find our works to be falling short of His standards at any given time, we must approach Him at His throne of Mercy and Grace and seek for His forgiveness and renewal of our strength to offer that acceptable service which He desires from His faithful stewards.
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” Hebrews 4:16.
The End