Faithful Stewardship

By Winston Ko

I. Introduction -- Stewardship Month

This is the Stewardship Month in our church. All five Sunday messages will be on the subject of Stewardship. Next Sunday Quinton Rogers will speak on the stewardship of money. On the three subsequent Sundays, Pastor Lee will speak on stewardship of God's household, stewardship of God's people and stewardship of God's truth. There will also be discussions and studies in Sunday School and fellowship groups on the subject. In a sense the Stewardship Month has already started last week with Dick Dowsett's message from Mark. Jesus himself as recorded in Mark, of course, is our best role-model in service.

Stewardship Month has been a long-awaited event in our church. It has been pointed out in numerous occasions that we need to understand the meaning of stewardship Those occasions tend to be when something is being neglected -- the things we should have done but are ignored. What went wrong? The key verse we use today is:

1Pet. 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

The phrase "faithfully administering" in Chinese translation is "being faithful stewards". How to "use whatever gift we have received to serve others, being faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms"? What are "gifts" and "grace in its various forms"? What is a steward? Why me? I will separate today’s message into two major parts -- nature and reason for stewardship and the attributes of good stewardship.

II. Nature and Reason for Stewardship

First we shall consider what is it and "why me". Let us look at several passages in the Scripture. We will discuss stewardship as basic human responsibility, stewardship with vision for believers, stewardship of different kinds of gifts, and stewardship leading to maturity.

A. Stewardship as basic human responsibility

Gen. 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."

First of all, we ought to recognize that as human being we are stewards. God has created man and woman to be stewards over His creation. "Rule over" is "manage" or "administer" rather than "enslaved" and certainly not "abuse". It is an action of responsibility. It is the action of stewardship. God created us and gave us the stewardship over our resources. Stewards have masters. God is the master. He demands us to be accountable to Him.

There are debates as to the best way to manage our resource. Just this last week, "Focus on the Family" had an article cautioning "radical environism" that place animal rights over human rights. Not all Christian would necessarily agree to all details. However, I am speaking about a more elementary principle -- accepting responsibilities and be accountable to God. As a testimony, starting from church, we should show our responsibility by saving energy (turning off lights and heater after usage), recycling papers, etc. This applies to our daily lives as well. We should ask ourselves what is my part in being the steward of our environment. For example, as a scientist I am committed to understanding Nature better so as to be a good steward of it. Through all these, we show we care. We do our basic duty as responsible human beings -- the stewards of our resources. By our deeds we acknowledge the Lordship of God and the responsibility given to us.

B. Stewardship with vision for believers

1Cor. 4: 1 So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the secret things of God. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

For believers, we are further "entrusted with the secret things of God" or, in Chinese translation, "stewards of the secret things of God". What is this? Are we joining a secret society? Of course not! The "secret things" are the vision of the love of God. During this morning's communion, we read in John 13, "Having loved his own who were in the world, he (Jesus) now showed them the full extent of his love... so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him." Peter witnessed this act of great love and therefore he was able to write in 1Peter4, "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling." and then followed by our key verse today, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." This is the vision and the knowledge we need to have before we are to serve God. It is the privilege of believers to be stewards of the vision and the knowledge. Stewardship in God's household and to God's people should be the manifestation that follows.

In verse 2 we see that the requirement for "those who have been given a trust", or stewards, is faithfulness. Whatever we do is a testimony to the world. Even more accurately, how we live is our testimony. Our attitude of serving is more important than our achievement. This is the secret of faithful stewardship -- we give and serve out of the love of God. This is an extremely important principle of fruitful service. Preparing a worship meeting, our aspiration is not to be the "greatest show on earth", but rather for the glory of God. New believers ought to be trained in this principle before taking on substantial visible service. Just like Peter, we must have the vision of the love and glory of God when we deal with the subject of the stewardship of gifts.

C. Stewardship of different kinds of gifts

(1) James 1:16 Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.

(2) 1Cor. 12:4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

While being stewards is a common privilege and duty of all believers, we serve God as stewards of different gifts. Some are visible, such as musical talents. Some are less visible, such as a sympathetic heart. Some may appear to be more spiritual, such as leading Bible studies. Some may seem to be more mundane such as cooking for Sunday lunches. But they are all firstfruits that we can offer to our God. Visible or invisible, seemingly spiritual or seemingly mundane, they require the same faithfulness, receive the same acceptance from God as firstfruits, and deserve the same respect from others. "Every good and perfect gift is from above". Indeed, denying our gifts is not humility but dodging responsibility. Let the Spirit show us the gifts that we are to be stewards of. The same Spirit will also head the teamwork so that we can serve harmoniously.

D. Stewardship leading to maturity

Eph. 4:12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

God demands that we be faithful stewards of the gifts that He has given to us. However, serving Him is not the end to itself. He wants us to reach maturity through serving Him. Our talents are not something to boast about. They are the means and not the end. Be faithful stewards in order that we can "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ".

It is heart-warming to witness the recent service of the members of the Youth Group. They are taking on some of the baby-sitting chores in our church. Then they use the proceeds that they earn to support a needy child in South America. Suddenly, these young people become so mature. It is growing up in its most real sense. It is a real joy to see their maturing through service. I hope someday our heavenly Father could have the joy of seeing us, through works of service, "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ".

III. Attributes of Good Stewardship

Now we will consider the principal characteristics of good stewardship. Again, let us look at several passages in the Scripture. The basic attributes include reverence, faithfulness, kindness, and orderliness.

A. Reverence

(1) Exod. 3:5 "Do not come any closer," God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground."

(2) 1Pet. 2:16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.

A month ago, as I started to work on this message Frank Lin was helping me. He suggested the examples of Moses and Isaiah. For Moses, he used the above Exodus verse. That Sunday, Rick De La Pena came and spoke on the subject of holiness. He also talked about Moses and Isaiah and on Moses he used the same verse. That weekend, Shu Geng, Quinton Rogers and I have to talk to a new believer who expressed desire to serve the Church. Shu also used this verse to advise him. This is the Spirit at work, pointing out to us the fundamental attitude of stewardship -- reverence. Being God's stewards is a serious matter. We are accountable to the soverign Master. We are standing on holy ground. Do not contaminate it with desires for worldly gain. We should have the fear of God in our heart.

"Fear of God" in Chinese is not only to be afraid of God but also to respect God. Respect His authority. Respect what He has instructed us. Then "show proper respect to everyone". As stewards, we ought to respect the work and needs of others. Be considerate when we serve. After using church facilities, for example a Sunday School room, stop and ask, "Is it ready for the next use?". After Sunday lunches, ask, "Have I done my part to clean up?" Before putting up posters and decorations, ask, "How and when am I going to take it down?" Clean-up is the easiest part to neglect in all ministries! Anyone borrowing church equipment should first obtain the proper permission from Administration and Properties Committee to avoid causing serious inconvenience to other program. Respect the right of the users following. This is something that might sound trivial, but it could cause much trouble for others. Reverence is an attitude that excludes "ma ma hu hu" or expediency.

With the fear of God come also "honor the king". For us it is to respect the law of the land. Trying to bypass the law of the land to "serve God" is contradictory and could be the worst testimony we can think of. This is particularly true for the visible service. Examine even small things such as coming to worship and parking in the shopping center across the street knowingly in violation of local ordinance. Being stewards, we ought to remind each other constantly and encourage each other not to bypass laws of the land for our worldly gains or expediency.

I want to say one more aspect of "respect", viz., self-respect. Respect others and respect the law of the land is the hallmark of our fear of God. Having these, we can then have self-respect. When we find out the gifts God gave us we have self-esteem or even become self-satisfied. We could be serving enthusiastically but only for our own satisfaction, or even for our own glory. However, being a faithful steward of the gifts and serving with reverence can give us self-respect! This is the kind of service that is acceptable to God.

B. Faithfulness and C. Kindness

(1) Matt. 24:45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

(2) Col. 3:12 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

In the parable Jesus teaches us to be faithful and kind stewards. As discussed already, faithfulness is to be honest to God and ourselves. Faithfulness is also to give priority. Worship teams (or MC or choir) put in time to practice and the worship they lead glorifies God. Sunday school teachers and Bible study leaders put in time to prepare lesson and the students are edified. Even the very young students can sense whether we care for them and have faithfully prepared to lead the children's worship. Yes, a good steward "gives them food at proper time". Give priority, give time to edify others.

Talking about food, we appreciate the brother and sisters who cook the Sunday lunch week after week. They keep this important function of church life going. Faithfulness is "in for the long haul". Faithfulness requires persistence, not "five minute enthusiasm". "It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns." Are you considering short term missions this Summer? The phrase "short term missions" could be misleading. The Great Commission -- "therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you and surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" -- is surely for a long term. "Short term mission" is therefore a temporary change of venue. For this reason the church has a policy of not supporting untrained (short term) missionaries. You ought to continue witnessing and teaching after you get back. You may even consider timing your short term missions so as to help out the Vacation Bible School after you come back. Sunday School is all year round. Teaching it is a challenge to our faithfulness as time is its litmus test.

Faithfulness is also manifested in the consideration of small things. It shows up in small acts like picking up litter that you see on the ground. Only those who show faithfulness in small matters would God entrust with "all his possessions". As part of the Stewardship Month activity, we are calling volunteers to "adopt" a plot of the church yard to keep it clean, free from weeds, and beautiful. There is a map on the bulletin board in the vestibule and everyone, individually or as a group, is encouraged to sign up for a plot for any duration of time. You can begin doing this today after the worship service!

The rest of the parable teaches what not to do. The message is clear: be kind to our coworkers. Treat others "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience". This is not always easy; we need to encourage each other to do so. We need to learn to apologize when we are wrong. Help weaker members of the body for our church to "reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

A type of "weaker members" is the children. Parents are stewards of their children, entrusted by God for their well being and for the kind of persons they would grow up to be. Recently, some parents in our church have requested to "dedicate" their children. This is really parents' pledge before God to accept the stewardship of their children. The church participates in it as a pledge to help parents to share the stewardship. In a larger sense, we are stewards of all children coming to our church. We have the responsibility to teach them, not only by words but also by our deeds, to fear God, to respect themselves, to respect others, and to respect properties in God's household. We should teach them not only in Sunday School classes, but also collectively show them that we care about how they behave. It would be an easy way out if we simply brush them aside or forbid them to do this and that. But good stewards would give them respect as individuals; show them that they are important in our church. Teach them "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience". May I ask that we all try to do that? I have faith in the positive results.

D. Orderliness

(1) Col. 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

(2) 1Cor. 12:18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

Orderly organization in church ministry is important. However, it must be built on three principles here:
- the headship of Christ,
- "the church" (not "fellowship" that is only one aspect of church life),
- same respect for every ministry.

Our church's organization is shown on the diagram of the Coworker Team. Different ministries are organized by the deacons in charge. Note that the pastor is our spiritual leader but not the chief executive officer in the worldly sense. In this Stewardship Month we will learn and discuss more about our organization. Next month, there will be an All Servant's Conference in which a call to join the Coworker's Team will be issued. If you are not clear about who is in charge of what, we thank God that we now have Rowena as the Church Secretary and she can direct you to the proper channel.

IV. Conclusions

In summary, We have considered that being stewards is our privilege and responsibility. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. The characteristics of faithful stewardship include the fear of God, the respect of others, and the respect of the law of the land; giving priority, being persistent, paying attention to details, and seeking no worldly gain or expediency; being kind, honest and encouraging to each other; submitting to the headship of Christ and building up each other in an orderly fashion "until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

Title: Faithful Stewardship
By: Winston Ko
Series: Stewardship
Date: 3/2/97