Read. Stewardship Principle. Key Verse: The earth is the LORD 's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.

Transcription

1 Stewardship Principle Stewardship: In this series, we will look at all that we have been blessed with by God, and learn to view our time, talents and treasure as His. In This Lesson: Read Matthew 25:14-30 and discover what it means to have a lifestyle of stewardship. Equip Think about how the difference between stewardship and ownership, and relate that to God s generosity in your life. Accountability Discuss your thoughts with your group and encourage each other to apply God s Word to your lives. Pray Pray together with your group because everything begins with, ends with and depends on God. Scorecard How are you doing with the mission that Christ has given you? Key Verse: The earth is the LORD 's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. (Psalm 24:1, NIV) A man reaps what he sows ~Galatians 6:7-8 (NIV)

2 Read Everything is owned by God. He created it therefore it is His. This is a concept that is central to understanding how followers of Jesus should live their lives. This is a very different worldview from the rest of the culture we live in. The culture tells us that we make it, work for it, or purchase it, so that means we own it. Christian worldview says God made it (Psalm 24:1), Jesus purchased it (1 Corinthians 6:20), so we do not own it, but are stewards of it. It really comes down to the difference between ownership and stewardship. We usually have no problem understanding Read Matthew 25:14-30 ownership; a child learns the word mine very early. The Oxford dictionary defines ownership as, The act, state, or right of possessing something. Logically, then, we can make the connection that if God made it, it is His possession. Stewardship is the act of managing or looking after another s property. One definition says a steward is a person employed to manage another s property, especially a large house or estate. To put it in perspective, think of the story of Joseph in Potiphar s House (Genesis 39:1-7). So, the first thing we need to acknowledge that God owns everything. Let s go back to the very beginning. Genesis tells us that God created everything, and He created man to be His steward of the earth. God did not transfer ownership and authority, but gave us stewardship and responsibility. When we fully embrace God s ownership, it empowers us to view everything as belonging to Him, and it changes our relationship with the things of the world.

3 Read Next, we need to take care of or manage what God has given us. Jesus teaches us about caring for what He has given us in the parable of the talents; in this case a talent is an amount of money but the idea works for the talents/gifts that He has given each person. The key takeaway from this parable is that, the Master (Jesus) gave to us each a different amount to steward, but the same principles applied, despite the amount. He expected the resource given to the servants to be used for gain; not individual gain, but for the ruler s gain. We should be using the treasures, talents, and time Christ has given us for His Kingdom s gain. We are called to give generously; first to God, then to others. Whether we have little or much, we have been blessed to be a blessing. Everything we have comes from God. It is a gift that we are to steward and use for His glory, For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36, NIV) C.S. Lewis wrote, in Mere Christianity, Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service, you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. One of the things we should desire to do with the resources God put in our care would be to use them in a way that would be characteristic of their owner, God. One trait of God that shines through in His interactions with man (you and me) is His lavish generosity. See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! (1 John 3:1a, NIV) God gives to His children with such generosity, it s hard to wrap our heads around it, especially in those times when we know we don t deserve it (pretty much always!)

4 Read Romans 5:8 tells us that God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. If God is this generous with His gifts for us, we should reflect that generosity in our stewardship. It s not about what we can get, but rather, what we can give. The bottom line is this: stewardship is a lifestyle that recognizes and reflects God s ownership of all things. In our lives, we need to focus on stewarding God s resources in the areas of treasure, talent, and time. For additional reading: 2 Corinthians 8 2 Corinthians 9 1 Peter 4:10

5 Equip As you read through the Scriptures, perhaps there were some things you didn t understand or needed to study further. Take some time to think and respond to the following questions: 1. Explain, in your own words, the difference between ownership and stewardship. Why is this concept important to Christians? 2. What was the key teaching you got out of the parable from this week s reading of Matthew 25:14-30? 3. Give an example of God s generosity in your life and how you are stewarding it?

6 Accountability Before your next D group meeting, think about the questions below. You will discuss these with your group. These questions will help you to examine your life in light of the truth you explored this week. They also give other group members an opportunity to encourage you to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ. 1. Am I giving to God first from what He has given me? 2. In what area of my time, talents, and treasure am I being frivolous or wasteful? 3. If someone who knew me well were to assess my stewardship, where would I fall short?

7 Pray We believe that we must pray because everything begins with, ends with, and depends on God. Use the following model to pray: In Acts 1:8, Jesus tells His disciples that they are to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. We can use this geographic description as a way to pray relationally, from close relationships out to those we do not know, but know a need. Jerusalem Those relationships that are closest in our lives, such as family, close friends, and church family. Judea These are people we interact with in our circles of relationship that are not as close as family. These people are more than acquaintances, but less than friends, such as co-workers, neighbors, or even more distant relatives. Samaria These are people outside of our normal interactions, but within our circles of knowing. This could be friends of friends, or people in our community. The ends of the earth All the need amongst the Body and for the lost. Examples include missionaries, the persecuted church around the world, or the lost souls outside of our relationship circles.

8 Pray My prayer request regarding the topic this week is: My prayer request regarding a situation in my life is: My prayer request for others is: (fill this out at D Group)

9 Scorecard What is Jesus mission? It is to make His gospel known to all people through word (sharing the gospel) and deed (demonstrating the gospel). This is the mission that every generation of His followers must take up as well. But, don t confuse becoming missional with becoming a foreign missionary. A missionary may devote his or her life to making the gospel known beyond a border or across an ocean. But, Christ calls all of His followers to make the gospel known through word and deeds wherever they live, work or play, as well as in their surrounding communities. Who am I praying for an opportunity to share the truth of Jesus with right now? Who am I intentionally witnessing to about Jesus right now? Who am I discipling right now?