Stewardship
1 Corinthians 4:1-2 1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
Paul is specifically addressing ministers of the gospel in these verses – stewards of the mysteries (things hidden that they might be revealed) of God.
A steward is
- Not the owner, but is entrusted with the owner’s things / affairs
- Responsible for their management and upkeep
- Accountable for what he does concerning those things
- A servant/employee of the owner. His services are purchased by the owner for the profit of the owner. A manager.
Some examples of stewards:
(Matthew 18:23-34) Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle affairs with his servants.
Joseph was a steward in the house of Potiphar, and later became steward over all Egypt.
(Romans 3:2) To the Jews were committed the oracles of God. And we see that commission has been passed to us in Romans 4:1.
Not only are those in the ministry required to be stewards, but every Christian.
1 Peter 4:10-11 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Actually it is a fallacy to say that those that are in traditional ministerial positions – i.e., “the clergy” – are the only ones in the ministry. We are all called to be ministers. As Perter says, each one of us has a gift.
The greatest qualification of a steward is that he be found faithful.
Faithful: keeping the faith, loyal. Reliable, dependable. Trustworthy.
It is faithfulness, not faith, which is a fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5:22. I purposely did not capitalize “spirit” because it is fruit that grows in our own human spirit as we are led by the Holy Spirit and His character “rubs off” on us.
A fruit of the spirit is God’s character being manifest in a believer. Therefore we should see that faithfulness is a character trait of God.
God Is Faithful
Hebrews 10:23 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
Lamentations 3:22-23 22 Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.
2 Timothy 2:12-13 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us.
13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.
Hebrews 11:11 11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
As Sarah did, we should also judge God faithful (see Judging Him Faithful).
A Time of Proving
God will not put a novice in a position of leadership. It would be unfair to the person, and to those he/she is leading.
1 Timothy 3:10 10 But let these also first be tested (proven); then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless.
1 Timothy 3:1, 6-7 1 This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work.
6 not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil.
7 Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
God will prove a person in some other area before putting him (or her) in a position of spiritual leadership.
The word prove (Gr. dokimadzo) means to test, with the expectation of approving. To assay and show the worth of. If the qualifications are met, the stamp of approval is rewarded. Like a quality control inspection.
The danger of putting a novice into a position of authority is that when God uses them, they could get puffed up and that would be their downfall.
The type of character God looks for must be manifested in all areas of your life, and not just a show put on at church. We must “… have a good testimony with those outside the church”.
Looking for Character
It is character God seeks to prove in you before promoting you, not ability. God will provide the ability if you’ve got the character. It is very common that God will call you to something that you are not qualified in. Then when you do great things, everyone will know it was God.
1 Timothy 1:12 12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,
God proves you out in smaller areas first, and things that are not your own.
Luke 16:10-12 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
“God knows my heart. He knows I have the character it takes to do the job”.
That may be true, but proving means it is shown to be true by experience.
You’ve heard the expression, “The proof is in the pudding”. What in the world does that mean? It makes more sense if you know the whole saying: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating”. How do you know if someone is a good cook? If what they cook tastes good (and doesn’t poison you), then they’re a good cook. Like the scripture that says “Taste and see”.
Individuality and Responsibility
God does not expect the same performance out of everyone. He treats us as individuals with our own natural tendencies and talents.
Principal #1: To whom more is given, more is expected
Luke 12:35-48 contrasts good vs. bad servants.
The master went away, but the servants were watching for his coming. This of course has application to us. Are we watching for His coming, occupied with His business? The master was very pleased when they opened to him immediately,
Luke 12:42-48 42 And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?
43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.
44 Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has.
45 But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk,
46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
47 And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
Principal #2: God entrusts responsibility according to ability
The ability I am talking about here is more about spiritual ability and character. Skills can be learned. Character is made.
Matthew 25:14-30 is the parable of the talents. Jesus is the “man” who traveled to a far country – heaven.
Matthew 25:14-15 14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.
15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey.
These were not like blessings or the promises of God – those are for all. What he was delivering to his servants was responsibility over his goods. They were to act as stewards.
And noticed that those goods were apportioned according to the master’s assessment of their abilities.
The servants were expected to do something with what they were entrusted with. The master was looking for them to increase it.
Vs. 19, the master was gone for a long time, but then he called them to give an account for what they had done.
We will also give an account of what we have done on this earth. Now it is not a judgment of sin – Jesus has already dealt with that. But our works will be judged (1 Corinthians 3:9-15, for more see Looking for God’s Reward).
Principal #3: Attitude is Important
Matthew 25:18 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money.
Matthew 25:24-25 24 Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed.
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’
This guy’s attitude was rotten. He was actually resentful that he would have to do the work of investing money that was not his. But the real problem was he was afraid. He was afraid to take a risk.
The kingdom of God involves taking risks. What if I pray for this person’s healing, and they don’t get healed? What if I witness to this person, and I get rejected? What if I prophesy to this one, and I get it all wrong?
That’s the devil talking. Turn it around! What if I pray for this person’s healing, and they are miraculously healed? What if I witness to this person, and they get saved? What if I give a prophecy, and the person is greatly impacted?
But fear stopped this one person from doing anything but hide. I’m convinced that even if he made bad investments and lost some of the money, he would have fared better than he had. And after being insulted, the master was none too pleased with him.
Matthew 25:26-30 26 But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.
27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.
28 Therefore take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Principal #4: God rewards quality, not quantity
One servant was given 5 talents, one was given 2, and one was given one. The first servant doubled what he was entrusted with – a 100% profit.
Matthew 25:21 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’
The master praised him for being faithful. And what was his reward? He was given authority and responsibility.
Then the second servant came forward, and he had made two more talents with the two he had been entrusted with. He also turned a 100% profit. And if you look at the master’s response in vs. 23, he uses the exact same words that he did with the first servant. And although the first servant made the master 3 talents richer than the second, they both received the same rewards because they both doubled what they had.
Principal #5 Rewarded with Authority
So we see in the parable of the talents that the faithful servants that produced a return were made “rulers over much” – they were rewarded with authority.
Luke 19 has a similar story, and at first glance people you might think it was the same story, but it has some important differences. PersonallyI believe this was two separate occasions and Jesus was speaking to different groups of people (although the disciples would have been there on both occasions).
Luke 19:12-27 12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.
13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’
14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’
15 And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’
17 And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.’
18 And the second came, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned five minas.’
19 Likewise he said to him, ‘You also be over five cities.’
20 Then another came, saying, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have kept put away in a handkerchief.
21 For I feared you, because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’
22 And he said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant. You knew that I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow.
23 Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’
24 And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.’
25 (But they said to him, ‘Master, he has ten minas.’)
26 For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.
27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’
First difference to notice is that there were 10 servants the master gave money to, and he gave each one the same amount – a “mina” (vs. 13). A footnote in one translation says that a mina was worth about three months’ salary. It was a lot less than the talent in the other parable. Both a talent and a mina are measures of weight, like a pound, or ounce. So the total worth would depend on was substance it was a measure of – like gold or silver.
So this master invested in more people, but at a lower amount each. He also did not distribute to each based on an assessment of their abilities – they all started with the same amount, one mina.
Now although he gave money to ten servants, we only hear the accounting of the first three.
The first servant in vs. 16-17 made ten minas. I take it that means there was additional 10 more, plus the original mina. That’s a 1000% increase!
And what was he rewarded with? He was given authority over ten cities. He was promoted to being a master himself.
The second servant in vs. 18-19 came forward and said that he had earned 5 minas (a 500% increase). And what was he rewarded with? Authority over five cities.
Note another difference between the parable of the minas and the parable of the talents. In the parable of the talents, the servants were given different amounts to begin with, but the faithful ones both doubled what they had been given – i.e., the say percentage increase. And the reward they received was the same.
In the parable of the talents, all the servants started with the same amount, but they (the ones talked about) produced different profits – one ten-fold, one five-fold. And their reward was directly proportional to their profit.
Another difference is how the one servant who hid the money and insulted the master was treated.
In both instances, the money they were given was taken from them and given to the one who had earned the most.
In the parable of the talents, the servants was “cast into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. He was cast out of the master’s presence and household – basically he was fired. And most likely he lived on the master’s estate, so he was now homeless.
In the parable of the minas, it just says that the mina he had been given was taken from him.
Another difference is a bit more subtle. Look at the accounting the first servant in the parable of the talents gave:
Matthew 25:20 20 So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’
“I have gained five more talents”. Now contrast that with the servants with the minas said:
Luke 19:16 16 Then came the first, saying, ‘Master, your mina has earned ten minas.’
“Your mina has earned ten minas”.
The parable of the talents was all about the servants’ ability – the amount they were given was even “according to their ability”. In the parable of the minas, they recognized more of where their source came from.
So what does all this about investing and authority over cities have to do with us? This is a bit of conjecture on my part, but it does say that during the millennial period where Christ comes down to reign on the earth, that we as His saints will be ruling and reigning with Him. And what would that look like?
Remember that during that millennial period, there are still regular people on the earth, and not just His resurrected saints. We will be His representatives to those people. Perhaps we will be given authority over cities. How much authority we will be given then will depend on how faithful we are in this life.
