The Stewardship of the Servant

In the Great Commission Jesus said, “All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matt. 28:18-20)

We as Christians are required to teach ALL things we are taught in the Word of God. We want to be able to say with Paul: “"For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.” (Acts 20:27) When we stand before the Lord we want to know we did everything we could to get the message out. We can use many methods to get out the word. Pens, pencils, tracts, flyers, brochures, business cards, movies, radio, plays, concerts, children’s programs, music, teaching, driving vans, breakfasts, dinners, yard sales, VBS, back-yard Bible clubs, personal invitations, postcards, letters, billboards, Bibles, and many more things can be used for evangelism and introducing people to the church.

The problem is not found in any of the above methods. The problem is not using our resources here for the work of the Kingdom. Each one of the above named events requires money. God has blessed us with a wonderful building and with great donations from many loving hearts. What good are they for the Kingdom of God if we do not use them to their full potential? What good is a VCR player if we never put a tape in it? What good is a balcony if we do not fill it? What good is a church nest egg? We are provided these items for ministry.
What is the purpose of a church? Remember the church is not a building. It is us. A group of people redeemed by the blood of Christ. We are servants – SLAVES – to our Risen Lord.

We place ourselves voluntarily into this service. If we are truly servants of Christ and we are truly His slaves we recognize that we own nothing. We are stewards of what the Owner (Christ) has placed into our area of responsibility. Jesus Christ made all things and He is the Owner Supreme. Even our bodies are his property we are borrowing for a short time.
What rights do we have? We have no rights. We can demand nothing from the Creator. Christ has given us many things too numerous to number. He has given and He can take them away too. It is required that we execute His will faithfully. We see that in First Corinthians 4:2 where Paul reminds us: “Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” Faithfulness is a requirement not a request.

In the parable of the talents found in Matthew 25:14-30 there are only two types of servants – good and faithful servants or wicked and slothful servants. Their status was determined by their action. Into what did they invest their money? Did they invest? The only servant with a savings account when the Lord came back was the servant called wicked and slothful. Each servant has the responsibility to put God’s finances into action. Souls are not impacted for the Kingdom by a church which tries to retain a large savings. Money is a tool to be used for God. It can be used to reach and win lost people to Christ.

Jesus admonishes us in Matthew 6:19-21 to not lay up treasures for ourselves upon the earth. Our treasure is to be laid up in heaven. Jesus warns where our treasure is there will be our heart also. Where is the treasure of our church? In the bank? In the buildings, property or furniture? Or is our investment in the people? 1 John 3:17 says, “But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?”

Do we see the need and are not giving to it or do we just not see the need?How will we stand in judgment as a congregation? Are we a covetous church? Does our bank account say money in the bank is to be desired more than evangelism? What are we doing with what we have? Are we preparing for blessing or chastisement? We are to first consult God and see where He is leading and then by faith go there. The just shall live by faith. The church shall also live by faith not by bank. The souls in the South County area hang in the balance. What kind of servant will we be?