Stewardship - What, How, and Who

Stewardship - What, How, and Who 

Collin Leong. Jan 21, 2017

A. Introduction

And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. (Luke 12:42-43)

When Jesus (and the apostles) use the word “steward” the connotation is not that of a slave without authority. In the Old Testament, the steward is a trusted servant of the King, empowered with much autonomy to manage the household events and treasures of the palace.  Joseph, the prime minister of Eqypt, also had a steward in charge of his house. (Gen 43:16-25). Joseph’s brothers had to go through the steward, to whom they call “lord” before they can meet with Joseph. 

Probably the most famous steward is Ziba, the steward of the King Saul’s household who managed to trick David into giving to him the possessions meant for Mephibosheth’s  (Saul's only surviving grandson.)  See 2Sam 16 and 2Sam 19. Such is the power and influence of the office of the steward. 

The word “steward” is translated from the Greek “oikonomos” or “epitropos.”  Other English words translated from them include “manager”, “administrator” or “governor”. The verbs equivalent could be translated to “dispensation, order, plan, or training.” With these definition and context given, let’s dive in deeper about the concept of stewardship and the responsibilities the scriptures gave to Christians as stewards of God’s grace. 

B. Main Concepts of Stewardship

1. Stewardship is all about the appropriate use of our assets for God’s Kingdom. (Wrong!)

“The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.” (Psalms 24:1)

Stewards own no assets. All assets are owned by the master. The verse above is a great verse to memorize and repeat each time we feel attached to “our” possessions. Not only we do not own any assets, we do not even own our own bodies!

“For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

CS Lewis puts it this way: “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. “  –  Mere Christianity

Therefore, stewardship is not God taking something from us for we own nothing; we are merely His channel to dispense His blessings to His creatures. 

Well, there is only one thing that we own: and that’s the accountability of protecting and the investing of the assets God has put in our hands. In the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30), the servants get ALL the resources from God though in different measures. They are accountable to invest and bring in a profit (bearing fruit) proportionate to the amount given. 

What assets have God given us to be accountable for and to channel to others, specifically? Well, it is definitely not just limited to physical assets or possessions and we will discuss this more in the next section.

2. I have the right to use God’s assets as I see fit (Wrong!)

“Thus says the Lord GOD of hosts, “Come, go to this steward, to Shebna, who is in charge of the royal household, ‘What right do you have here, and whom do you have here, that you have hewn a tomb for yourself here, you who hew a tomb on the height, you who carve a resting place for yourself in the rock?” (Isa 22:15-16)

The verse above refers to the steward of Israel’s palace before it fell to the Babylonians, Shebna. He saw it fit to spend the palace's money to build himself a grand tomb and elevate himself as an important person.

Only the owner has rights. Stewards have responsibilities. A steward takes instructions from the Master of the house in what to do with the household and its possessions. This does not mean we need to be told what to do with each dollar before we spend it – the wise stewards know the Master’s preference and wishes and dispense or invest His master’s assets accordingly.

In the parable of the talents, the Master went away, entrusting the servant to do the right thing. To the servant who hid the talent in the ground, the master said “‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest.” (Mat 25:26-27). Thus our Master expects us to know His will and ways and to do them, and not our own.

The fact that we have no rights do not just apply to physical possessions, but also our “rights” to how I’m treated by other people. We often curse and swear when someone cuts into our lane. We get irate and demand compensation when someone accidentally dents our car. Not that we shouldn’t expect justice, but remember that none of these are rights but privileges God chose to bless us with – a good legal system, police protection, health care, transportation and so on. We therefore ought be more thankful for the privilege than being petty with our “rights.”

3. The more you give, the more you get! (Wrong!)

In Colossians 3:23-24 Paul writes: "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

That is dangerously close to prosperity theory teachings which are unfortunately wide spread among mega-churches. When we looked into biblical teachings about the Christian community recently (see blog), the early church Christians sold their possessions and gave to whoever has a need. The goal is to meet needs, not to prosper. In reality, we would likely be poorer in term of monetary wealth the more we give, though God has the prerogative to bless whoever he wishes with increased riches and not just because of the person’s generosity.  

Having said that, the more serious problem is not the misuse of the scriptures or even greed for rewards. The bigger and wider problem is that most Christians horde their riches. Why? Well, let’s be honest – we want to enjoy our present life and build a secure future. How many Christians can you find who will willingly emulate the believers in Acts 2:45 who sold everything and distribute to the needy? This subject frankly scares a lot of people!

There is a motivation to release what is under our stewardship, however. God did promise that we will receive rewards many times over when he welcomes us to His Kingdom: "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!" (Matt 25:21) In the meantime, as we practice give, we grow in spiritual maturity and develop a mind that is anxiety-free as well as an increased faith that is wholly dependent on God.  

C. Main Responsibilities in Stewardship

It would not be possible to create a thorough list of what we, as stewards for God’s Kingdom on earth, are responsible for. It is not just money, but everything we have control or influence of - our time, skills, strength, health, family, people connections, and so on. In other words, we are stewards of the life and resources God has given us. We only have room to give some examples of these resources to discuss some practical scriptural perspectives. 

1. Physical Assets and Wealth

"Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed."(1Tim 6:17-19)

Of all the assets God endows on us, physical wealth is arguably the most difficult to manage. We can find almost no passages in the Bible that praised a rich man, except for Joseph of Arimathea, who lent his tomb to Jesus - though Jesus only used it for 3 days. 

The problem with money, as my own experience suggests, is that the more your income increases, the more you think you need. The reason is because possession of money changes your lifestyle. We, especially in Singapore, is always on the “upgrade” mission – we want to go from HDB flats to condos to landed property; from Toyota to Audi to BMW; from badminton to tennis to golf; from 3-star to 4-star to 5-star vacations. Some people even “upgrade” their friends!  The moment we “upgrade” our lifestyle, suddenly whatever increase in our income is no longer enough.  

The solution, while not easy, is to maintain a consistent lifestyle – a lifestyle that you and your spouse need to decide before the Lord early in your marriage, and deliberately maintain that lifestyle regardless of income increase. There is no right formula and it doesn’t mean you and your family are bound to live in a hut for the rest of your life. For some, it could be just a matter of setting aside certain percentage of income that will NOT be used for lifestyle upgrading.  That savings need not be given to the church immediately (other than your standard tithing) but is kept till the Lord give you convictions on what to do with it. This ensures that when the owner of the money demands of it for His use, you had not been spent on expensive vacations, properties or cars. 

It’s worth a short mention about going into debt. It is the world’s philosophy to live on debt – car loans, house loans, business loans and so on. But God’s intention for His followers are thus: “For the LORD your God will bless you as He has promised you, and you will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow; and you will rule over many nations, but they will not rule over you.” (Deut 15:6). 

In principle, Christians are not to borrow, primarily because if God wants us to afford it, he will not cause us to be “slaves to the lenders” (Prov 22:7). We are no one’s slaves but God’s. God wants us to be sure that if we prosper, it is clear that He who gave it to us, not because we take risks with His money by taking debts. God may also have a plan why He doesn't want you to own a car - perhaps He wants to give you divine appointments in the bus to share the gospel with strangers. 

Note that I mentioned it is a scriptural principle and not a law to stay out of debt. Personally, I’m fine with borrowing money to purchase an appreciating asset that is in turn used as the collateral. In the context of Singapore, this probably applies to house loans only, where the house itself is the collateral. Nevertheless, we have to consult the Lord how lavish the house should be (taking into cost of maintaining the house) and what borrowing risks we ought to take. We ought to also get out of the debt as quickly as possible due to the enormous interest we have to pay.

Finally, note that the promise of that blessing in Deut. 15 has conditions about us forgiving those who borrowed from us and to give freely to those in need: “If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers, in any of your towns in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother; “You shall generously give to him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertakings.” (Deut 15:7,10)

How much of our income we set aside for God to dispense to His work and to the poor is subjective and the key is for each one of us to discover and know His will, and how to please Him in this are. 

2. Spiritual Gifts

 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Pet 4:10)

Spiritual gifts are “talents” (pun intended) we are given to have stewardship over.  The Bible exhorts us to use our spiritual gifts “to serve one another.” The dispensation of spiritual gifts share the same principles as the gifts of physical wealth – the more we are given, the more is expected of us to exercise them. 

Peter went on to classify gifts into two types – “serving” gifts and “speaking” gifts. Serving gifts could refer to those such as administration, giving, mercy, etc.; speaking gifts include evangelist, prophecy, teachers, etc. Whatever our gifts are, we are to be willing to use them as an investment into the spiritual lives of both believers and pre-believers. 

How do we know our spiritual gifts?  The funny thing about spiritual gift is that you don’t get a package from God and when you open it, it says: “This is your spiritual gift: Prophecy.”  (Meant to be ironic – if your gift is prophecy, you wouldn’t need to be told!) But seriously, knowing your gift is more like an internship or on-the-job-training. You take up anything that needs help, and you discover where your strengths are and what you can’t handle. 

I think there’s a reason for that approach, and that is for us to appreciate others who DO have gifts that we don’t. We learn how difficult it is to do THEIR job, and how much we need them in the body of Christ. 

There are other reasons why many Christians do not exercise their spiritual gifts as they ought to. These include fear of commitment, bad experiences when serving with other Christians, and sin. Unfortunately it would be too long to cover all these here – we can discuss in another blog, God willing.  

Suffice to say that whatever you are going through, God doesn’t want you to stay in a situation where your gifts cannot be dispense.  Pastor Edmund Chan of Singapore CEFC church once said: “Understanding your spiritual gifts give your life a purpose; giving it away gives your life meaning.” 

Finally, the warning in Matthew 25:29 applies to spiritual gifts as well. If we don’t practice it, we will lose it. “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.” Matthew 25:29

3. The Gospel 

 “For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly.” (Eph 3:1-3)

The “mystery” Paul refers to here is the mystery of the Gospel, specifically the revelation that salvation is available to the gentiles through Christ. It was through God’s grace that this mystery was revealed to him and he considers himself a “steward” of this grace. 

The apostles are gone, but their teachings concerning the Gospel are in the Bible – the written Word of God. This is a treasure far more important than silver or gold now entrusted to us as believers to read, understand and share. If God wants us to give our possessions to the poor, to serve our brethren with our gifts, then how greater still is the task of sharing the Gospel to pre-believers!

Take a moment now to appreciate the missionaries that came to your country, who gave up comfortable lives and took bodily risks to preach the Gospel to your ancestors and built the churches you attend. Without them, how many of us would know Christ? Yet most of us find it difficult to even open our mouths when sitting across the table from our pre-believing friends. May God convict us of our pride and fear of rejection and give us the boldness that Paul asked for: “that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel.” (Eph 6:19)

4. The Flock/The Family

"For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain, but hospitable, a lover of good, self-controlled, upright, holy, and disciplined.” (Titus 1:7,8)

This passage is specifically addressing the “overseers”, which are the elders (or in most churches would include full time pastors). The duty of an overseer is to care for the flock. Peter instructed church leaders to “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). 

The context here is especially to ensure that the flock is not misled by false teachers. Thus the overseer must be equipped with an accurate understanding of the scriptures and unwavering in defending the truth, even if unpopular. How many leaders have compromised the truth in exchange for increase in popularity, membership, or wealth? 

An overseer’s task is not only to be an anchor to the truth but also to be an example of how a believer ought to live. It may also involve confronting sheep that has gone astray to gently bring them back to God: “Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;  not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock." (1Pet 5:2,3)

While most of us do not have the official role of the “overseer”, elder, or pastor over a church, we ought to view believers that God has put around us as our responsibilities as partners to our church leaders. We ought to love, pray, help and care for them and their welfare. Furthermore, each of us is part of an earthly family where God has placed us to care for. While it is not unusual to find differences and conflicts within the family (or the even the church), we should never give Satan a foothold to create a permanent wedge whatever happens. 

D. Conclusion

As we mentioned earlier, there are countless resources God had given us which we are unable to cover in this article. Time is an important one. Time, unlike money, is something that cannot be recovered once lost. David asked God to teach him to "number his days" so that he could gain "a heart of wisdom" - a heart that is tuned to know what is the will of God for Him minute by minute. We must be weary of time lost on excessive pursuit of self-pleasing interests, hobbies, entertainment, wealth and career.  Worse still, time can be lost on petty arguments, blame, bitterness and unforgiveness. These are not only un-productive but is counter-productive in God's agenda for our lives and the lives of our loved ones, our brothers/sisters as well as pre-believing friends. Conflicts should be quickly forgiven, confronted and resolved. Whatever time that is not claimed for God will be used by the devil.

However, the most important aspect of stewardship is not so much “what” we have or even “how” to administer them. It is not about the right percentage of our income to put in the offering bag; it is not how many church committees we are serving. To God, the heart of stewardship is about giving your whole heart to God. It is about “who” is in control of our whole life – our bodies, our attention, and our families, our possessions. Then stewardship boils down to the understanding the will of the Master, and execute the administration of His assets faithfully.

"that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col 1:9-10)

May we continue this journey to brokenness, understanding we have no rights over our “things”, and to yield everything back to Him on a daily basis. Only then can we truly say that the Lord Jesus is the Lord of my life.