Unity Through Stewardship
There is much division in our world today. No matter where you get your daily news intake, there’s no mistaking the reality that we are more divided and becoming more polarized every day. I know there’s an enemy at work here, working feverishly to steal, kill, and destroy, but didn’t Jesus defeat this enemy? Did He not “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them” through the Cross? If He’s defeated this enemy, why are we still losing?
I confess that I am frustrated with how things are, not because it’s happening, but because we, The Body of Christ, have done little to show the world a better way. If the Church should be known for anything, it should be known for love and unity. It was Jesus’ last commandment to his followers, that’s us, that we love one another in such a way that the world would take notice.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:24-35
The Church is not just another organization to do good. It is the Body of Christ in whom the Spirit of God dwells. It is God in us longing and working to bring the fullness of His kingdom into existence. As disciples of Jesus, it is you and me that God wants to work through to bring healing and hope to a broken and selfish world.
There’s a problem when the Church is only interested in bringing people to salvation, which is justification, [being made right(eous) in the sight of God], but does little to bring about their sanctification, [being set apart for a sacred purpose and to religious use]. Churches should always focus on preaching the gospel, but they cannot stop there because you cannot have justification without sanctification. A follower of Christ must “do” what pleases Christ, and through this doing, God’s kingdom is revealed, and the world is changed one person at a time.
When the apostle Paul told the believers in Rome that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17 NKJV), he was telling them that to “hear” meant to hear with a positive response, and so to “obey and submit to Christ.” It’s not enough to say “yes” to an altar call. The evidence of proper “hearing” is an inner transformation, followed by outward behavior, that proves we are no longer living for “ourselves” but for “Him.”
Good Fruit
But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. (Mark 4:20 ESV)
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By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:8 ESV)
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Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit. (Phil 4:17 ESV)
Fruitfulness is the outward expression and the proof that what we believe has changed how we live. More importantly, when we produce good fruit, God is glorified, and people are unified. As followers of Christ, we can do things that not only glorify God but serve those in need in a way that makes God feel real and near to them. This is the only religion that God the Father accepts.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:27 NIV)
Through stewardship, the management of resources (time, talent, treasure), we can achieve unity in the Body of Christ and through it to the rest of our nation and the world. One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Luke 16, the Parable of The Unjust Steward. The reason it’s a favorite is because of verse nine. Here, Jesus reveals the secret to a fruitful life. He tells the disciples to use “unrighteous mammon,” money, although it also applies to time and abilities, to “make friends.”
How does one make and keep friends?
You help them when they need help.
You forgive them when they mess up.
You encourage them when they’re down.
You stick with them even if everyone else abandons them.
You show them grace and love them because you’ve been loved and given grace.
Unity Through Stewardship
The past 18 months for us as a nation have been difficult on many fronts. In times of stress and difficulty, it is in our human nature to blame and judge someone for the pain or discomfort we’re experiencing. Yet, as God’s people, we are not supposed to live by the flesh. We are to live by the Spirit and seek the Spirit’s help in all our actions. This work is possible for us to do if we follow the example of our savior.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:3-8 ESV)
You can make a difference and bring unity by starting right where you live.
Is there someone, a neighbor, or a coworker God has placed in your life that you can show grace and love to? Can you help someone who cannot repay you? Will you accept someone who thinks and believes differently than you do? If our nation is to heal, it will take individuals willing to set aside their ambitions and humbly consider others more significant than themselves. Can you do that? Jesus did, and with His help, I know we can too.
For Further Reading:
What Does the Bible Say About Spending?
What the Widow’s Gift Says About Giving
How to Set Your House in Order
Are You Called to Stewardship Ministry?
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