Next Sabbath we will engage the whole congregation in a
conversation about place and meaning of evangelism in our lives. We invite everyone of you to come Friday
evening at 7 pm for time of prayer to understand God’s Master Plan which we
call “evangelism.”
This past Wednesday evening I had an opportunity to share
with those who attend the Prayer Meeting about Biblical principles of
Stewardship. Please take your time and
read following passages in your Bibles in the full context, as I list here just
short details:
1 Peter 4:10 “stewards of the manifold grace of God”
Ephesians 1:10 “ stewardship/view/plan/dispensation of
time”
Ephesians 3:2 “stewardship/dispensation of God’s Grace”
Ephesians 3:9 “stewardship/fellowship of the mystery”
1st Corinthians 4:1-2 “stewards of the
mysteries of God”
These are just few samples of many texts where the Greek
word oikonomia (from which our English economy comes from) is
used. The word is rendered differently
as translators struggled to convey the meaning.
Dispensation is a good word, as it alludes to an act of dispensing.
The idea of Apostle Paul here is simple – God’s Mystery,
God’s Plan of Salvation, God’s Gospel, the Good News/evangelion – that’s
the resource and wealth that must be dispensed!
God’s servants, followers of Christ, everyone who calls the name of
Jesus are entrusted with the duty of dispensing God’s blessings, the Holy
Spirit which has been deposited in our lives!
Just think on the magnitude of this simple image – the only way God’s
grace gets into the world is through God’s people dispensing it to others. Are you being a “dispenser”? Are you dispensing God’s Love and Grace to
people around you? That’s what
Evangelism is all about – being a dispenser of God’s Grace.
Stewardship is all about advancing the Kingdom of God but
administering, fellowshipping, planning, and distributing the Gospel
everywhere. Money, time, possessions, talents,
and everything else are secondary, and serve as vehicles and means for the
Gospel! Gospel Stewardship is the Great
Commission “Go and make disciples.”
Once you get this point, about being a dispenser J – now read
1st Corinthians 9:16-18, where Paul explains the stewardship as an
obligation. We serve not out of our own fullness,
or because of our own greatness – but out of overflow of God’s blessings in our
lives. Anything else is fraud. And because of this – we cannot brag, boast
or seek credit. It’s the least we can do – dispense what God is pouring through
us. In words of Paul “woe unto us” if we
do not dispense and administer out!
Prayerfully, please consider how faithful a steward you
are.
No comments:
Post a Comment