AN ACCOUNTING OF STEWARDSHIP

Are You Ready For An Audit?

In five weeks we have covered several doctrines of Christian responsibility including duty, Sonship, gifts, and stewardship. This week we explore gifts of the Holy Spirit and the expectation of their righteous use.

I CORINTHIANS 12:1- GIFTS OF STEWARDSHIP.

CONCERNING spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

 “I would not have you ignorant.”  Our baptism requires more than the rite, we are charged with understanding what is expected of us as Christians. In the Apostolic age, just as today, new converts were taught to renounce the Devil and evil as well as their duties in faith and obedience.  The Corinthians had been led astray from the Apostle's teaching (1 Cor 11:2) and Paul calls them to remember Jesus' sacrifice is the high price of the gifts they received at baptism. We cannot claim ignorance as an excuse in the higher standard of the New Covenant. Let's take a closer look at what we receive and our obligation to make the best use of these gifts.

The first great gift is faith itself-- “for no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost.” There is no higher gift and belief provides the full and best use of God's gifts. Belief is made possible by the indwelling of the Holy Ghost.

The dispensation of gifts by the Holy Spirit are divinely apportioned according to the needs of the Body (the Church). The discovery and responsible use of gifts are matters to work out among the community of the faithful. The Church and gifts have the same Source and the gifts are provided for the faithful to perpetuate both faith and Kingdom. 

There are different endowments—”diversities of gifts.”
There are different tasks—”differences of administrations.”
There are different ways of working—”diversities of operation.”

Different people according to the will of the Holy Spirit. Our present culture tends to impose an egalitarian read on verses such as 1 Peter 2:9.  Peter no way implies an equal dispensation of operations and administrations. That notion that all have the same administrations, etc., has to be projected on the text. The New Covenant did not abolish the Old but perfected it's differences of operations and administrations. There are deacons, presbyters, and the office of bishop-- administrations in context of the priesthood of all believers. There are gifts of speaking in tongues and interpretation, prophecy, teaching, and yet not all receive these gifts, but it is one Spirit that is the source... one giver of grace to all that we may serve each other and Him. 

Using an analogy of the body let's investigate-

GIFTS OF THE HEAD: “Wisdom and knowledge.”  There are those who are given special insight in each generation to use their intellect for the benefit of the body such as teachers and apologists (those that argue for the faith to the unbeliever).  Paul employed his gifts of philosophy on Mars Hill as an apologist to convince the Greeks and taught in the synagogue.  Those that carefully study history can test the soundness of doctrine as there is one source of wisdom, knowledge and grace; discerning the Holy Spirit in uniformity as God does not contradict himself from one age to another.  Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.

GIFTS OF THE HANDS: Manual labor was not beneath our Lord and he chose fishermen to be among his apostles. Working with one's hands in service to the Body is indispensable. Philanthropy, healings, building sanctuaries, are just some examples of such gifts.  Such people may not be preachers or teachers but their contribution is still vital to the function of the whole.

GIFTS OF THE HEART: Ministers, prophets, evangelists -- those that guide souls exercise the holiest power of God discerning the condition of the human spirit and the Spirit of God.  Again, not everyone has the same gifts as some are skilled in the hands and others in the head but lack gifts in this category.  Yet these gifts are for the individual only as member of the Body which is the Church. The individual doesn't receive a gift for himself but for the community of faithful.  Each person must recognize and respect the gifts of others.  Envy and coveting is forbidden as the community is working as a whole through diversities of gifts for the same Lord who will reward our labor and humility.

WE WILL ACCOUNT FOR OUR STEWARDSHIP.

AND when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.  And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves. And he taught daily in the temple. ~S. Luke 19. 41--

We end with the lesson of Israel abusing all that it has received by profaning the Temple- the very witness of national stewardship.  The popular happy clappy Jesus peddled on TV is dispelled with a sobering examples of compassion and judgment.

Jesus returns to Jerusalem, the holy city of peace, only to find spiritual blindness and ignorance and he weeps.  So many of God's blessings have been received by Israel and they still forget their obligations as stewards. He sees them for what they are in spite of their gilt facades and fine clothes and weeps for their spiritual poverty.  He weeps for the coming doom in a future of godlessness and the coming divisions in his Church; the vineyard we are left to manage and have profaned.

 We may not wait for the final judgment, but must be ever “judging ourselves that we be not judged.”  ~P. M. Scott

And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein.  Jesus is filled with wrath and sheds no more tears as Israel is caught unexpecting by the Master's return. There is no excuse for ignorance as the Temple is the seat of the Covenant where the nation of Israel offered sacrifices and received absolutions and its misuse provokes harsh judgment.

We must strive to make sure the Church doesn't fall into the same terrible mistake of greed and selfishness or we will face the same judgment when he returns and he won't be weeping. Imagine, if you will, that it is our spiritual blindness, forgetfulness, and poor stewardship that draws his scourge as he purifies the Church of sin. We have no excuse.

The Take-Away:

Paul's words from next week's lesson are instructive here: "for which ye received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you.."  Our adoption by baptism requires stewardship of body, spirit, and all the things with which have been entrusted to us. Being good stewards is our obligation-- our new and higher standard that encompasses ourselves, our faith community, and even our Nation.
 
Let's pray these scriptures that we are acceptable as persons and in our petitions:

LET thy merciful ears, O Lord, be open to the prayers of thy humble servants; and, that they may obtain their petitions make them to ask such things as shall please thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We hope you enjoyed this lesson* and will consider joining us for Christian Education at St. Athanasius next Sunday as we continue our study with 'not our sufficiency, but the sufficiency of God.'

Peace of Christ,

John Dixon
Warden, 

St. Athanasius Anglican Church
www.glenallenanglicans.org

For further reading: Psalm 145; 147; 144; Ecclesiasticus 1:1-10; Jeremiah 26:1-7. 10-15; Genesis 32:22-31; St. John 8:25-36; St. Matthew 23:34; 2 Corinthians 4:7

Sources: The Holy Bible; *The Harmony of the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels by P. M. Scott D.D.; Ancient Christian Commentary; Book of Common Prayer; Sermons on the Epistles and Gospels by Isaac Williams.

SERVICE OF SONSHIP AS STEWARDS

We continue our study and presentation of P. M. Scott's work with The Service of Stewards.  So far we have progressed from our baptismal incorporation into the Church, admission into God's service, adoption as sons of God, and now take a look at the responsibility of our higher calling as such.

BRETHREN, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink (for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ). But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  ~ 1 Cor. 10. 1

JEWISH AND CHRISTIAN STEWARDSHIP

The Jews enjoyed special privileges and Paul reminds his listeners of all Israel received and yet forgot their savior God. Paul emphasizes the magnitude of blessing by using the word 'all' five times in a row- all have received of God's blessings and provision- "I would not have you ignorant."  The Jews were baptised unto Moses and the Law, delivered from death, given meaning of the Exodus, provided with living water and Spirit, a sea of protection, supernatural food, and yet were overthrown in the wilderness because they failed to remember and honor God. Paul surely must have stung the conscience of his listeners. How vivid the types and figures that certainly flashed across the minds of those addressed in the Epistle.

Previously we talked about Jesus leading the 4000 into the wilderness and performing the miracle for the 4000, like the Red Sea invoked here, it cut them off from temptation and bondage. Like the slave whose service is absolute- there is no turning back. As with the Manna, Jesus had compassion on them and fed them in the wilderness. These things are recounted for our example- to convey what was given to sustain Israel and fulfilled in the birth of the Church- the Body of Christ. Types are fulfilled. Our Exodus from slave into sonship. The Cloud and Red Sea prefigures our baptism by water and the Holy Spirit. The Law becomes Love. Manna and living water prefigure our Holy Communion- Miracles of 4/5000, Cana, the Upper Room.

The Christian blessings are far greater than that of the Jews because they are fulfilled in the coming of Jesus (S. Luke 10:23)! It follows then that our duty is also greater- we must give back to God being so richly endowed with sonship!

Misuse of Stewardship

Then comes the sobering reminder- they were overthrown! God was not well pleased as they trusted in what they could see rather things spiritual- the things of God. “They despised the pleasant land,” “they forgat God their Saviour,” “they murmured in their tents,” “they were mingled among the heathen and learned their works.”(Ps. 106.) We see Jesus recount all these things in John 6 against the Pharisees who, as did their forefathers in the desert, refused to see and understand the spiritual feeding Jesus will provide his Body. We still see it today. "Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread (Numbers 21:5) "When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you??" (John 6:61)

Indeed they forgot their covenant position and they forgot the spiritual things and idolized the material world, trading heritage for lentils, unable to fathom the invisible and eternal, they lusted, worshipped gods, fornicated, murmured, and provoked the Lord their God.  They received no rest. There is no stewardship in any of that.

Remembering in Christian Stewardship

We have a far higher position than the Jew, but we retain the liability to temptation and the perennial significance of the Jewish history in the Old Testament underscores this for us. We are also fallen and these things are written for our example.  Our greatest dangers are feeling overly secure in material things and by doing so take the "Promise" for granted. Secondly, we must be on guard for despair which is a form of unfaithfulness and also temptation.  A lacking of trust and faith in the God who led Israel through the desert and provides spiritual food to sustain us today.  Fear not though, for our God always provides a way out- that He will not lay on us more than we can bear. We have an escape- the Hope within us, the indwelling Spirit, testifies to it.  More on that next week.

A PARABLE OF STEWARDSHIP

This is one of those tough parables on the surface it might seem Jesus is condoning white collar crime but that is certainly not the case. He teaches the duties and faults of a steward in a parable of responsibility.

JESUS said unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

~ Saint Luke 16. 1-

Responsibility

A steward has a higher calling in being both master of servants and as servant to his Master, but he is only responsible to the later.  In the parable the servant fails in his responsibility by wasting his master's goods and by not earning the love of his servants. His selfishness has put him into a precarious position of losing his job and his means of living.  He has no options as he cannot dig, to beg he is ashamed.

What's a crook to do? Before the boss gets back he comes up with an ingenious scheme! Of course this is easier than going to his master and making amends.  He calls the servants in under the pretense of duty and cuts a deal on their payments if they pay up. He secures his future by being shrewd and gains the admiration of both the servants and the master!  If only he had been so shrewd in serving the master as himself.  Yet the Master still seeks the heart of his wayward his servant if only that servant realized he is a son.

The Moral Of The Story:

"The children of this world are wiser than the children of light, for they can see what the children of light so often fail to discover—that duty to others is so necessary that if a man does not do it he must at least make the best pretence he can". ~P. M. Scott  

Isn't it sad that a servant is often more ingenious than the son in his use of God's provision? Of course the servant is like Israel being preoccupied with outward, visible, and perishable things rather than the inward, invisible, and eternal.

So the moral is if keeping up appearances is wise, isn't it much wiser and true to be good without pretending? Those in bondage to flesh- politicians, actors, criminals, tradesmen, and professional types, regularly employ virtue as a cloak.  We all do!  But the Christian is called to wear virtue as skin.

As good stewards our sonship compels us in the labor of love of our brethren in fullness and truth and without pretense which gives us confidence towards Him whose name is Love.  Pray that our works are not so weak that He will not “receive us into everlasting habitations,” and that our works of love may follow us before the judgment seat of Christ. 

Let's pray these scriptures for a right desire and sufficient power of our baptism and spiritual feeding through the Body and Blood of Jesus to never forget his bounty and benefits and to do his will in the care for that which we have been entrusted:

Grant to us, Lord, we plead, the spirit to think and do always such things as are right; that we, who cannot do anything that is good without you, may be enabled by you to live according to your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

We hope you enjoyed this lesson* and will consider joining us for Christian Education at St. Athanasius next Sunday as we finish our study of duty towards God with more on stewardship and spiritual gifts.

Peace of Christ,

John Dixon

Warden, St. Athanasius Anglican Church

www.glenallenanglicans.org


For further reading: Psalm 115; 103; 91; Ezekiel 14:1-11; Genesis 28:10-20; I Thessalonians 4:1-12;
St. John 8:1-11; II Corinthians 9; and from the Septuagint and KJV Apocrypha: Wisdom 11:22-12:2 


Sources: The Holy Bible; *The Harmony of the Collects, Epistles, and Gospels by P. M. Scott D.D.; Ancient Christian Commentary; Book of Common Prayer; Sermons on the Epistles and Gospels by Isaac Williams.