Stewardship

I've been writing a series about the 6 dimensions of the Church. As the current article is about work, I've chosen to publish it on LinkedIn. Enjoy!

What is in Your Hand?

This is an oft quoted scripture about stewardship (Exodus 4:2). It suggests God uses what a Christian already has to accomplish his purpose. He doesn't ask for what a person cannot give.

It is similar to Elijah's question to the widow in 2 Kings 4:2, "What do you have in the house?" The prophet then multiplied a jar of oil so she could pay off her debts.

The thing is, Christian scripture teaches important lessons about stewardship. The most obvious is you serve God (and humanity) with what you have. And everyone has a seed that can be modified and multiplied for greater impact.

You are not without seed. You are definitely not useless and you have something to contribute to the world.

Focus on Your Abilities

In Matthew 25:14, the Parable of the Talents begins. And here's where the plot thickens. The Bible teaches that God judges people vis-a-vis their ability and not in relation to what others have. So, we ought to focus on what we can do, and not what others are doing.

What's more, we must be bold and take risks; venture and play big. Let’s not bury our tradable capital in the sand out of fear.

What Are Your Gifts For?

While we are born with distinct creative wiring, it is Apostle Paul who explains the deeper purpose of those gifts in Ephesians 4:12. We are capacitated by God to equip his children so they can do the work of the ministry in the world.

Because the church is people, not buildings, we can take this mandate to mean we are to develop a well trained diplomatic corps that can serve as emissaries to the world.

Thus, the bulk of the work happens outside the church and we cannot afford to be insular.

That is why it is a thing of sadness when Christians obey the first part of the Ephesians 4:12 scripture, leaving the second.

Whenever we keep the church's resources locked away behind walls, we limit our potential for service. We should not assume the world will come to us, instead we ought to go to them.

Even when we do step out, some of us lack independence, originality, and expression. We keep referring to the original frameworks with which we were taught by the elders, and rarely do anything new.

At what point do we become the light of the world, if we keep our stars hidden under the bushel of local churches? Shouldn't churches train and endow, then set people free to have real impact in the places where they live and work?

Religion and excessive control can stifle creativity. So, although churches have incredible economic capacity, their impact rarely extends beyond charity.

Meeting The World Where They Are

To be fair, churches are changing. Some now have charitable foundations that independently engage with the world. They do so through media, schools, hospitals and so on.

It is important to note that these structures might thrive best under independent management and board governance, with no reporting line to church committees.

In such instances, the local church serves as a VC of sorts and identifies faithful men who can run with the vision. The church neither waits for nor seeks recognition for their seed funding or ongoing giving. Like venture capital firms, they may receive reports but that's the extent of their involvement. It's a high trust model.

Some mainstream urban ministries work this way too. They may even be funded by individual Christians through crowdfunding activities. Angel Studios (creators of The Chosen) is an example of this. The Super Bowl campaign — “He Gets Us” — is another example. Funding may be provided by the church but is sustained by individuals.

There's also The Lion's Den, a pitch competition for brilliant ideas, financed by successful Christian businessmen.

The thing is, without money, collaboration and power, Holy Spirit-inspired ideas can die. And as Christians who understand love, sacrifice and service, we ought to support each other's missions. It's not about whose idea it is, but how well it promotes the kingdom.

The most brilliant, revolutionary, and life changing ideas are Holy Ghost-breathed. It is from this creative persona that transformative ideas are birthed. We must look to him for inspiration and power, and not settle for me-too initiatives.

Do Good Always

Those who do good will receive favour. Their hearts are primed for service and impact. And in God's kingdom, greatness is preceded by servanthood. (Proverbs 14:22 NLT; Proverbs 11:27 NLT)

If you've spent a Christian life that is not mission-focused, you don't need to wait to find your purpose first. You just have to serve where you are and use what you have.

Even if you've ignored God's call before, just like the son who changed his mind after ignoring his father's first plea, you can accept God's invitation now. Matthew 21:28-31

As a Christian, if you are struggling to define your God-given gifts and unique contributions, may I recommend a book to you - Cure for the Common Life by Max Lucado.

If you are a Christian Creative wondering in what industry you can make an impact, may I direct you to my free course.

Thank you for reading.