Church Leadership

I Corinthians 4:2 “Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.” Paul is discussing the stewardship of himself as well as the other apostles and that all stewards are to be trustworthy or faithful

The Concept of Being a Trustworthy or Faithful Steward Certainly Deserves Further Study Two terms –Pistos, faithful –Oikonomos, steward –Strong’s Concordance defines pistos as “sure, true” –Strong’s defines oikonomos as a “house-distributor or manager, or overseer –Thayer agrees that oikonomos means “the manager of a farm or landed estate, an overseer. –According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, the use of the term oikonomos in I Corinthians 4:2, is “that he take scrupulous care of that which was entrusted to him, and give it out to others faithfully.”

The Meaning is Clear An individual is given the responsibility for handling the affairs of another without direct supervision. Okonomos was used to describe a situation where a servant would be given the responsibility for taking care of his master’s property while the master was absent. Paul and the other apostles were specifically entrusted with the mysteries of God. They would have to complete their obligations in a dependable, or trustworthy manner

The Principle is Clear Christians have been with God’s word They are the ones who have to be faithful stewards of all things spiritual as God is no longer physically present in the world. It would be impossible to list all of the spiritual blessings of Christians God expects his children to be trustworthy stewards of all the talents, opportunities and challenges of this life.

It Is Also Very Important to Remember that There Will be a Time When the Master Returns and the Steward Will Be Required to Give an Account of How He Handled Those Things with which He was Entrusted Luke 16:1-2, “He also said to the disciples, there was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.” Christians should be very careful that God has given them

Everyone in the Lord’s Church have Opportunities to Demonstrate Faithful or Trustworthy Stewardship over God’s Possessions Some areas are more obviously and traditional than others However, it would be very beneficial to challenge and broaden the scope and the extent of our understanding and application of this principle of Christian’s stewardship

Areas Where Faithful Stewardship can be Demonstrated

Faithful Stewardship of Self When one becomes a Christian, then he should commit himself totally to God. This applies to a new convert or an elder and everyone in between He is no longer the “owner” of his life, it belongs to God He will be judged on how trustworthy he is with someone else’s possessions His character should be constantly improving and the way he lives should demonstrate his understanding that his life is not his own

Faithful Stewardship of Relationships Friendships and relationships, especially in the Church are a real blessing A Christian can do serious damage to a relationship if he does not approach this as a steward, one who is entrusted with someone else’s possessions He must value those relationships, treat it with respect and devote the time necessary to protect God’s possessions

Faithful Stewardship of God’s Word Christians have a tremendous responsibility to know, keep, teach and protect God’s word. The word of God is one of the most valuable possessions that God has entrusted to all Christians

Faithful Stewardship of Family There are few things in this life that are greater blessings than family Most Christians have been entrusted with wives, husbands and children One day we will all have to stand before God and answer for how well we filled our responsibilities as stewards of God’s most precious possessions This is also an area where our influence should be the most evident We have a captive audience. Let’s all pray for wisdom, courage and guidance in this area

Faithful Stewardship of Physical Possessions and Resources We all have a tendency to say that we own things and have earned or acquired this or that. We have been blessed with certain physical things while we are here on this earth and will ultimately have to give an account as to how well we managed and used those possessions