November 25, 2007 Stewardship
Last Sunday after Pentecost (Christ the King)

Colossians 1:11-20
1:11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully

1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.

1:13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

1:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;

1:16 for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers--all things have been created through him and for him.

1:17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

1:18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything.

1:19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

1:20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.


First Place
First Service Introduction:
[He was not too well-educated and his manner was somewhat crude and rough, but he became a Christian and was on fire for the Lord. He constantly pestered his pastor to help him be of some genuine service to his church. In desperation, the pastor gave him a list of ten people, saying, “These are members who seldom attend services; some are prominent men of the city. Contact them any way you can and try to get them to be more faithful. Use the church stationary to write letters if you want, but get them back in church.” He accepted the challenge with enthusiasm. About three weeks later, a letter arrived from a prominent physician whose name was on the list: Please find enclosed a one thousand dollar check to make up for my missed offerings. I’m sorry for missing worship so much, but be assured I am going to be present every Sunday from now on and will not by choice miss services again. Sincerely, M.B. Jones, MD. P.S. Would you kindly tell your secretary that there is only one “t” in dirty and no “c” in skunk”? (James S. Hewett)

Sometimes, when it comes to stewardship Sundays, people feel as guilty as a dirty skunk, or perhaps the pastor is viewed as a dirty skunk because of his or her tactics to get people to give.]

Second Service Introduction:
[A man called the church and asked to speak to the Head Hog at the Trough. The secretary said, “Who?” The man replied, “I want to speak to the Head Hog at the Trough!” Sure now that she had heard correctly, the secretary said, “Sir, if you mean our pastor, you will have to treat him with more respect – and ask for ‘The Reverend’ or ‘Pastor.’ But certainly, you cannot refer to him as the Head Hog at the Trough!” At this, the man came back, “Oh, I see. Well, I have ten thousand dollars I was thinking about donating to the Building Fund.” Secretary: “Hold the line; I think the Big Pig just walked in the door.” (James S. Hewett)

It is interesting what one will do for money, isn’t it. Even churches can fall prey to compromise or to using unfair tactics.]

I read about a pastor who announced one Sunday that he had made a new offering box for the weekly collection of the tithes and offerings. He claimed that it was designed to encourage people to become better stewards of their money. “This new box,” he explained, “has some interesting features. When you drop in a check or paper money in large amounts, the box makes no sound at all. Put a quarter in and it rings like a bell. A dime blows a whistle, and a penny fires a shot. When you put in nothing, the box takes your picture. (James S. Hewett)

Now, I’m not too keen on this method, because giving should never be forced. The Bible says, “Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).” Giving should flow from a grateful heart that understands that blessing is a result of God’s abundant giving.

Giving should also be proportionate to one’s ability to give. If you are not able to give much, or have no income at all, then God understands that. And whether you are able to give little or much, give from a grateful heart, a heart that is thankful for God’s provisions.

The picture-taking box does illustrate one point. If you are able to give and give nothing, that, my friends, is a spiritual problem. If you are able to tithe, to give 10% of your income, and you do not, that, too, is a spiritual problem. Give in a way that truly represents your ability to give.

It happened one time after a pastor had make an appeal in church for a great and worthy cause, that a certain woman, a member of the church, came to him and handed him a check for $50, asking at the same time if her gift was satisfactory. The pastor immediately replied, “If it represents you.”

There was a moment of soul-searching thought and she asked to have the check returned to her. She left with it and a day or two later she returned handing the pastor a check for $5,000 and again came the same question, “Is my gift satisfactory?” The pastor gave the same answer as before, “If it represents you.” As before, a truth seemed to be driving deeply. After a few moments of hesitation she took back the check and left. Later in the week she came again with a check. That time it was for $50,000. As she placed it in the pastor’s hand, she said, “After earnest, prayerful thought, I have come to the conclusion that this gift does represent me and I am happy to give it. (John Lavender)

I do not know if this check represented a tithe. The Old Testament teaches that the tithe, 10%, of one’s income is the standard of giving.

There was a knock on the door of the hut occupied by a missionary in Africa. Answering, the missionary found one of the native boys holding a large fish in his hands. The boy said, Reverend, you taught us what tithing is, so here – I’ve brought you my tithe.” As the missionary gratefully took the fish, he questioned the young lad, “If this is your tithe, where are the other nine fish?” At this, the boy beamed and said, “Oh, they’re still in the river. I’m going back to catch them now.” (James S. Hewett)

This is faith! God always rewards such a faith. Try it and see! I have tithed my income for some time now. I believe that God has blessed me greatly because of that faithful commitment. If you tithe, you know what I am talking about.

The New Testament does not name a specific amount that one should give, but it does talk regularly about sacrificial giving, sometimes giving one’s all.
Financial giving is just one aspect of stewardship. Perhaps this would be a good time to define stewardship. Stewardship is the understanding that God is the owner of all things, and that we are simply the stewards of all that we have. What is a steward? Probably the best word for steward is “manager.” We are not the owners of our things, our talents, our money or even our family. We are managers of these things – of all that God owns.

I like what John Wesley had to say about stewardship:

When the Possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being and placed you in this world, He placed you here not as an owner but as a steward – as such He entrusted you for a season with goods of various kinds – but the sole property of these still rests in Him, nor can ever be alienated from Him. As you are not your own but His, such is likewise all you enjoy.

This coincides so nicely with Paul’s statement in Colossians that we share in the inheritance of the saints made possible by God the Father. We manage that inheritance now, and through Christ’s great sacrifice, we will inherit all things when we reach our home in heaven.

One Sunday morning the pastor encouraged his congregation to consider the potential of the church. He told them, “With God’s help we can see the day when this church will go from crawling to walking.” The people were a spirited bunch and responded, “Let the church walk, Preacher, let the church walk.”

He continued, “And when the church begins to walk, next the church can begin to run.” And the people responded, “Let the church run, preacher, let the church run.”
The pastor continued, “And finally the church can move from running to flying. Oh, the church can fly! But of course, that’s going to take lots of money, lots of time, lots of talent and lots of gifts for that to happen!”

The congregation grew quiet, and from the back, some mumbled, “Le the church crawl, preacher, let the church crawl.” (James S. Hewett)

The church does crawl without a good understanding of stewardship. But the church that practices good stewardship – a people putting the Son in first place and wisely managing the abundance of the Father – such a church will fly. I guarantee it!!!