November 12, 2014

Christian Part 1 Introduction:

Christian stewardship concerns our responsibility to live wholly for God, managing our resources to give him glory and benefit humanity. Stewardship touches every area of life and involves both individual and corporate commitments. It encompasses far more than giving to the church: Stewardship includes the use and care of our natural resources; it includes what we do with our abilities and talents; it involves the way we manage our time. Though stewardship has often been applied strictly to finances or is seen to be synonymous with giving or tithing to the church, financial stewardship can be understood best within the broader framework of biblical stewardship. Though this study will primarily focus on financial stewardship, we should remember that biblical stewardship includes the management of all God’s gifts to humanity. We will not grasp the full implications of financial stewardship until we know what it means to surrender every part of our lives to God. Therefore, this six part study will focus on:

1. What is Stewardship? 2. Stewardship of Our Time? 3. Stewardship of Our Bodies? 4. Stewardship of Our Gifts?

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5. Stewardship of Our Possessions? 6. Tithing— A Personal Blessing Plan From Heaven 1

Goals To Learn: 

The Purpose Of Stewardship

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Understanding How Stewardship Is Reflected In The Old Testament And The New Testament.

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The Basic Principle That We Are All Stewards. The Only Decision We Have To Make Is What Kind Of Stewards We Will Be.

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How to Apply Biblical Stewardship To Your Own Lives.

Christian Stewardship is a not an option. Being a steward is a necessary part of believing the gospel. The parable of the talents (Matt. 25:14–30) shows, Christians will be held accountable for the way in which they manage God’s affairs as stewards. These matters include extending the church’s ministry through: 

the preaching of the ____________________ (Col. 1:24–28)

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supporting the church ___________________________ (Acts 4:32–37), and

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____________________________ to the sick and needy (Matt. 25:31–46)

NOTES: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday Bible Study

Christian Stewardship 2

Stewardship Is Reflected In the Old Testament 

Stewardship In The Old Testament Begins With _______________. God holds the right of ownership to everything. (Psalm 24:1-2; Psalm 50:10,12) Old Testament Laws Acknowledged God’s Ownership in Such Practices As:  

Offering the First Fruits of the Crops and First-Born of the Animals (Exod. 22:28-30; 23:19; 34:26). The Commandments Shaped the Hebrew People Views On Acquiring And Disposing Of Property. The Laws Regulated Proper Land Use: 

Crops Were Left For the Poor (Lev. 19:9-10)

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Fields Were To Lie Fallow In Sabbatical Years ( Exod. 23:10-11)

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Additional Land Laws Referred To The Jubilee Year (Lev. 25:8-17, 23-55)

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Inheritances (Num 26:52-27:11).

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Tithes And Sacrifices (Lev. 27:30-32; Num. 18:21-32; Deut. 14:22-27)

THERE ARE THREE DIFFERENT TITHES IN THE OLD TESTAMENT: 1) a _________________________ tithe of agricultural products (Deut. 12:6-7; 14:22-26) 2) a __________________________ tithe (Deut. 14:28-29) 3) a tithe for the ________________________ (Nm. 18:21-24) NOTES: ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday Bible Study

Christian Stewardship

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Stewardship Is Reflected In the New Testament The New Testament teaches that God has claimed as his own those who surrender to him through Christ. As a result, stewardship is concerned with more than the resources God has given; stewardship includes believers themselves because they belong to God. (I Cor. 6:19-20) The Stewardship Concept In classical Greek, the oikonomos (steward) was responsible for the business affairs of a household. Often oikonomos referred to a slave with the oversight of the master’s money, property, goods, and other slaves. oikos, “house” nemein “manage”

Jesus used the term oikonomos on two occasions – in telling the parable of the servants (Luke 12:42-48) and the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-13). Nevertheless, the concept of stewardship runs through many other parables:  The rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) 

The rich fool (Luke 12:16-21)

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The servants who kill the master’s son (Matt. 21:33-46)

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The unworthy servant (Luke 17:7-10)

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The unmerciful servant (Matt. 18:21-35)

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The workers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1-16)

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The two sons (Matt. 21:28-32)

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The talents (Matt. 25:14-30)

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The minas Luke (Luke 19:11-27) In Jesus’ parables of (Luke 12:42-48) and (Luke 16:1-13) are several themes:

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God is ______________________________ over all the earth.

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We are stewards because God _______________________ us with things.

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Though free to act we see fit, we’re expected to make wise decisions consistent with Gods will.

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We will one day be held ______________________________.

Wednesday Bible Study

Christian Stewardship 4

The Application of Stewardship A Biblical View of Stewardship Will Cover Aspects Of Both Our Possessions And Our Contributions. 

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MATERIAL THINGS: The Christian’s relationship to material things is a good barometer of our priorities in life. How we view things can indicate the vitality of our relationship with God. CHRISTIAN GIVING The New Testament teaches several profound concepts with direct implication to us: 1. Most passages on giving relate to God’s gifts to us. 2. Most of the remaining passages on giving are about people giving to the poor. 3. The only time Jesus said how much a person should give, he called for radical sacrifice: “Sell your possessions and give to the poor” (Luke 12:33). 4. The major extended passages on giving concern Gentile offerings for believers in Jerusalem – and are not a direct prescription on giving to the church. 5. There are virtually no references to giving to the church; the emphasis instead is on meeting various needs through the church’s ministry and mission. 6. The New Testament affirms individual freedom and responsibility as the basis for stewardship. 7. Sacrificial giving is held out as the measure of resources believers should give.

In various versions Read 2 Corinthians 9:13 and list four (4) suggested purposes for Christian giving. 2 Corinthians 9:13 (ESV)

2 Corinthians 9:13 (NIV)

2 Corinthians 9:13 (GW)

By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission that comes from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others,

2 Corinthians 9:13 (ANT)

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Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

You will honor God through this genuine act of service because of your commitment to spread the Good News of Christ and because of your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else.

Because at [your] standing of the test of this ministry, they will glorify God for your loyalty and obedience to the Gospel of Christ which you confess, as well as for your generous-hearted liberality to them and to all [the other needy ones].

1. ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. ______________________________________________________________________________

Wednesday Bible Study

Christian Stewardship

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A Parting Word on Tithing Many assume the tithe is the standard for Christian giving. Others, however, point out that the basis for such opinion comes from the Old Testament. The New Testament does not command Christians to tithe, though it mentions the tithe on three occasions (Matthew 23:23 [and Luke 11:42]; Luke 18:12; and Heb. 7:1-10). In each of these passages the tithe is merely incidental to another point being made. Because believers are under grace and not law, the New Testament puts giving on a basis stronger that the tithe. But it offers no specifics about what Christians should give. Jesus praised the widow who gave two small copper coins, because she gave everything she had (Mark 12:43-44). NOTES: ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

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