Stewards Transformed by Grace
Transcript of Stewards Transformed by Grace
© 2015, All rights reserve
A Three-week Stewardship Emphasis
Ron and Phyllis Chewning Stewardship Advisors
2225 East 14 Mile Road Birmingham, MI 48009
248-644-6150
Copyright © 2015, All rights reserved
Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love
To Pastors and Stewardship Leaders: I, along with my wife Phyllis, have spent the past 17 years developing Scripturally-based, grace-centered stewardship resources. We have authored two books, Becoming Money Wise and Life at its Best: Living Wisely in an Unwise World, several stewardship Bible studies, and many annual stewardship emphases. Our stewardship material has been used by over a thousand different churches. I serve currently as the chairperson for the Michigan District Stewardship Committee. We are both active and involved at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church (LCMS) in Birmingham, MI. Our three adult children along with their spouses and five granddaughters live in Michigan and Texas. I pray that God is honored and that the members of your church are drawn closer to Him through this emphasis, Stewards transformed by God’s Grace, Faith, and Love. Your Fellow Steward, Ron Chewning [email protected] Thanks to Scott Jung for the drawings and John Mittelstadt for the flyers. A special thanks to the following pastors for their sermon messages:
• Pastor William Roper, Senior Pastor at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church, Birmingham, MI • Pastor Steven Woodfin, Executive Pastor at Our Shepherd Lutheran Church,
Birmingham, MI Churches that purchase this emphasis are permitted to reproduce any of the materials on the CD for use within your church. Additional stewardship resources can be found at stewardshipadvisors.org.
Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love
Week One: Stewards Transformed by Grace
Week Two: Stewards Transformed by Faith
Week Three: Stewards Transformed by Love
Three-weeks of sermon messages and Bible studies
Coming Soon!
Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love Leader Tips: A three-week Stewardship Emphasis
• Stewards Transformed by Grace • Stewards Transformed by Faith • Stewards Transformed by Love
Be prepared to find this stewardship emphasis a very rewarding, educational, and enjoyable program. The virtues of grace, faith, and love are essential to our Christian faith and our calling and work as God’s stewards. This three-week emphasis addresses whole-life Christian stewardship. The focus is on how God makes us His stewards so we can do the acts of stewardship He prepares for us to do (Ephesians 2:10). God changes us from being…
• Self-centered to Christ-centered • Owners to stewards • Selfish to generous • Controlling to submissive • Disobedient to obedient
Sunday Morning Bible Studies: In order for your members to grow in their relationship with the Lord and to grow as stewards, it is necessary to spend time reading and studying God’s Word. The three studies for weekend adult Bible study are available on the CD and printed in this binder. An answer guide also is on the CD. Testimonials/ Lay reader talks There are three lay reader talks provided or you may choose to use the talks that have been prerecorded. The audio CD files are titled “Lay reader talk audio.” There are also power point slides to show during the talks. Personal testimonials are more effective, but, if no willing member is found to share his/her stewardship story with the congregation, these talks may be used. The talks may be given at the start of the service or during the time of the offering. Daily Devotions It is recommended that you distribute the copied daily devotions for the first week on the Sunday prior to the start of the emphasis, and the other two sets on the following two Sundays (one set each Sunday). Then members will be able to read the daily devotions focusing on the weekly theme prior to the message on Sunday.
Emphasis CD All the material in the binder and on the CD may be copied. Please find sheet with a complete listing of CD files listed alphabetically. Banners Art work is available for you to develop a banner. There are two files on the CD for you to use in making your banner. For more information please refer to the banner information sheet. Elders/ Council Members In order to obtain the support and prayers of the elders and council members, you should discuss the emphasis with them. Any input they offer should be considered. Commitment Sunday (weekend) Members should be encouraged to make financial commitments to the Lord through their church. Commitment forms can be distributed with the bulletins/worship folders on Commitment Sunday (Commitment Weekend), which is the third week of the emphasis. It is a meaningful part of the service to give members the opportunity to bring their commitments forward to the altar. Every effort should be made to make Commitment Sunday a special and meaningful day. To show the joy and importance of making a commitment to the Lord, you may want to have balloons and/or other decorations. You could provide some special snacks. Some churches have found that inviting a special guest preacher is helpful. Some churches celebrate their commitments by having a lunch on Sunday. The commitment forms need to be available on Commitment Sunday. If you send the pastor’s letter to your members prior to the emphasis, please enclose a commitment form and the trifold brochure with the letter. This will act as a reminder for members to think and pray about their commitments. If they fail to bring their commitment forms with them, it won’t matter because there will be another form for them on Commitment Sunday. After Final week You are encouraged to send reminder letters to members who failed to return their commitment forms and send thank-you letters to members who returned their commitment forms. You will find these letters in this binder and on the CD (as are all materials mentioned).
CD Files listed Alphabetically• Answer guide for Bible studies
• Banner
• Banner for 3’ x 5’
• Banner information
• Bible study week one
• Bible study week two
• Bible study week three
• Bulletin message prior to start of emphasis
• Bulletin messages week one
• Bulletin messages week two
• Bulletin messages week three
• CD files listed alphabetically
• Children’s message for week one
• Children’s message for week two
• Children’s message for week three
• Commitment form
• Cover with chalice
• Daily devotions for week one
• Daily devotions for week two
• Daily devotions for week three
• Devotions title page
• Flyer coming soon
• Flyer coming soon 2
• Getting organized
• Lay reader talk audio week one
• Lay reader talk audio week two
• Lay reader talk audio week three
• Lay reader talk week 1 ppt slides
• Lay reader talk week 2 ppt slides
• Lay reader talk week 3 ppt slides
• Lay reader talk week one
• Lay reader talk week two
• Lay reader talk week three
• Leader tips
• Letter from pastor
• Letter to members who have not turned in a commitment form
• Letter to thank members for their financial commitment
• Logo
• Newsletter article
• Sermon for week one
• Sermon for week two
• Sermon for week two ppts
• Sermon for week three
• Sermon week one notes for bulletins
• Sermon week three notes for bulletins
• Slide for ppt week one
• Slide for ppt week two
• Slide for ppt week three
• Worship helps week one
• Worship helps week two
• Worship helps week three
Because some of these files are JPEG and MP3 Format Sound files, you will need to find them through My Computer.
Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love Getting Organized Prior to the Emphasis: Publicity/ Communication One month prior: Newsletter article Have a banner created (optional) Begin copying Bible studies, trifold brochure, letter from pastor, commitment forms, and daily devotions Two weeks prior: Place “coming soon” bulletin messages in bulletin.
One week prior: Place devotions “Stewards Transformed by Grace” in bulletins or have ushers hand them out. Members should be encouraged to read the devotions prior to next week’s sermon on the theme “Stewards Transformed by Grace.” Place bulletin message in bulletins.
Send letter, commitment form, and trifold brochure from pastor to church members.
Launch the Three-week Emphasis:
First week: “Stewards Transformed by Grace” Place the bulletin message and bulletin message with illustration in the bulletin
Have a person share a testimonial or use either the lay-reader talk or audio lay- reader talk for the first week provided on the CD. Power point slides are also available on the CD. First week of weekend Bible study
Place copied devotions, “Stewards Transformed by Faith,” in bulletins or have ushers hand them out. Members should be encouraged to read the devotions prior to next week’s sermon on the theme “Stewards Transformed by Faith.” Children’s message
Worship helps Sermon
Second week: “Stewards Transformed by Faith” Place the bulletin message and bulletin message with illustration in the bulletin.
Have a person share a testimonial or use either the lay-reader talk or audio lay reader talk for the second week provided on the CD. Power point slides are also available on the CD. Place copied devotions, “Stewards Transformed by Love,” in bulletins or have ushers hand them out. Members should be encouraged to read the devotions prior to next week’s sermon on the theme “Stewards Transformed by Love.”
Second week of weekend Bible study Remind people that next Sunday is Commitment Sunday
Children’s message Worship helps
Sermon
Third week: “Stewards Transformed by Love” On Commitment Sunday, it would be fitting to make this a time of thanks and celebration as people make their commitments to their Lord through the church. You may want to consider having special snacks, balloons, a celebration lunch, or a guest preacher, etc.
Place the bulletin message and bulletin message with illustration in the bulletin Have a person share a testimonial or use either the lay-reader talk or audio lay reader talk for the third week provided on the CD. Power point slides are also available on the CD.
Third week of weekend Bible study Place commitment form in bulletins. Allow members time to fill them out and collect them at the altar. Children’s message
Worship helps Sermon
Banners
A banner can be helpful in bringing attention to the stewardship emphasis. To create a banner, the pictures below are available for you to use. The picture on the left is located in the file titled: “Banner.” Email the file or download the file on a CD or flash drive to give to the printing company. The picture on the right can be used to develop a three foot by five foot banner. The file is titled: Banner for 3’ x 5’. Suggestion: At my church, we have used 30 inch by 40 inch banners because they can be clipped on foam board that comes in 30 inch by 40 inch at business supply stores. We place the foam board and banner on a tripod easel. The estimated cost for a 30 inch by 40 inch banner would be approximately $55.00 which will vary depending on your location.
Newsletter article
Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love
The theme for this year’s stewardship emphasis is titled Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love. We will begin this emphasis on ___ (date) _____. As God’s people, we have been given the high honor of being His stewards. As His stewards, we are called to manage faithfully all that we’ve been entrusted with according to God’s will and benefit. Because of God’s generous gifts of grace, faith, and love, we can accomplish all that God asks us to do. God works in and through us as we become His hands, feet, and mouth. Each week during this three-week emphasis, we will be focusing on one of the three virtues, grace, faith, and love. In week one, our focus is on God’s undeserved kindness and love which the Bible calls grace. God’s grace comes from God through Jesus and His work for us. It is not something we have a right to. Jesus obtained it for us. We get it freely because of the obedience and sacrifice of Jesus. This saving grace also enables and motivates us to be God’s stewards. The power of God’s grace in our lives compels us to use our time, talents, and money in ways that glorify God. In week two, we are reminded that it is through faith that we have access into God’s grace and a new relationship with Him. Through faith, God changes us, and we are born anew of Him. Not only does faith justify us and give us peace with God (Romans 5:1), we are told by James and other writers that faith produces works (James 2:18). Faith leads to action. Through faith, we are empowered to fulfill God’s purposes. Our deeds as stewards are evidence of our faith. The third week we will focus on the virtue of love. Love ought to follow faith. Love seeks the welfare of others. “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and His love is perfected in us” (1 John 4:11-12). God’s love in Christ will compel us to do things that appear foolish to unbelievers. God’s love prompts us to give freely of our time, talents, and treasures to help others and extend His kingdom. I hope and pray that God will use the sermon messages on Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love to draw you closer to Him. I also urge you to make every effort to attend the Bible studies as we focus on grace, faith, and love. Pastor _____________________________
Bulletin Messages (Use two or three-weeks prior to emphasis) Coming Soon! “Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love” On Sunday ___ (date) ___, we will begin a three-week stewardship emphasis titled “Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love” As God’s people, we are so blessed that His abundant gifts of grace, faith, and love never cease and are new every morning. How great is His faithfulness to us (Lamentations 3:23)! Filled with God’s presence, we become God-pleasing stewards, who manage all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes. Each week during our emphasis, we will focus on one of the virtues of grace, faith, and love. Please join us for both the worship services and the Bible studies. Coming Soon: “Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love” STEWARDSHIP IS OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S GIFTS. “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2). Color version Coming Soon: “Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love” STEWARDSHIP IS OUR RESPONSE TO GOD’S GIFTS. “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).
God working in and through us. Our new life in Christ finds expression in Christian stewardship through the work of the Holy Spirit. It is not what we do, not what we give, not how we serve—but what God does, what God gives, how God serves. Stewardship is our response to His love and gifts to us. Through faith, we are empowered to be God’s hands, feet, and mouth to the world. In Ephesians 2:10 Paul wrote, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” Through faith, we are saved, and that same faith energizes us to live out our faith by doing the good works that God has planned for us to do. Our good works as stewards are evidence of our faith. “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). Love Prompts Action In 1 John 4:19 we read, “We love because He first loved us.” Because God loved us so much that He would give His Son for us (John 3:16), we, too, can love. And just as Christ’s love for us led Him to labor for us through His passion, His death, and His victorious resurrection, so we, too, are prompted by our love for Him and others to labor.
God expects that the love He “lavishes” on us will naturally flow out of us into others. Real love is evidenced by action, both in labors of love to fellow believers and to our neighbors as well (Galatians 6:10). Christian stewardship should never consist of only occasional activities, but is rather a steady and increasing outflow that shares God’s love in us with others. Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8, NIV). By grace, our giving, helping, and serving are joyful expressions of gratitude motivated by love because of what God has given to us and done for us. The love of Jesus strengthened in us by the Holy Spirit, through Word and Sacrament, flows through us so we can show love to people around us. Through faith, we understand that we exist only out of God’s love and grace, and we are enabled to see God’s love at work in our lives. With God’s strength, we are empowered to live lives worthy of His love.
Stewardship Advisors Birmingham, MI 48009
Copyright © All rights reserved
Stewards Transformed
by Grace, Faith,
and Love
“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast,
immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord,
knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:58)
Grace, faith, and love are the focus for this stewardship emphasis. These three spiritual pillars are foundations for the steward who has received these gifts from God. As sinful and selfish people, we have done nothing to deserve or earn God’s grace, faith, and love, but we receive them with joy and gratitude. These three pillars transform our hearts so we become “God-centered” rather than “self-centered” people. We have a new direction and purpose for our lives. Through His gifts of grace, faith, and love, God transforms us into responsible stewards who seek to please Him. Our faithful stewardship is evidence that we are people transformed by grace, faith, and love. Grace Engenders Gratitude Webster’s New World Dictionary defines grace as “the love and favor of God toward man.” Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is unmerited, unearned, and undeserved. Grace is not ours to earn; it is God’s to give. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). As Christians, we understand that all we are and have are by God’s grace. “And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). God lavishes us with His grace. Each day we celebrate God’s gift of life. We bask in the beauty of God’s creation.
We receive blessing after blessing from our wonderful, giving, and gracious God. The zenith of God’s grace is the gift of His Son, Jesus, who gives us the gift of salvation. As the acronym for grace so aptly states, we have “God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense.” Even though we are sinful and undeserving, God sent His Son, Jesus, to die on a cross, and we are given eternal salvation. God was not bound by necessity to give salvation. It is the result of God’s gracious will. Salvation is a gift. Many strive to earn this gift, but none of us is capable of doing so.
By God’s grace, God calls us to be His stewards. Rev. James Ryle, founder of Truth Works Ministry, wrote, “Grace is the empowering presence of God enabling you to be who He created you to be, and to do what He has called you to do.”
God’s grace gives us both the desire and the power to do His will. Knowing that God has graciously given us our physical and spiritual lives, we seek to show our gratitude by how we live and what we do with our lives. An important way to show our thanksgiving is to be God-pleasing stewards. Faithful stewardship expresses our love and gratitude to God, and our faithful stewardship gives evidence of God’s grace in our lives. Faith Produces Works Faith is the most precious gift anyone can receive from God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Faith is “more precious than gold” (1 Peter 1:7). It is dependent solely on God. By His grace, He gives us faith. The writer of Hebrews defines faith as follows: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith enables us to place our trust in Jesus. By grace through faith, we are saved from our lives of sin and ensured that we can live with Jesus forever in Heaven. Stewardship is faith in action. Stewardship is a whole-life response to God’s acts of creation and redemption. Through faith, we understand that our stewardship is
Letter to introduce stewardship emphasis Dear Friends in Christ, I greet you in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! With excitement, I write this letter to inform you that in the coming weeks our congregation will be involved in a stewardship emphasis titled Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love. We begin this three-week emphasis on Sunday ___ (date) ___. During the three weeks, we will focus on God’s gifts of grace, faith, and love and how God uses these gifts to shape us so He can accomplish His plan on earth through us. Sunday ___ (date) ____, “Stewards Transformed by Grace:” By grace, we acknowledge God’s call to be His stewards, and we express our gratitude for the wonderful privilege to serve God through our stewardship. By grace, God gives us physical and spiritual blessings, especially the gift of His Son, Jesus. God’s grace gives us life and salvation and that same grace makes it possible for us to know God’s will and be equipped so we can do His will. Sunday ___ (date) ____, “Stewards Transformed by Faith:” By grace, God gives us faith. This precious gift of faith enables us to place our trust in Jesus. Through faith, along with God’s strength and wisdom, we, as ordinary people, can do extraordinary things. Stewardship is our faith in action. Stewards guided by faith become Jesus’ hands, feet, and mouth. Sunday ____ (date) _____, “Stewards Transformed by Love:” Love comes from God. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God demonstrated His awesome love for us by sending His Son, Jesus, to the cross to atone for our sins. He wants His love within us to overflow to others. I pray that each of you will join us for worship and Bible study as we focus on the virtues of grace, faith, and love. We will learn how God uses these virtues to develop a closer relationship with us as well as to prompt us to action with our time, talents, and money. Please bring the enclosed Commitment Form with you to church on Commitment Sunday, _____ (date) _____, or drop it off in the church office at your convenience. God’s blessings on your continued faithful stewardship of the many blessings He has entrusted to your care. Serving Christ together, Pastor ___________________________
Thank-you letter to members who turned in Commitment Forms Dear Fellow Christians, Greetings in the name of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus! Thank you for the financial commitment that you made for 2016. Your commitment will further God’s work at our church. The generosity of so many people supports our ministries for children and youth, the elderly, the, sick, the shut-ins, our staff, and our facilities, along with outreach and missions. The stewardship emphasis, Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love, helped us understand that God calls and equips us to be His stewards. God uses and works through us to accomplish His work for which we give Him praise and thanks. It is truly an honor and privilege to be God’s stewards through whom He accomplishes His purposes. The Holy Spirit, working through God’s Holy Word, transforms us to be His faithful stewards. Through faith, we know all of our gifts are from God, the motivation to serve and to give is from Him, the cause to support is His, and the promise to bless the gifts and the givers is His. We will keep you and the entire congregation informed on the work of our ministries throughout the year so you can see your contributions in action. We pray for your ongoing involvement, also, in the ministry and mission of our church. Thank you again for sharing your blessings and being a partner in this journey of faith. May God’s blessings be with you as you faithfully manage all that He has entrusted to you. In His love, Pastor ___________________
Letter to members who have not turned in Commitment Forms Dear Member, Greetings in the name of risen Lord and Savior, Jesus! “We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints” (Colossians 1:3-4). Through the faithful stewardship of the Body of Christ here at our church, we are able to proclaim the Gospel in both word and deed. During our recent stewardship emphasis, Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love, we focused on how God transforms us so we are equipped and inspired to be His stewards. By His grace, God calls us to be His stewards, and, through our God-given faith, we understand that God is the source of all good things. As recipients of His grace, faith, and love, we demonstrate our gratitude by faithfully receiving, managing, and sharing God’s blessings. How can we respond to this great love of our Father and use all His gifts to us for His glory? God is totally committed to us. Are you willing to make a commitment to Him? Your commitment form has not yet been received. Perhaps you’re still praying about it; maybe you’ve forgotten it; maybe it’s been lost. We are enclosing another form and ask that you complete it and return it to the church office at your earliest convenience. Thank you and may God continue to pour out His blessings on you as you experience the joy of being God’s steward. Serving Christ together, Pastor ________________________
WEEK ONE
Week 1 Power point slides for Lay Reader or Audio talk CD file titled: “Lay Reader Talk week 1pptslides”
Worship Helps Week One: “Stewards Transformed by Grace” Readings: Old Testament: Genesis 22:1-14 Epistle Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:1-14 Gospel: John 1:1-18 Hymns: Today Your Mercy Calls Us If Your Beloved Son, O God By Grace I’m Saved Stewardship Litany: Leader: Lord, we thank You for giving us the privilege and the opportunity to be stewards of Your creation. People: Lord, transform us into trustworthy stewards by Your grace, faith, and love. Leader: We thank You for Your grace that enables us to understand that we were created for Your purposes, not ours. People: Lord, transform us into trustworthy stewards by Your grace, faith, and love Leader: Lord, we thank You for the abilities and spiritual gifts that You give to us so we might be blessings to others and Your Church. People: Lord, transform us into trustworthy stewards by Your grace, faith, and love Leader: Jesus, You said, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8 NIV). Help us to be channels through which Your blessings flow. People: Lord, transform us into trustworthy stewards by Your grace, faith, and love. Leader: Lord God, we ask that You would bless us with the desire to become faithful stewards who practice Godly stewardship. Grant us, Lord, generous hearts that want to give and serve. People: Through Jesus we pray. Amen.
Lay reader talk for week one:
God’s Transforming Grace
This is the first week of our stewardship emphasis Stewards Transformed by God’s Grace, Faith, and Love. Our focus for week one is the virtue grace. We often hear the word “grace” used to describe a dancer, or we refer to the prayer prior to a meal as “grace.” However, to God’s people, the word “grace” has a much more profound meaning, because we know it is only by God’s grace that we have life. Only by God’s grace do we live and delight in God’s awesome creation. Only by God’s grace in Jesus do we have the forgiveness of sins, an abundant life here on earth, and life eternal. Yes, all that we are and have are by God’s grace. Grace can be defined as God’s unmerited favor. It is unmerited because we have done nothing to deserve God’s gifts. Just as parents or married couples give freely to their family members or to one another, God in a much more meaningful way gives to us. Even though we are sinful and wayward people, God keeps on giving and giving. We can never outgive God. God’s grace also equips us to do His will. The writer of Hebrews tells us that God will “equip [us] with everything good that [we] may do His will” (verse 13:21). As God’s stewards, we know that He wants us to manage His blessings His way and for His glory. God equips us with resources to do His will. In 2 Corinthians 9:8, the Apostle Paul wrote, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” He abundantly supplies everything we need to be His faithful stewards. Filled with faith and the resources to do His will, we are then guided by His Holy Spirit in doing His will. By God’s grace, we are God-pleasing stewards. May we all experience great joy in faithfully stewarding the many blessings God has entrusted to our care.
Bulletin messages for week one: Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love This is the first week of our three-week emphasis, “Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love.” Today our focus is on grace, which God graciously gives us through Jesus. Only by God’s grace do we understand that all we are and have are God’s gifts. Even though we are sinful, undeserving people, God lavishes us with blessings day after day. As stewards, we can by God’s grace show our gratitude to God by using our blessings and gifts faithfully. Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love BY GOD’S GRACE IN JESUS, WE ARE TRANSFORMED INTO GOD-PLEASING STEWARDS. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11).
Week One Children’s Message Receiving and Giving Gifts How many of you like to receive gifts for their birthday or Christmas? I bet each of you get a gift from Mom and Dad for all your birthdays and Christmas. Just think how many gifts your parents give you. Your parents are special people who love to give you things. Your parents have given you everything you have, your life, food, clothes, toys, a place to sleep, a home and on and on. I know you like to receive gifts, but do you like to give gifts to your mom and dad for their birthdays and Christmas? Isn’t it true that even the gifts that you give to your parents have come from them? Maybe you get an allowance (which comes from Mom and Dad), and don’t Mom and Dad take you to the store to pick something out and then give you the money to pay at the check-out register? It’s the same way with God. He gives us everything we need. It may be a bit harder to see than it is with our parents, but He gives us everything: life, all that we need to support it, and most of all the greatest gift of all, Jesus, Who gives us eternal life. So we love to give gifts to God just like we love to give gifts to our parents. Telling others about Jesus, helping others, and giving of our things are all ways we give gifts to God. And just like our parents beam from ear to ear when we give them gifts, so God loves it when we give back Him back from what He has given us. As we are eager to give gifts to our parents, so we are eager to give gifts to God. Let’s pray. Dear Jesus, thank You for loving us and for giving us so much. Lord, help these boys and girls experience the joy of giving. Amen.
1
Sermon Week One “The Grace of Giving” Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today, we begin our stewardship program Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love. For this week, our focus is on stewards transformed by grace.
The text is from 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 in particular verse 8, which reads, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor so that you by His poverty might become rich.”
It had been a hard winter in the Rockies. The snow piled deeper and deeper. The temperature dropped below zero and stayed there. The rivers froze over. People were suffering. The Red Cross used helicopters to fly in supplies.
After a long, hard day, as they were returning to their base, the rescue team in a helicopter saw a cabin nearly submerged in the snow. A thin wisp of smoke came up from the chimney. The men figured those people in that cabin were probably critically short of food, fuel, and medicine. Because of the trees they had to set down about a mile from the cabin. They put their heavy emergency equipment on their backs, trudged through waist-deep snow, and reached the cabin exhausted, panting, and perspiring. They pounded on the door and a thin, gaunt mountain woman finally answered. The lead man panted, “Ma’am, we’re from the Red Cross.” She was silent for a moment, and then she said, “It’s been a hard, long winter, Sonny I just don’t think we can give anything this year!” We have become accustomed to people’s relentless asking for money. The salesman who rings at the door, the computer recording on the other end of the phone, the appeal letter in the mail, the panhandlers on the street corners, and the Girl Scouts selling cookies outside of Walmart and Kroger are all out to get our money. We brace ourselves to say “no.” When somebody approaches claiming to want to help us, we become suspicious. There has to be an ulterior motive. The Apostle Paul was traveling all over the world taking up a collection for the poor, distressed Christians in Jerusalem. They were in need of help. Usually the mother church supports the mission churches, but there was a famine in Judea, so the economy was suffering and the mother church at Jerusalem needed help. On top of that, Christians were being persecuted, and many of them had lost their jobs. As a result, many of them were just barely staying alive. So Paul went from church to church urging the Christians to give generously to support those who were in need in Jerusalem. Paul said, “Just as you excel in everything…see that you also excel in this grace of giving” (8:7).
2
Friends, whenever we talk about grace and giving, we have to talk about God. Grace begins with God. Grace is the gift He gives to us undeservedly. It is unmerited on our part. But you know God is not only gracious, He is giving. In fact, He is the greatest giver ever. John 3:16 tells us, “God so loved the world that He gave is one and only Son that whoever should believe in Him shall have every lasting life.” He gave His Son and that is an expression of His love. When He wanted to tell us how much He loved us, He didn’t send us a letter, an email, or put something on Facebook. He sent His only Son. His Son Who was rich became poor. Paul said, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Yes, this was something they already knew, but something they needed to keep on hearing. To describe the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul used the term rich and poor. He applied these words to Jesus. He was rich, Paul reminded them. He was referring to the eternal riches that were His as the Son of God from all eternity. There was and is nothing that does not belong to Him. But for your sake He became poor. Paul’s reminding them that he is referring to what Christians today call Christ’s state of humility. Writing to the Philippians, Paul put it this way, “Christ made Himself nothing." Literally He emptied Himself. The Macedonians Christians had very little. The very little they had they gave. Jesus had absolutely everything. He was Lord of the universe, and He gave it all. As Paul told the Corinthians, He died so that they may become rich. Jesus, the God-man swapped places with us sinners. He underwent the agony, desolation, and the deserved punishment of fallen mankind. In return, we sinners receive a share in His Sonship and the forgiveness of sins. You see, because of Christ’s poverty, we are rich. But we are not rich by nature. By nature, we are poor. Scripture tells us we are spiritually blind, dead, and enemies of God. There is no goodness of our own. There is no one good—not even one, we are told in Romans. There is no way for us to gain acceptance with God. All of our efforts fall short, but in Christ we have become incredibly rich. We have forgiveness of sins. The slate is wiped clean. We have all things working for our good. We have eternal riches. Friends, that is grace in action. We are rich. We may say, “Me rich?” We might say, “We get by, but we’re certainly not rich.” But we are rich, becomes Christ became poor. If you question yourself becoming rich, just ask God, “How much did your salvation cost?” Martin Luther reminded us that our salvation was not bought with gold or silver but with His innocent suffering and death. Friends, we are rich and to be rich means that we belong to Him. We have been chosen by Him. We have been bought by Him, by His own blood. To be rich is to live for Him. Doing His will instead of ours. Seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:15: “And He died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for Him Who for their sake died and was raised.” How much of every day do you live for God? You see friends, we can live every day for God by remembering that we are stewards. We are all stewards by creation and our recreation in Baptism. As God’s stewards we are managers not owners. God is the owner. We just confessed a few moments ago that we believe in God the Father, almighty maker of heaven and earth. But friends, He is not only the maker of heaven and earth; He is the owner because He has never given up ownership. Being stewards means that we’ve been entrusted with life and life’s resources. We’ve been given the privilege of responsibly and joyfully managing them for Him. We can do that because
3
we are stewards who have been transformed by God’s grace. We have been changed. It’s an internal change. We’ve been changed in heart and mind. We are no longer the same person we once were. Paul says that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Being transformed or changed starts with thinking of things differently. Having a different mindset and different attitude. And it results in behavior that is pleasing to God and in accordance with God’s will. In accordance with God’s will, we are givers not just takers. Giving now becomes a privilege rather than a problem or obligation. We want to give willingly and cheerfully. In our text we learned that Christians in Macedonia begged to be part of the offering. How often have the people at our church applauded when we collect the offering? I asked that because I’ve heard of a congregation that did applaud when an offering was collected. Well, there is room for growth at our church. Wouldn’t it be great if, when I, as the pastor, announced the offering, the congregation would applaud? Because through our giving we are given an opportunity to give back to God what He has given to us. We give back not because we have to give but because we want to give. As we give, we give of ourselves. In verse 5 of our text it says, “They gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.” A pastor told me about a time when his church received a $1,000 check from a member who never attended church. The pastor’s secretary said that the man considered his gift as his dues. A year later another check for $1,000 was received from the same man. The pastor later met with the man and returned his $1,000 check. The pastor told the gentleman that “God doesn’t want your money; he wants you.” Friends, God doesn’t want our money; he wants us. When we refuse to give ourselves, we are withholding what belongs to God. When we give ourselves, we give our time. Time gives us the opportunity to serve God by serving our fellow man. Have you ever wondered why God allowed you to keep on living after He had saved you? We are still here because God has a purpose for us. God has things for us to do. Many people don’t know their purpose in the world. As a giver, we give our treasures. Our text says, “They gave according to their means.” If the readiness is there, the gift is acceptable to what a person has not what he doesn’t have. We have not all been blessed the same way, but the gift is acceptable if it is given according to how God has blessed us. Last weekend you were given daily devotions to read during this past week. I’d like to read a paragraph from last Friday’s devotion. In writing to the Church in Corinth, Paul referenced the example of the Macedonians who
gave so generously to the needy Christians in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:1-9). They were empowered to give because of God’s grace and generosity to them. Even though they lived in poverty, the Macedonians gave generously and sacrificially. Paul referred to their giving as an “act of grace” (vs. 6). By grace, the Macedonians in their extreme poverty gave “beyond their means” (vs. 3). They were so eager to give that they pleaded for the privilege of sharing with the needy in Jerusalem. Their giving, while they were in such a difficult economic position, gave witness to God’s grace in their lives. God’s grace makes it possible for people to have very little and yet want to give generously.
4
Friends, the word generosity comes from the root word that means “single.” The basic idea is of single-mindedness of purpose. It points more to the attitude of the giver rather than the amount given. The ultimate source of the single-minded generous spirit is the grace of God that has been given to the churches of Macedonia. Generous givers aren’t born that way. That kind of attitude is the result of being reborn or being changed or being transformed. The grace of unmerited love of God that brings salvation to the sinner also inspires a new life of service that includes unselfish, generous giving. To be able to give cheerfully and generously is a gift of grace. The grace of giving means, “For the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich.” In a sermon on generosity, Dr. Oswald Hoffmann, the sainted speaker of the Lutheran Hour, said, “I’m not afraid to talk about money because all that we have belongs to God including our salvation being bought through the love and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.” To that we say, “This is most certainly true.” Now may the peace of God that transcends all understanding keep your minds and hearts in Jesus. Amen.
WEEK TWO
Week 2 Power point slides for Lay Reader or Audio talk CD file titled: “Lay Reader Talk week 2pptslides”
Worship Helps Week two: “Stewards Transformed by Faith” Readings: Old Testament: 1 Kings 17:8-16 (17-24) Epistle: Romans 3:21-31 (or Hebrews 11) Gospel: Luke 7:1-10 Hymns: With the Lord Begin Your Task LSB 869 Faith and Truth and Life Bestowing LSB 584 My Faith Looks Up to Thee LSB 702 Stewardship Litany: Leader: Our poor stewardship is often seen in how we mismanage and misuse the blessings that You entrust to us. People: Lord, transform our hearts and grant us faith so we can be God-pleasing stewards. Leader: Because we are self-centered people, we fail to love our neighbors as You call us to do. People: Lord, grant us faith so we can be Christ-centered people who, through the work of the Holy Spirit, become God-pleasing stewards. Leader: We confess that we often fail to make giving to our church and those in need a priority. People: Forgive us, Lord, for ignoring the opportunities You place before us to witness and to help those in need of Your love and care. Help us to be the God-pleasing stewards that You have equipped us to be. Leader: Lord God, we thank You for Your Spirit’s continuing work of sanctification as He transforms us into God-pleasing stewards. People: Through Jesus we pray. Amen.
Bulletin messages for week two: Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love This is the second week of our stewardship emphasis, “Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love.” Today our focus is on faith, which God graciously gives to us. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Through faith, we acknowledge God as our Creator and Redeemer, and we are made right with Him. In our sermon message and Bible studies today, we will hear that stewardship is faith in action. Our faith empowers us to be God-pleasing stewards. Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love STEWARDSHIP IS FAITH IN ACTION. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Lay reader talk for second week
Transformed by Faith
As part of our stewardship theme, Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love, we are focusing today on the virtue of faith. One of the most inspiring chapters in Scripture is Hebrews chapter 11 which is referred to as the “Faith Chapter.” Here we learn that, by faith, men and women such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Joseph, and Rahab pleased God by their faithful obedience. Just as these Biblical patriarchs knew that God was real, merciful, and faithful to them, we know that He is active and present in our lives as well. Nurtured by Word and Sacrament, our faith motivates and empowers us in our acts of stewardship. God equips us for good works and transforms us into faithful stewards. However, our faithfulness may come at a price, as it did for the faithful in the “Faith Chapter.” It may cost us our financial treasures, our time, and our energy. It may cost us friends and family who don’t understand our ways that are countercultural. It may cost us status, prestige, and pride. Jesus gave the call to faithful obedience by saying, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). At times, the price may seem too high to pay. When things get tough and we get down, we should consider Paul’s words: But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything
as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus as my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith (Philippians 3:7-9).
What does the world offer? Rubbish! What results from bearing the fruit of faithful obedience? We grow in the knowledge and love of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and we find true treasures. May God grant us faith not only to know Him but also to be faithful stewards of all that He entrusts to us.
Week Two Children’s Message Placing our Faith in Jesus (You will need a rope and a piece of paper with the word “faith.”) Who can tell me what this says? (Holding up paper with the word “faith.”) Yes, it says faith. Who can tell me what faith means? Yes, faith is believing. We are saved by faith. Faith is trusting in someone or something. You all trust in your parents because you know if you are in trouble they will help you. However our parents can’t save us. Our parents give us food to eat and a home to live in. They give us their love, but the Bible tells us that only Jesus can save us. I have a rope (throw the rope out). Let’s say that you are swimming, and you can’t get back to shore. The rope can be used to save you. In order for you to be saved, you need to hold onto the end of the rope very tightly. The key is to be holding onto the end of the rope very tightly so someone can pull you out of the water. The thing is, though, that the person on the other end of the rope also has to be holding tightly onto the rope. (At this point, drop the rope.) Our faith is centered on the cross and Jesus. (Take the rope and tie it to a cross, preferably a large one.) Through faith, we know that Jesus is at the other end of the rope. Jesus won’t let go because He loves us. The cross is our reminder of Jesus’ love. Faith that saves us is centered in Jesus. Let’s pray. Jesus, thank You for loving us. Help us to place our faith and trust in You. Amen.
1 | “ T r a n s f o r m e d b y F a i t h ” – S t e w a r d s h i p 2
Sermon Week Two “Stewards Transformed by Faith”
The point: God has radically transformed us by faith so we can turn to Him and pray, “Lord, use me.” SLIDE 1: Up from Start God’s grace, mercy, and peace…. Today is our second week of our stewardship emphasis “Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love.” Slide 2: Text – Heb. 10:14 Text: Hebrews 10:14 - “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” Slide 3: adds µεταµορφούµεθα (metamorphoumetha) Here’s what we’re focusing on today. (pronounced: meh-ta-mor-FOO-meh-tha) You see the root of an important and fairly radical word in the English language, and in our message today, as well. Okay, here’s the English: Slide 4: adds “Be Transformed.” Transformation – not a little thing, a big thing. Slide 6: Caterpillar to Butterfly slide Greek word for transformed – metamorphosis – completely different in every way. This is the way we typically illustrate metamorphosis – caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. Something that crawls changes into something that flies! This word is only used three times in the New Testament, and I think it’s interesting to see where. Slide 7: Matthew 17:2 “There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.” Just so you get a sense of how big a change the Greek word for “transformed” really is, It is used to denote the change Jesus underwent as He was transfigured. The disciples were able to see Him as He truly was. In that moment, He changed from earthly to heavenly. Slide 8: Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” In Romans 12, meh-ta-mor-FOO-meh-tha talks about a similar change – but it’s about us. By faith, we are changed from creatures of the world to citizens of Heaven To followers of Jesus. Slide 9: 2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all…are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2nd Corinthians ties these two together – It is the change God
2 | “ T r a n s f o r m e d b y F a i t h ” – S t e w a r d s h i p 2
works in us through the Holy Spirit, Whom we receive by faith. He makes us more and more like Jesus. It’s interesting to see how God uses the word “transformed” in HIS Word. It illustrates a completely change…just like caterpillar to butterfly. From darkness to light; from death to life; from sinner to saint; from guilty to innocent; from slavery to freedom. From earthly to heavenly. Slide 10: Stewards Transformed by Faith Remember our text from verse 14? It says “perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.” That’s true metamorphosis. We have moved from earthly creatures to saints, and have been given this joyful task and challenge of working together to support and strengthen God’s church so we can disciple the faithful, and reach the lost, with the love of Christ. We are stewards transformed by faith. Are you feeling transformed? Do you feel different? I have to admit, some days I feel a lot less like a butterfly, and a lot more like a caterpillar, dragging myself around in the dirt. Or maybe a cocoon, kind of stuck in place, just waiting. Yes, we’re saints of light because of Jesus, but we’re also still bound to this sinful world. For now. Slide 11: Hebrews 10:17 But that’s the beauty of God’s transformation of us. We don’t have to feel it to know it’s there. The fact that we sometimes don’t feel it, or even feel the opposite, doesn’t make the metamorphosis any less real. Verse 17 from our epistle says – “then [the Holy Spirit] adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” It’s not about what we do; what we think; what we feel. It’s about what Jesus has done for us. Because of Jesus, we ARE transformed from that caterpillar. We ARE free from our cocoon. We truly can fly, by His power, by the love of the Spirit, by the grace given to us through Jesus. “Fly?” You’re asking. “Me? Fly? I’m just lucky to crawl out of bed each morning When we think of truly flying through life, it’s usually when we think of someone else. But you know what? SLIDE 12: EVERYONE FIGHTS BATTLE We all fight a hard battle in this world. Pastor Ian Maclaren said that in 1897, and it’s always been true. But often it’s within the battles that God allows the transformative power of faith to truly show. SLIDE 13: SUSIE SMITH Tell Susie’s story; through it all, she has turned more and more to Jesus through the faith He has given her; she has modeled faithfulness for her family; she has encouraged countless Christians and non-Christians through her simple, powerful testimony. Susie is flying, even in the midst of her pain.
3 | “ T r a n s f o r m e d b y F a i t h ” – S t e w a r d s h i p 2
SLIDE 14: RACHEL and PATRICK Tell Rachel and Patrick’s story. The baptism of each of the triplets; turning to God in prayer. Their outward display of faith caused their nurse to also express her faith in Jesus to them. Yes, it hurts terribly; but in the pain is also bright, certain hope for an eternal future together with their three sons. “Our Gracious God took our three beautiful boys into His loving arms and carried them to Heaven this past Sunday and Monday.” “We were blessed with irreplaceable time with them during which they received the amazing gift of life and forgiveness through Baptism!” SLIDE 15: OLD PHOTO OF DAVID BERKOWITZ Do you want to see the transforming power of faith? Look at this man. The one called the “Son of Sam” killer was arrested, tried, and convicted in 1977. This is a man who struggled his entire life. Seizures as a boy. His mother passed away when he was 14. Later in life, he met some people who encouraged him to openly worship the devil, and at one point as he describes it, “gave himself over to Satan.” David Berkowitz received six life sentences. It would seem there could be no greater darkness than what David Berkowitz experienced. SLIDE 16: BOTH PHOTOS Yet today his fellow inmates call him “Son of Hope.” He has been given the gift of faith in Jesus Christ. He is a model prisoner, a constant evangelist for Christ. He said this: “One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Romans 10:13. It says, ‘For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ Here it is clear that God has no favorites. He rejects no one, but welcomes all who will call upon Him.” God doesn’t just paint the walls and change the carpeting. Through faith, He tears it all down and builds up something new. David Berkowitz took lives – and now God is using him to bring eternal life to those around him. He thanks God every day for the ministry he is able to accomplish within the prison in New York where he will spend the rest of his life. SLIDE 17: CASSIE BERNAL Cassie Bernal’s story – book “She Said Yes.” Columbine shooting, April 20, 1999, age 17. Many people don’t know just two years prior to the shooting, Cassie was practicing witchcraft and was constantly thinking about suicide. Her parents dragged her into the Youth Minister’s office at their church, and when she left, he said to himself, “she is a lost cause.” But God transformed her. Six months later, she came back into the Youth Minister’s office and told him 'You'll never guess what I did today. I gave my life to Christ!' The Youth Minister’s jaw hit the floor. Cassie became an evangelist in her high school, and many others came to know Jesus through her. When she had a gun pointed at her and was asked if she believed in God, she replied, “yes, I believe in Jesus.” It cost her this life on earth, but you know what? At her funeral they played a video of Cassie giving her testimony, and 75 young people came forward to give their lives to Jesus
4 | “ T r a n s f o r m e d b y F a i t h ” – S t e w a r d s h i p 2
for the first time. How many eternal lives were saved through that horrific act at Columbine High School? Transformed by faith. For eternity. SLIDE 18: YOU AND ME Well we’ve talk about some other folks. Let’s talk about US. Yes, these stories are encouraging. Strengthening. Yes, they show the transforming power of faith. But what about OUR lives? Our own struggles? What about this caterpillar within? SLIDE 19: HEBREWS 10:23 Our Epistle lesson has something to say about that. And I love that verse 23 is my confirmation verse. “Let us hold steadfast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” Don’t feel like you’re flying today? It’s okay, you’re still radically transformed through faith in Jesus. God is faithful. No matter what you’re struggling with, no matter how far away from Him you feel, He’s. RIGHT. HERE. He has chosen you. He has given you the gift of faith. He will never leave you nor forsake you. That’s the truth of Jesus Christ. And it’s happening in your life right now. SLIDES 19 and 20: HEBREWS 10:24-25 Verses 24 and 25 tell us what to do with all of this: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works (GOOD STEWARDS, I STUCK THAT IN THERE), not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We live transformed lives through faith, in part, when we stir up one another to love and good works. That’s simply another way of saying “be good stewards.” It means we use what we’ve been given, no matter how small or how large, to turn to Jesus at all times, just like Patrick and Rachel. We encourage one another in the faith, as Susie Smith does, even in her suffering. We talk about Jesus and what He means to us, just like David Berkowitz and Cassie Bernal. SLIDE 21: LORD, USE ME We simply take the things God has given us and turn right back around with a simple prayer, “Lord, use me.” Let’s do that now. Pray with me. - Prayer - SLIDE 22: µεταµορφούµεθα Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, unto life everlasting. Amen.
WEEK THREE
Week 3 Power point slides for Lay Reader or Audio talk CD file titled: “Lay Reader Talk week 3pptslides”
Worship Helps Week three: “Stewards Transformed by Love” Readings: Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 29:1-19 Epistle: 1 John 4:7-5:3 Gospel: John 12:1-8 Hymns: Love Divine, All Loves Excelling LSB 700 Love in Christ Is Strong and Living LSB 706 (They’ll Know We Are Christians by our Love) Thee Will I Love, My Strength My Tower LSB 694 Stewardship Litany: Leader: Heavenly Father, You have called us to be stewards so others will hear the Good News. Help us, Lord, by word and action to be faithful to our calling as we acquaint those around us with Your love, the redeeming power of Your Son’s death on the Cross, and His resurrection from the grave. People: Lord, continue to transform us by Your grace, faith, and love so we can be Your stewards who strive to serve and honor You Leader: Lord, we thank You for the privilege of being Your stewards, and we pray for wisdom, strength, and conviction to live each day faithfully in the stewardship of Your blessings. People: Lord, help us to mature as Your stewards. Leader: Dear God through Your grace, change our attitude toward giving so that we view our giving as a privilege rather than an obligation. Grant us loving and giving hearts so we willingly share our time, talents, and money with others. People: Help us to see our money as a tool that can be used to help others and extend Your kingdom. Leader: Dear God, through Your grace, our stewardship changes from sporadic good deeds to a lifestyle of stewardship. Because You transform our hearts, we are eager to return Your love for us through good works that please and honor You. People: Father, thank You for allowing us to be Your hands, feet, and mouth to the world. May we as Your stewards allow Your love within us overflow to others.
Bulletin messages for week three: Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love Our focus for the third and final week of our three-week stewardship emphasis, “Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love” is on the virtue of love. In first John 4:7 we read, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” Jesus tells His followers that God’s will for us is summarized in two commands: love God and love your neighbor. The love we are to give is expressed not only in feelings of love, but, much more important, in acts of love as we show kindness and compassion to those around us. Love seeks the best for others. Jesus told his disciples they were to love not only their neighbors and friends but their enemies as well. God’s love for us has achieved its purpose in us when it causes us to love others. Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love AS GOD’S LOVE RESIDES IN US, WE LOVE OTHERS. “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).
Lay reader talk for week three:
Stewards Transformed by Love
In this the third and final week of our stewardship program, Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love, we are focusing today on the virtue of love. In Romans 5:8 Paul wrote, “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God has never stopped pouring out His love for us. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down His life for His friends” (John 15:13). He demonstrated His tremendous love not because of our worthiness, but because He is a God of unfathomable love. Jesus’ love for His heavenly Father and for us changed the world. Through His birth, life, death, and resurrection from that death, we through faith have received the forgiveness of our sins and life eternal. God’s love to us in Christ is that power that enables us to love Him. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The love of Jesus empowers us to be His stewards. Because of Jesus’ love, we become people responding out of love to serve those He places in our lives. When needs arise, Jesus opens our eyes and hearts so we can respond to those needs. Because Jesus’ love for us motivates us, we find joy in our serving and giving. Love changes our giving from an obligation to a privilege. He is the source of the love that we give to Him and others. There is a story of two brothers who were farmers. They farmed together, and their agreement was to share their crops equally. One brother was single while the other brother had a wife and three kids. The brother who was single did not think it was fair for him to receive half of the crops because his brother had a family to support. At night, he would get up and take some of the harvest from his pile and put it on his brother’s. The brother with the family thought it wasn’t fair for him to receive half of the crops, because his single brother would have no one to take care of him in his old age. At night, he took some of the crops from his pile and put it on his brother’s. One night they met each other as each was performing his act of love. They were blessed knowing how much they loved each other. How wonderful it is that, as Christians, we know that Jesus loves us even more than the brothers loved each other. Jesus continues to love us even when our love and faith wane. He continues to provide for us even when we jealously hoard His blessings. But let this not be the case with us who have experienced His great love. Let us instead live lives that genuinely reflect Jesus’ love for us.
My Commitment for the Lord through _____(Church) _____________
1 I (we) promise to worship regularly. Please return top portion to the church. 1 I (we) commit to diligent study in God’s Word. 1Regular group Bible study 1 Personal and/or family devotions 1 I (we) commit to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). 1 My (our) faith offering each week in 2016 will be $___________ NAME(S):__________________________________________________Please return card to the church (please print) office or drop in the offering plate.
“But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace (giving) also” (2 Corinthians 8:7).
My Commitment for the Lord through _______(Church) __________
I (we) promise to worship regularly. 1 I (we) commit to diligent study in God’s Word. 1Regular group Bible study 1 Personal and/or family devotions 1 I (we) commit to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). 1 My (our) faith offering each week in 2016 will be $___________
Please bring card with you on Commitment Weekend or mail it (or drop off at) to the church office.
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Please detach and keep for your records rererecords
Children’s Message Week 3 I’m going to tell you a story today about two little girls, Angie and Laura. They had been best friends since they had been babies. Laura was a very active child while Angie was content to watch while Laura scooted all the way across the monkey bars. Then she’d clap and cheer for her friend. Angie didn’t have a lot of energy, so Laura quieted herself and played quiet games with her. Before long, even that tired Angie out, and Laura came to realize that her friend was sick. So Laura brought books to read to Angie while she lay in bed and told her jokes to make her laugh. Then one day, Laura’s mother told her gently that Angie’s heart had just given out and she had gone to Heaven to live with Jesus. Laura was broken-hearted over the loss of her friend, but one day it occurred to her that Angie’s mom and dad were even sadder than she was. She started to pray for them every day. One day Laura was late after school. “Where have you been?” her mom asked. “Oh,’ replied Laura, “I just went to cheer up Angie’s mom.” “What did you do?” her mom asked with curiosity. “Well, I just sat in her lap and cried with her,” said Laura. Now I ask you: Can you see how these girls showed love to each other? To whom else did Laura show love? How? Did you know that God tells us that, whenever we show love and kindness to someone else, it’s the same as showing it to Him? How do you think Laura and Angie learned to show love? 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because [Jesus] first loved us.” How did Jesus show His love for us? That’s right. He died on the Cross to take away our sins. That’s why Laura could be sure her friend Angie was in Heaven with Him. That’s how we know we will be in Heaven with Jesus some day too.
1
Sermon Week Three “The Proof of our Love” Grace, mercy, and peace to you and from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today is the last week of our stewardship emphasis Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love. For this week, our focus is on stewards transformed by love. Our text is the epistle lesson found in 1 John 4. There is a sermon outline in your worship folder that you may be interested in using. Six year old Johnnie comes home from first grade, and he asks his mother, “Mom where do I come from?” His mother thought, Oh dear, I wish his father was here to answer the question. She had hoped the question would not have come up for a few more years. After she had slowly and carefully explained the anatomy of males and females, she asked Johnny, “Why did you ask?” He said, “My friend Bobby came from Chicago, so I was wondering where I came from.” There is also some misunderstanding when we talk about God’s love so I would like to make three points that we need to understand about God’s love for us. In our epistle lesson for today we find our first point which is “love begins with God.” Verse seven of our Epistle lesson says, “Beloved, let us love one another for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.” By ourselves, we are incapable of loving. But many people consider love to have originated with themselves. If we were to love, it would be a very selfish and self-centered kind of love. Christians know that God is the origin of love. God first loved us, and He enables us to share that love with others. God is not only the origin of love. Verse 8 tells us “God is love.” The very nature of God is love. Everything that God does and says originates from His love for us. He created us in love, and, when we fell into sin, instead of giving up on us or destroying us, He set about to redeem us. He showed His love for us as He sent His Son to pay the sacrifice for sins. He sent His Son into the world to die on the Cross as the propitiation for our sins. In verse 10, we see that propitiation means that He was the atoning sacrifice for our sins. A sacrifice had to be made for our sins. Jesus was the perfect lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world, and He does that so that we might live through Him. Because of God’s love and forgiveness, we have eternal life in His name. So we see, “Love begins with God.” The second major point is that “God’s love has a dramatic effect on us.” Verse 7 says we are born of God. Through Holy Baptism, we are born again of water and the Spirit and become children of God. Our old natural birth has been superseded by a new supernatural birth. We have been transformed or changed. We are no longer the same persons we once were because of that transformation. We all know about the metamorphosis that takes place in a caterpillar as it becomes a butterfly. As great as the transformation is from a caterpillar to a butterfly, the transformation that occurs in our lives is much greater than that, because at one time we were lost, and now we are found. At one time, we were dead, and now we are made alive. At one time, we were enemies of God, and Scripture says that now we are considered His dear friends and dear
2
children. Not only are we born of God, we know God. We possess knowledge of God that unbelievers do not have. We do not just know about God intellectually, but we know God personally and intimately, because we are the recipients of His love as sons/daughters. At home, little boys and girls often call their father “daddy.” In much the same way, because of our intimate relationship with God, we can refer to our Heavenly Father as “Daddy,” because we are His children. And we also love others because God first loved us (verse 11). This is one of the effects God’s love has on us. It enables us to love others as He first loved us. Our love for one another is in response to God’s infinite love for each and every one of us. We show the same kind of selfless, sacrificial love toward others thereby witnessing to the love of God in Christ Jesus. The Apostle John says it very well: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also out to love one another.” You see, love that is of God is dynamic and explosive. It cannot be and just remain between God and me. Its presence in our lives is shown by the way that it reaches out to others. Love originates with God, and God’s love has a dramatic effect upon us. Third “Love becomes the distinguishing mark of Christ’s followers.” After Jesus had washed His disciples’ feet, we are told in John chapter 13, He tells His disciples: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples if you have love for one another.” (verses 34-35). Unbelievers recognized Jesus’ disciples by their love. Believers gave evidence to being disciples by their love for one another. When the early church was just getting started, those outside the church would watch how people inside the church treated one another and they responded by saying, “My, how they love one another.” You see, friends, they will truly know we are Christians by our love. Our standard for loving is Christ’s love for us. He loves us unconditionally without setting any limits. He loves us sacrificially. However our love is not always like that because we put conditions on our love. Sometimes we say, “I will love you if you do this, this, and this.” Or we say, “I’ll love you until you do something that upsets me or bothers me that keeps me from loving.” No matter how much we love, we are under obligation to keep on loving. To love is one debt that is never paid off. St. Paul tells us in Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything except to love each other.” You see, Jesus was a living example of God’s love so we are to be living example of Jesus’ love. Whenever we talk about love, we have to remember that love is more than simple warm feelings. Love is an attitude that reveals itself in action. Love is really more a verb than a noun. Read the great love chapter 1 Corinthians 13 sometime and see how Paul describes love. He says, “Love is patient, love does not envy or boast, it does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful.” Paul then says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (verse 7).
So as we think about love, love that originated from God, love that changes us and transforms us, we have to ask ourselves, “How can we love others as Jesus loves us? How can we prove that our love is real?” There are many ways, but I want to share five different ways today.
1. One way we can show our love is by helping others when it is not convenient. It is easy to help others when it is convenient in our schedule. If we have to change our schedules, are we going to be willing to help?
2. Another way to show our love is devoting our time and energy to another person’s welfare rather than our own. Time is precious so often we don’t want to give up time that we
3
reserve for ourselves. Sometimes we draw a line, thinking we’ve given up too much. God says He’s given us plenty of time to do what He calls us to do.
3. We can prove that our love is real when we love those we don’t even like. Is there someone who gets under your skin or irritates you so much? Do you know anyone like that? Even if we don’t like someone, God expects us to love them.
4. We can prove our love when we are hurt by others and we don’t seek revenge or fight back, but instead we forgive them. Wow, that is something different, isn’t it? By nature when we are hurt, we want to retaliate or seek revenge. The proof our love is that we are forgiving. Because we are loved and forgiven by God, our response can be to be forgiving people.
5. We can prove our love by giving generously, cheerfully, and sacrificially. Giving until it hurts; that’s what sacrificial giving really is. This kind of giving is what proves the genuineness of our love. When St. Paul was writing to the Corinthians about the Macedonians who gave so generously to the Christians in Jerusalem, Paul said that you can “Prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine” (2 Corinthians 8:8). The way they gave would prove their genuineness. You see, love changes our giving from an obligation to a privilege. We are not giving to a budget or giving to anything. We are giving from the heart and from what God has first given to us.
These things that I’ve mentioned are not easy to do. People notice when we do them. Please know we are empowered by a supernatural power. Jesus was calling for something far greater than we can accomplish on our own. Only in Christ can we truly be stewards transformed by grace, faith, and love. In a few moments, you are going to have the opportunity to bring your financial commitments up the altar. Perhaps some of you are not ready to make a financial commitment today. That’s okay. Maybe you want to take the commitment form home and talk and pray about it with your spouse. Please do so and remember this is also a commitment of our time, our commitment to being in worship services, Bible studies, and prayer. Whether you are turning your commitment paper in now or next week, I would like to pray because God wants us to be good stewards of all that He has entrusted to us. Let us bow our heads for prayer. Father God, we know that You are the giver of all good gifts and all that we have comes
from You. In fact, You are not only the giver of our gifts, You are the owner. You’ve entrusted to us our time, talents, and treasures. As we soon will be making a commitment to You, we pray that the commitments we make on this piece of paper will reflect the fact that we are stewards transformed by Your grace, faith, and love. And we pray that our commitment will be pleasing to You and helpful for the growth and edification of Your church in this place and throughout the world. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now may the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
BIBLE STUDIES
1
Bible Study 1 “Stewards Transformed by Grace” Prayer: Heavenly Father, almighty and everlasting God, we come to You in awe for who You are and all that You’ve done for us. Thank You for Your grace that makes all things possible. By Your grace, use us through our serving, witnessing, and giving, so that we can be about extending Your kingdom and giving You praise. Bless our study as we focus on Your gift of grace to us. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen. Introduction: Grace is not just a prayer at mealtime or a lovely name for a girl. Grace is a foundational pillar of our faith and understanding grace is essential for us as God’s people. God’s grace is not something we deserve or have earned. Grace is a gift that we don’t warrant. Grace is not ours to earn; it is God’s to give. Because we are sinful people incapable of doing anything in our helpless state, we are in need of God’s grace. God chose us to be His by His grace in spite of our sins. We don’t deserve God’s love and mercy, but, by His grace, He gives us all things. Grace changes everything. All that we are and have are evidences of God’s grace at work in our lives. Knowing that both our physical and redeemed lives are gifts from God, we thank, serve, and praise Him. In the Lutheran Study Bible, grace is defined as follows: “God’s free and undeserved favor toward sinful humanity is demonstrated in Christ’s work of redemption. It is an unearned and undeserved gift, a weighty teaching for Paul” (page 1902). God’s grace was costly to Jesus.
• It was Jesus Who was stricken and afflicted by God. • It was Jesus Who was wounded for our transgressions
and crushed for our iniquities. • It was Jesus Who bore the punishment that brought us
peace (Isaiah 53:4-5). • It was Jesus Who carried out God’s gracious will
toward us who were dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1). Because of His great mercy God, through His only beloved Son, made us “alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:4).
Because of God’s grace which made us new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17), we can serve, witness, give, and do the work of the Lord. It is God’s grace that gives us power to do our best in doing His will. God’s rich supply of grace is our power source. God not only forgives and saves us, but He also gives us strength for service to Him. By ourselves, we are powerless. In our humanity, we are weak and foolish. God pours out His grace on us because He loves us,
2
calls us, and gives us His work to do and the desire to do it! “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7). The Apostle Paul wrote “I can do all things through Him Who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). When we abide in the Lord, we have the same strength that Paul had so we can do our best in service to the Lord. If the connection to Jesus is ever broken, our source of strength is severed. When we remain in Jesus, we share Christ’s power because He dwells in us. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
In this study, the encouragement to do our best is made with the understanding that what we do is always in response to what God has already done and through His power at work in us. Our stewardship does not originate with what we do for God. We love because God first loved. We give because God first gave. We speak because God first spoke. It is God Who does the initiating. All that we are and have are because of God’s grace. We are sinners who don’t deserve what God does for us. Because of grace, we have new lives in Him (Romans 6:4). Through faith, we willingly serve the Lord with our whole hearts and minds out of gratitude for who God is and what He has done for us. Paul encourages us to demonstrate our gratitude in faithful obedience and action. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). Questions for Discussion:
1. Why is grace so important to Christians?
2. Why can you say that grace has been the basis for our relationship with God from the very beginning of creation?
3. In the 12th through the 25th chapters of Genesis, we read about Abram (Abraham) to whom God gave His Covenant. Where do you see God’s grace working in Abraham’s life?
4. Why can we say that God’s grace is not reserved for good people? Any examples?
5. In the final 13 chapters of Genesis, we read about Joseph who was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. Where do we see God’s grace working in Joseph’s life?
6. As sinners, we all fall short of the glory of God. Read Romans 5:15. Through God’s grace, we have been redeemed. Define grace by completing the following acronym. G __________ R __________ A __________ C ___________ E ___________
3
7. Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. What did the Macedonians do and how were they able to do it?
8. Read Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-10. What does God’s grace in Jesus do for you?
9. Rev. James Ryle, founder of Truth Works Ministry, wrote, “Grace is the empowering presence of God enabling you to be who He created you to be, and to do what He has called you to do.” It has been written that “God’s grace gives us the desire and the power to do His will.” What do these two quotes mean for your life?
10. Read Acts 20:24. Through God’s grace, Paul served the Lord with his whole heart and mind. What task did God give Paul that He now gives to you? How does your life show that this task is important to you?
11. Read Titus 2:11-12. What does God grace enable you to do?
12. Grace has two sides. It is something to be
received. It is something to be extended. Is grace easier to give or to receive?
13. Read John 1:14. What does it mean to be “full
of grace and truth?”
14. Read Luke 15:11-32. Did the younger son receive what he deserved from his father? Why
is this story of a restored relationship a great story of grace for you and me?
15. Explain the connection between (and order of) grace, faith, and works?
Prayer: Dear good and gracious Heavenly Father, thank You for Your wonderful gift of grace. Open our eyes and hearts to see Your grace continually at work in our lives. Help us to receive Your grace and to show grace to others. In Your precious name we pray. Amen.
1
Bible Study 2: “Stewards Transformed by Faith” Prayer: O Lord, we thank You for all our blessings, especially our spiritual blessings. Thank You for the gift of faith, Heavenly Father, and for boldness and confidence in asking You to work in us and through us to produce the works that You have planned for us, Your faithful stewards, to do. Through Jesus we pray, for His glory and honor. Amen. Introduction How freeing for the believer to realize that the only thing essential for his salvation – faith – is God’s gift! It is not an emotion or a state of mind we work up through our own willpower. It is a reality given to us by God. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
Faith is not dependent on our circumstances or our abilities. It is dependent solely on God. As we read about the heroes of faith in chapter 11 in Hebrews, we may remember their sins as well: Abraham went ahead of God’s plan and had a child with Hagar; Jacob was a liar and a deceiver; Moses was a murderer; David an adulterer and murderer. Their sinful nature is not what Hebrews 11 stresses, however. What is important is what God did with these heroes, sinners just like you and me, as they acted in obedience through the faith God gave them. Faith enables us to be God’s agents for action. His gift of true faith is revealed through works. Faith is essential for
stewardship. God, Who gives us resources to use as stewards, also gives us faith to practice good stewardship of those resources for His glory and honor.
1. Read Acts 16:29-33. What was Paul’s answer to the jailer who asked, “What must I do to be saved?”
2. Ephesians 2:8-9 is a passage many Christians know by heart, and for good reason, for it lays
out unequivocally the basis of our salvation. It says, “For by ___________ you have been saved through ___________. And this is not your own ________________; it is the __________ of God, not a result of _____________, so that no one may boast.”
3. What does Hebrews 11:1 tell you about faith? Obedience Is the Result of Faith Just as the Holy Spirit enables us to believe, so He enables us to be obedient. True faith results in obedience. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him,” we read in Hebrews 11:6. It is by faith that we are enabled to be obedient to God’s will, and obedience (good works) apart from faith avails us nothing (Isaiah 64:6). Obedience is the mark of Christian faith. This is what stewardship is – the
2
expression of our faith through obedience to God’s command to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the sick, and visit the prisoner (Matthew 25:35-36).
4. Read Romans 15:15-16. What did Paul say he’d received grace to do? In his epistle, the Apostle James uses Abraham and Rahab as illustrations of the obedience resulting from faith.
5. Read James 2:21-25. a. How are these two heroes of faith different? Alike? b. How did Abraham demonstrate his obedience? c. How did Rahab demonstrate her obedience? d. Which came first – faith or obedience? (See also Hebrews 11:17-19, 31.) Both of these servants of God, one renowned for his faith, and the other noted for her sin, proved they possessed sincere and saving faith by their obedience to the Lord’s will. Good Works Are the Natural Outgrowth of Faith Closely intertwined with obedience are good works. We don’t earn our forgiveness and salvation by our works and obedience, but true faith always produces good works and obedience. We just read in Ephesians 2:8-9 that it is by grace through faith that we are saved. Following these all-important verses is another of equal significance.
6. Read Ephesians 2:10. a. What is the person of faith? b. What is the redeemed person created to do? c. Whose works are these?
7. Read James 2:14-18. a. What did James say about faith without works? (See verse 26 also.) b. What did James declare to be proof of faith?
8. What do the following verses tell us about faith? a. Isaiah 64:6 – b. Hebrews 11:6 –
These verses from James with their strong emphasis on works may seem to be a contradiction of Paul’s strong emphasis on faith. An understanding of who their readers were helps to clarify this seeming inconsistency. James was writing to Jewish Christians who, learning that they were justified by faith alone, had wandered too far in one direction. They mistakenly believed that, since their works didn’t earn them any merit with God, they were unnecessary.
3
Paul, on the other hand, was writing to those who were leaning in the other direction, falsely believing that, by their good works, they could be righteous before God. Scripture shows that Paul, in fact, is in agreement with James on the importance of works. 9. Along with Ephesians 2:10, read the following verses to discover what else Paul had to say
regarding good works: a. 1 Timothy 6:17-19 –
b. Titus 2:11-14 –
c. Hebrews 10:24 (although it is doubtful that Paul is the
writer of this epistle) – Application for the Steward 10. Read 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12.
a. What prayer did Paul offer his readers? b. Why?
To the church in Rome, Paul wrote, “For in [the Gospel] the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith’ ” (Romans 1:17). Therefore, as stewards of all God’s gifts – spiritual and material – we give Him thanks and praise. We continually rely on Him to enable and equip us to please Him by our works produced by His gift of faith. We pray for ourselves and our brothers and sisters in the faith that Christ will be glorified in and through us. 11. Through faith, God’s people understand that in Christ…
a. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – b. Galatians 2:20 – c. Philippians 2:13 –
Often we fail in our stewardship. Like the Biblical heroes of faith, we sometimes take our eyes off our Lord and go our own ways. In Christ there is forgiveness and there is restoration, so, by His grace, we begin again. We take up our role as stewards of the Gospel, reading and studying and hiding it in our hearts and sharing it with others through our words and our work produced by faith. God has entrusted us with the privilege of sharing His Gospel of salvation with a lost world. Therefore, let us use our financial resources to support our pastors, teachers, missionaries and others who are called into fulltime Christian vocations as well as to support the ministry and programs of the Church which strive to go, teach, and baptize (Matthew 28:19). 12. Read 1 Peter 2:11-12. a. What are you as God’s steward to avoid?
4
b. Instead, what should you do? Why? 13. According to 1 Corinthians 4:2, what obligation do you as a steward of the Word have? Prayer: Oh Lord, how gracious You are to make us Your stewards and to give us a meaningful part in making Your Kingdom come! Allow us to rely on You for grace to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [we] have been called” (Ephesians 4:1). Cause us to turn to You in repentance when we fail, confessing our sins, and then let us eagerly and confidently receive Your forgiveness and act on Your promise to enable us to continue to do Your work, work produced by faith. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
1
Bible Study 3: “Stewards Transformed by Love” Prayer: Lord, we pray, “Your will be done,” but so often we ignore Your will and do what pleases our sinful natures instead. Give us the desire to love others as You have loved us. Make us willing stewards who give of ourselves as You gave Yourself. Let the love that You have put within us be eager to expend itself in service to You as we love others through our labor on their behalf. Through Christ we pray. Amen. God First Loved Us In 1 John 4:19 we read, “We love because He first loved us.” Because God loved us so much that He would give His Son for us (John 3:16), we, too, can love. And just as Christ’s love for us led Him to labor for us throughout His passion, His death, and His victorious resurrection, so we, too, are prompted by our love for Him and others to labor. “God is love” (1 John 4:16), the Apostle John asserts. God’s nature is love, and all He does is motivated by love. Despite what we are, despite what we’ve done, God loves us. It is God, the maker of Heaven and Earth, Who sent his only Son, Jesus, from the glories of heaven to rescue us from sin and death. Apart from God, we cannot truly love. Conversely, if we do not love, we are not of God. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7-8). 1. According to 1 John 4:10, what is love? 2. Read 1 John 5:1-3.
a. How are you “born of God”? (See also John 3:3-8)
b. Can you love God without loving others? Love Prompts Our Labor God’s love is not mere sentimentality, nor should ours be such. Filled with God’s love, we learn to love like Jesus (1 John 4:10-11). God lavishes us with love, and that love naturally flows out of us into others. Real love is expressed through action, first in labors of love to fellow believers and then to our neighbors. Love transforms our motivations, as we delight in God and obey out of love and gratitude. God calls us to “be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2)). We want to imitate God and walk in love because Jesus paid the ultimate price to call us His own. Paul exhorts his readers in Galatians 6:10, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
2
3. Read 1 John 4:11-12. Because God loves you, what are you expected to do? 4. According to 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, what does the love of Christ cause you to do? The greatest commandment was stated by Jesus: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37). Then He illustrated for us what this love in action looks like through His telling of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37). 5. Read Luke 10:30-37.
a. Why is it especially disturbing that the priest and the Levite passed by the beaten man?
b. Why is it so significant that it was a Samaritan who stopped to help the victim? In what specific ways did the Samaritan show love to the victim?
c. What do you learn from this parable about how God expects you to love your neighbor?
6. Read 2 John 6. How do we show love to God? 7. Both the apostles John and James give us practical counsel
on how we are to show love for others. What acts are suggested by the following references?
a. James 2:1-4 –
b. James 2:14-17 -
b. 1 John 3:16-18 – The Apostle Paul speaks to the attitude of love that should accompany our acts of love. 8. Read 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9.
a. Describe the attitude Paul and his partners in the Gospel displayed toward those among
whom they labored. b. In what two ways did they show their love to the Thessalonians? 9. Read 1 John 2:15-17. How does love for the world prompt improper action? Love Motivates Our Gratitude Love came down from Heaven to us in the incarnate Christ. Because of His love for us, our Father gave His only Son, Who, through His death, destroyed death. He, Who became one of us so that He could atone for our sins, has suffered for us and is therefore able to help us through our earthly trials
3
(Hebrews 2:14-18). Certainly, as we consider what His love has brought about for us, we can have no response but humble gratitude. In Ephesians 1:11-14, Paul tells his readers that we are chosen by God to believe in Him and “be to the praise of His glory.” As believers, the Ephesians had been sealed and set apart for God. 10. According to Ephesians 1:15-16, what motivates Paul to give thanks to God? Application for the Steward The giving of ourselves and all we have – our time, our gifts, our money – is a meaningful way to show our love and gratitude to God for all He has done for us through His Son, our Savior Jesus. His love for us prompts us to acts of love in response. 11. Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-9. a. According to verse 6, how should you give? b. How is such an attitude possible? 12. Read 2 Corinthians 9:10-12. What things will happen as you give generously?
13. Read 1 John 3:17-18. How will God’s love in you be seen?
Christian stewardship should never be occasional or sporadic activities, but rather a steady and increasing outflow that shares God’s love in us with others. Jesus said, “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8 NIV). By grace, our giving, helping, and serving are joyful expressions of gratitude motivated by love because of what God has given to us and done for us. God’s great love for us prompts us to act in words and deeds that bring Him glory, serve His people, and enlarge His Church.
Prayer: Gracious Lord, how we thank You for Your Indescribable Gift! Your love motivated You to act on our behalf. Because of Your great love for us, we learn to love others and that love prompts our action as well. Lord, we pray that, as we grow in grace through Your Holy Word and Sacraments, our love for You, expressed through loving acts toward others, would attract others to God Who is love. To that end, may You receive all glory and honor and praise. Through Christ we pray. Amen.
1
Answer Guide Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love
Bible Study 1: “Stewards Transformed by Grace” 1. Because all that we are and have are gifts given to us by God’s grace. By grace, God loves us
and has forgiven us. We have done nothing to deserve His grace. In fact, we are most undeserving of His grace. Through faith, we understand how important God’s grace is to us.
2. By grace, God created the world and made mankind the masterpiece of His creation. God was
not forced to create the world. He created us out of His grace and love. We were created in God’s image. Almost immediately this image was lost because of the fall into sin. We were doomed to death and hell. By grace, God sent His Son into the world to atone for our sins and reconcile us with God. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are made righteous through Jesus’ blood allowing us to approach our Heavenly Father.
3. By grace, Abraham was both wealthy financially and spiritually. By grace, God changed Abraham from a pagan idolater to a man of faith. Even though both he and his wife Sarah were well past child-bearing age, God blessed them with their son, Isaac. Through Abraham, God made a Covenant that promised that through his descendants a Savior would be born.
4. First of all, “There is no one who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3b). Obviously, grace is for all, for we all have “sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All of us are sinners saved by grace. Example: me!
5. God’s grace kept Joseph’s brothers from killing him. God’s grace put him in a position to interpret dreams that gave him the recognition and the opportunity to be elevated to the second highest position of leadership below the Pharaoh of Egypt. God’s grace gave Joseph faith and great wisdom. Through the account of Joseph’s life, Scripture says, “The Lord was with Joseph.”
6. God’s Riches at Christ’s Expense
7. 2 Corinthians 8:1-7. The Apostle Paul tells us that they were empowered to give by the grace of God. In their distress, they gave generously to the needy Christians in Jerusalem, having first given themselves to God. Paul uses the giving of the Macedonians as an example to encourage the people in Corinth to give.
8. Ephesians 2:4-5, 8-10. In spite of our trespasses, God lifts us up and rescues us. By grace, we are saved. And we are saved to do the works God has prepared for us to do.
9. Personal response. God’s grace not only saves us, but it empowers us to become the people that God wants us to be. By grace, we understand God’s will through His Word, and we are enabled to follow His will and even delight in it and accomplish His purposes for us.
10. Acts 20:24. To testify or share the Gospel. Personal response.
11. Titus 2:11-12. God’s grace enables and trains us to renounce ungodly living and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives.
2
12. Through faith, we have open hearts willing to receive God’s grace, and we are able to see
God’s grace at work in our lives. After receiving grace, we can extend it to others. As new creations in Christ, we seek God’s grace. It is likely that most of us receive grace better than giving it.
13. John 1:14. Grace is God’s generous mercy toward undeserving people. God’s free and underserved favor toward sinful humanity is demonstrated in Christ’s work of redemption. God’s Word is truth so we know all that He has promised will be fulfilled.
14. Luke 15:11-32. The prodigal son was underserving to be welcomed back by his father, but his father extended his grace and heartily welcomed his son home. In the same way, our Heavenly Father continually extends His arms to encourage and welcome us His sinful, wayward children, home.
15. Grace comes before faith, and by grace, God gives us faith. Through faith and in grateful response to God’s grace, we do good works.
Bible Study 2: “Stewards Transformed by Faith”
1. Acts 16:29-33. The Apostle Paul told the jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” The Gospel was shared with the jailer and his family. Their worship was a powerful witness. Those in the prison heard Paul share the Gospel, pray, and sing. After coming to faith, the jailer and family were baptized. The jailer and family did nothing for their salvation. The Holy Spirit gave them faith and changed their hearts.
2. Ephesians 2:8-9. Grace, faith, doing, gift, works
3. Hebrews 11:1. Faith is knowledge, and it is also a state of confidence and trust. Faith is
certitude. We are certain of God's promises. Faith involves both the future and the present. Faith does not insist on knowing the reasons for God’s action. Faith allows us to leave everything to God. Only God through His Word gives faith. Read Romans 10:17. Through the Word, the Holy Spirit opens hearts.
4. Romans 15:15-16. Paul received God’s grace to be a minister of Christ to the Gentiles. Rev. James Ryle, founder of Trust Works Ministry, wrote, “Grace is the empowering presence of God enabling you to be who He created you to be, and to do what He has called you to do.” We are saved by faith and empowered by faith.
5. James 2:21-25. a. Different? Abraham was already righteous before God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Rahab was not a lady of faith. She was well known for her sinful life. But she had heard about the Lord (Joshua 2:8-13) and believed. She hid the spies, helped them escape, and made them promise to save her and her loved ones when, she was certain, her city would be demolished by God. Alike? As people of faith, they evidenced their faith through good works.
b. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son. c. Rahab risked her life by aiding the spies d. Faith came first.
3
6. Ephesians 2:10.
a. God’s workmanship (believers). The Holy Spirit is received through faith; hearts are renewed and given new interests and attitudes which bring forth good works.
b. Bear fruit or good works c. God has prepared them in advance. God is working through the faithful steward.
7. James 2:14-18.
a. Faith without works is dead. “Faith apart from works is dead.” Works naturally follow faith. A living faith leads us to share gladly with others what we have freely received in Jesus. Just knowing about God will not produce good works. b. Works done by faith.
8. a. Isaiah 64:6. All of our own righteous acts are like filthy rags or polluted garments. b. Hebrews 11:6. Without faith God is not pleased.
9. a. 1 Timothy 6:17-19. Those who are rich should not trust in their wealth but are to be rich in
good deeds and be generous and ready to share. b. Titus 2:11-14. Zealous for good works. c. Hebrews 10:24. Stir up one another to love and do good works along with encouraging one
another to meet together.
10. 2 Thessalonians 11:11-12. a. Pray that “God may make you worthy of His calling and may fulfill every resolve for good
and every work of faith by His power.” Only God can make us worthy. God gives His people power. ESV study note: “Though justification and sanctification are distinct, as are faith and works, they are never separate…We are saved through faith alone, but faith is never alone; it always produces good works of faith.”
b. So that the name of Jesus may be glorified.
11. a. 2 Corinthians 5:17. If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. (We are new creations.) b. Galatians 2:20. Christ lives in us and the life we lead is in faith. (that “we have been
crucified with Christ…” We longer live, but Christ lives in us) c. Philippians 2:13. God works in us “to will and to work for us His good pleasure.”
12. 1 Peter 2:11-12. a. Avoid passions of the flesh. b. Keep our conduct honorable and do good deeds so others will see them which glorifies
God.
13. 1 Corinthians 4:2. We are to be found trustworthy.
Bible Study 3: “Stewards Transformed by Love” 1. 1 John 4:10. God’s love for us. He loved us so much He sent His Son to redeem us from sin.
We can only return His love because love originates from God. “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
2. 1 John 5:1-3
4
a. Those who believe that Jesus is the Christ have been born of God. We are born of water and Spirit in Baptism (John 3:3-8).
b. Whoever loves God also loves the children of God. Loving others gives evidence of God’s love in us. Therefore, if we don’t love others we show we don’t love God.
3. 1 John 4:11-12. We ought to love one another. We serve God by serving others. God’s love
has achieved its purpose when it causes us to love others.
4. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. God causes us to live no longer live for ourselves because we live for Jesus.
5. Luke 10:25-37. a. The man beaten and the priest and Levite were all Jews. Also the priest and Levite were
leaders of the church so they should have been willing to offer support. God holds His teachers and leaders to a high standard.
b. The Samaritans were outcasts and looked down upon. There was hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans. Yet the Samaritan took care of the man’s wounds, brought him to an inn, and paid for his stay at the inn. He showed great compassion.
c. God wants us to show love and compassion to all people. Any person we meet is our neighbor.
6. Read 2 John 6. “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.” Tell others
about Jesus. Spend time in His Word, prayer, and worship. Love others.
7. a. James 2:1-4. Love all by showing no partiality. Love all alike. c. James 2:14-17. We are called to use our material positions for those who need our support. d. 1 John 3:16-18. If we see a need, we are to show compassion and fill the need.
8. 1 Thessalonians 2:7-9. a. Sharing both the Gospel and themselves. Paul referenced the care that a mother gives to
her baby. b. Paul labored to provide his own support without insisting that it comes from others. He
worked hard in sharing the Gospel and worked to provide for his own physical needs.
9. 1 John 2:15-17. If someone is in love with the world, they are not interested in using their resources to help people in need.
10. Ephesians 1:15-16. He gave thanks to God for the love for the saints.
11. 2 Corinthians 9:6-9. a. Share bountifully and generously. b. We can give cheerfully because of the relationship that we have with Jesus. We know how
much Jesus loves us. We willingly and cheerfully give to Him Who has given Himself to us.
12. 2 Corinthians 9:10-12. God will provide more for us to give and, as we give, God is glorified.
13. 1 John 3:17-18. In Christ name, we give what we have to help others.
DAILY DEVOTIONS
(Place Church’s Name Here) Stewardship Emphasis 2016
Daily Devotions
for
(Week of ___date_____)
1
Daily Devotions for the whole family!
Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love
Week 1: Stewards Transformed by Grace
Weekday Devotions: Monday: “God’s Grace Shapes His Stewards” Tuesday: “Strengthened by Grace” Wednesday: “Hope in God” Thursday: “God’s Grip Doesn’t Slip” Friday: “Giving Is an Act of Grace” Week 1—Monday “God’s Grace Shapes His Stewards” Scripture: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10).
hen sin entered the world, our perfect knowledge of God and our relationship with Him was shattered. The unregenerate person may know about God but doesn’t truly know Him personally. The Apostle Paul tells
us that God’s divine nature has “been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor Him as God…” (Romans 1:20-‐21). We may know some things about God from creation, but it is impossible to know God in and of ourselves. To know God is a great gift of the grace of God. “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit Who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). Because of God’s grace, we are enabled by the power of the Holy Spirit working through Word and Sacrament to know God as our Heavenly Father, Jesus as our Lord and Savior, and the Spirit as our Comforter. By grace, we know that we are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus and that God seeks a relationship with us. By grace, we know that God has adopted us as His children and given us His Spirit that we might be His stewards of all that He entrusts to us. Because we know that we have a God Who loves us, has adopted us as His children, and wants the best for us, we are energized to be about His work. Out of gratitude for who God is and what He has done and continues to do for us, we respond by using our lives and blessings in ways that give honor and praise to our Lord. Acknowledging God as our creator and sustainer of all things, we understand our role as God’s stewards. As God’s stewards, we seek to manage our time, talents, and money faithfully and according to His will, which we discover in His Word. We become God’s instruments through which He works to further His kingdom and help those in need. What a blessing and great honor it is that God has chosen us to be His stewards! May we remain faithful to our calling as His faithful stewards who have been shaped by His grace.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, shape and make me into a person who is zealous to do Your will and boldly share the Good News of Jesus’ love and grace with others. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.
W
2
Week 1—Tuesday “Strengthened by Grace”
Scripture: “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). f you’ve done some carpentry, you’ve probably needed to pull out some very stubborn nails. The strength of a hammer may not be sufficient so you’ve had to bring in a pinch bar, that two-‐ or three-‐foot metal rod with claws
on the end. With the power from the pinch bar, you could wrench the nails out. As helpless as the carpenter is with just a hammer, we are even more helpless without God. Although it’s a weak analogy, we may say that, as the pinch bar helps us with nails, God helps us in life. God enables us to understand that all we are, have, and do are the result of God’s grace in Christ. God’s grace not only brings us salvation; it trains “us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-‐controlled, upright, and Godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11-‐12). Knowing that our lives are gifts from God’s grace, we live our lives in gratitude for who God is and what He has done for us. God’s purpose becomes our purpose. Strengthened by grace, we seek to do God’s will leading to productive and abundant lives. Even though we are sinful and undeserving, God loves us and wants only the best for us. Being in a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus, our lives have purpose, and we are changed from being self-‐centered, selfish people to people who serve God by loving and serving others. As we call upon the “strength of His might” (Ephesians 6:10), we are empowered by His grace to be Godly stewards. Through Word and Sacrament, we are equipped and energized to do our best. The Apostle Paul tells us to “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:10). Being renewed by God grace, we live the Godly lives He calls us to live. We live new lives marked by the mysterious union with Jesus described by Paul in these words: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ Who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). God directs us to areas and activities He wants us to pursue. God takes ordinary people like us and does some extraordinary things through us. We become His hands, feet, and mouth. We just need to be willing to be tools in God’s hands.
Prayer: Dear Father, fill me with Your faith and grace so I can do Your will and be Your faithful steward. Amen.
Week 1—Wednesday “Hope in God”
Scripture: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). t is wise to plan for our current and future financial needs, but listen to the words of Paul as recorded in 1 Timothy 6:17: “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the
uncertainty of riches, but on God, Who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Paul reminds us that worldly wealth is still uncertain. He boldly states that, if we’re trusting in worldly wealth, we are acting arrogantly. The only thing that is certain is God’s love for us. His grace and love enable us to make our livings. He loves us so much that He “richly provides us with everything” – and here’s the surprising part – for our enjoyment!
I
I
3
How do you plan to “enjoy” God’s rich blessings to you? Take cruises or buy a new luxury car every year? God has blessed us, not so that we can enjoy His gifts by hoarding them, but so that His purposes in the world can be fulfilled. In verse 18, Paul tells us how to enjoy the gifts God gives us: “[We} are to do good, to be rich in good works, and to be generous and ready to share.”
When our hope is in God, we have no need to amass worldly wealth. By grace, we can place our hope in God and trust Him to provide for us all we need and even more so that we’ll always have something to share. By His grace, God calls us to be His stewards. His grace enables us to carry out His will. And there’s another bonus! Not only will we receive enjoyment from sharing God’s gifts, we will be storing up treasures in heaven (1 Timothy 6:19). Put your hope in God. Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your grace that enables me to place my trust and hope in You. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Week 1—Thursday “God’s Grip Doesn’t Slip”
Scripture “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
sn’t it amazing that birds go to sleep on their perches and never fall off? This is because God has created them so that, when their legs are bent, the claws contract and grip like a steel trap. The claws will not let go until the
knees are unbent. The bended knee enables the bird to hold tightly to its perch.
As strong as this grip is, it is not as strong as the hold God has on us. Think about Daniel, a young man in a pagan environment. With all the temptations and threats around him, he was safe because of God’s grace which kept an everlasting grip on him. On his bended knees before his open window, he prayed every day – three times a day – giving thanks for God’s grace and protection, and God didn’t let go of him, even in the lions’ den (Daniel 6:10-‐22).
We might also consider Joseph who, through all the twists and turns of his lifetime, found one constant: “The Lord was with Him” (Genesis 39:3, 21, 23). Taken away from his family at a young age, immersed in an idolatrous culture, tempted by Pharaoh’s wife, he was, by God’s grace, safe in God’s everlasting grip.
Like both Daniel and Joseph, we live in a sinful world. We may not be facing false accusations and a den of lions, but we, too, face temptations and threats. We, too, earnestly pray for God’s grace, protection, and safekeeping of our souls, and His Word assures us that we can rest secure and have hope in His everlasting grip. May God grant us faith to put our hope in Him Who promises to keep His grip on us always. Prayer: Lord, You are so gracious to me. Thank You for Your protecting grace. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
I
4
Week 1—Friday “Giving Is an Act of Grace” Scripture: “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
s Christians, we understand that all we are and have are by God’s grace. Life is a gift. “And from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). By the grace of God, we have life now and the life to
come. God has lavished us with His love and grace. As the acronym for grace so aptly states, we have “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” We receive God’s “abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness through the
one man Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:17). God graciously sent His Son to live among us and to suffer and die for us. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Knowing that God has graciously given us our physical and spiritual lives, we seek to show our gratitude by how we live and what we do with our lives. An important way we show our thanksgiving to Him is through giving. Giving provides evidence to God’s grace and faith at work in our lives as we give to others and extend God’s Church. Giving is a fruit of grace and faith. Without God’s grace, we are not able to give up our resources generously, and it is only through faith that our giving pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). Believers are
empowered by the working of the Holy Spirit to give willingly to fellow believers who need support. As Paul urged, “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality” (Romans 12:13). In writing to the Church in Corinth, Paul referenced the example of the Macedonians who gave so generously to the needy Christians in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8:1-‐9). They were empowered to give because of God’s grace and generosity to them. Even though they lived in poverty, the Macedonians gave generously and sacrificially. Paul referred to their giving as an “act of grace” (vs. 6). By grace, the Macedonians in their extreme poverty gave “beyond their means” (vs. 3). They were so eager to give that they pleaded for the privilege of sharing with the needy in Jerusalem. Their giving, while they were in such a difficult economic position, gave witness to God’s grace in their lives. God’s grace makes it possible for people to have very little and yet want to give generously. Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, by Your grace, please grant me a giving and loving heart. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
A
1
Daily Devotions for the whole family!
Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love
Week 2: Stewards Transformed by Faith Weekday Devotions: Monday: “Love through Faith” Tuesday: “Faith Empowers God’s Stewards” Wednesday: “Being a Faithful Steward” Thursday: “Faithful in all Things” Friday: “Faith that Pleases God”
Week 2—Monday “Love through Faith” Scripture: “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you” (Luke 17:6).
hat is it that precedes the disciples’ request of Jesus to increase their faith? It is Jesus command to count others so precious as to avoid putting any kind of temptation in their paths.
How is this possible? If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that, in and of ourselves, we cannot follow these commands. Then we, like the disciples, must ask of our Lord, “Increase our faith” (Luke 17:5). How does Jesus respond to their request? He assures them that even faith as small as a mustard seed can accomplish great things. It is God Who gives faith, and it is God Who gives us the ability to act on it. It is God Who gives us love through faith that sacrifices our own desires for the good of others, love through faith that knows no limit, love through faith that serves instead of asking to be served. It is faith that gives us such love for God and our neighbor that we serve and help and give without thought of reward, so that we “when [we] have done all that [we] were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty’” (Luke 17:10). Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, certainly, in order to measure up to Your standards, I must ask You to increase my faith. Still I fail, for I do not love You with my entire being, nor do I love my neighbors as myself. Therefore, I thank You for the gift of Your Son Who has met Your standard of perfection and has lived that standard in my place. Forgive me, Lord, for my failures. Teach me to depend on You. Give me grace to be obedient to Your command to love others as You love me. Through Christ I pray. Amen.
W
2
Week 2—Tuesday “Faith Empowers God’s Stewards”
Scripture: “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in Me will also do the works I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).
he writer of Hebrews defines faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Faith enables us to be God-‐pleasing stewards. “And without faith it is
impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is known as the “Faith
Chapter.” From Abel down through the ages, the writer names the heroes of faith, listing their accomplishments, preceding each one with “by faith.” Through faith, we understand that our stewardship is God working in and through us. It is not what we do, not what we give, not how we serve – but what God does, what God gives, how God serves, and our response to His love and gifts to us. God has shown us His plan for our lives. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). This is the definition of stewardship: doing the good works which God has prepared for us to do. God empowers and equips us to be faithful stewards. God has chosen us to carry out
His work on earth. “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide” (John 15:16). It is through faith that our pastor confidently enters the pulpit to speak forth the Word of the Lord. It is God’s message, God’s gift, and he is only the channel through which it flows. Through faith, the servant humbly steps forward to serve. His only motive is that God may receive the glory as he offers his hands, feet, lips, his whole body, soul, and mind in service. Through faith, the teacher diligently prepares her lessons, seeking the leading of the Holy Spirit, studying the Word of God, and looking into the hearts of her students. God creates the learning; His Spirit creates the faith. As stewards, we are the faithful vessels that God uses. Through faith, we are empowered to be His faithful stewards. Prayer: Lord, You are the creator and source of all good things. I thank You for the privilege and opportunity to be a steward of Your creation. I thank You for faith You give me which enables me to carry out Your will. In the name of Christ I pray. Amen. Week 2—Wednesday “Being a Faithful Steward”
Scripture: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10).
hat if your pastor asked you to give a testimonial about your life as God’s steward? If you were asked to share how you manage and care for God’s property, what would you say? Have you
considered what a faithful steward is expected to be and to do?
T
W
3
God-‐pleasing stewards acknowledge that God is the creator and source of all things, and that, as the creator of all, He owns everything. God’s property is on loan to us. As stewards, we are to manage what He has entrusted to us responsibly and for God’s purposes. As God’s stewards, we are not to be passive managers but active and involved. We are caretakers and managers of God’s gifts, so we are accountable for what we do with His gifts of time, talents, and money. As faithful stewards, we can glorify and honor God with lives of service and faithful use of our gifts. We stewards live lives expressing gratitude to God for both our created and our redeemed lives. We live lives saying “thank you” to God for His love and mercy. Stewardship is faith in action. Filled with God’s grace, we share our gifts with others. To answer the question, “Are we being faithful stewards with our lives and gifts?” we may want to check our calendars and check registers. Faithful stewards would have times marked on their calendars for helping others, church meetings, and Bible studies. We would be spending time in prayer and attending worship services. Through faith, we try our best to use our time doing God’s will. Our check book registers would show weekly offerings being made to God through our church, and there would be some checks written to help those in need. Thus, our calendars and check registers will show us what our priorities are and where they lie. God has blessed us as stewards with many blessings, and, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to use our gifts faithfully. May God grant us grace to be the faithful stewards He wants us to be. Prayer: Lord, I give You praise and thanks for who You are and all that You have done for me through Your Son Jesus. Help me to respond as a faithful steward to Your love, goodness, and mercy. May all that I do and say give You praise and glory. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.
Week 2—Thursday “Faithful in All Things”
Scripture: Jesus said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10). n this verse, Jesus is saying that faithful stewards will handle God’s gifts faithfully regardless of whether they have few or many gifts entrusted to them. What we do with what we have shows our faithfulness.
A faithful person will do the small things well. One day a young man went to a bank to apply for a job. After his interview, he was leaving the bank and happened to notice some trash on the floor. He picked it up and put it in the waste paper basket. Seconds later, he helped an elderly lady with the door. Unknown to the young man, the man who had interviewed him for the job was observing him. The young man was promptly summoned back and given the job. The employer’s comment: “Anyone who pays attention to the small things as you just did needs to work here.” Unfortunately, we Christians may incorrectly think that small things aren’t important to God. We may have the attitude that God isn’t concerned with the small amount of money that we have which allows us to give only small contributions or gifts. In the Bible, God spoke mightily through the little that people had. God used the widow and her two mites to teach us a lesson about sacrificial giving. He used the small amount
I
4
of flour and oil that the widow of Zarephath had to demonstrate that great things can result from faithful obedience. Jesus used the loaves and fish of a young boy to reveal how God can magnify a small gift. God commends our faithfulness with small things, and He doesn’t overlook what faithful people do with small things. Through God’s Word, we understand that small things do count. Because we understand our need to be faithful with all things, we should ask ourselves how we are handling the seemingly small things in our lives. Are we handling small things well in our homes, jobs, and churches? Can non-‐Christians see a difference in us? With God’s help, we can be faithful with ALL that we’ve been given. Through our faithfulness, God will be glorified. Prayer: Lord, please grant me faith to be faithful with small things so You can trust me with more and bigger things. Help me to live a life that gives You honor and glory. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen. Week 2—Friday “Faith that Pleases God”
Scripture: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
he first gifts that we read about in Scripture are the offerings made by Cain and Abel who were the sons of Adam and Eve. In Genesis 4:2-‐4
we read, “…Now Abel kept was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions.” Cain and Abel brought offerings or gifts for the Lord. Because one worked the land and the other raised animals, their gifts were different. We read that Cain “brought to the Lord an offering,” whereas Abel “brought the firstborn of his flock.” Between the two brothers there is also an indication of a difference in the attitudes of their hearts. While Cain wasn’t concerned about giving the first or best of his crop, Abel gave the firstborn of his flock. God looked with favor upon Abel’s offering given in faith. God looked into the hearts of both Cain and Abel as He looks into our hearts. He saw Abel’s humble faith. By giving his first and best, Abel showed his sincere gratitude for all that God had done for Him. We need to understand that it’s not the size of our gifts and offerings which makes them acceptable to the Lord, but rather it is the attitude of our hearts and minds toward God. God wants our gifts to be an expression of our love for Him. He wants us to give cheerfully rather than grudgingly. He wants us to give our love through faith. We are told by the writer of Hebrews that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Knowing this story of giving by Cain and Abel will help us examine our attitude toward giving. If we are not giving our first and best out of faith and love to the Lord, God does not look with favor upon our giving. May God grant us all faithful, loving, and giving hearts.
Prayer: Lord, we thank You for giving us the ability and desire to give to You. Make us willing to give our first and best to You. May we always use our lives and resources to give You honor and glory. Amen.
T
1
Daily Devotions for the whole family!
Stewards Transformed by Grace, Faith, and Love
Week 3: Stewards Transformed by Love Weekday Devotions: Monday: “Loving All People” Tuesday: “Love Makes Us Do It” Wednesday: “Stewardship Is a Matter of the Heart” Thursday: “Giving from the Heart” Friday: “Loving our Neighbors”
Week 3—Monday “Loving All People” Scripture: Jesus said, “This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). esus showed His tremendous love for us by going to the cross to suffer and die for us so that we can be reconciled with our heavenly Father. Christ’s love is in us, and He asks us to reflect His love to others. As
Christ loved all people, we are called to love all people whether or not they like us. Former President Abraham Lincoln exemplified the ability to reach out in love to an enemy. His staff often criticized him for his positive treatment of his sworn enemies. One of the President’s enemies once stated in print that he thought Lincoln was an obvious incompetent in the White House. The nature of the critic’s attack on Lincoln even degenerated to the level that Lincoln’s physical features were compared to those of a gorilla. Later, when war broke out between the States, Lincoln asked that critic to serve as his secretary of war. Lincoln’s advisers were appalled with the President’s actions. When they asked him why he would choose his critic for such an important post, he responded that he thought Stanton was the best man for the job. When they advised him that he should seek to destroy his enemies rather than treat them like friends, he reminded them he was destroying his enemies when he made them his friends. When Lincoln died some years later, Stanton was standing by the President’s bedside. As he watched Lincoln breathe his last breath, he uttered the words, “There dies the greatest ruler of mankind the world has ever seen.” We show our spiritual maturity by how we respond to those who have treated us wrongfully. It is easy to show kindness to friends or people who treat us with kindness. God’s love in us is most evident when we show our love to those who dislike us or mistreat us. It is by God’s grace that we are enabled to show Christian kindness to all people. Prayer: Lord, You love me so much that You sent Your one and only Son to the cross to atone for my sinful ways. I thank You for Your love. Help me, Lord, to love others as You love me. Amen.
J
2
Week 3—Tuesday “Love Makes Us Do It” Scripture: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).
young girl was dying. Her only hope lay in a complete blood transfusion, but she had a very rare blood type. Only her brother, even younger than she, had the same type blood. His parents and doctors
explained the situation to him, giving him time to ask questions. He agreed and, without delay, he was laid on a bed, the needle was pushed into his tiny vein, and slowly his blood seeped from his small body into the bag hanging from his bed. He lay quietly as the nurse stood next to him, ready to attend to any need he might have. “How do you feel?” she asked. “Ok,” he answered, “but, Nurse, when do I die?” What love this little boy had for his sister! What must he have thought when, from his limited knowledge, it seemed that his own parents were willing for him to sacrifice his life in order to save his sister’s. The boy’s love for his sister can help us see how much Jesus loves us. Jesus suffered abuse, torture, persecution, and death for all of us. “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down His life for His friends” (John 15:13). He demonstrated His tremendous love not because of our worthiness, but because of His tremendous love. Jesus’ love for His heavenly Father and for us changed the world. Through His death and resurrection from that death, we through faith have received the forgiveness of our sins and life eternal. God’s love for us in Christ is that power that enables us to love Him. “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). The love of Jesus empowers us to be His stewards. Because of Jesus’ love, we change from people giving what is necessary to supply a need to people responding generously, even sacrificially out of love. Certainly, we give to needs such as our church budget, Christian causes, and people, but our primary reason for giving stems from our love for and commitment to Jesus. When needs arise, Jesus opens our eyes and hearts so we can respond to those needs. However, our primary reason for giving is a desire to express our gratitude and thanksgiving for our Lord and the love that He shows us every day. Because our love for Jesus is our motivation for giving, our giving becomes joyful. Love changes our giving from an obligation to a privilege. Prayer: Lord, You fill me with love to share with my family, neighbors, and co-‐workers. I know that I can love because You first loved me. Place in me the desire to seek out opportunities to share. Amen.
Week 3—Wednesday “Stewardship Is a Matter of the Heart” Scripture: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
od gives us the privilege and opportunity to be His stewards. Even though God gives us all things, He still allows us the freedom to choose whom or what we will serve. Whether we are stewards for the
A
G
3
Lord, for ourselves, or for some other master depends on what controls our hearts. What or whom we love, serve, and follow is dictated by what our hearts value as most important. The choices we make reflect what is in our hearts. Satan is doing everything possible to take the love, compassion, and peace from our hearts that only Jesus can place there. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21). We can paraphrase this by saying, “Show me your treasure, and I will show you your heart.” What we treasure the most receives our time, energy, money, and heart. Each of us determines where his treasures lie. What do you love and treasure the most? Unfortunately, some of us may find treasures in our homes, careers, cars, hobbies, or investments. God continually invites us to make Him our treasure. If our hearts are right, our treasures will be right. Jesus spoke about the relationship between the condition of a tree and the fruit that it bears. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit” (Matthew 12:33). Just as the condition of the tree determines its fruit, so will the thoughts of our hearts dictate our words and actions (Matthew 12:34-‐35). When our hearts are filled with God’s presence, we reflect God’s love, goodness, and kindness. When our hearts are right with God, our eyes are opened to the opportunities to serve and help others. When God controls our hearts, we willingly use our time, talents, and money in ways that glorify Him. Good hearts produce good fruit. Through time spent in God’s Word and through participation in the Sacraments, God changes our hearts, making us into faithful disciples and stewards for Christ. As Solomon wrote, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23). Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You give me the privilege and the opportunity to be Your steward. Grant me faith to be a God-‐pleasing steward. Help me to see stewardship as a free and joyous activity. Amen. Week 3—Thursday “Giving from the Heart”
Scripture: “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the people of Israel that they take for Me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for Me’ ” (Exodus 25:1-‐2). n God’s Word, we find many examples of people who gave in loving and generous ways. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-‐5, Paul uses the Macedonians as an example of people who, in their extreme poverty, gave beyond
their ability. Because of the famine in Macedonia at the time, they didn’t have a surplus to give from; however, they put God first and trusted Him to provide. Out of overflowing joy, they gave from their hearts. For another example of giving from the heart, we can look at the Widow’s Offering found in Luke 21:1-‐4. In this story, Jesus is at the temple in Jerusalem speaking to His disciples. In the verses just preceding Luke 21, Jesus tells His disciples that the Pharisees were roaming around in their long, flowing robes making sure people saw them and ooed and aahed about them. In a gaudy display of vanity, they tossed big gifts into the temple treasury. In contrast, the widow quietly dropped in two small copper coins which was all she had. She gave from the heart, and she placed her total trust in God. She was relying on Him for her future care. Although the Pharisees gave larger gifts than the widow, they were chastised for having hardened hearts from which they gave to the temple. They gave for recognition and praise. Even though the widow gave only a small gift, Jesus praised her for her generosity because He knew she gave from a loving heart.
I
4
A third illustration of one giving from the heart is Zacchaeus. Before he met Jesus, his money was his god so he hoarded it. When Jesus changed Zacchaeus’ heart, he cheerfully gave away half of what he had and four times to those from whom he had cheated. With a changed heart, he gave generously. God wants our giving to come from hearts filled with gratitude for who God is and for all that He has done and continues to do for us. As our faith grows and matures through spending time in God’s Word and participating often in the Lord’s Supper, our attitude toward giving will change from being an obligation to being a privilege. May God change and fill all our hearts so we can experience the joy of giving to our Lord and Savior.
Prayer: Lord, You are a loving and giving God. I pray that the Holy Spirit will transform me into a loving and giving person. Help me not to grip my money tightly. Grant me a generous heart. Amen.
Week 3—Friday “Loving Our Neighbors” Scripture: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10). n the Parable of the Good Samaritan found in the tenth chapter of Luke, we read that the Good Samaritan not only helped an injured
person, he took him to an inn where he paid for his room and care. The Samaritan sacrificed money, time, and possessions and risked his own health and safety for the wounded person. He fulfilled the Golden Rule. By putting no limits on how far he was willing to go to help this stranger, the Samaritan demonstrated the love we should have for our neighbors. He was the example for Jesus’ command to “Go, and do likewise.” Helping others may mean more than calling 911. We may need to get involved, get our hands dirty, and go the extra mile. Why don’t we become more involved in helping others? One explanation could be that we have become so smug and settled in our material luxury that we are blind to the opportunities to reach out to others. We forget about the thousands and thousands around the country and world and next door who may be starving in body and soul. Like the priest and the rabbi who passed by the injured person, we possess the attitude that what is mine is mine and I’m going to keep it. God will get our attention in many different ways. One day someone observed a wonderful lesson from the little birds hopping around in search of bits of food. Some snowbirds were busy picking up the crumbs that had been thrown out the window. One of the birds apparently had a stiff neck. Because of its injury, it could not stoop over to pick up the crumbs, so the other birds assisted by picking them up and dropping them into his open bill. God has placed in each of us a heart that can be trained to be unselfish. Through the redeeming sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ Who faithfully gave His own life, we can show love to others. The love of Jesus, strengthened in us by the Holy Spirit through Word and Sacrament, flows through us so we can show love to people around us.
Prayer: Lord, the Parable of the Good Samaritan gives us a wonderful example of how we can share the love that You have given to us. Help us to be ready and willing to come to the aid of others. Amen.
I