Mission and Stewardship: Service To God’s Kingdom
In Acts 1:6–8 and 2 Corinthians 8:3–9, we see examples of the mission and stewardship that we must be engaged in to effectively serve in God’s kingdom. In Acts 1:6–8, Jesus focused His disciples on their mission here on earth to help build God’s kingdom. He told them that they would receive the power of the Holy Spirit for the mission He had given them. In 2 Corinthians 8:3–9, Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to follow the example of the Macedonian churches and of Jesus Himself in giving sacrificially, with a stewards heart, to help God’s people in need. I pray that we would be about the mission Jesus has given us to share the gospel. And that we would be good stewards, recognizing that whatever we have belongs to God to be used for His purpose in the kingdom. Amen
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Jesus was assembled with His disciples in Jerusalem after His resurrection. He was asked if He would restore Israel’s kingdom at that time. Jesus, instead refocused them on their mission. Namely, to be His witnesses throughout the world. And they would be enabled to pursue this mission because of the power of the Holy Spirit that would come upon them. Still today, it is only the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to preach, teach and share the good news of Jesus and the salvation we are offered through faith in Him.
For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But since you excel in everything —in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 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 through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:3-9)
Paul was collecting money to assist the poor in the Jerusalem church. He began by commending the Macedonian churches that had given above and beyond his expectation of what they were able to give to this effort. He used the Macedonian churches as an example of committed and selfless giving that reflected a stewardship attitude. Paul urged the Corinthian church to embrace that same spirit of giving selflessly.
Because the giving campaign of the Corinthian church had stalled, Paul looked to get it back on track. In addition to the example of the Macedonian churches, he focused the Corinthians on Jesus’ sacrifice of riches in glory in order to save them. He asked the Corinthian church to similarly make a financial sacrifice to help those who needed it in the Jerusalem church.
Conclusion
As Christians, we have a mission to be witnesses to Jesus’ life, death, resurrection. The mission of the apostles in Jerusalem was to go into the world sharing the good news of salvation through belief on Jesus. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the apostles did just that and the church grew daily with those who would be saved (Acts 2:47). The Holy Spirit was necessary to reach people and turn their minds and hearts to response to the gospel message. And He is still essential to our witness today. No one comes to Christ through our power, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit in our witness.
Giving and stewardship are an important part of our service to the church and, through the church, to others. Proper stewardship of the resources we have been blessed by God to oversee involves giving of our time, talent and tithes. Stewardship recognizes that these resources do not belong to us, but have been entrusted to us by God for His purposes in the kingdom. When we hoard them or use them selfishly, we violate the trust that God has placed in us to oversee their use for His purpose.
Mission and stewardship…they are an essential part of being a Christian and serving in God’s kingdom!
