A Requirement of Stewardship

This month I began studying I Corinthians and early on I came across a couple sentences that left me with a puzzle to solve. The NASB version of I Corinthians 4:1, 2 reads this way: “Let a man regard us in this manner, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”

I am already fairly familiar with the word “steward”; I wrote about that last year here on my blog, the entry is “Steward of the Word” dated January 2, 2011. I’ve also learned since then that Joseph can be seen as a steward to Pharaoh. His story, told in the last few chapters of Genesis, accurately portrays stewardship as being in charge of another person’s possessions, and in this case, Pharaoh gave Joseph control over his entire kingdom.

So why did I stop at these verses in I Corinthians and question stewardship? Actually, it wasn’t so much the stewardship part I was questioning; I really thought I understood the concept of biblical stewardship. It was more the use of “trustworthy” that was tripping me up. It seemed to me that Paul was using some very strong, explicit language here – why is trustworthy required of stewards? And, more importantly, since it is required, I wanted to understand if this word describes me.

So, what does that word trustworthy really mean?

My initial thoughts were that trustworthy means something like being dedicated and showing up to work every day on time, being honest by not stealing stuff from your boss, and being straightforward - letting your “yes” mean “yes” and your “no” mean “no”.

After a couple rounds with some hefty-sized English dictionaries, I concluded I wasn’t very far off. I did learn that this compound word (trust + worthy) was only “compounded” recently. Other than that, nothing else seemed especially interesting.

Now sometimes all you need is just to better understand the English uses of a word in the Bible (like indignation in Psalm 7:11), but here is a case where knowing the English meaning just wasn’t telling me enough. Why would it actually be required of stewards to be trustworthy? My gut was telling me there was more, so I grabbed for Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. . . .

So I found the word in question is the Greek word “pistŏs”. Here’s what Strong’s gave me as a definition: trustworthy, trustful, believe, believing, believer, faithful, faithfully, sure, and true. I don’t know about you, but as I look at the list - believe, believing, and believer - all seem to be out of place. The rest however, do seem to be just synonyms of each other.

Next I used my Strong’s in reverse to help me find some more verses that use this same Greek word. Among them I found II Timothy 2:2 which says teach reliable (pistŏs) men that they might teach others. This verse seems to speak of having a consistent behavior, having a dependable pattern in our lives. Then from I John 1:9, I found this word even applies to the immutable nature of God, it says He is faithful (pistŏs) to forgive us our sins.

If I had stopped at this point, I might be led to think that “pistŏs” means nothing more than being consistent, dependable, or unchanging and immutable – and these are all qualities desired in a steward. But does this really explain how the words “believe”, “believing”, and “believer” fit on this list? Well, maybe.

Follow along with me as I try to unravel this mystery a bit. . . .

I can easily see how God would require His stewards to be “believers” - He wouldn’t put unbelievers in charge of “the mysteries of God”. And this believer would need to have consistent faith, to be immutable, unchanging, and unwavering in his or her convictions concerning God. I’m reminded of verses in James that teach us to not be doubting and double-minded when we ask for something in prayer (James 1:5-8).

Our faith in Jesus, and the teachings of His Word, needs to be reliable in the sense that we don’t falter, causing the lost world around us to doubt if we have found Truth. Paul reminds us to not have child-like faith, tossed about by every wind of doctrine, but to be steadfast. (Ephesians 4:14-16).

We also shouldn’t be stumbling through life without any permanent transformation into the image of Christ - one day serious about our walk, and the next day “out to lunch” spiritually speaking. Last month I wrote, “Paul on the Road to Damascus” (4/18/2012) about renewing our minds, being metamorphosed by immersion in the Word and time in prayer – butterflies don’t return to being caterpillars (Romans 12:1, 2).

In this way then, I can see Paul’s point here in I Corinthians that stewards must be consistent believers if they are to be put in charge of "the mysteries of God". This sort of unwavering conviction of faith in God and His Word is certainly required.

But this kind of “pistŏs” believing isn’t what you did once on the day you were saved; this isn’t a past tense kind of word. This is continual and on-going, something that you live with conviction and consistency – 24/7, 365 days a year. You are to be ever and always, actively believing God, believing His Word, and believing His plan is working out in your life. And yes, Paul tells us quite emphatically; for a steward of God, this “pistŏs” is required.

So now the difficult question: does this “pistŏs” describe you and I?

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to “pistŏs” men who will be able to teach others also.” II Timothy 2:2 (NASB).

Here are journaling suggestions for you to try:

Describe the effects of a “pistŏs” mentor upon your life.

Pass it on - write a letter of spiritual advice to a “Timothy”.

Back to Basics

One of the most basic “tools” needed for successful Bible study is a firm grasp on the overall scope of the Bible. As a new Christian, I was introduced to the idea of reading the Bible through every year and each time through has given me more insight to how these 66 books fit together to form the single book we call the Bible.

If it has been a while since you’ve been on a cover-to-cover Bible tour, let me encourage you to take another run through it. Google search “Bible reading plan” on the internet and you’ll find plenty of free resources to get started. You can also set up a personalized plan to work at your own pace by doing some simple math and realizing you have 1189 chapters to cover. For example, reading about 7 chapters each day would mean you’d be done in 6 months’ time. Don’t allow Satan to discourage you. If you miss a day, for whatever reason, just pick back up where you left off and keep on going.

Some people skip reading on Sundays, but what has worked for me is reading from the Psalms on Sundays and then I’m not doing all 150 of them in a row. Some folks skip all over using a chronological plan (also free online). Others balance a morning Old Testament reading with an evening New Testament reading.

Whatever method you choose is not what matters. Regardless of where you are in your spiritual walk, we all benefit from a consistent exposure to the full counsel of God.

Psalm 10 - Orphaned, but not Fatherless!

In Psalm 10, David tells about the many ways God helps various unfortunate groups of people. The last verse, Psalm 10:18, mentions the orphans (NASB). Using the old KJV Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance we find the definition for this Hebrew word - to be lonely; a bereaved person; fatherless (child), orphan.

I don’t know about you, but I found it very comforting to learn that God’s wonderful concern for young orphaned children extends to anyone who is lonely or bereaved – parents living or not!

Our family is having a crisis. I am not alone; many families are right now suffering in ways I can’t even imagine. But I am also not alone because my Heavenly Father is with me, not just now in the midst of this trouble, but always.

There hasn’t been a death, but “bereaved” is still a word that fits this situation and God, my Father, knows of my concern and that brings me great comfort. In this sense, I am "orphaned", yet I am not "fatherless" -- not by a long shot, and I am so thankful for that!

A couple weeks ago I watched Lee Strobel’s video, The Case for Faith. I was amazed to see the faith of Joni Erickson Tada. She knew her suffering had purpose and she was more than willing to endure it for however long the Lord deemed necessary because she saw the good that it was bringing.

That video was preparation for me, because now our family needs that strength of faith -- to believe that there is purpose and good to come from this crisis we find ourselves in.

The unbeliever doesn’t understand how a good God can allow suffering and evil to exist. I don’t understand how the unbeliever gets by in this life without faith in a good God because of the suffering and evil that does exist!

Our Lord Jesus Christ endured the ultimate suffering as He went to the cross and took all of the world’s sin upon Himself. The murder of this Perfect One was the ultimate evil and Satan felt sure he had the victory. But the ultimate good came from that suffering and evil – we now have the chance to be reconciled to our Maker. What grace!

Whose Disciple Are You?

Most Christians have heard the quotes “I am of Apollos” and “I am of Paul” from I Corinthians 1 and 3. Here Paul was telling his readers that they shouldn’t follow their favorite preachers over and above their Lord, Jesus Christ.

Using a Bible dictionary, you can learn that Apollos was a Christian Jew from Alexandria and some Bible scholars think perhaps he wrote the Bible book, Letter to the Hebrews. Luke says Apollos was, “an eloquent man” and “mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). But even eloquence and a mighty knowledge of the Bible should not pull us away from our Lord.

Have you ever noticed someone repeating this preacher or that teacher’s name and quoting them with every other breath? I find myself wondering if they’ve stopped to look at the Scriptures for themselves – or are they only listening to the mighty eloquence of a popular Christian folk-hero?

Jesus tells us in John 8:31, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (NASB). If you use Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to define the word “disciple”, you’ll find it simply means “learner”. So, whose disciple are you? Are you learning from the Lord Jesus or some eloquent human teacher?

Another word I found interesting from John 8:31 is “continue”. It seems clear from the text that I am Jesus’ disciple only if I continue in His word – so I better know for sure what that word “continue” means!

According to Strong’s, the Greek word “mênō” for “continue” means: to stay in a given place, abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry. This definition adds quite a bit of meaning to Jesus’ statement. To be His disciple, it is not enough to learn from Him a few minutes out of a few random mornings each month. We are to endure and tarry – dwelling in His word. So, let me ask again; truly, whose disciple are you?

Paul on the Road to Damascus

As I write this, the Bereans’ class is wrapping up the book of Acts and will be moving on to Paul’s letters to the Corinthians. But I can’t possibly do Luke’s book of Acts any justice if I don’t comment on Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19). Not only are the actual events given quite a bit of space, but Luke also records for us the details as re-told by Paul twice more (Acts 22:1-21 and 26:1-23).

Saul, accuser and persecutor of the Saints, sees a blinding light, hears a mysterious voice, and becomes Paul – Christ’s Ambassador and Apostle to the Gentiles. As Christians, we often marvel at having such a wonderful conversion story to tell – and at the powerful and undeniable change in Paul that resulted.

While it is true, not everyone has such a dramatic conversion experience; the Bible is clear that everyone is to be dramatically changed by their conversion experience. Your life “in Christ” is new! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come.” (II Corinthians 5:17).

This being the case, does your current lifestyle significantly differ from your pre-conversion lifestyle? Another way to look at this, is to ask if the way you live looks any different than those you know who are unsaved? Do you both watch the same television shows, share the same expensive, time-consuming hobbies, and both equally maxed out with personal credit card debt?

The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 that we are not to be “conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NASB). The Greek word for “transformed” is “mĕtamŏrphŏō”. Using the old KJV Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, I found this meaning: to transform (literally or figuratively “metamorphose”) – change, transfigure, transform.

This definition really improved my understanding of Romans 12:2. First, I was completely amazed to find the root of this word being so similar to our word for metamorphosis – the miraculous change of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Let me share with you a bit about this insect’s life cycle. The tiny eggs look like flecks of dust on a twig or leaf. They hatch out caterpillars so small you would hardly notice their squirming little bodies. Then they eat, and they eat, and they eat. As you might guess, they also grow! Soon they form their chrysalis cocoons and the miracle of transformation takes place.

I think it is interesting to realize this change would not be possible without the critter’s voracious appetite. Can you imagine their dismal failure if they ate only a few nibbles of a leaf, a couple times a week? They would die of starvation – with no transformation at all. I think that’s what happens to some new Christians when they aren’t given enough encouragement to be faithful in the Word. Jesus tells us in the Parable of the Sower that the worries, riches, and pleasures of this life can choke out our time in God’s Word and rob us of maturity as well as our fruit-bearing ability (Luke 8:14).

Sometimes I think we seem to encourage new believers to not study the Bible. When we say, “Congratulations – now you have eternal life!”, we imply they’ve arrived and there’s nothing else to do but wait to die and receive their reward. But can you imagine the explosion of growth in their tiny, imperceptible spiritual life if they went right home and read John’s gospel that same day? Then the next day they read 3 or 4 short epistles and the 3rd day plowed through Matthew?

We all want Christ-likeness, but the truth is, you can’t be or do what you don’t know. To be a disciple of Christ is to be a learner - to be a disciplined student of the things of God. We can’t hope to transform our minds if we won’t “eat” God’s Word like a hungry caterpillar! After Paul’s conversion, he spent three years in Arabia, consuming and transforming before beginning his ministry as Apostle and Ambassador for Christ (Galatians 1:15-18). Likewise, the transformation of our lives begins with radically different thinking and that happens as we are immersed in the teachings of Jesus, being His continual, steadfast disciple.

The other thing that jumped out at me from the definition of “mĕtamŏrphŏō”, is how this word seems to equally mean both “transform” and “transfigure”.  Transformation seems like a gradual process and transfigure seems more instantaneous. After a little more digging, I was able to learn that this Greek word is only used four times in the entire New Testament.

Twice this word is used in the gospels where Jesus is “transfigured” as He meets with Elijah and Moses (Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:2). It is hard for us to know exactly what changes occurred that caused the gospel writers to use this particular word; but just imagine – it was something as dramatic as a caterpillar metamorphosing into a butterfly! Furthermore, in Romans 12:2, we can now see that Paul says we are to dramatically re-align our thinking to this same extent. How can we do this? By hungering for God’s word like a caterpillar munches leaves!

The fourth New Testament reference using this Greek word is found in II Corinthians 3:18, here Paul is talking about how we are to be transformed into the very image of Christ. Now that’s dramatic!

So again, let’s consider Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus – was it unique? Yes, the manner of each person’s conversion is different. But no, we should each be radically transformed by a genuine encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Here are journaling suggestions for you to try:

Describe the changes that have occurred in your life since receiving Christ as your Savior.

Put down on paper the details of your personal conversion experience.

Our God-Breathed Bible

My April 2012 Lines of Purpose Newsletter concluded with this thought at the bottom of page 7: “When Paul described the Scripture as being useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness (II Timothy 3:16), he was speaking of the Old Testament.”

Since then, I’ve been thinking about how it is that we Christians are able to say that ALL the Bible is God-breathed and inspired. And, interestingly enough, I realized that every verse that came to mind seemed to be talking about the Old Testament and not the New Testament. So, as you’ve probably already guessed, the Berean in me kicked into high gear and I got out the shovel to start digging into this question….

The word “Scripture” is found 51 times in the New Testament, it is the Greek word, graphē. All 51 times it is in reference to the Old Testament and, therefore, we can assume it has a very special meaning to the writers of the New Testament. For instance, they never referred to a secular source as being Scriptural; the term was only applied to those documents seen as inspired, God-breathed writings.

In I Timothy 5:18, Paul writes: “For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing' and 'The laborer is worthy of his wages.'” The first quote given here by Paul comes from the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 25:4 and the second quote is from the New Testament teaching of Jesus as found in Luke 10:7. It would seem that Paul feels both statements are Scripture.

In II Peter 3:16, we find that Peter knows about Paul’s writings and says that some of the things Paul teaches are difficult to understand, “which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of Scriptures, to their own destruction.” For Peter to make this statement, we must assume that Peter sees Paul’s letters as also being part of Scripture.

If we take these two passages together, I think the argument can be safely made that the Apostles felt their writings were, in fact, adding to the volume of existing Scripture. In such a case, Paul’s statement in II Timothy 3:16 would then include both the Old and the New Testaments when he states they are all God-breathed and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. So, I stand corrected…

No Other Name

As I began to study the book of Acts, I came across an old familiar verse, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). I remember learning that as a memory verse when I first became a Christian. The assignment was part of a Bible study class and they wanted us to learn verses so we could share our faith with others. The idea was a good one, but I remember being so frustrated with this verse because it didn’t say the actual name “Jesus” and so I always kept my eye out for a better verse. I know it sounds sort of silly, but I really did want the whole gospel in one easy to learn verse that I could spring on unsuspecting unbelievers in a “ah-ha” moment during some spirited debate.

Anyway, here I am about 28 years later, coming across this same verse and it still seemed odd to me that it didn’t say the word “Jesus”. So, now being the good Berean I am, I got out my shovel and I started digging! I began by looking up the Greek word for “name”. I found that our “name” isn’t the sound of the letters used to address us; instead our “name” in the biblical sense refers to our title, position, honor, authority, character, fame, possessions, etc.
 
This made sense to me as I realized I have two collections of books by various authors: one that talks about the names of God, and the other about God’s attributes. Even a casual glance through these books reveals that the topics covered are the same – for in every name God has given us, He also reveals to us an aspect of His NAME – an attribute with which to better understand Who He is.

Jesus means, “God saves” and that is an important Truth. But it isn’t the 5-letter word “Jesus” that saves – I think this has to be biblically correct because there are thousands of babies born in Mexico who are given the same name – and regardless of your sincere faith or the extent of your trust in them, not one of these can offer you eternal life! Instead, our salvation is in the One beheld behind the NAME: The Only Beloved Son of God, Creator and Sustainer of heaven and earth, the sinless Lamb of God who died on the cross, the Resurrected Lord of the Universe, God  Incarnate, Living Word, Messiah, Christ, and Glorious King who reigns eternal!

Furthermore, we are not called by the name of Jesus (Jesusians or Jesusites) but we are called by His NAME – by His title as Christ – Christians, and our faith is called Christianity. This may be just a coincidence, but I think not. It shows that even in the days of Jesus that there may well have been more than one man by this name; but through all of time, in every land, and every tongue, in all the earth, there has only been ONE who has the NAME – title, position, honor, and authority of the Christ.

Look at Acts 4:12 again in this way: And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other title, position, honor, and authority under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved. And there are many other verses in the New Testament that oddly omit the word “Jesus” yet clearly refer to Him. Luke 10:17 says the disciples healed and cast out demons “in His name”. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:19 tells us to baptize “in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Peter preached the Good News saying, “Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins.” (Acts 10:43). Finally, in John 14:13, Jesus teaches us to pray, asking “in His name”.

Jesus asked His disciples the most important question anyone could ever answer: “Who do you say that I am?” He is not the Santa Clause figure of the health and wealth prosperity gospel preachers. Nor is He a hippie-like pacifist love-guru (Jesus taught more on hell than He ever did heaven!) The Apostle Peter’s correct response is recorded for us in Matthew 16:16; “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” There are those whose opinion of Jesus is so unbiblical that they practice a form of idolatry when they worship! Have you studied the Bible to know Him well enough that you easily recognize a counterfeit?

My purpose here is to encourage you to be more careful about how you think of the name of Jesus, to take the time to think through if you hold a correct and biblical worldview of who He is. I also want to ask that you encourage others to do the same. There are so many cults and false religions that claim the name of Jesus—but they do so without understanding His NAME; they do not know of His title, position, honor, and authority. They mistakenly think that Jesus was just a good and moral teacher, the spirit-brother of Lucifer, a transformed angel-being, or another one in a long line of Jewish prophets. And at the root of all these thoughts, they have each denied His deity. Furthermore, Jesus Christ has no equal, no substitute, and no vicar who can speak for God and forgive our sins.

Beginning today, when you hear someone say that they “believe in Jesus”, spend a few minutes with them and make sure they know more than just the 5-letter word, “Jesus”; see if they know the NAME of Jesus. Don’t be one of those folks who think they shouldn’t ever talk to people about their faith. Introduce them to the Real Jesus -- the only NAME given under heaven by which men must be saved.

Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Here are journaling suggestions to try:

Write about what prompted you in choosing a particular memory verse.

Describe the outcome of a recent witnessing experience.