God's Stewards
In his letter to Titus, Paul refers to church elders as
stewards of God (1:7). I wonder how many elders have contemplated what it means
to be a steward of God? The dictionary defines a steward as one who is entrusted
with the management of goods which are not his own. Let’s devote some time to
thinking about this interesting subject.
Stewards are mentioned in the Bible a number of times, both in parables and in
real life situations. Joseph became a steward in the house of Potiphar in Egypt
(Gen. 39), and had such authority that his master entrusted all his possessions
to his care (39:8). The Lord Jesus told a parable about a dishonest steward who
was called to account for His wasteful ways (Luke 16:1-2).
A number of personal character qualities for stewards are listed by Paul: “For a
bishop (overseer) must be blameless as the steward of God, not self-willed, not
soon angry, not given to wine, not violent, not given to filthy lucre (dishonest
gain), but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober-minded, just,
holy, tem- perate, holding fast the faithful word....”(Titus 1:7-9 KJV).
What is involved?
We must note carefully the words “entrusted” and “management” used in the
definition given above. A steward’s primary work is not “holding” or “using” or
“dispensing” the owners resources (although any of these might be involved), but
specifically in managing them. This means more than just being in charge, for
example, as a boss. It implies a wise and complex interaction of many decisions
and acts that together produce a peaceful and prosperous household. In the world
one hears of baseball teams and financial funds that excel or languish depending
in a large measure on the manager who oversees things.
All elders have the same Scriptures and the same Spirit. They exer- cise
stewardship among a redeemed people who struggle with the same enemies: the
world, the flesh and the devil. Yet what great differences in the result among
different churches! Of course there are many other factors involved, but it is
at least a challenging thought that the bottom line may be a reflection of the
stewardship abilities of the elders.
This raises a question: Over what are elders stewards as they lead and care for
the church? Certainly they are stewards of the Scriptures, called “the faithful
word” in this passage (vs. 9). This includes the message of the gospel, and all
biblical truth. Elders are stewards of the families in the church (1:11) and
they are stewards of the individual saints in the local fellowship; as Hebrews
13:17 puts it, elders “watch for your souls.”
But there is more. Elders must see that the talents and spiritual gifts of the
believers are put to wise use for the Lord, in order that the spiritual
potential of the Lord’s people is realized and developed. The goal of course, is
that not only church lead- ers, but ordinary people will become faithful
stewards of God in all matters of daily life.
Perspective
However, with all the routine duties, scheduled meetings, and real life problems
to attend to, it would be easy for elders to lose sight of the big picture. In
quiet moments an elder might ask himself, “Why are we doing all this?” “How can
I be “found faithful” as a good steward (I Cor 4:2)? These are important
questions, deserving good answers.
First, the stewardship of elders in the church brings joy and satisfaction to
the Lord, for the church is His bride. Following His ascension, the entire work
of building and nurturing the church was left completely in the hands of His
disciples acting as His stewards, under the guidance of and by the enabling of
the Holy Spirit.
Second, good stewardship will promote the forming of Christlikeness in younger
disciples, by making sure that the assem- bly is not a stage for showing off
talents, but a workshop for learning and applying the teaching of the Word. This
process is lifelong, and must be carried forward at every age level. Gifted men
are like trainers to equip and prepare the saints for service to the Lord (Eph.
4:11-12). Therefore, the church becomes, among other things, a training ground
for the transformation of Christian believers into mature people of God!
Finally, good stewardship will result in blessing for those outside. A well
ordered assembly will be taking the gospel to where the lost are, and then bring
new spiritual babes into the assembly to begin learning life in the family of
God: the process of themselves being transformed into faithful stewards for the
Lord.
Rewards
A church whose elders are wise stewards will probably grow. Remember that the
Spirit of God within the believer is always prompting and yearning in the
direction of life with purpose, not the purposes of this world, but the purpose
of obedience to the Lord in the pursuit of the Great Commission. Sincere
believers want to associate with a church that is go- ing somewhere. There must
be some- thing grander and more glorious than simply keeping the meetings going!
But any blessings that come from good stewardship in this life are not to be
compared with the joy of hearing those words reserved for faithful stewards,
“Well done thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord
(Matt 25:21). These words were spoken to a servant who had exercised careful
stewardship in wisely investing his master’s goods. Apparently the mas- ter was
taking joy in the process even before rewards were given, as the ser- vant was
invited to enter into a joy that was already residing in the heart of his Lord.
Finally, elders are promised a crown of glory which does not grow dim in the
life to come (I Pe- ter 5:4). That revealed truth along with love for the Savior
and love for the flock gives every elder the highest incentive to concentrate
his efforts on things eternal rather than on things of this world.
Return to Index of Elders Subjects