Lukewarmness in Stewardship!

Being a good steward of the souls, resources, and the ministry that God has entrusted to us should be considered as a priority in our life. Malachi 1:8 records a question that God asks:

When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you?” says the Lord Almighty.

When we commit ourselves to God’s work and hold responsible offices, be it as elders of the church, cell group leaders, youth leaders, trustees, secretaries, teachers, etc., do we recognize the significance of our call? Remember that we are given these responsible offices because of the trust that God has placed on our shoulders. Do we offer our best to the Lord, or do we offer the spilled overs while carrying out His work?

Often, we tend to be satisfied with the sub-standard quality that we put up in our mundane ministry roles. All of our fellowship gatherings should be as important as the Sunday service and other ‘special meetings’. If we are conducting events or meetings without a said intention, or just as part of a routine to tick off the checklist, then we will quickly become “event-oriented Christians” and lose the actual meaning and purpose of our gatherings.

Importance of being a good steward!

One of the greatest liabilities of the 21st-century churches is the presence of shepherds who do not know or do not have a burden of the sheep that are entrusted to them. Through the prophets in the old testament, God depicts His great anger against the “shepherds” who didn’t hold the offices rightly.

“Therefore, the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd. “My anger burns against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders.” Zechariah 10:3

A Christian leader or mentor should not give up on their sheep even when they act ‘pricy’ or are ungrateful but should be compassionate towards them. Leadership involves leading the people from where they currently are to where God wants them to be over the period. We need to have the heart of the shepherd who left the 99 to go in search of the “one” lost sheep.

Jesus, in his final conversation with Peter, shared his aching heart by asking him to “Feed my lambs!” By not giving up, we are fulfilling the great command God has given us. It takes little effort to preach and leave the person where he is today, but it takes a lot of toils to walk with them in their journey to help them grow closer to God, attain maturity, and be an influencer. Whoever that “one” lost sheep is, can we continue to pray and show compassion to that person? It is worth the effort! Remember, we are called to be “Servant Leaders” and we have to give an account as “good stewards” to the "Chief Shepherd” for each sheep given to us!

Being faithful to the office

Apostle Paul, while bidding farewell to elders of Ephesians, mentions this advice: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” – Act 20:28

The critical part of our ministry is to choose the Holy spirit’s guidance since we are doing God’s work. It is necessary to execute the function of our ministerial offices with all our heart, soul, and mind, and not do it to please people.

Carrying out mundane ministry roles

It is dangerous to overlook the mundane meetings or ministry roles without acknowledging the fact that these play a very powerful part in molding our discipleship efforts.

Discipleship efforts in many churches are failing since we “de- priorities” and “position” the Mundane ministry activities like weekly bible studies, cell groups, focal groups meet, fasting prayers as “optional”/ “time-permit” ones and we channelize all our energy/focus only for “Sunday Services” and “special events”! For many attending “Sunday Services” is a checklist activity! The posture of the Church should be towards driving intentional discipleship and not just ensuring every “Sunday Service” is been conducted “somehow”. A Church failing to transform and disciple souls are losing its “purpose of existence” and unknowingly becomes just a "club"

Let us not take these lightly but make sure that we plan our day’s work/day such that we take time to get involved in these mundane ministry activities. Let us ensure to be part of or conduct these meetings, not attending them for namesake, but coming with a thirsty and eager heart. Below is a golden encouragement we can have in this regard –

Hebrews 10: 24 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Conclusion

Jesus, through the parable of “10 minas”, also shared his aching heart – “So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back”- Luke 19:13. Until Jesus returns, we are responsible to be good stewards who invest and multiply.

Let’s ensure to be faithful to the great calling placed on our life and not belittle it. When it comes to our personal or official works, don’t we make sure to be on time, not miss calls, and thrive to be excellent? How much more intentional should we be when we carry out the Lord’s work! Let our hearts be filled with anguish for the broken walls of the temple. Let us strive to give our best for the Lord and not offer the spilled over.

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