Are You a Faithful Steward?
“[1] Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. [2] Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” – 1 Corinthians 4:1-2
If you are to effectively minister Christ to others, there are two things that you must do:
Steward the mysteries of God
Be faithful
While this list may sound simple, there are a few important prerequisites to those things listed above.
First, in order to steward the mysteries of God, you have to know them. While this verbiage of mysterious things may have you thinking they are impossible to know, this is untrue.
“[9] Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:” – Ephesians 1:9
God has revealed the mystery of His will for the ages, it can be known and stewarded, which is contained in what the Bible calls the mystery of Christ. This mystery of Christ message, revealed first to the Apostle Paul by the resurrected Christ, wasn’t made known previously anywhere in the scriptures (which is why it is called a mystery) (Rom 16:25-26, 1Ti 1:11-16).
These mysteries of God that faithful Christians are supposed to steward concern all of the details that surround this revealed mystery of Christ. It concerns the formation, edification, message, purpose, and destiny of a new entity God created, the Body of Christ, where there is no longer any Jew or Gentile distinction. It includes details about the postponement of God’s covenants with the nation of Israel, salvation offered to all by the cross, free justification, a ministry of reconciliation, and a heavenly purpose/position to all by grace through faith without works (Rom 11:25-27, Eph 3:1-10, Col 1:25-27, 1Co 9:16-17, 15:1-4, Eph 2:8-9, Rom 3:21-26, 2Co 5:17-21, Gal 6:15, Eph 2:11-17, Titus 2:11-14, 1Co 15:51-57).
If some or all of those pieces of information listed above are unstable in your mind, then there are some holes that need to be addressed on your journey to becoming an effective minister of Christ. Before you can steward the core truths of God to others, you must first know them. Fortunately for us, God’s word is able to fill those holes (2Ti 3:16-17).
Secondly, a steward must be found faithful. A steward is one who manages another’s affairs, and in the case of a Christian, they are managing the affairs of God on His behalf as ambassadors. To be an effective minister requires faithfulness to God, the message (the gospel), and the mission (to see souls saved and saints edified).
But what does it mean to be faithful? To continue in the things we learn about concerning the mystery of Christ (1Ti 1:12, 2Ti 3:12-17, Titus 1:7-9).
Faithfulness is an extremely important trait for an effective minister because things get hard. When life gets challenging as a result of the sin around us and things outside of our control, many put their faith in Christ on the figurative backburner and deprioritize the most important thing to their own demise.
Ultimately, it is not flashy and you won’t make the headlines being faithful.
Many Christians are enticed away from faithfulness through the cares of the world like money, entertainment, glory, jobs, and prestige. They are distracted by vain things that will vanish like their momentary lives (1Jn 2:16, 2Ti 4:10).
How do we avoid this snare the world constantly throws at us and how do we become faithful? How do we grow and stay constant in conviction for the important spiritual things?
“[17] So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” – Romans 10:17
“[13] For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” – 1 Thessalonians 2:13
“[6] Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. [7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7
Our faith is strengthened and grown when we read God’s word, believe it, and pray. When we are presented by the truth of God, we are then presented an opportunity to believe that truth, which in turn strengthens our faith, conviction, and renews our mind to think more like Christ.
Being faithful isn’t rocket science or brain surgery. Learn the doctrine, believe it, apply it, pray through it, and repeat even when you don’t feel like it. You’ll be amazed at how God grows you and how over time, you begin the deeply cherish the treasures of God’s wisdom (Gal 6:7-9).
The faithful minority accomplishes more profitable work than the fickle majority. You don’t have to be a world-renowned pastor or Christian author to make a profound impact for eternity, you just need to learn God’s mysteries and continue in them.
