The Evangel Dean Basic Training Resource Handbook

S EMINARS • 85

C. Relationships and resources are God’s entrustments, never to become our idols or our focus.

Implication 1: God has entrusted to us as his servants his most valuable possessions and most significant mandate.

Stewards of the mysteries of God, 1 Cor. 4.1-2 – This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. [2] Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found faithful. The Treasure of the Spirit within us, 2 Cor. 4.6-7 – For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. [7] But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. Implication 2: The heart of spiritual renewal is the affirmation that our lives have their source in God, who called us, supplies us with his power, who leads us, who works in our lives, and gives to us all we need for life and godliness. No minister of the gospel should pretend that any part of their life or ministry is based on their own power and ingenuity. “It is not by power nor by might but by My Spirit, says the Lord” (Zech. 4.6).

No man was ever honored for what he received. Honor is the reward for what he gave.

If your outgo exceeds your income then your upkeep will be your downfall.

We make a living by what we get out of life but we make a life by what we give.

III. As Stewards of the Lord’s Mysteries and Resources, We Are Called to Invest Them Ambitiously, Courageously, and Ingeniously in Order That His Purposes May Be Fulfilled through Us. Luke 21.1-4 (NASB) – Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, [2] and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. [3] And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. [4] For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

2 Cor. 9.6-12 (NASB) – The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.