Focus 3|Revisioning Stewardship
What you have, YOU have. It isn’t anyone else’s. Having a lot is nothing. Doing something with what you have—that’s stewardship.
Consider this ice breaker question to get started.
What is your most prized possession?
What is your most prized possession?
See what this Spotlight—and series— is focused on.
Tap on the words "Focus 3" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.
Tap on the words "Focus 3" in the image below to read this Spotlight's summary.
Let’s talk about worth and value.
Listen to this audio clip when you’re ready to begin today’s Spotlight.
(And welcome, by the way! It’s great that you’re here!)
Listen to this audio clip when you’re ready to begin today’s Spotlight.
(And welcome, by the way! It’s great that you’re here!)
Let’s define stewards/stewardship.
The words steward and stewardship are going to come up a few times in this Spotlight, so they need to be defined. A steward is someone who manages assets and resources, usually belonging to someone else.
“The Parable of the Talents” by Rembrandt
Have someone from your group read a story that Jesus told about stewards—a story that has some really happy moments and some really tragic ones, too.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
More on this in the Learn section. For now…
The words steward and stewardship are going to come up a few times in this Spotlight, so they need to be defined. A steward is someone who manages assets and resources, usually belonging to someone else.
“The Parable of the Talents” by Rembrandt
Have someone from your group read a story that Jesus told about stewards—a story that has some really happy moments and some really tragic ones, too.
“Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’
His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
More on this in the Learn section. For now…
Welcome Perspective
Doing something worthwhile and creating value with what you have—that’s stewardship.
Doing something worthwhile and creating value with what you have—that’s stewardship.
Ask God for the power of self-forgiveness.
Your story isn’t as tragic as Jesus’ imagined steward who failed to manage one talent, but your story isn’t perfect, either. Any time a person examines how they’re doing in life (all of which is stewardship) there will be shortfalls and failures.
Follow the instructions below to complete this exercise…
Jesus paid for the failures of all people, so we are all forgiven by you, Lord.
Help me also to forgive myself.
God, you’ve given us the gift of time. Day after day you provide the environment in which we can live, work, grow, and love. For the times we have failed, forgotten, or frustrated your plan for our time, we look to you for mercy. You promise that you love us and that we can depend on you, so here we are.
Jesus paid for the failures of all people, so we are all forgiven by you, Lord.
Help me also to forgive myself.
God, you’ve given us the gift of talents. We are uniquely wired and positioned to be able to help ourselves and those around us. For the times we have failed, forgotten, or frustrated your plan for our talents, we look to you for mercy. You promise that you love us and that we can depend on you, so here we are.
Jesus paid for the failures of all people, so we are all forgiven by you, Lord.
Help me also to forgive myself.
God, you’ve given us the gift of assets. You not only created us, but you created stuff that would be useful and interesting and beneficial and you gave it to us to discover and enjoy. For the times we have failed, forgotten, or frustrated your plan for these treasures, we look to you for mercy. You promise that you love us and that we can depend on you, so here we are.
Jesus paid for the failures of all people, so we are all forgiven by you, Lord.
Help me also to forgive myself. Amen.
Your story isn’t as tragic as Jesus’ imagined steward who failed to manage one talent, but your story isn’t perfect, either. Any time a person examines how they’re doing in life (all of which is stewardship) there will be shortfalls and failures.
Follow the instructions below to complete this exercise…
- Select one member of your group to read the paragraphs below.
- Have the whole group—together—read what is set in bold.
Jesus paid for the failures of all people, so we are all forgiven by you, Lord.
Help me also to forgive myself.
God, you’ve given us the gift of time. Day after day you provide the environment in which we can live, work, grow, and love. For the times we have failed, forgotten, or frustrated your plan for our time, we look to you for mercy. You promise that you love us and that we can depend on you, so here we are.
Jesus paid for the failures of all people, so we are all forgiven by you, Lord.
Help me also to forgive myself.
God, you’ve given us the gift of talents. We are uniquely wired and positioned to be able to help ourselves and those around us. For the times we have failed, forgotten, or frustrated your plan for our talents, we look to you for mercy. You promise that you love us and that we can depend on you, so here we are.
Jesus paid for the failures of all people, so we are all forgiven by you, Lord.
Help me also to forgive myself.
God, you’ve given us the gift of assets. You not only created us, but you created stuff that would be useful and interesting and beneficial and you gave it to us to discover and enjoy. For the times we have failed, forgotten, or frustrated your plan for these treasures, we look to you for mercy. You promise that you love us and that we can depend on you, so here we are.
Jesus paid for the failures of all people, so we are all forgiven by you, Lord.
Help me also to forgive myself. Amen.
Ask yourself if you really know why you have what you have.
Discuss the following questions with your group:
Question 1 | Abel brought the firstborn and healthiest animals and Cain brought what seems to simply be some of his crops. God accepted Abel’s offering but not Cain’s—but this isn’t simply an issue of quality. What did their offerings show about their relationship to God?
Question 2 | 1 John 3, in the New Testament, talks about this story:
“For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:11–18
(Notice that the idea of Cain murdering Abel in the first paragraph is connected to sharing material possessions in the second. Can you try to explain how saying “Yes” to sharing and “No” to murdering are two sides of the same coin based on these verses?)
Question 1 | Abel brought the firstborn and healthiest animals and Cain brought what seems to simply be some of his crops. God accepted Abel’s offering but not Cain’s—but this isn’t simply an issue of quality. What did their offerings show about their relationship to God?
Question 2 | 1 John 3, in the New Testament, talks about this story:
“For this is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.”
1 John 3:11–18
(Notice that the idea of Cain murdering Abel in the first paragraph is connected to sharing material possessions in the second. Can you try to explain how saying “Yes” to sharing and “No” to murdering are two sides of the same coin based on these verses?)
Learn how to be God’s.
Cain’s sacrifice was unacceptable to God because God’s way of giving and sharing, and of giving worth and value in his giving and sharing, was unacceptable to Cain.
Stewardship is a two-way street, paved in both directions with love and trust. This is hard for a human being to handle because you want to be independent instead of interdependent.
Everyone has a tendency to be like Cain, but you are in a better position than he. While Abel’s blood cried out from the ground against Cain’s injustice, Jesus’ blood cries out from the cross for your forgiveness. Abel’s blood made Cain unacceptable—Jesus’ makes you acceptable.
Pray with this song that you will continue to learn what it means to be God’s.
Cain’s sacrifice was unacceptable to God because God’s way of giving and sharing, and of giving worth and value in his giving and sharing, was unacceptable to Cain.
Stewardship is a two-way street, paved in both directions with love and trust. This is hard for a human being to handle because you want to be independent instead of interdependent.
Everyone has a tendency to be like Cain, but you are in a better position than he. While Abel’s blood cried out from the ground against Cain’s injustice, Jesus’ blood cries out from the cross for your forgiveness. Abel’s blood made Cain unacceptable—Jesus’ makes you acceptable.
Pray with this song that you will continue to learn what it means to be God’s.
- In the first half, empathize with the way the singer confesses that he struggles to “be God’s.”
- In the second half, enjoy the way that God promises to never give up on you.
Worship Perspective
Until you understand what God thinks you’re worth, you have nothing to steward.
Until you understand what God thinks you’re worth, you have nothing to steward.
Think back to the parable of the talents.
A talent is equal to about 20 years of a day-laborer’s wages, which means the servants were given a lot, and the text says this:
To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.
Matthew 25:15
+ RE-READ THE PARABLE (IF YOU NEED TO)
Discuss the following questions with your group:
A talent is equal to about 20 years of a day-laborer’s wages, which means the servants were given a lot, and the text says this:
To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability.
Matthew 25:15
+ RE-READ THE PARABLE (IF YOU NEED TO)
Discuss the following questions with your group:
- If you have ever struggled with what you have been gifted with compared to others, how can this parable help you gain a better perspective on this issue—and even celebrate the differences?
- What are some ways that you can determine your “talents” or gifts that God has entrusted to you? What is one gift you feel you’re using well, and how did you identify it?
- The last servant went and “hid” his talent. What is Jesus trying to teach us about this servant? What are some ways that people “hide” talents today?
- What excuses are made by people who do not serve the Lord? How does this parable remove any excuses for serving the Lord and producing fruit for His kingdom?
Think about seeing God’s gifts in everything.
Psalm 145 is an acrostic Psalm, meaning that each line begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. You can’t tell when you see it in English, but King David was trying to show how comprehensive God’s goodness was with this poetic trick.
First, listen to the Psalm. Enjoy it—it’s a happy and powerful text.
Psalm 145 is an acrostic Psalm, meaning that each line begins with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet. You can’t tell when you see it in English, but King David was trying to show how comprehensive God’s goodness was with this poetic trick.
First, listen to the Psalm. Enjoy it—it’s a happy and powerful text.
Discuss the Psalm.
Use the following prompts to talk about Psalm 145 (the full text is below):
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
Use the following prompts to talk about Psalm 145 (the full text is below):
- Each group member should share their favorite verse/concept and why they chose it.
- Weigh-in: Which verses speak the most to the idea of stewardship. (They all do in some way or the other, so this is meant to be subjective.)
- Pick a verse/section to hold onto for the coming week and explain what in your life is leading you toward that verse today.
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you
and extol your name for ever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
his greatness no one can fathom.
4 One generation commends your works to another;
they tell of your mighty acts.
5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—
and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
6 They tell of the power of your awesome works—
and I will proclaim your great deeds.
7 They celebrate your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.
9 The Lord is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made.
10 All your works praise you, Lord;
your faithful people extol you.
11 They tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might,
12 so that all people may know of your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises
and faithful in all he does.
14 The Lord upholds all who fall
and lifts up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food at the proper time.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and faithful in all he does.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
Learn Perspective
You grow as a person as you learn to identify what God has shared with you and how to use it.
You grow as a person as you learn to identify what God has shared with you and how to use it.
Consider Illume’s approach to facility in view of stewardship.
What is facility? Ministry happens between some people in some place. Facility is that place. The word facility has two definitions, and they both matter in this conversation:
What is facility? Ministry happens between some people in some place. Facility is that place. The word facility has two definitions, and they both matter in this conversation:
- A place provided for a particular purpose.
- A natural aptitude.
Feel free to submit a prayer request by filling out the below form.
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)
(If you choose to make your request public, you'll see it display in the Current at the end of the Spotlight along with anyone else who did the same.)
Pray through your requests—together—as a group.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.
After submitting your requests in the above form, take some time to share with your group whatever requests the group might have for this week.
Serve Perspective
What you get to steward shows the world the ways God is full of love. Use them wisely!
What you get to steward shows the world the ways God is full of love. Use them wisely!
Pray for this system to work with this song.
Sing along with (or listen to) this song to close out this Spotlight.
Feel free to sing along or simply listen. Do what makes you comfortable—but do whatever helps you focus on the song's meaning best.
Feel free to sing along or simply listen. Do what makes you comfortable—but do whatever helps you focus on the song's meaning best.
Farewell Perspective
What do you have, how did God get it to you, and why is it valuable?
These are the questions of relational stewardship.
What do you have, how did God get it to you, and why is it valuable?
These are the questions of relational stewardship.
Let's wrap things up by taking a look at what's Current at Illume.
Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.
Tap on the buttons in the frame below to see what’s currently happening at Illume—information on everything from current and upcoming online content to live events and opportunities to serve in the community can all be found here.
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