I know that each church has its own role to play in God’s Kingdom, but shouldn’t there be a guiding principle that exists, so pastors can check themselves and the sheep can have a baseline so that they know, their pastor is preaching and doing what Jesus has entrusted Him to do. So I decided to look up the word “steward” in the bible.

The first time the word steward( in the New King James version)appears is in Genesis 43. It referred to the steward of Josephs house. The Hebrew words translated to “steward” is “iysh bayith”, which literally translates to man of the house. The idea here being Joseph is the master and this steward deals with the day to day running of the household, with the authority given to him by the master. This is the same as Jesus being our Lord and the pastors are his stewards, serving and running his household on earth(the church).

Lets set the background of where we are in Genesis 43. Joseph’s brothers had already met Joseph for the first time and he had given them the grain/ bread and returned their money to them, but demanded that they bring Benjamin, the next time they came. They were now returning to buy more grain with Benjamin, but had not met Joseph for the second time. This parallels the period of between Jesus first appearance on earth and us now awaiting His second coming.

The steward now meets the brothers and its important to study what he says and does for them as this is the first time in the bible the role of the steward is described in any detail.

But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.( Genesis 43:23-25 NKJ)

The first thing he says to them is “Peace be with you, do not be afraid”.
This foreshadows and parallels what Jesus said(John 14:27), where He gives us His peace and tells us not to be afraid. If you look throughout the gospels, Jesus keeps reiterating to us “Do not be afraid”, even in Revelations, when Jesus appeared to John, He said “Do not be afraid”(Rev 1:17).Thus I believe that underlying message of whatever a pastor/ steward is preaching, there should always be Jesus preached and glorified; proclaiming His shalom peace and for us NOT to be afraid, because He is our Lord and Saviour!

The next thing the steward said was “Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks;” There are many levels to this but The important treasure that Abba Father has given us , is His Son Jesus Christ. In Him are all treasures and blessings.

Now look at what the steward did after he said all those things, he took them into Joseph’s house, gave them water, washed their feet and fed their donkeys. This is what pastors should be doing, bringing the sheep into the house, quenching their thirst with everlasting water, meeting their needs both spiritually and physically.

Finally the last verse, shows us the long term goal/role of all pastors/stewards: “Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.”

It is clear that the role is to guide, prepare and mature us, for the second coming of Christ. As stewards of God’s house, their purpose is to serve the master of the house, who is Jesus, to build His kingdom and His glory, by tending and growing the people and to prepare them for the coming of the Lord!

There is more to this passage but I have tried to condense it. Feel free to email me if you have any questions.

God Bless

Ed

At first, God sends Elijah to Brook Cherith, miraculously providing for him through ravens carrying meat and bread to him in the morning and evening.  After a while, though, the brook dries up and God sends Elijah to a widow to provide for him.

When Elijah first meets this widow she is gathering up firewood to cook the little flour and oil she has left, to feed herself and her son one last time – before dying.  Despite the widow’s dire situation, Elijah asks her to cook a meal for him first, promising that God would supply sufficient flour and oil to see her through the drought.  Taking him at his word, the widow does so, and indeed finds that her flour and the oil do not run out, so that “there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family.” (1 Kin 17:15, NIV)

This story reminds me of how God works within his people, his church.  Although God sovereignly provided for Elijah at Brook Cherith for a while, Elijah ultimately had to receive God’s provision through another person.  And that person wasn’t some rich man with plenty of food stored up – it was a poor widow who didn’t even have enough for herself and her son.  But for God, even a needy person can be used to bless a mighty prophet, if they are willing.  And as the widow blessed Elijah with the little food she had, God took care of her needs.  A little later, Elijah was able to return the favour, resurrecting her son who fell sick and died.  Each gave the other something entirely different, but entirely essential.

In 1 Corinthians 12, the church is compared to a body, comprised of various parts.  Each person within the church is like a different part of the body, with different functions to perform and different contributions to make.  Each is reliant on the others, and ultimately on Christ – the head which directs and co-ordinates the corporate symphony.

Even Jesus, when on earth, sought the help of his disciples: he asked Peter, James and John to keep watch with him in prayer at Gethsemane (just prior to the crucifixion), and on the cross he entrusted the care of his mother – whom he would soon leave behind – to John.

No one is so great they don’t need anyone; and no one is so lowly then don’t have anything to offer.   If you want to be a blessing to others, just use what you have – someone needs it.

As Peter said to the cripple begging for money at the temple: “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you…”  (Acts 3:6, NIV)

– Joey