Gtcotr/ss051516
1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it
is required in stewards that one be found faithful.
1 Peter 1
1 ¶ Peter, an apostle of
Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia,
2 elect according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience
and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be
multiplied.
3 ¶ Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has
begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead,
4 to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for
you,
5 who are kept by the power
of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 ¶ In this you greatly
rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by
various trials,
1 Peter 4
7 ¶ But the end of all things
is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
8 And above all things have
fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of
sins."
9 Be hospitable to one
another without grumbling.
10 As each one has received a
gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of
God.
11 If anyone speaks, let him
speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the
ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through
Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
We
have received the great gift of salvation by God’s grace through our faith. We
have been born again to a living hope that we might receive an inheritance
which is incorruptible and undefiled which does not fade away reserved and
preserved for us in heaven.
At
the present we may be grieved by various trials but we cannot allow those
things to overshadow the responsibilities we have as stewards of the manifold
grace of God. We must be:
·
Serious
in our prayers
·
Fervent
in our love
·
Hospitable
without grumbling
·
Not
giving our own opinion
·
Serving
by what God supplies
Both
the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter encouraged Born Again Believers to be
faithful stewards of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The primary work of a steward
of the Gospel is threefold.
Faithful Stewards
of the Manifold Grace of God
1.
Preserve the Word
Protect and Guard
the Word (from perversion Galatians 1)
2.
Multiply the Word
Increase the Word in your own life, family and community (Luke 12 &
Luke 19)
3.
Send the Word to Others
This is the sacred responsibility given to
us by Christ which we know as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20)
My
dear brothers and sisters let us be:
·
Serious
in our prayers
·
Fervent
in love
·
Hospitable
without grumbling
·
Not
given to our own opinions
·
Serving
only by the grace of God’s
