The bottom line of Christian stewardship can be succinctly summarized in four words: God owns it all! The psalmist rightfully audited God’s assets: “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Everything we possess is a grace gift from God that we must manage faithfully. Paul explained, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor. 5:10). Mark it down: stewardship is about much more...

We had a blessed time of worship yesterday at the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church. Thanks to all of our volunteers for your service yesterday. You make it happen! Our ensemble, Forgiven, led the musical praise yesterday and did a wonderful job. It was a good time of worship. We had a great Fighter Verse this week – Proverbs 1:10: “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.” This weeks verse(s) is Proverbs 3:5-6. Grateful for all the guests who were in worship with us yesterday. The world famous BrothaRollins was in the house! I met a family from Canada...

Matthew 6:19-21 marks a transition in THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT. In the first half of this chapter, Jesus explains how righteous people practice religion. Verses 1-4 address how righteous people give. Verse 5-15 address how righteous people pray. Verses 16-18 address how righteous people fast. In the later half of this chapter, Jesus moves from warning his disciples about the consequences of hypocrisy to calling his disciples to embrace the values of the kingdom of heaven. Verses 19-34 make it clear that true righteousness transcends religious activity. To be a citizen of the kingdom is to adopt a countercultural...

I am scheduled to complete my series on "Total-Life Stewardship" this Sunday. It will be the seventh message of the series. My focus will be on the stewardship of our Christian witness. In 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, Paul says, "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy." I hope to teach the church about what it means to be a stewards of our witness. And I want to challenge the congregation to do four things: (1) know what you believe,...

This coming Sunday I will begin a new sermon series that I am calling "Total-Life Stewardship: Being Faithful with a Borrowed Life." The bottom-line of Christian stewardship is simply that God owns everything. We are just stewards (or managers) of the things we possess. And this stewardship involves more than just our time, talents, and treasures - even though it definitely includes these fundamental things. Christian stewardship involves every area of our lives. It is required of stewards that one be found faithful. And one day we will have to answer to the Lord for how we have lived our...