Sometimes church members counsel their pastor: "Don't preach too many stewardship sermons. People get tired of hearing about money.

"Why has stewardship become such a problem? Many of us see tithes and offerings as the way that we support the church. We simply pay for services rendered. Some of us even use tithes and offerings as a way to force the church to listen to us, or to change. And we see stewardship as the church's way of manipulating us into giving more. Could it be that our understanding of stewardship is too narrow?

Can we really tithe if we don't accept Christ as our Savior? Can we worship Him if our stewardship is giving money grudgingly? Ellen White wrote: "The Lord will not accept an offering that is made unwillingly, grudgingly." 

In fact, without this relationship, our giving simply becomes blackmail; paying God a small portion so that we can do what we want to with the rest.

The word "steward" implies a master. The steward is the one entrusted to manage his or her master's assets. The concept began with humanity's creation. Adam and Eve were given "dominion" over the earth. They were to act in partnership with God, acting as His representatives on earth.

Biblical stewardship calls us back to a partnership--to rediscover our identity with God as Creator and Redeemer. This concept extends far beyond tithes and offerings. It's more than just managing our money. It means integrating an attitude of worship into every area of our lives. Notice the apostle Paul's admonition to the believers in Rome: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship" (Rom. 12:1, NIV).

A Firm Foundation
True worship begins with, and is based on, a relationship with Jesus Christ. The first step of that relationship is to know Him as Savior and Lord. Thus the gospel is the foundation and starting point for all stewardship. Without the experience of salvation, stewardship becomes a form of spiritual slavery. It's just another way of perpetuating a performance-based religion.

Accepting Christ as Savior leads us to recognize that as our Creator and Redeemer, He has the right to guide our lives. However, true stewardship only happens as we accept an intimate partnership with Him through the Holy Spirit (see Eph. 3:16-19; and Ezek. 36:26-27). Stewardship then becomes the integration of the saving relationship with Christ into every area of life, choosing to live each moment with this incredible God who has saved us by His grace.

For many years I understood lordship as my obedience to what God said. Today, I understand lordship as choosing to accept Him at His word and as the only way to work out His will in my life.

Jim and Debbie were owners, as well as president and vice-president of a company. They chose to recognize God as owner by legally transferring their company's deed of ownership to God. The state government wouldn't recognize it so they chose to frame that deed and hang it on their office wall as a reminder of their partnership with God.

A physical, tangible act--like Jim and Debbie's--often helps us recognize and reinforce our decisions. As we consciously surrender everything to God, our lives begin to change. Homes are transformed as we surrender each member of the family to God and quit trying to control them ourselves. Worry decreases as we remember that we are only stewards of God's resources; He is the Owner, and He is always available to guide and care for us. Church life becomes more joyful as we surrender each other to God and allow God to work.

Living in a Material World
This partnership lifestyle of worship, carried out in financial discipleship, brings God into the material side of life. Jesus challenged us: "No one can serve two masters. . . . You cannot serve both God and money" (Matt. 6:24, NIV). This is one of the few places where something that directly competes with God is identified.

Money is life--the combination of time, energy, and talent as a medium of exchange. In a sense, life naturally focuses around our material needs and possessions. It is often in a time of material need that we look to God. And it's easy to forget God when our material lives are full. So how can we truly serve God through financial discipleship?

As we surrender our lives to God, we recognize His ownership in the material side of our lives with our tithe. The very words tithe and offering describe a worship relationship--an act of adoration based on the salvation relationship.

This is how tithing becomes an experience of joy. It reflects our relationship with God. When we bring this intimate partnership into the material area of life, we realize that everything we are and have belongs to Him. Each time we receive a material blessing--an increase--we return one tenth to God. Joyfully we worship Him with tithe and offerings, reminding our own hearts of who He is and presenting a spiritual act of worship. Only the dynamic experience of salvation can move tithing--or any other part of lifestyle stewardship--out of the drudgery and slavery of legalism into the joyful light of grace.

Tithing is a test of our loyalty, determining whom we recognize as owner. Offerings test our attitudes as we respond to God's blessings and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. How much should we bring to God in an offering of praise. Again, Paul urged the believers in Corinth: "Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7, NRSV).

In Conclusion . . .
There are four areas of financial discipleship. The first is tithe--accepting God as Lord in the material side of life. The second is systematic offerings as we partner with God in a worship ministry of helping to meet the needs of the church, the "body of Christ." The third comes as we respond to the conviction of the Holy Spirit to invest God's resources in special projects, which may include others around us. The fourth comes as we bring God into the daily decisions of how we will care for the physical needs of the families God has placed in our hands. Each part of this financial discipleship thus becomes a worship ministry of partnership with the God who "owns the cattle on a thousand hills" (Psalm 50:10), and to whom all the silver and gold belong (see Haggai 2:8). 

Yet true stewardship goes even further. Paul states that he was a steward of "the mysteries of God"--the gospel (1 Cor. 4:1). Peter declares that we are stewards of "the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). This is why stewardship must begin with a clear understanding and presentation of the gospel--the good news of salvation.

Jesus Christ is Lord; Lord of our lives and every area of our lives. Think of it: the power of the Creator and Redeemer works in the life of the weakest believer. 
Rejoice! He is Lord.

Ben Maxson is director of the Stewardship Department, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists in Silver Spring, Maryland.

More Stewardship Information
An Incredible Partnership
Stewardship Seminars 

Christian Financial Web sites
Christian Financial Concepts 
Crosswalk.Com--Money