“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for men.”(Col.3: 23)

Man-God's Steward:

Stewardship is the managements of that which belongs to another. A person may be good steward or a bad steward, faithful or unfaithful; be responsible and accountable to God for the management of all the things with which he has been entrusted.

Man:

Man was created a practical person for a practical job for a practical reason-God needed him. The earth, in all its beauty, had just come from the hand of the Creator; God needed something, or someone to manage it. He had several choices: He could have made man a robot and come up with the proper “software” to program him to do exactly what He wished. The devil had accused God of
forcing his subjects to obey Him. This certainly would have supported his charge. But the Creator chose to make man a free moral agent with the power to choose, to make decisions-to act from loyalty and love.

Man was created a steward. In the garden of Eden, it was the full intention of God that man would have far reaching responsibilities and privileges. There was to be an intimate sharing between God the “owner” and man the “steward”. God is so excited to talk to man and man talk to Him. There were no barriers between them and a very good relationship was established.

Restrictions:

The world was assigned to man to be under his dominion, man was to remember that it and everything in it belong to the Lord. To remind man of this, God placed one tree as a restriction. This tree was a symbol of God's authority-His sovereignty so God used this tree as a symbol of his authority.

This tree was only restriction placed for man; this proves he was to be a steward-not an owner, because in stewardship there is always some restriction something over which the steward has no right. For instance, the manager of a market cannot take any of the merchandise under his control for his own use, unless he pays for it, or is given permission by the owner.

All the problems of world are the inevitable result of the false assumption that men are owners rather than stewards.

Consider:

If a person considers himself a steward of God, he realizes that every activity of his life is under God direction and control. As long as he recognizes God's ownership, His sovereignty, His authority, he is provided with everything he needs.

Desires:

Man never get the idea that God provide our wants; even the creative God could not do that for, if a person were given the whole universe, there would still be a desire for more. Solomon said, “…the eyes of man never satisfied” (Proverb 27:20)



Man did not own the world, nor anything in it-instead he to be responsible to manage it for God. What a lofty view of creation was this!

Therefore, whatever a steward does is his duty and is subject to only one requirement-faithfulness.

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. (1 Cor. 4:2)

Thanks and God bless you all.

Younger Sister,



Razia Boota

Our cyber-buddy Marc has been searching the web again. Here's an article that he sent us written by one of the many "prophecy experts" that are up on the web.
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I just added a new Photorama link that has four pages of pictures I took at the gathering. I've about given up on my digital camera. I've found disposable cameras to be 10 times better at taking pictures in low light.

Every time I go to the conference I'll poll the other members on a given topic. Last year I was asking people what their plans were for an internet outreach - not much was the common reply. This time around I was focused on the general popularity of prophecy.

I don't recall encountering one person that didn't believe prophetic awareness was in decline. It's hard to believe the same year you have the most deadly terrorist attack in history, open threats of nuclear and biological warfare, Israel in a state of armed conflict, and the Roman Empire rapidly reforming itself that you would have the same level of prophetic interest you had during much quieter years.

After Sept 11th, there was a big surge in the number of people attending church services and buying prophecy material, however, as quickly as the interest arose, it dissipated. I think Arno Froese of Midnight Call Ministries summed up the current situation the best when he told me the following bit of information. He said, "In 1974 when we advertised our Midnight Call magazine in one major publication, we would get 100s of responses. My son and I would spend hours processing the incoming mail. Today if I run the same ad in that same publication, I'm lucky to get two responses."

I think what is changed in these 27 years is that we are now so constantly exposed to prophecy related events, over familiarity has caused us to view them as being everyday occurrences. I'm always amazed at my own personal muted reaction to things I know directly relates to the end times. I firmly believe this lack of awareness fits perfectly in with Bible passages that indicate the rapture will be a surprise event.

"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." (Mat 24:42-44)"

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B'ANN WROTE:

Marc, we always enjoy what you send. I am going to comment about this one, however. We need to discuss the "watch" for the New Testament Church. Two thousand years ago, it was as simple as a babe born in a manger. Today, it is the Great Commission as we call it.

Remember when Jesus addressed His followers in this manner:

Acts 1:
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
2 Until the day in which he [Christ] was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen:
3 To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
7 And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Let's look at what happened next.

12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)
16 Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
17 For he was numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry.
18 Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
19 And it was known unto all the dwellers at Jerusalem; insomuch as that field is called in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that is to say, The field of blood.
20 For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take.
21 Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
23 And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias.
24 And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
25 That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
26 And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

The keys for my comments are "why stand ye gazing" and "…they appointed two."

As to "why stand ye gazing," the angel's words were to shake the believers out of their frozen state of astonishment. Implied is that for the believers to stand gazing was a waste of time. Just imagine a farmer working in the field who would stand gazing at the skies—never plowing for fear it might rain in a few days, never planting for fear that the sun would scorch the seed or the seed might not be fertile. If he never went to work in the fields because he was only waiting for and watching for the signs, he wouldn't be much of a farmer. Sure, Jesus said the signs of the "watch" would be all around us, but He didn't tell us this to take our attention away from the work of planting and harvesting.

"They appointed two…" had to do with appointing a new person to replace the traitor, Judas. That this was done in "zeal of the flesh" is evident. (Remember the "Gift of the Holy Ghost" had not been given for the Day of Pentecost had not yet come.) But at least they wanted to "get up and be about the Father's business." We, however, are born into the family of God by the Holy Spirit; and there is really no excuse for us functioning in the zeal of the flesh.

John 4:
2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
…
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
…
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.

Yes, we are supposed to be ever vigilant and to expect His return because we are told to salute one another with the Hope of the Resurrection. However, this is just a salute that we use to greet one another as we go about our busy days of spreading the Gospel. It is a salute done as quickly as saying, "Hello." We are not to spend our days contemplating the end-time for truly Jesus did say in Acts 1:7 that only God really knows the "times and seasons." We need to be reminded of and to obey the "bottom line" of it all—i.e., to enter into the Lord's work of seeking and saving that which is lost. Please note in the following discourse that Jesus did not pity or praise His followers. He upbraided them!!! He admonished them to stop moaning and whining in unbelief and to do what He had commanded them to do when He was with them.

Mark 16:
12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.
13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.
14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

I do not think I will add anything to the aforesaid except "Amen".

DON WROTE:

Hey Marc,

One of the main purposes of the prophetic portions of the Scriptures is to let the Church know what awaits it at the end time during Israel's midnight hour. In effect, then, those of us today that are called to handle these portions of the Scriptures are "watchmen in the night" whose job is to awaken and alert the Lord's chosen. However, by now, anyone "who can hear" has to be aware of the signs of the time. To keep harping on them is redundant and unfruitful. I noticed in one of the articles you sent that the author was talking about micro-chip implants under the skin to be used for identification purposes. This was old news in the '80s. Pray with us that those who have established a platform to deliver the prophetic Word will now use that platform to hold up the Cross (i.e., the death, burial, and resurrection of the Only Begotten Son of God) to a dying and lost world.

Pray for us, also, that we will always be sensitive to the leadership of the Holy Spirit in our walk.

Don

Don Wrote:

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