Transformed Stewards

Acts: 4:32

Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.

Stewardship, like discipleship, comes naturally, naturally in the sense that this is what the Holy Spirit wants and intends to work in us. It’s not a change we have to create in ourselves, like trying to swim upstream. It is where the river of the Holy Spirit is carrying the small boat of our faith, and the ship of our church.

Transformation happened to Jesus’s first followers. They put off their old lives and were born again as new creations. The passage in Acts 4 is a description of the church in Jerusalem in its early days. The early church took Jesus’s word seriously. They became known because of their stewardship and care for the poor. Their testimonies remain after all these years for anybody to read.

Why did the early church triumph? There are many factors but at the top of the list is simply that they took Jesus’s call to be stewards and disciples seriously. They were not, for the most part, interested in monetary gain or counting congregants. They weren’t following Jesus because Christianity was popular, or a place where rich and powerful people could be found. They were following Jesus because they had come to know him and knowing him was changing everything for them.

Discipleship means stewardship, and both mean a transformation of one’s life, priorities, and direction. When we respond to Christ’s call to be his steward and his disciple, we follow him down a very different path than the easy Christianity that is currently trending in our churches. Our churches begin to make a difference in their communities. Our churches become communities of disciples and stewards, who with their gifts and service become the body of Christ where they are – the presence of Jesus in our communities.

Stewardship is never just about money; it’s about transformation – the transformation of our lives as we become God’s blessing in the lives of others, and the transformation of our churches into the very presence and power of Jesus in our communities.

Reflection Questions

Read Acts 4:32-37 again. Ask the Spirit to transform your attitude towards all you possess from ownership to stewardship. Listen to him as he identifies what he wants you to surrender fully to him. Ask him how you can be a transformative influence in your own church and community.

This content was adapted from Raising Up Good Stewards by Joseph William Black. To learn more about being a good steward of all God has given you, read the full book.