Success is important to us Americans isn’t it? It captures our minds and beats in our hearts. Success is the context of our culture; it is the essence of being and doing American. If a person is known to be successful, he or she strides through life with that unique American swagger. If the opposite is apparently true, we enviously limp along behind the swaggering crowd in bitterness and sadness. Obviously, we believe in our right to pursue success, and we will nearly kill ourselves to become successful. We may even insist that the ones we love make significant sacrifices for us as we pursue our success. I mean, who wants to sadly limp through the mall? Malls are built with the American swagger in mind. So are mega churches. Jesus does not think like this. Jesus teaches us that faithfulness is the measure of success and participation is the measure of faithfulness.
In the part of the Bible written by the disciple of Jesus named Matthew, Jesus teaches us about life from his perspective. He reveals to us that his return to earth as King is the best paradigm to use to interpret and understand current events and future trends as well as our own individual lives. He tells us that his very public, climactic return to finish establishing his Kingdom will be the consummation of what will take place in the world. He stops short, however, in telling us when he will return, advising us to watch for trends and specific events that are designed by God to shape the world to receive his coming. After Jesus explains all of this, he tells us a wonderful story to show us how this relates to us; how it speaks to our need for success.
A rich and powerful man was going away for an unspecified time, and he authorized three of his managers to make investment decisions about the assets that they were responsible for. Each manager oversaw specific areas of the rich man’s assets; more or less depending on their ability and track record. When the man returned and met with each manager, he found that two of them had doubled the value of what they had managed. He congratulated them for faithfully participating in managing his assets and growing his enterprise. The third manager had done nothing to grow the assets in his care, and was referred to as an unfaithful manager who did not participate in growing the rich man’s enterprise. Jesus connected this story to the paradigm of his return as King and from it revealed the foundational truth that faithful participation in the growth of his Kingdom while he shapes the world to receive his coming is the best way to live; faithfulness is the measure of success and participation is the measure of faithfulness.
It is entirely possible to be a faithful witness. Our sense of assurance that we are becoming a faithful witness grows as we understand the full measure of the Kingdom assets God entrusts to us throughout the course of our lives, and what the stewardship of those assets require of us. Some people are entrusted with what Jesus has already begun doing. They are given gifts and opportunities to strengthen disciples of Christ, serve in local churches that are growing in size and influence, strengthen smaller or weaker churches or nurture believers who need love and care. Others are entrusted with the world that exists outside the ministry of a localized church, such as sharing the gospel with people who do not yet believe, bridging the gaps that exist between believers from non-Christian families and local churches, or living within sight of the invisible people of their community, such as Muslims, Chinese restaurant workers, the homeless or the aged. Faithful participation in both of these capacities is a part of growing the Kingdom. What are you doing?
In the part of the Bible written by the disciple of Jesus named Matthew, Jesus teaches us about life from his perspective. He reveals to us that his return to earth as King is the best paradigm to use to interpret and understand current events and future trends as well as our own individual lives. He tells us that his very public, climactic return to finish establishing his Kingdom will be the consummation of what will take place in the world. He stops short, however, in telling us when he will return, advising us to watch for trends and specific events that are designed by God to shape the world to receive his coming. After Jesus explains all of this, he tells us a wonderful story to show us how this relates to us; how it speaks to our need for success.
A rich and powerful man was going away for an unspecified time, and he authorized three of his managers to make investment decisions about the assets that they were responsible for. Each manager oversaw specific areas of the rich man’s assets; more or less depending on their ability and track record. When the man returned and met with each manager, he found that two of them had doubled the value of what they had managed. He congratulated them for faithfully participating in managing his assets and growing his enterprise. The third manager had done nothing to grow the assets in his care, and was referred to as an unfaithful manager who did not participate in growing the rich man’s enterprise. Jesus connected this story to the paradigm of his return as King and from it revealed the foundational truth that faithful participation in the growth of his Kingdom while he shapes the world to receive his coming is the best way to live; faithfulness is the measure of success and participation is the measure of faithfulness.
It is entirely possible to be a faithful witness. Our sense of assurance that we are becoming a faithful witness grows as we understand the full measure of the Kingdom assets God entrusts to us throughout the course of our lives, and what the stewardship of those assets require of us. Some people are entrusted with what Jesus has already begun doing. They are given gifts and opportunities to strengthen disciples of Christ, serve in local churches that are growing in size and influence, strengthen smaller or weaker churches or nurture believers who need love and care. Others are entrusted with the world that exists outside the ministry of a localized church, such as sharing the gospel with people who do not yet believe, bridging the gaps that exist between believers from non-Christian families and local churches, or living within sight of the invisible people of their community, such as Muslims, Chinese restaurant workers, the homeless or the aged. Faithful participation in both of these capacities is a part of growing the Kingdom. What are you doing?
Good word, Tim.
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