Category: Saturday Study

The Spiritual Discipline of Financial Stewardship 4.5.25

The spiritual discipline of stewardship is our privileged opportunity to be faithful managers of God’s provisions for God’s glory! God has called His redeemed people to respond to the gospel and His ongoing provisions with faithful stewardship.

This week we focused on Scripture that deals with the commands of God on us to be good financial stewards. One key Scripture we have about our stewardship of the “stuff” and money God has entrusted to us is in 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (NIV) Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

As you read this you may be thinking, “I am far from rich.” But I want to ask, “Compared to whom?” Compared to the rest of mankind, many of us are truly rich. One of our favorite American sayings is, “God bless America.” Every time I see this on a bumper sticker or hear someone say it, I think, “God has. God has blessed America.” Do you realize how blessed by God we are? Do you know that America is approximately 6% of the world’s population, but we consume 40% of the world’s resources? Even though we have so much, we cling to it as our hope—our refuge. Most of us have a car. Some of us own more than one. Do you realize that only 8% of the people in the world own a car? That means 92% of the people in the world look at us and see wealth. 

I was in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam in 2013 on a mission trip. There are 6.5 million people who live there (the same number of people in one city as in the entire state of Arizona), but only a tiny group of people own cars. The Vietnamese travel their families of four, and sometimes more, mainly by moped, because there is no way they can afford, in a lifetime, to buy a car. 

Seven hundred eighty million people in the world don’t have access to clean drinking water. That is 3.5 times the population of the United States. This is the reason why 3.4 million people die every year from water-related diseases. You and I are so wealthy that we can literally go to any hose bib in our city, open it up, and safely drink from it. But most of us won’t even do that because it tastes bad; it’s not because it’s contaminated, but because chlorine tastes gross. Do you realize millions of people in this highly advanced world don’t even know what it’s like to turn on a water source—any water source—and have something come out for them to drink? They don’t know what this is like. 

We Are So Rich! 

So, when we say, “God bless America!” or when we cringe at the thought of our comfort and abundance being messed with, we need to heed the words of Paul here when he says, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17NIV).

What we need to be saying is, “God, may America bless You by falling on our faces in gratitude for entrusting us with so much, and then instead of asking for more, may we learn to manage it in such a way that we bless others.”

Why? Because as redeemed children of God, our joy and our hope are not in our stuff but in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 

Look further at this Scripture with me for a moment:

1. “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds …”

The word “good” here is the Greek word “kalos.” It means “beautiful.” The question is, when people see your deeds, do they see the beauty of Christ? Do they say, “Amazing!”? We are saved, by the grace of God, through faith in Christ, in order to do “kalos” deeds—good deeds, beautiful deeds. 

2. “… and to be generous and willing to share …”

Are you generous in your lifestyle? How do you know you are living generously or sacrificially? You know because it costs you something. It changes your lifestyle. You feel it!

3. “In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Jesus taught us that the way to true life is narrow. He said it is difficult for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God. Why? Why is it hard? Why is the way to life narrow? It’s narrow because we don’t need a wide road so we can carry all of our trophies, money, possessions, pictures, and diplomas to eternal life; we just need Jesus. Why is the road to eternal destruction wide? It’s wide because all that stuff has to fit as we pack it, worship it, and cling to it straight to hell! Why is it hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God? It’s hard because he wants to have his own kingdom now, and if entering God’s Kingdom means being generous and living for God’s glory and fame and not his own, then he will pass. 

Here is the true test. Many of us wealthy, gifted, healthy people have said yes to Jesus’ invitation to the feast, but we have our arms so full of this world that we have no time to help anybody else get there with us. 

Praise God, Jesus Christ is the door, and it is not by my good deeds that I am saved! 

But hear me today, brothers! When the gospel takes a hold of you, you will set down the treasures of this world and be faithful managers of God’s provisions for God’s glory, and in doing so, you will take hold of the life that is truly life. 

In Luke 16:10, Jesus said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” 

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 

If we hoard what we are given, we can only handle so much, but if we continue to give, we are able to be entrusted by God with more; not so we can be rich, but so we can keep giving it away for His glory and others’ salvation and growth. 

In 1 and 2 Corinthians, Paul tells the New Testament Church about how we are to be faithful in our giving that with which God has entrusted us. It is a very specific counsel on how you and I are to be great stewards of the money and stuff we have! 

1. Give Joyfully

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

To reluctantly give means, “I really do not want to, but oh, I better.” The world “cheerful” in the Greek is “hilarion.” It’s where we get our word hilarious—God loves a hilarious giver. 

Now, we need to understand what God is trying to teach us about the amazing flow of kingdom living it is when we live an open-handed life. It should bring us an immense amount of joy, and it should bring God an immense amount of glory. 

2. Give Regularly 

Your faithfulness is more important to me than the amount you are able to give.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 

The Christians in Jerusalem were suffering from poverty and famine, so Paul was collecting money for them. He suggested that believers set aside a certain amount each week and give it to the church until he arrived to take it on to Jerusalem. 

Are you to only give to the church to which you belong? No. But the Bible says here and in other places to bring your regular commitment to God to support the ministry and ministers that you are partnering with in life and ministry. So, we are to give the first fruits of our income to our home church, and then extra giving to other causes or people.

3. Give Generously 

2 Corinthians 8:2-3 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord

What is generous living? Let’s look at Jesus; He gave sacrificially. How do I know I am giving sacrificially? Generous giving changes your lifestyle: You feel it! If you are trying to figure out a minimum number required to give, your giving is already from a heart that is more about how much you can keep for yourself and less about how much you can give others in the name of the One to whom it belongs—Jesus! I love the statement that God will do way more with what you have left than you can ever do with the full amount.

4. Give Proportionally

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 

There is not a required percentage as to how much one should give after the cross. The requirement is a Christ-like life, one that is consumed by Him and overflowing with His character. This can only equal a sacrificial stewardship. 

The key to our being good stewards of the money and “stuff” that God has entrusted to us is to first know that it is all His. It is our utter privilege to be entrusted with this life and the gifts and abilities that He has given us. 

Our kingdom mindset is to be open-handed with His stuff and His money, to be faithful to bless others, and to continue the kingdom work that is happening in our local church and ministries of which we are a part. 

Finally, we must be committed to the practice of budgeting if we are to actually manage our money and not just make it and spend it.  A budget allows you to set a God honoring disciplined plan for how you will steward what God has entrusted to you. There are lots of good resources out there for budgeting and I have a good demo budget I am happy to share with you if you email me and request it.  This discipline often requires a weekly touch to be sure you are staying on budget and aiming to finish each month in the black.  You will be blessed to take on this practice and as a result will be able to show the Lord a more consistent good stewardship of the finances he has entrusted to you. 

I pray that if you have been negligent in faithfully managing what He has entrusted to you that you repent and begin to give joyfully, regularly, generously, and proportionally. I pray also that you let your good deeds shine bright and let God work through you, as you steward well all He has entrusted to you. For His glory we live! 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

The Spiritual Discipline of Stewardship   -3.29.25

The holy Bible is clear: There is only one God. You and I are not Him. It tells us that God created everything that exists; therefore, everything that exists belongs to Him. The Bible is also clear to tell us that the ultimate reason why everything exists is for His eternal glory!

Romans 11:36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! 

So, we exist for God’s glory! The problem is like the first created man and woman, we have chosen to love ourselves more than God, and we want our lives to go the way we want and not the way God wants. So, in sin, we make our lives about our glory! Because of our sin, our aim is to want to have things our way. What we fail to realize is doing it “our way” is our sin! We fail to accept that what we deserve for our sin—our betrayal, our idolatry—is death. 

Even though we deserve death, even though our actions clearly make us enemies of God, in His infinite mercy, God promised that He would come to us to redeem His people. The great hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that God has fulfilled His promise to redeem His people. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (NLT).

Praise God forever and ever, because He commissioned His blameless Son to the cross that we deserved so that we could be given the eternal satisfying life with God that only Jesus deserves. Because of what Jesus has done, we have new life in Christ! Not only are our sins paid for by Jesus’ death, but our lives’ motivations are restored to live for God above all else!

The gospel is not God blessing us so we can glorify ourselves. The gospel is God blessing us so HE can be glorified by our new lives in Christ! Without this understanding, any talk we have today about stewardship will be a weight on your shoulders—a duty to perform, a rule to follow, a religious practice to keep up with. Without Christ, we will not manage our lives for God’s glory, but for our own. Stewardship is all about your response to the gospel in your life. That is why I have to start with the gospel today, or else stewardship is impossible.

Definition:

The spiritual discipline of stewardship is our privileged opportunity to be faithful managers of God’s provisions for God’s glory!

God has called His redeemed people to respond to the gospel and His ongoing provisions with faithful stewardship.

What we have is all from Him and not ourselves.

1 Chronicles 29:14 (NIV) “… Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

God has called us to steward His stuff in this time on earth for His purposes. What is His stuff? My life is His! My family is His. My money is His. My time is His. My skills are His.

Romans 1:6 says basically that the heart of Christianity is to belong to Jesus! We belong to Him for His glory! 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 … You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

What are we called to do with all this?

Hebrews 13:12-16 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

So, let me ask you today, how are you doing? Is your life your privileged reality of being a faithful manager of God’s provisions for God’s glory? One of the best ways to check yourself in this is to start at the beginning:  Is it your privilege to joyfully, regularly, and generously manage your schedule, your skills, and your stuff for God’s glory?

1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 

As redeemed children of God, our joy and our hope is not in our stuff, but in God! “… but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” If our hope is in God and our joy is in Christ and our clear understanding is that everything we have is His and is to be used for His glory and His purposes, then we will be good stewards of what He has entrusted to us in this short time for His eternal purposes. 

Stewardship is about management. We are not just talking about people who try to give what they can when they can. We are talking about people who purposefully, intentionally, faithfully, generously manage the provisions God gives them. God has called His redeemed people to respond to the gospel and His ongoing provisions with faithful stewardship.

So, I need to ask you today:

1. Are you even in a position to manage God’s resources for His glory?
   You will not and you cannot do this without Christ as your Savior! Without Christ, stewardship for God’s glory is impossible. You will inevitably make it about you and not Him. It must start by Jesus’ power transforming your heart and motives.

2. If you are saved, how are you doing? 

Is your life your privileged reality of being a faithful manager of God’s provisions for God’s glory?

Let’s break this down. First, it is:

1. Our privilege!

The heart of God’s steward starts with a heart of gratitude or unworthiness! For those who say, “But I have worked hard to earn what I own and to master the skills I have,” I commend you to the Scriptures: 

Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NIV) You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth …

1 Corinthians 4:7 For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

Realize, God has not just entrusted you with everything you own, but everything you are—your skills, and the number of days you will live. They are a gift from God. We are privileged to be entrusted with His provisions!

What I have found is many Christians don’t see it as their privilege to be good stewards because they don’t see their schedules, their skills, and their stuff as God’s, but instead believe it is theirs!

His stuff:

1 Chronicles 29:13-17 (NLT) “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name. But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you have already given us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a shadow, gone so soon without a trace. “O Lord our God, even these materials that we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name come from you! It all belongs to you! I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.” 

My heart for us is to be like the people David is speaking of in this passage. They understood everything they had was from God. 

They understood it was not theirs; it was God’s. Because they understood these things, they stewarded these resources for His glory and not their own.

Let me illustrate with this:

If I were to entrust to you my checkbook to manage for me—to spend my money, pay my bills, manage it for my good, then over time, you might begin to get used to spending my money and eventually begin to think it is yours! If my 5-year-old daughter, Piper, decides to make me a card or buy me a gift, whose money does she spend? Whose stationary and pen did she use? Whose paycheck was cashed to buy that thing? Mine! Her dad’s.

Do you see that all that you are and all that you have is God’s? And when we really begin to get this, we begin to understand the amazing undeniable privilege it is to be His, and it changes how we manage our time, our talent, and our treasures. It helps me begin to realize I am not building my kingdom; I am building His kingdom for His glory!

His glory:

We were created for His glory. We were bought with a high price for His glory. We have been entrusted with what we have for His glory! We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ; therefore, we can joyously, regularly, and generously live an open-handed life. When we understand that we are transient, that this world is not our home or our goal or our prize, and we don’t clutch the things of this world like this is all there is going to be, then we live at a level of fullness that the world will not understand. But in doing so, we get to escape the traps of the temporary. 

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV)Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:10 (NIV) For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God has created us and gifted us for a work He has set before us. So, are we using this life He has entrusted to us and the gifts He has entrusted to us to be stewarded for His glory and others’ good?

Think about the different areas of your life:

• your relationships
• your chores around the house
• your hobbies
• your job
• your marriage and kids
• your volunteering at church or serving in the community

So, how are you doing?

How are you doing at managing the time God entrusts to you?

How are you doing at managing the skills God entrusts to you? 

How are you doing at managing the resources God entrusts to you? 

While this study is super simple, it is so critical that we do business with it. We should not waste one moment of this privileged life God has entrusted to us to be faithful managers of God’s provisions for God’s glory!

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Proverbs 3   -3.22.25

The book of Proverbs pulls together 513 of the over 3,000 proverbs pondered by Solomon (1 Kings 4:32; Ecclesiastes 12:9). The word “proverb” means “to be like”; therefore, Proverbs is a book of comparisons between common, concrete images and life’s most profound truths. Proverbs are simple, moral statements (or illustrations) that highlight and teach fundamental realities about life. 

Solomon was seriously committed to God’s wisdom (2 Chronicles 1:8–12) and he offered pithy sayings designed to make men contemplate important aspects of life. As we continue to study the Proverbs this year, may we not just hear them but put them into action.

Proverbs 3:1-2

My son, do not forget my teaching,

  but let your heart keep my commandments,

for length of days and years of life

  and peace they will add to you.

The old covenant promises of God meant that if His people walked uprightly and honored Him, then He would bless them and add to their days. This was a temporary provision that ultimately pointed to the greatest blessing we could ever receive—salvation in Jesus Christ who is peace and life. Praise God for His provision of grace! Here, Solomon reminds the learner to not forget His teaching, but to keep His commandments. 

How do you do at this? Do you hear a Sunday sermon and forget it by Monday? Or do you meditate on it? Do you dig back into that passage and really chew on the bread your pastor gave you of God’s word? Are we keeping the commands of God or are we just hearers and not doers? We will not honor God nor live the life He has saved us for if we forsake these things and just go about life.

Proverbs 3:3-4

Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;

  bind them around your neck;

  write them on the tablet of your heart.

So you will find favor and good success

  in the sight of God and man.

Steadfast love and faithfulness are next in things we should not forsake—enduring love and faithfulness. Is the practice of your days and the power of the Lord within you causing enduring love—you endure, you continue, you fight, and you don’t give up? No matter how hard it gets, you continue. No matter what the other person is doing or not doing, you endure in love. The love of God that is not selfish but selfless. Do you remain faithful to your commitments and thereby prove to be a man of God? 

Brothers, we are to bind these practices around our neck—we wake up and go to work in them. Again, Solomon reminds the Old Testament people of God’s promises. Again, they are abundantly greater for us who are in Christ. Praise God. 

Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

  and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

  and he will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

  fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh

  and refreshment to your bones.

Here in chapter 3, we arrive at probably the most popular proverbs of all time—verses 5-6. I must say, they are amazing guides of wisdom that we need almost daily. Why do we need to be reminded to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understanding?

It’s because of sin; because our hearts are desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), corrupt, and selfish; because we are at war with the work of our flesh (Galatians 5:19). This reminder to trust God with all our hearts is vital! We are lost in the ocean without true trust of God. Do you truly trust Him? I would argue that salvation, at its core, is trusting God with your entire life. A Christian is one who trusts God. To not trust Him is to make war with the very identity you have in Christ. 

There is great wisdom in the words “do not lean on your own understanding” and “Be not wise in your own eyes,” because we are idiots compared to the wisdom of God. Why would I want the counsel of an idiot next to the infinite wisdom of God? And yet this is our struggle, is it not? Oh, how we need this counsel every day! There is so much more I could say here, but I must move into the rest of this passage. 

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your wealth

  and with the firstfruits of all your produce;

then your barns will be filled with plenty,

  and your vats will be bursting with wine.

We are truly wealthy! If you are reading this on your smart phone or computer, you have means that much of the world has never even seen or known. We have such a slanted view of wealth when we consider our western worldview. So, to all of us who are wealthy, “Honor the Lord with your wealth.” I mentioned just a few weeks ago about worshipping God with our firstfruits of the income He has entrusted us with to be stewarded for His glory and purposes. Here it is again. 

Are you joyfully committing a regular, generous amount of the firstfruits of your monthly income to your local church and then to other ministries? We should decide this and then the lifestyle we will have with what is left over and not the other way around. If you are not, then repent and honor the Lord in this way. The people of God do not take God’s provisions and do with them what they please. They want to serve Him and honor Him with them. May it be so. 

Proverbs 3:11-12

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

  or be weary of his reproof,

for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

  as a father the son in whom he delights.

We will close this study with this!

How do we know that we truly belong to the Lord? Scripture gives us many signs to look for in our lives that indicate that our faith is real and that we are children of God. One of these evidences is that we confess faith in Christ alone for salvation (Romans 10:9). But as many profess faith falsely, there are other things to look for. Today’s passage gives us one of the markers to look for as evidence that we are true children of God—the discipline of the Lord. 

Solomon says that we should expect to be reproved by our Father God and that the rod of His discipline is a good thing. It is out of love that God disciplines us. As a parent, I do not love my children while letting them do whatever they want. No, it is loving to help shape them and protect them from things that will hurt them. This means I must discipline them. This is the loving act of a parent. It is the same for God! No matter the discipline imposed, the Lord also has our maturity as His goal. He is working through every possible means to present us mature in Christ (Colossians 1:28). God’s fatherly discipline is for all His saints. In this, we should be thankful and receive it with glad hearts knowing He loves us and is helping to shape us for all He has for us. 

Wow! God’s word is good. I pray that you are encouraged and continue to hunger for all God has before us. 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Serving in the Community 3.15.25

A Quick recap of “What is Service?”

Service is using your God-given gifts to sacrificially minister to and love others. As a Christian, your service is your ministry! The Greek word for ministry means “to attend upon someone.” God-honoring service is motivated by the sacrificial love of God. Selfishness causes me to only do what is good for me; selfish love causes me to only help people when, in the end, it is good for me. 

Serve Those Outside the Church, in the Community

Luke 6:31-36 (NIV) “Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Jesus has made His charge to us very clear: We are to love others!

Loving and serving others is the mission to which God has called us. It is the work of being outward and others-focused with the goal of expressing and sharing the love of Jesus. Jesus told His followers not to remove themselves from the world and create an isolated, Christian sub-culture. Rather, He taught His followers to be engaged in the world.

The church was not created for itself. It was created to worship God and to spread His love to others; we were each created for a missional purpose. Because of this mission, those of us in the church have to have hearts that break for those who have not yet experienced the love and grace of God and joy of knowing and following Jesus. We must not measure our success by our internal numbers, our professionalism, or our production. Instead, we must measure our success based on how we are being sanctified in discipleship unto sacrificial love for each other and the world, all for the glory of our great God.

In our first reading this week in Jeremiah 29, we read God’s instructions to His people while they were exile. While we are often guilty of pulling these commands for these people in this time out of their context and applying them to ourselves today, there is a general equity that we see in God’s heart for us, still today, that applies greatly. 

Jeremiah 29:7 “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf …” 

Like the exiles then, we too are sent by God into this land as exiles to”go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:18-20) and to go out into the local city, region, country, and world to be a witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8). Because of this missional call to love and serve others, we in the church should have a heart for being involved in our local community and in activities that express the love of God outside of our internal church events. We want to see people and love people as Jesus did (Matthew 9:35-38).

Are you seeking the welfare of the city? Are you praying for the city in which you live? 

We cannot remain in our church or Christian “bubbles.” We must get out there and share the good news God has given us. We must sacrificially bind ourselves with the servant’s towel, just as Jesus did in order to serve those who rank less and desire nothing. We do this because Jesus modeled it for us, and He commanded us to do it. We do this because it is how the gospel will go out; it is an extension of the love and selfless life of the kingdom of which we are now members.

Look again at Matthew 5:38-42 with me.

Matthew 5:38-42 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.”

It is easy to misunderstand what Jesus is teaching us here when He says, “When someone slaps you on the cheek, turn to him the other also.” A lot of people have said, “Ah, Jesus is teaching you that you should never stop injustice, and no matter what somebody does to you, you should let them walk all over you.” That’s silly because Jesus doesn’t talk like that; Jesus is all about justice. So, what does He mean? First, you must realize that being slapped on the cheek does not mean somebody is trying to beat you up. You don’t slap somebody on the cheek when you’re trying to beat him up. You punch him in the mouth, or you hit him with a bat. That’s not what He is talking about here. 

A slap on the cheek is an insult—a response of disgust!

Jesus is very clearly saying, “When someone insults you, there must be no concern on your part to save face. There must be no more concern to deal with your honor or your dignity.” In opposition to saving face in man’s eyes, a Christian is somebody who is satisfied in his identity in Christ.He no longer receives his worth from man; therefore, a Christian is empowered to forgive, to show grace, and to invite restoration by opening up the other cheek. 

Why should we turn the other cheek, why should we give them our tunic, why should we go the second mile? Because Christ in us is empowering us to pursue the path of relationship restoration. 

To turn your other cheek means not to worry about the insult of man, but instead to invite them in and say, “Anytime you want to come back and kiss this one, I’m ready. Anytime you want to get this relationship back on the right level and on the right footing, I am ready.” A Christian is never condescending in light of insults but only compassionate, because a Christian sees that we both are utterly desperate for the Cross of Christ which means I am not better than you. 

You see, if you’re not grounded in Christ alone, you have to base your self-image on the idea that you’re different than “those people” or that you are better than the next guy. This is how the Pharisees lived. Without Jesus as your power, you can’t possibly say, “I am just like that person. I have the same ability to do what they do.” You can’t. Outside of Christ, you couldn’t admit it; it would utterly destroy your identity in self-righteousness. But a Christian’s self-image is based on the free grace of God and not his works. Therefore, we are able to look at even the worst people and have compassion on them and know, “You’re my neighbor and I realize it could be me right where you are if not for God’s grace at work in me”. We must engage the world God has us in with the love, grace, and new life we have found in Christ. Are you engaging the community around you—praying for it? Are you loving and serving the lost with your time and gifts?

I want to give you four ways that you can continually be loving and serving others in your community. 

First, here is the goal: Meet people’s needs in order to build authentic relationships, so we can share the gospel in word and deed.

1. Share your testimony: Take time to share your testimony and the good news of Jesus Christ with those God supernaturally puts in your path each day. 

2. Build relationships: Intentionally cultivate relationships with the non-believing people God has supernaturally put in your life that you interact with regularly—family, neighbors, friends, co-workers.

3. Look for practical ways to serve others: Use your God-given talents and resources to serve and love others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Volunteering to coach or tutor or just serve in secular organizations that give you the opportunity to share the gospel with the lost. 

4. Get involved in community projects: Participate in special projects or fundraisers aimed at loving others with gospel intentionality. 

May we be known for our compassion as well as our cling to truth. May we be active in giving our lives away for the good of those damned to hell and desperate for Christ alone. May our God be worshipped as a result of our sacrificial service. 

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com

Serving in the Church 3.8.25

1- What is service?

Service is using your God-given gifts to sacrificially minister to and love others. As a Christian, your service is your ministry! The Greek word for ministry means to attend upon someone. 

John 13:34 (NIV) “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

Service is sacrificial love. Selfishness causes me to only do what is good for me, and selfish love causes me to only help people when, in the end, it is good for me. Selfless or sacrificial love causes me to love others at a cost to me for their benefit. 

John 15:13  Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

Because we are naturally sinful and selfish, we are only able to love because of God at work in us!

1 John 4:7 (NIV) Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God …

1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

So, the question is: are we sharing the love God has shown us? This is the life other Christians played out in love for those outside the church and those inside the church. Over the next two weeks, we will look at what God’s love through us means for those both inside and outside the church. This week, we will focus on those inside the church. 

2- Serve those inside the church

What we first must understand is that ministry (serving others in God’s love) is not a rare vocation or a privileged office; therefore, it includes salesmen, pastors, health care workers, moms, managers, educators, cleaners, you name it. In ministry, we employ the “charismas” or “spiritual gifts” given to all Christians. They are given by God to His body to build up the church and promote unity, even though we are a diverse community. 

Ministry is about serving. The Greek word means to attend upon someone. The New Testament words for ministry are words of action and service.

Every Christian is called to serve! One of the major misunderstandings of our current generation is the phrase, “I have been called.” Too often I hear someone say, “I feel like I have been called to go into ministry!” Now what that person means is that vocationally,

God is placing it on his heart that he is to do ministry full time (for his vocation or job). But he was already called into ministry. Every believer in Jesus Christ is called to ministry! 

1 Peter 4:10-11 (NIV) Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ …

We are to use our gifts to serve one another. What I want you to see is that serving one another always costs you something. 

It costs you time, energy, privacy, comfort, money, and more. So, the clear question is: how are you doing this? What are you giving up to love and serve your brothers and sisters in the church? Each of us should have something we do to contribute.

In a country club, you pay dues so that you can access the facilities and enjoy the entertainment options provided there. This is much of what the modern church has become—a place of many options and services for people to come and utilize and enjoy and attend. To provide this kind of experience, the church has hired many professional staff members who provide the country clubs and the many services for the members to enjoy. But this is not the CHURCH. The church is a group of people saved by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus for the purposes and glory of God. The church is not a country club but is more like a team—not one that you come watch, but that you play on. The Bible says every one of God’s redeemed children have been entrusted with a gift. “Each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace,” We are to use the resources and abilities we have been entrusted to serve one another—to play our part on the team and to be a part of the mission God has called us to. 

When you decide you are too tired, too busy, too selfish, too lazy to be on the field playing with the team and instead decide to just go into the stands and watch, you need to realize you are not acting like a member of the church. Instead, you are acting like the heathens who are watching the church–those who are desperate for Jesus to change their hearts and privilege them with His effective call to save them and call them into the game. 

3- The church is one another!

Listen to Romans 12:3-6:

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them …

Paul says, “Let us use them!” Are you using the gifts, the time, the abilities, the resources God has entrusted to you to steward for His purposes and His glory?

Galatians 5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

We must understand that God has removed our shackles from sin so that we are not bound to eternal death. Not so we can just run in freedom to whatever we want, but to embrace another life of slavery—a sweet and privileged slavery: slavery to righteousness. 

Romans 6:19 … For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.

Jesus says it again and again and again and again. All of this teaches that we are saved from hell, but not form the cross. We are to take up our cross and love, and serve, and give our lives away!

4- Every Christian is needed for ministry

1 Corinthians 12:4-7  Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

There are different kinds of gifts and different kinds of service. We live in a consumer culture where the purpose of life is to get your needs met at a cost that is beneficial to you. It’s what makes everything go. Service is putting the needs of others ahead of your own and putting the needs of the community ahead of the individual. On any given Sunday, one of the most important reasons your attendance is so vital is not just for what you will get out of it, but instead what you bring to your church in your presence and your service.

1 Corinthians 12:12-20, 27  For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves[a] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body … Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

You must ask yourself if you are doing your part. Are you committed to not just consuming, but sharing what God has entrusted you with others—serving one another? 

I will leave you with a beautiful picture of this from the New Testament church:

Acts 2:44-47 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people …

May this be a picture of us as we contribute to the family God has adopted us into. May it be our joy to play our part until He takes us home and selfishness and laziness reigns in us no more!

By His grace and for His glory, 

Joshua Kirstine
Pastor | Disciples Church

Bakersfield CA
DisciplesChurch.com