By: Dale Weckbacher
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
For God has not
destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus
Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are
awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore
encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
(ESV)
Biblical prophecy can be difficult to understand or
interpret. However, as we see the Day of
the Lord, or the second coming of Jesus Christ approaching, understanding how
end times events described in the Bible might occur becomes easier. However, as we see the return of Christ
approaching, let us not be passive spectators but instead let us be good
stewards of the Gospel message we have received by sharing and living for
Christ.
Luke 19:11-27 contains Jesus’ parable of the “Ten
Minas.” This parable is Jesus teaching
on stewardship and is usually used to teach the importance of giving as an
investment in the work of the Lord.
Giving is important and is the only area of living for Christ where we
are challenged to put God to the test (Malachi 3:10). However, in a recent sermon at my church, I
was challenged to look at this message of stewardship from a loftier point of
view and want to share that point of view with my readers.
We must begin by looking at this parable in its
context. Jesus had just entered Jericho
and encountered Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector who had become wealthy, most
likely from collecting taxes. Zacchaeus
may have become wealthy, but much like today was not a revered of respected
member of society due to being a tax collector.
However, after encountering Jesus, he had a change of heart resulting in
his giving half or his possessions to the poor and restoring 4-fold what he had
stolen through his tax collecting efforts (Luke 19:1-8). Jesus gladly received Zacchaeus joyfully and
offered to stay at his house. This
caused a grumbling among those in the crowed prompting Jesus to state that
salvation had come to the house of Zacchaeus due to his confession of faith and
prompting Jesus to state his purpose for coming, the seeking and saving of the
lost (Luke 19:6-10).
With this context in mind, we must ask what the minas the
nobleman gave to his servants represent.
While minas can be interpreted to represent money, in the context of
Jesus stating his purpose of coming to seek and save the lost, a loftier
interpretation of these minas is that of representing the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. We are therefore
not only called upon to be good stewards of our finances, but also good
stewards of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
We must be good stewards of the Gospel by.
1)
Living for Christ (Hebrews 3:1-6, Ephesians 4:1)
– When we accept Christ as our Savior, we receive a heavenly calling. This does not necessarily mean we all become
pastors and will lead a church. It does
however mean that we have been entrusted with something valuable, a mina, given
to us by the King of Kings, Jesus Christ.
Let us therefore not be like the servant that hid his mina and had the
king take it away from him and instead let us be like the other two servants
who invested or shared their mina.
However, people are more influenced by how we live our lives than by
what we say. Jesus harshest remarks
during his ministry were aimed at religious hypocrisy. Let us therefore not be hypocritical
Christians who profess Jesus as savior but fail to live our life in obedience
to his word and instead live lives that match our profession of faith.
2)
Sharing the Gospel when the opportunity arises
(2 Timothy 4:2) – While 2 Timothy 2:1-8 is directed to a young pastor, I
believe it is good advice for all of us who have received the mina of the
Gospel. Our world us full of many who
may have never heard the message of Gospel or who have had someone ram the
message down their throats. However,
these individuals have the same struggles and problems we do but without the
hope provided by a relationship with Jesus Christ. As these individuals witness us living for
Christ and at peace while enduring the same struggles, they may ask us how we
can be at peace, opening a door of opportunity for us to share the Gospel. The way I do this is to use the Roman Road to
salvation. (1) You can also direct them to
needanswers.com.
3)
Sharing what Jesus has done in our lives (Acts4:33) – While sharing scripture on how to know Jesus as our Savior is
important, sharing with others how Jesus has helped us endure the same
struggles they are enduring has an even greater impact on their lives. Therefore, do not fear sharing your mina of
the Gospel by sharing what Jesus has done in your life. The Apostles did not have the full canon of
scripture at their disposal and yet turned the world upside down (Acts 17:6) by
sharing the testimony of their experiences walking with Jesus.
If you are reading this and have not received your mina of
the Gospel by accepting Jesus as your savior, I invite you to do so now by
praying with me,
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned
(Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23). I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse
me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).
I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now
declare you Lord of my life.
Whether you have just received your mina of the Gospel, or
have possessed your mina for many years, do not hide it but invest it by living
for Christ, sharing the Gospel when the opportunity arises, and sharing with
others how Jesus has helped you live in peace while enduring the same struggles
that leave those without Christ hopeless.
1. Teen Missions International. The Roman Road
to Salvation. www.teenmissions.org. [Online] [Cited: October 30, 2016.]
https://www.teenmissions.org/resources/roman-road-to-salvation/.
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