Faithfulness
Faithfulness
1 Corinthians 4:2
2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.
In the last session we spent a great deal of time talking about the Biblical call for “Becoming a Better Steward.” In this session we are going to pick up from there and continue with a similar topic, faithfulness. The relationship between stewardship and faithfulness is so tight that a lot of people may have trouble distinguishing between the two.
Stewardship, in the biblical context, refers to the responsible management and care of resources, talents, and responsibilities that God has entrusted to individuals. Faithfulness, on the other hand, is a key attribute of God's character [1 Corinthians 1:9], and a virtue that believers are called to emulate [1 Corinthians 4:2]. While stewardship relates to management and care, faithfulness is about being steadfast, loyal, and committed to fulfilling one's duties and promises.
You cannot be a good steward without demonstrating faithfulness, but faithfulness goes far beyond simply managing and caring for resources.
Faithful to God
1 Corinthians 15:51-58
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Let us go back and look at the characteristics described in faithfulness. They are being steadfast, loyal, and committed. Now, compare that to 1 Corinthians 15:58.
1 Corinthians 15:58
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Did you catch it? Here Paul is giving a discourse on the great and glorious day that our Lord will come back to rapture His Church, and at the end he tells us to be steadfast, unmovable (or loyal), always abounding in the work (continuing in our commitments) of the Lord. Sounds like he was telling the Church that we must be faithful if we expect to see, or better yet participate in His return.
In the Parable of the Talents, we discussed the importance of taking what the master gives and being a good steward of that talent. But consider this, the servant had to remain faithful from the time the master left, until the master returned, because they did not know when he would return.
The Apostle John said it this way.
1 John 2:28
28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
And Jesus spoke these words to His disciples.
John 15:10
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.
How do you show faithfulness to God? You keep His commandments. This means obedience to the doctrine and principles taught in the Word of God. We also show faithfulness (a steadfast, loyal, committed pursuit) to God through Spiritual Disciplines, such as prayer, fasting, and Bible study. It is through “faithfully” practicing these disciplines that our relationship with God will be strengthened and day by day we become more like Him [James 4:8a]. And becoming more like Him means we become more faithful to Him.
Faithful to Church
Acts 2:42
42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship […]
Your faithfulness to God will be reflected in your faithfulness to your church. Recognizing that the local church is God’s means of reaching the community is vital in understanding that you should consistently serve and be a part of the life of your church.
The magnitude of the Great Commission [Matthew 28:19], to go, to preach the Gospel, and to train up disciples, demands a team approach. As I have said before, we must “each one, reach one.” It is not one person’s responsibility to do it all. We all need to be laborers in the Kingdom. Every member should have a roll. Every person should have a job. Nothing is too small or too insignificant. Every member of the team is valuable. Paul often ends his Epistles by naming faithful men and women who helped spread the Gospel. He did not do it himself.
What was true for the first-century church remains true today. The commission to share the good news of Jesus demands that we all faithfully serve in the church. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 12 that each person is vitally important to the church. Peter taught in 1 Peter 4 that we should faithfully use our giftings to serve fellow Christians. And the writer of Hebrews admonishes,
Hebrews 10:25
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
My point being that we need to understand that the church, your church, your Pastor, your Pastor’s wife, and your fellow brothers and sisters in the church, need to be able to trust and depend on your faithfulness to the church. We need you here. We need you ready to worship. We need you ready to pray, ready to serve one another. We need you ready to learn and ready to participate. Ready to give, ready to receive. The bottom line is we need you to be faithful to the Church.
Conclusion
Faithfulness is believing that God is Who He says He is and continuing in that belief despite the issues of life [Hebrews 11:6]. It means we trust what God says in the Bible, and not what the world or even our own eyes tell us [Proverbs 3:5]. We trust He will work out everything for good [Romans 8:28]. We trust He will work His will in us [Philippians 1:6]. And we trust that any situation we face here on earth will not compare to what our future reward will be in Heaven [Romans 8:18].