Radical Stewards

Offering Illustration for 1/21/15:

I want to ask you a question. If you were going to interview me, and your job was to find out if I really loved my husband but you could only ask me one question. What would that question be? Think about that for a minute.

I asked that question on my Facebook a couple of weeks ago and people answered with stuff like…

1.       What do we do together?

2.       Have I been faithful?

3.       How do you help/support your husband?

4.       If your husband would die, would you miss him so much you could not live without him? (In the sense that your life would be drastically transformed.)

5.       Ask someone in the audience…

I ask this question because Jesus asked Peter “Do you love me?”

                                John 21:15-17 (NKJV)

15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah,[a] do you love Me more than these?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Feed My lambs.”

16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah,[b] do you love Me?”

He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.”

He said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonah,[c] do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”

And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”

Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.

It was a serious conversation…

He calls Peter: Simon, son of Jonas. He says his full name…

Just like it would affect my children if I said their full name…

It gets their attention!

Jesus says, if you love me then feed my sheep and tend to them.

How many of you have heard of the book “Love Languages?” There are several different ways to show our love. The book says that we all have a certain love language that we desire and that we function in naturally...

It is my responsibility to love my husband the way he feels loved the most. I need to speak his love language…whether it is mine or not.

We need to become bilingual AND multilingual in the Kingdom of God.

In fact the bible commands women to respect their husbands and husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the church. This is love language. 

We know that Jesus loved his church so much that he died for her….

This is the love language.

Jesus tells Peter, if you love me, feed my sheep...

I know we are not all called to be in front of the crowd like Peter.

However, I want to suggest that we are all called to make it happen…..

Romans 10: 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent?

We are all called to finance the kingdom of God…

Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

We should not be insulted to have our sincerity questioned. It keeps us sharp.

He doesn't ask “Do you fear me? Do you honour me? Do you admire me?”  He asks do you love Him? Will you set aside your life for the church, like He did? Will you feed and tend to His sheep and the flock that you are called to be in?

Let’s lay it all down for Him. Let’s be radical stewards of what He has entrusted us with…