Deeper Reflection
One of CEFC’s core values is stewardship. What do you instinctively associate with the idea of stewardship? My guess is that it would be the stewardship of resources, such as time and money.Surprisingly, in the New Testament – and especially the epistles – stewardship is more often linked with the Gospel, rather than money or time. Stewardship, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary, is the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care. The words “entrust” / “entrusted” occur 14 times in the Epistles; and 12 of these times, they are associated with the Gospel!¹²Now, if we are entrusted with the Gospel, how do we fulfil that trust placed upon us? Answer: we proclaim the glorious Gospel of God. How do we do this? First, with urgency! May our hearts resonate with the cry of Paul: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16b). Second, with humility. Paul affirms that he has no basis to boast when he proclaims the Gospel (1 Cor 9:16a). The Gospel is utterly humbling because none of us deserve to receive it or pass it on to others.Finally, we are to proclaim the Gospel with charity, out of the desire that others may come to share in the blessings of the Gospel (1 Cor 9:23). In order to proclaim the Gospel, Paul builds relational bridges with different kinds of people and reaches into their world (1 Cor 9:19-23). He becomes all things to all people, so that he may save some (1 Cor 9:22). May we learn to be selfless stewards of the Gospel like Paul!

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¹² This is based on a lexical search in the English Standard Version Bible