Embracing Change: Stewardship and Kingdom Mission

Devotional

Day 1: Embracing Change as a Divine Opportunity

Change is often perceived as a loss, but it can also be a divine opportunity for growth and new beginnings. At Frontline, the mission to see zero people unchanged by Jesus remains constant, regardless of who is in leadership. This mission is centered on Jesus, who is the unchanging foundation in all our transitions. As Mariah, Cody, and Janeth move into new seasons of ministry, we are reminded that our focus should always be on Jesus and the opportunities He presents through change. [29:39]

Isaiah 43:19 (ESV): "Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Reflection: Think of a recent change in your life. How can you see this change as an opportunity for growth and new beginnings in your walk with Jesus?

Day 2: Stewardship Over Ownership

The parable of the rich fool in Luke 12 teaches us that everything we have is given by God and should be stewarded for His kingdom. The rich man’s mistake was thinking his abundant harvest was for his own comfort and security, rather than recognizing it as a provision from God to be used for His purposes. This parable serves as a powerful reminder that our resources are not meant to be hoarded for personal gain but to be used in alignment with God's purposes. [38:52]

1 Timothy 6:17-19 (ESV): "As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life."

Reflection: Reflect on your current resources—money, time, and possessions. How can you better steward these gifts for God's kingdom rather than for personal comfort?

Day 3: Understanding Our Value Before God

Jesus emphasizes that our value before God is far greater than any material possession. Often, worry and greed stem from a low understanding of our value before God. When we focus on accumulating wealth for ourselves, we lose sight of our mission to expand God's kingdom. Recognizing our intrinsic value in God's eyes helps us to trust in His provision and align our priorities with His purposes. [49:16]

Matthew 6:26 (ESV): "Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

Reflection: In what ways do you struggle with worry or greed? How can a deeper understanding of your value before God help you to trust Him more fully?

Day 4: Inviting the Holy Spirit to Guide Us

By inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us, we can experience the full potential of what God has given us. This is akin to driving a race car to its fullest capability under the guidance of an experienced racer. We must be willing to follow God's lead in how we use our resources, allowing the Holy Spirit to direct our paths and decisions. [01:00:40]

John 16:13 (ESV): "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come."

Reflection: How can you invite the Holy Spirit to guide you in your daily decisions, especially in how you use your resources? What steps can you take today to be more attuned to His leading?

Day 5: Mission of the Kingdom

Our ultimate mission is to expand God's kingdom by bringing the gospel to dark and broken places. This involves stewarding our money, time, and resources in alignment with God's purposes. God doesn't want something from us; He wants something for us—to be part of His redemptive work in the world. By aligning our lives with His mission, we can experience the joy and fulfillment of being part of His kingdom work. [52:06]

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV): "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Reflection: What specific steps can you take to align your life more closely with God's mission to expand His kingdom? How can you use your resources to bring the gospel to those in need?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Good morning, everyone. Today, we took a moment to celebrate and honor three of our beloved staff members—Mariah, Cody, and Janeth—who are transitioning into new seasons of ministry. Mariah and Cody will be planting a church in Grand Rapids, while Janeth is discerning a move back to India to join his parents in their missionary work. Although change can be challenging, it also presents opportunities for growth and new beginnings. Our mission at Frontline remains steadfast: to see zero people unchanged by Jesus. This mission continues regardless of who is in leadership because it is centered on Jesus.

We then transitioned into our ongoing finance series, focusing on the parable of the rich fool from Luke 12. This parable serves as a powerful reminder that everything we have is given by God and should be stewarded for His kingdom, not hoarded for personal gain. The rich man in the story made the mistake of thinking his abundant harvest was for his own comfort and security, rather than recognizing it as a provision from God to be used for His purposes.

Jesus teaches us not to worry about our material needs, using examples from nature to illustrate God's provision. He emphasizes that our value before God is far greater than any material possession. The root of our worry and greed often lies in a low understanding of our value before God. When we focus on accumulating wealth for ourselves, we lose sight of our mission to expand God's kingdom.

We concluded with a call to action: to steward our resources—money, time, and possessions—in alignment with God's purposes. By inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us, we can experience the full potential of what God has given us, much like driving a race car to its fullest capability under the guidance of an experienced racer. Let's be a church that opens our hearts, wallets, and time to God's leading, so we can hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

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Key Takeaways

1. Change as Opportunity: While change can feel like a loss, it also opens doors for new opportunities. Our mission at Frontline remains unchanged: to see zero people unchanged by Jesus. This mission is not dependent on specific individuals but is centered on Jesus, who is the constant in all our transitions. [29:39]
2. Stewardship Over Ownership: The parable of the rich fool teaches us that everything we have is given by God and should be stewarded for His kingdom. The rich man's mistake was thinking his abundant harvest was for his own comfort, rather than recognizing it as a provision from God to be used for His purposes. [38:52]
3. Value Before God: Jesus emphasizes that our value before God is far greater than any material possession. Worry and greed often stem from a low understanding of our value before God. When we focus on accumulating wealth for ourselves, we lose sight of our mission to expand God's kingdom. [49:16]
4. Inviting the Holy Spirit: By inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us, we can experience the full potential of what God has given us. This is akin to driving a race car to its fullest capability under the guidance of an experienced racer. We must be willing to follow God's lead in how we use our resources. [60:40]
5. Mission of the Kingdom: Our ultimate mission is to expand God's kingdom by bringing the gospel to dark and broken places. This involves stewarding our money, time, and resources in alignment with God's purposes. God doesn't want something from us; He wants something for us—to be part of His redemptive work in the world. [52:06]
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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[28:07] - Celebrating Staff Transitions
[29:39] - Change as Opportunity
[30:21] - Behind the Lines Event
[30:57] - Prayer for Departing Staff
[34:00] - SEAL Team Six Rescue Story
[36:17] - Purpose of Resources
[37:29] - Parable of the Rich Fool
[38:52] - The Ground Produces
[40:17] - Fear, Anxiety, and Greed
[43:30] - Worry vs. Greed
[45:00] - Focus on Self vs. Focus on God
[47:45] - Do Not Worry
[49:16] - Value Before God
[52:06] - Mission of the Kingdom
[55:18] - Race Car Illustration
[60:40] - Inviting the Holy Spirit
[62:04] - Practical Applications
[63:34] - Closing Prayer
[73:33] - Benediction

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

What was the rich man's initial reaction to his abundant harvest in the parable? (Luke 12:16-18)
How does Jesus describe the value of humans compared to birds and flowers? (Luke 12:24-28)
What does Jesus say about worrying and its impact on our lives? (Luke 12:25-26)
According to the sermon, what is the mission of Frontline Church, and how does it relate to the transitions of Mariah, Cody, and Janeth? [29:39]

Interpretation Questions

Why does Jesus call the rich man a fool in the parable? What was the rich man's mistake? (Luke 12:20) [38:52]
How does Jesus' teaching on worry challenge common attitudes towards material possessions and security? (Luke 12:22-31) [47:45]
In what ways does the sermon suggest that our understanding of our value before God affects our approach to wealth and possessions? [49:16]
How does inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us in using our resources compare to the race car illustration shared in the sermon? [01:00:40]

Application Questions

Reflect on a recent change in your life. How did you perceive it initially, and how might you see it as an opportunity for growth now? [29:39]
Think about your current financial situation. Are there areas where you might be acting more like the rich fool, focusing on accumulation rather than stewardship? How can you shift your mindset? [38:52]
Jesus emphasizes not to worry about material needs. What are some practical steps you can take to trust God more with your finances and daily needs? [47:45]
How can you better recognize and appreciate your value before God, especially when you feel anxious or greedy about material possessions? [49:16]
The sermon mentioned the importance of inviting the Holy Spirit to guide us in using our resources. What is one specific area in your life where you can start doing this? [01:00:40]
Identify a resource (time, money, or possession) that you currently have. How can you use it to further God's kingdom this week? [52:06]
The sermon concluded with a call to be good stewards of what God has given us. What is one practical step you can take this week to align your resources with God's purposes? [01:03:34]

Sermon Clips

1. "Change is hard, especially when it's felt like loss. But change is also an opportunity. And so all of us are interim roleplayers. So I'm the interim lead pastor here. They've been interim pastors here. You are interim here at Frontline in whatever capacity you serve in because the mission and the vision is not changing. And the person that it all revolves around is Jesus. And that's it." [29:39] (23 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "We have to look at the mission that we have been called to as followers of Jesus, and we have to ask the same question about the resources, about the stuff, the money, the finances, all of the things that we have been given from God Himself. We have to look at that and ask the question, for what purposes has God given me all that I have?" [36:17] (8 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "The problem is, as people, we have a natural tendency to get caught up with accumulating resources rather than stewarding them for the original purpose of the mission that God has called us to." [36:17] (13 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Worry is being afraid that we will never have enough. Greed is never being satisfied with enough. See the subtle difference? The rich man in the story lived much of his life, as we imply, worried about not having enough. And when he finally came into possession of what he would consider enough, it switched over from worry into greed to say, I don't know if it's quite enough." [43:30] (30 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "The worry that many people have over the material life or material things of life is rooted in a low understanding of their value before God. Jesus is using this illustration in this parable. That's talking about stuff and possessions and crops and resources. He's looking at this pile, and he's saying, you place so much value on this thing of having enough and being enough, and this value in this pile, and how big it is, and then how it compares to everybody else around you." [49:16] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "God doesn't want something from you. Do you realize that? I think so many people often think God is this master manipulator or master tax man, master ledger, whatever it is that says, I want something for you or I want something from you. And so you owe me and you have to do this for me. God's not like that. God is a God who's generous and loving and sacrificial. And so he went first and Jesus died on the cross." [53:33] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "My fear is that people in our church, people in the church, Christians and followers of Jesus are living their lives doing one of the first two options with their money, with their stuff. Some people, whatever they get, it's gone and they spend it and it's reckless and it's like a nuclear reactor. It can build somebody's life and change somebody's life forever or it can totally ruin you." [59:12] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "The invite that God's making to all of us is to steward our money and our finances and our possessions in line with the purposes of his kingdom. That's what he desires, not from you, but for you." [53:33] (19 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "So the question I would ask is, are you willing? Which option do you want? Because if we live life to the full, it requires yielding all of it to the one who ultimately provided anyway." [01:02:04] (17 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "So brothers and sisters of Frontline Church, go in his peace. Not worried or anxious about money or stuff or time or provision or possessions. Go in his peace and in his strength and in his power under his assignment to bring the gospel into all the world and leverage your time and your money and your resources for his purposes. Go in his peace. In Jesus' name and all God's people said together, amen." [01:14:15] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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