Stewardship - Treasure

Jesus Christ has a very interesting view of money.  In Mark 12:41-44, Jesus and his disciples witness many wealthy individuals placing large amounts of money into an offering box at the temple.  They also witness a poor widow give “two small copper coins” amounting to 1/64 of a day’s wage, far short of the amounts given by the wealthy.  Using it as a teachable moment, Jesus’ response is not what the disciples expect.

Over the past two Sundays we have been wrestling with the topic of stewardship in Matthew 25:14-30.  God calls us to be good stewards of the time, talents, and treasure given to us.  What does it look like practically to be a good steward not only in our daily life but also as a member of the body of Christ?  Our goal as His people is to have a biblical view of our finances and how God calls us to steward the treasure He has given us.

Join us at ElmCreek Community Church as we strive together to live out the truth of God’s Word, obeying His commands out of love for Him.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

Pastor Mark

Stewardship - Talents

“We have nothing to do with how much ability we've got, or how little, but with what we do with what we have. The man with great talent is apt to be puffed up, and the man with little (talent) to belittle the little. Poor fools! God gives it, much or little. Our part is to be faithful, doing the level best with every bit and scrap. And we will be if Jesus' spirit controls” (S.D. Gordon, The Bent-knee Time).

This week at ElmCreek Community Church we will continue to study the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, focusing on our God-given abilities.  Join us as we strive to understand how to use our natural gifts for the work of our Master and Lord and how as disciples of Jesus Christ we should view our talents.  May the Holy Spirit use our time together to convict, mold, and change us as his disciples so that we may better preach through word and deed the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

Pastor Mark

Stewardship - Time

Growing up I was what you may call a procrastinator.  I’m not the “late to a meeting” type of guy, but a “wait until the night before” kind of guy.  One such incident happened while attending seminary, the night before a six-page book report was due for one of my classes.  I had read the book (well, skimmed it mostly) but had yet to put any words on paper.  I spent four to five hours that night writing my report, stressing about finishing it on time, and praying I received a decent grade.  In the end, all the stress, legs falling asleep for sitting at the computer so long, and going to bed late could have easily been avoided if I had begun writing the paper days before.  Needless to say, I did not use my time wisely.

Perhaps you too are a procrastinator or have experienced the pain of waiting for a procrastinator, but when it comes to life as a disciple of Christ the temptation to procrastinate is present for everyone.  This week at ElmCreek Community Church we will begin a three-week series in Matthew 25 on the stewardship of our time, talents, and treasures.  Join us at ElmCreek and may we all be prayerfully prepared to submit ourselves to the call and commands of our God.

Striving to know Christ and make Him known,

Pastor Mark