Introduction.

1. We live in an age of unprecedented opportunities to select and pursue a career. New careers in new fields are created every year making the choice even greater. The choice in the world of the Old and New Testament was rather more limited. For at least four thousand years the career of house-manager was considered to be a very prestigious and desirable job. A house-manager was employed by the rich and powerful to see to their temporal affairs. Joseph was a house-manager to Potiphar and later on when he was Pharaoh's chief adviser he employed a house-manager to see to his affairs. (Genesis 39, 43:19, 44:4) In the New Testament the occupation of the house-manager is still regarded as an extremely important occupation, but had divided into two different vocations, an ‘epitropos was a guardian or curator into whose care or honour a child was given for care and tutelage, while a oikonomos was entrusted with the management of the affairs of the house the care of receipts and expenditures, and the duty of dealing out the proper portion to every servant and even to the children not yet of age.  Translators of the Bible chose the English word steward to describe the work of a house-manager. The degree of trust placed in the house-manager can be gleaned from Joseph's words in Genesis 39:7-9, ‘And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife ?cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, ?"?Lie with me.?" But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. ?How then can I do this great wickedness, and ??sin against God??"' Joseph is a wonderful example of a man who is blameless and a steward of God. Paul in Titus 1:7 says, ‘For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God.' Remember that the terms Bishop and Elder describe the same office and are interchangeable.
   
   
2. The word steward is not commonly used today, but we still hear it referred to by the Trade Unions whose officials are called Union Stewards. Union Stewards manage the affairs of the trade union in the work place. The basic concept behind this word is that of a person who is entrusted with taking care and charge of property that belongs to somebody else. Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:1-2 says, ‘Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.' Every believer is a servant and a steward of God. In 1 Peter 4:10 we are told, ‘As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.'  All Christians are called by God to be stewards of the new-life they have received in Christ. Do you think of yourself as a steward of God? Has the concept of being a steward gripped your heart and started to change the way you live your life? Christ has set you in charge of property that belongs to him, he bought that property with his own blood, and you are his property. You are to use your life to do his will and accomplish his purposes for his glory.

1. The task of being a steward of God is given to all his servants.

1. The task of being a steward of God is a very responsible position. Responsibility is the very heart and soul of stewardship. Responsibility is such a dominant part of stewardship that it is almost a synonym. Listen to Jesus describing stewardship in a parable in Luke 16:1-2, "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was ??wasting his goods. So he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.?" A steward is responsible and will be required to give a full account of how he has used everything entrusted into his care. Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:2 tells us that stewards must be found faithful. Every steward of God ought to be very much aware of the fact that he is accountable and responsible to Jesus for all he has entrusted to him. What is responsibility? It is fully accepting that the buck stops with you.
   
   
2. The steward of God is responsible as an individual. Jesus gives responsibility to the church, but also to every individual that belongs to the church. The Christian life has an aspect of individual and corporate responsibility. Individual responsibility is stressed in 1 Peter 4:10, ‘As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.'  There are three important points which we need to take note of in this verse:
1. Take note that each of us, every believer has received a gift. Every child of God has received a gift to use in the life of the family. Christians who do nothing to contribute to the life of the church are really contradicting this verse and denying that God gave them a gift. God has made you a steward of that gift and will hold you accountable for its use.
   
   
2. The gift you have has been given to you by the grace of God. No gift, talent or ability is ever of our own making or merit. Every ability, talent or gift is given to us by the common or special grace of God. Our gifts, abilities and talent are therefore never reasons for pride and boasting. Your usefulness because of the abilities, gifts or talents you have ought to humble rather than fill you with a sense of importance. You simply use the gift God has given by the strength he provides. Christians are to use their gifts to glorify God, not to bolster their egos.
   
   
3. The gift you have, has been received by God's manifold grace. The Lord does not give the same gift, talent or ability to everyone. The gifts Christians have received from God vary as do their personalities. The gift you have is one he chose to give to you. Never envy the gifts of others. Cherish and use the gift God has chosen for you, rejoice in God's choice.

Have you ever sat down and considered your personal responsibility before God. The Scripture assures us that we will have to give account to God himself.

3. The responsibility you have is irresistible. God has made you responsible, you cannot escape it, or resign from it. As John Blanchard says, ‘The Christian does not have the luxury of being able to say "I am happy to be a son, delighted to be a saint, and honoured to be a soldier - but I would rather not be a steward.' You are a son, saint, soldier, servant and steward by God's appointment. Not to take ownership of all of these is to reject the will and purpose of God. Listen to the instruction Jesus gives to his disciples in Acts 1:8, ‘But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.?' Notice Jesus does not give them an option, they shall be his witnesses. In the same way every Christian is a witness to the fact that he or she has been saved by Jesus according to the grace of God. You are a steward of God given the responsibility to witness to others what God in his grace has done for you and in you. This is a personal responsibility God gives to everyone saved by the blood of Christ Jesus. Whether you like it or not you are a witness, either a good or a bad witness. You will give account to God for your good or bad witness since you are a steward of God.
   
   
4. As a steward, God expects you to manage everything he has given to you. You are to be steward of all of your life for the glory of God. You live not to or for yourself, but to and for your Saviour. This is stating the obvious, but often we forget the most basic and fundamental aspect of the Christian life. You are stewards of all God has given you. Consider the following three areas:
1. You are a steward of the time the Lord has given you. Concerning the use of time Paul in Ephesians 5:15-16 says, ‘See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, ??because the days are evil.' In the Greek used in the New Testament there are two words used regarding time, (1) ‘Chronos' from which the English word chronology is derived, and (2) ‘Kairos' which means a measured period of time. In Ephesians 5:16 the word used is ‘Kairos' which means the time God gives to individuals. God expects you to exercise stewardship over the time he gives as your lifespan. God has given each person a limited amount of time. Your time is a precious but a limited commodity which you must use in a way that glorifies God. Your time is not your own, it was given to you by God. Paul calls on believers to redeem the time, to buy it up and use it to show by means of their lives and conduct the power and glory of the gospel of Christ to encourage believers and win unbelievers for Christ to the glory of God. Time lost can never be regained therefore we need to use our time to the full and not waste it. The Lord by his example not only showed us that there is a time to work and a time to rest, but also that using time for prayer and worship is extremely important. We need to deliberately manage our time to glorify the Lord.
   
   
2. You are a steward of the possessions God has given to you. Everything you own or earn is a gift received directly from the goodness of God, and he expects you to be a diligent steward of the things entrusted into your care to use in a way that glorifies him. A blameless man who is being considered for the Eldership according to Titus 1:7-8 must be a wise steward and use what he has to exercise hospitality and not be greedy for money. We do not often reflect on the fact that one day we will be called to give account to the Lord on the way we have used the money he gave into our care. Our generous provider will require explanations for why we wasted our money on frivolous and worthless things. The way you use your money, does it please the Lord? It is easy to be specific about money, but what is true about the way we use our money is also true about the way we use all our possessions. Are we grateful to the Lord for all that he has given to us, and do we exercise wise and deliberate stewardship over all we own?
   
   
3. You are a steward of the Gospel. Listen to Paul's words to the church at Corinth ‘Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.' (1 Corinthians 4:1) Paul's desire was to have others recognise that he and his fellow-workers were servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. The expression ‘mystery' occurs some 28 times in the New Testament and usually refers to great truths which were previously hidden from mankind in ages and generations past, but have now been revealed by God. All believers by the gracious election of the Father and the work of the Holy Spirit know the mystery and reality of Christ's redeeming work. What should a faithful steward do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? A steward of God ought to marvel at God's great grace, praise the Saviour for his work, enjoy being reconciled to God, give thanks for sin forgiven; Cherish your adoption as a son; Show that you have been set free from the dominion of sin; Submit to Christ's Lordship, be filled with the Spirit; Walk in the light, delight in the love of God; Explore every facet of its truth and guard it from perversion; Defend its majesty and declare the free offer of the gospel with boldness. The mystery of the gospel is an open secret, tell as many as you can about this most amazing and glorious secret. Every believer needs to take ownership of the fact and responsibility of being a servant of God and a steward of the Gospel. In taking ownership of the fact that you are a steward of the Gospel, you may shrink from it, fear the consequences, fumble in your efforts, refuse to do it, but you are never absolved from the fact and responsibility of it. If you are a Christian, God has made you a steward and you will either be a faithful steward or a wasteful steward.
   
   
5. Titus needed to identify blameless men who loved the Lord and took the fact and responsibility of being a steward of all God had entrusted to them very seriously. Titus needed to watch and discern whether or not a man was exercising wise stewardship in managing his life, possessions and home for the glory of God. If evidence of wise stewardship is lacking in a man's life he is not ready to be considered for the Eldership in God's household.

2. The characteristics of a good steward of God.

1. Paul gives five things which are to be absent from the character of the steward of God.
1. Not self willed, or over-bearing. A man, who is self-willed rather than listening to the needs of others, crushes them by dominating them and imposing his solutions to their needs and problems. This character trait is found in those who are egotistical and puffed up with pride.
   
   
2. Not quick tempered. A quick tempered man rules by fear and intimidation. Rather than build relationships the quick tempered man sours relationship by his explosive attitude.
   
   
3. Not given to wine. In New Testament times wine was a usual drink with meals. The wine then was not as strong or as sophisticated as it is today. The temptation to drink too much wine was a common hazard in life when Paul wrote this letter to Titus. Listen to Matthew Henry's comment on the matter of ‘Not given to wine; there is no greater reproach on a minister than to be a wine-bibber, one who loves it, and gives himself undue liberty this way who continues at the wine or strong drink till it inflames him.' Christians must never allow drink to rule them.
   
   
4. Not violent. A violent man acts in a way that is completely contrary to the Christian way of peace. A violent man rules not only by fear and intimidation, but also by terror. Can you imagine an Elder who is called to promote obedience to Christ's command to love one another as Christ has loved us using violence to rule over the family of God. A man of violence is disqualified from ever serving as an Elder in the church.
   
   
5. Not greedy for money or pursuing dishonest gain. The Roman Poet Livy said, ‘The Cretans are as eager for riches as bees for honey.' The love of money was a cultural attitude that dominated the people of Crete. Bribes were an accepted aspect of life and the economy. Titus was to find those who understood the importance of money, but were not slaves of it. A man who is greedy for money cannot be a good steward as his motivations and goals will never correlate with those of the Gospel of Jesus.

The good steward has none of these 5 traits in his character.

2. There are six positive character traits to identify in those being considered for the Eldership.
1. Hospitable, If you are hospitable it literally means that you ‘love the stranger'. Hospitality has very little to do with the food on the table, it is more about a heart with an open door. Christians as wise stewards use all God has given to them to seek the good of others to show the love of Christ to the world. It is the God given duty of all believers to exercise hospitality.
   
   
2. A lover of what is good. This quality of loving what is good will reveal the depth of his moral conduct and his deep concern about the general well-being of people. On the island of Crete where men and women had the reputation of being liars, evil beasts and lazy gluttons a man who promoted good would have been rare and also derided. Loving good indicated a degree of maturity and a commitment to doing what pleased the Lord rather than men.
3. Sober-minded. He should be a wise steward and one who is not rash, foolish, or reckless; but who can govern well his passions and affections. This is a man who thinks clearly and evaluates things according to the word of God.
   
   
4. Just. In dealing with people he has a good sense of natural justice. This requires a potential Elder to be a man who is morally righteous, and equitable in his dealings with people. He is concerned about righteousness being exercised in the life of the community.
   
   
5. Holy. Holiness in the saints must never be understood as sinless perfection. A holy man is not free from sin but Christ-centred and motivated by love for God to worship, serve, honour, and obey him. A holy man measures his life according to God's word.
   
   
6. Self-controlled. This is not simply a man who pursues holiness through the exercise of self-discipline, but a man in whom the work of the Spirit is producing the fruit of self-control. Here is a man who is in control of his own appetites, actions, moods, and aspirations.
   
   
3. These qualities ought to be found in all those Redeemed by the blood of Christ. Every believer is a steward and the King of Kings would have all his servants exercise good stewardship. These qualities should not only be found in exceptional men, but in all who are believers. These are the qualities you should be nurturing in your own life and promoting in the lives of your brothers and sisters in Christ. God has made you a steward of your life and everything he has given you, It is your responsibility to be a good steward, therefore you need to watch over your own life seeking to root out forbidden vices and promote every good quality to honour your God more faithfully.

Conclusion.

Paul in reminding Titus about the kind of men suitable to be considered for the Eldership, reminds us and challenges us to take ownership of the fact that we are stewards of God. By God's grace in the mercy of Christ and power of the Holy Spirit we need to manage our lives to honour the only true and living God.