Beyond Sunday: Leveraging God’s Resources for Kingdom Mission
Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.
God has gifted us with access to His resources and He is clear on how He desires us to steward them. We can choose how we leverage what God has given- for His Kingdom, or for our own desires. Walking with Jesus looks like managing what God has provided in a way that keeps a Kingdom focus.
Catch up: this week’s Sunday morning message.
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[Music] Hey guys, welcome to the Beyond Sunday podcast. Uh, this is a space where we take this conversation beyond Sunday. Before we jump into today's conversation, how are you doing this morning, Devin? >> I'm doing great. How are you with your NBA sweatshirt? Look at you with the throwbacks on there. >> Yeah, don't be weird, but thanks. I'm not >> in your fancy white sweatshirt. Will it stay white all day? >> Well, there's the hope. There's the hope.
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>> I don't know. Thank Thankfully, it's going to be a warm day, so maybe it doesn't stay on all day, so that would be the joy. >> Okay, before we get into the actual conversation, take a look at this video. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] All right, welcome back to the conversation discussion. So, uh, this week, uh, Shereo, what's the scripture and the big idea that we were that we were in on Sunday? >> Yeah. So, we're walking through Luke, um, as we are on this journey with
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Jesus, this journey of formation. And so, this week, um, we're talking about leveraging the resources, God's resources for his kingdom. Um, and so Luke, uh, we're in Luke 16. I was in a couple places. I've been in Luke 14 for a few weeks in a row now. Um, >> yeah, >> kind of as a uh just as a jumping off point. Um, but we were mostly in Luke 16 this week. Um, >> yeah, what a fun chapter in Luke >> 16. >> Yeah. >> Are you being sarcastic? >> We were only in the first part this
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week. The ne the second part's coming. >> Yeah. Also a great part. Um, >> don't talk about that now. That's for next week. Save it. >> Well, it's all runs together. I mean, you can. You did. You did it two weeks ago. Don't tell me I can't this week. That's >> not >> I didn't do that. >> Hypocritical, but >> but I did it better than you're doing it. So, it's okay. >> Is that what you think you're doing? >> Why don't you?
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>> Yes. Why don't I go into Luke 16? Because here in this in in in this parable, I have always every time I come across it, I I'm just I I'm struck by um the depth of truth that's in there and how confused I am in some of the things that still exist. So, I thought today >> I'd ask you some questions. Oh, I'm going to hate this. >> As an expert in the law, um, as Nicodemus's, um, student, uh, I thought that, uh, >> but you >> I already don't like this.
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>> Gamal's student. >> I already don't love this. >> You like Paul's, you like Paul's sister. What's happening? >> Um, >> I thought today I'd ask you some questions of the some of the areas of of Luke 16 and this parable of the the the disobedient manager, the shrewd manager, every other title that the gospels give uh in every version it gives this manager. >> The New Living Translation calls him a rascal. >> Rascal. Is that how you said it?
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I said it in a way. Okay. >> Tone. Did you offer a tone? >> Don't hear tone. Um, but wait, these questions that you have for me, is this going to be like the thing that you do where you ask me questions about like >> like do you know what a group of are called >> and his Yeah, I do. A convocation. Do you did you know? >> Look at how your eyes lit up on that. You're like I actually know this guy. >> Okay, stop. You know what happens when you don't know the answer? You're like you
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turn your head. You're like, "Don't be down." >> I go, "Devon." >> It's a tell. I can It's a tell. If you're playing poker, you lose the hand. >> Oh, no. I think I'd be good at that. >> Not with those. Your eyes just lit up. You're like, I do know. >> I know, but that's intentional. I can >> Okay. Aside from groups of eagles, uh Luke 16, uh is the the parable of the shrewd manager who uh is not great at his job. and the master comes and tells
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him, "You're going to lose your job. Um, and so get essentially get your affairs in order because you've not been good at this." So, he then takes the the clients of the manager and cancels or or or uh cancels some of their debts, significant amounts uh uh are these debts and he cancels some of them, reduces them, reduces the bill. Um and then in verse eight, the master says, "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted truly." Um and then so this praise for
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uh the shrewdness, this um uh ras rascal behavior. >> Okay. Yeah. Okay. this commending commending the the manager uh has always struck me as um >> weird >> curious curious that I mean in today's time this person's losing their job and likely even going to court. You know what I mean? Like >> I don't know what you mean. >> Yeah. Yes. Because I read this I Okay, so we read this on Sunday and I'm like, if you if I hadn't have told you that this story was from the Bible, you may
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not believe that it was from the Bible because >> Yeah. You're like, "Oh, did that happen to the business down the road?" >> Yeah. Right. Yes. So, it's a what's the question? Was there a question? >> The the commending the manager >> why why did that >> truly Yeah. for this cunning kind of behavior uh with with it's not even it's the master's um income let's say it's the master's business that is he's uh leveraging for his
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>> good so I think I think the answer's found Jesus because Jesus talks about it um in verse hold on >> nine >> yeah here's a lesson so Jesus made it very crueltyfree for us. Here's the lesson. Uh, use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. >> Okay, that part, the end of that part is that >> what is what? >> That that uh use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourself so that when it is
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gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. I think that what's being called out here is more of what has existed in 14 and in 15 uh chapter 14 and 15 where we're looking at Jesus is like what where are your priorities and I think that's what we see here right so we I think we both used in this teaching on Sunday we both used what's called the five capitals which is essentially this idea that there's different resources that we've been given or that we have um and I think what Jesus this is calling
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out here and what we see in this story is make sure that you realize not all resources are created equal. So if we put these into different categories right if I have a certain amount of capital stored up in different areas financial intellectual uh physical relational and spiritual I think Jesus's call out here is like recognize that there is a different level of importance in all of these things and that's what that's what I read in that because at the beginning of this story right this
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guy's like well shoot I'm going to lose my job like I just was told I'm going to lose my job so Never mind that he's a terrible employee and like if you would have just right if you do what's right would you not be accepted? Never mind that piece. The point of this one is like he's like shoot I'm going to lose my job. So there goes my financial security, my financial capital, my tangible assets and resources. And so then he's like well what do I have? And he even calls it out again. The New
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Living Translation is >> not strong enough to dig. >> It's so good in this one. I do not have the strength to dig ditches. He's like, "Yeah, don't sign me up for manual labor. That's ridiculous." So, he's like, "I actually don't have physical capital. Um, >> I'm ashamed to beg. >> I'm ashamed to beg. Don't sign up. >> We don't We have too much intellectual capital to offer something less than that, >> right? So, what does Well, and so that's
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the thing. What does he have? He doesn't have financial capital. He's about to lose any that he does have. He doesn't have the physical capital, but he does have some intellectual capital. And so, he's like, "You know what? I have some ideas. I can be creative and what I'm going to do is I'm going to recognize even in that he recognizes like actually what I need to do is build some relational capital because if I have relational capital it actually won't matter if I have enough of that it won't
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matter that I'm going to lose my financial capital and that I don't have my physical capital because there's this hierarchy this understanding of like here's what's the most important and so he does he uses some of his intellectual like ideas creativity to like I know what I can I can make some friends and I'm going to make some friends. And he makes these friends and I think the point here is like, hey, cool. So when he gets fired, he's like, I'm actually fine cuz I got this friend who's going
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to let me stay on his couch and I got this friend who's going to feed me and like I'm good. Um because imagine imagine how that conversation goes, right? So these people he's called them in and he's like, "Oh, you owe uh a thousand of something now you only owe 500. You owe 800. You only owe 400." And so these people are like, "You're the greatest." And so then a week later, whatever, when he shows up and he's like, "Hey, I lost my job." They're
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like, "That's terrible. Like, you're so great. Why would you lose your you should stay here?" Like I I just imagine how that plays out. And so I think that's what Jesus is calling out. I think that's the thing the rich man's like, "Well, well, dang." Like that's actually pretty smart. Like I I mean, he still loses his job, right? like he's not >> and he's still a terrible manager and immoral person and unethical behavior. >> The point is not follow this moral
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behavior. But I think the point is recognize that there's different like that these things take a different place. And I think that's what Jesus calls out eternal home. Like we're talking spiritual capital, which should always always be the focus if I ever have a chance. Um, what I what I should be doing if there's ever a question, I should be cashing in every other capital I have for that. Um, right. >> Yeah. Which is which is which is being able to to hear and discern the voice of
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God and respond to him. >> Right. That's the spiritual capital. But also too looking at the commentaries of this uh idea for the where it says in half second half of verse 8 for the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. And it it's the it's that um that hustle, right? The pull pull yourself up by your bootstraps, the the hustle of the game, like you just make it happen for yourself. And um you know and that's I
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guess how I would read that part is like the people of the world are better at that than are the people of light because and even looking at the commentaries the people of the light actually their focus is is not on making it happen for themselves but trusting God's provision trusting God's uh direction and the places that um that where where it might seem like it's it's not going to happen or it's almost impossible that people of the light trust in God that he'll make a way that
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the the way of the kingdom uh in many ways to the way of the empire looks upside down uh and and and impo in in some cases impossible that it could take place. But that is the nature of God's kingdom. And so even looking at some of those commentaries of like he's he's working in the way the world has operated, right? Hustle hustle for the game. Get get your get yours. Take care of you. um which those who follow Jesus is ought not to be uh in following Jesus not ought to be their their focus or or
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priority. But like you said, the spiritual capital or um uh hearing and uh the voice of God and and listening and obeying um uh that that voice uh versus just trying to take care of yourself, which then only lands in a few capitals, right? >> Yeah. Okay. But I would push back a little bit on that. Not so yes, I agree with all all of that. Um, but I do also wonder if some of what's being said and maybe this is uh uh I mean I didn't read like whatever commentaries you're talking
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about, but some of what's being said here there so so yes um children of the light there is a difference between the like I'm going to take care of me and mine. Um, but I think in verse eight, Jesus is calling out like there's also some level um where we're being called to like um to not just be passive existers in the kingdom, right? So, I think it make when you were first talking about that, I was thinking about Marty and how he always describes Jacob and this like um there's this like
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thing, right? Um >> hoodbah >> this Yeah, this hoodba. um that I don't know when I read verse eight it's like in this I don't necessarily see Jesus condemning the actions of the shrewd manager. Um now I think I think we can take all of the teachings of Jesus and um scripture and we can certainly say like yes this was not ethical. This was not he was not uh acting in a way that stands in line with with the way we saw Jesus act. Um, but I don't see him calling out in this in the in this
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example that's a story. It's a parable. In the example that Jesus is using, I I don't see him saying, "Don't be like the shrewd manager." He says very clearly, um, use your worldly resources. Um, and and yes, he calls out to benefit others, but and to make friends, which is what this guy did. Hey, you owe a big debt. Now you don't. Now you only owe part of it. So, I'm benefiting others. It's not just me. It's also you. Um, and I I I say that not because I don't think uh
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not because I don't agree with what you just said. Yes, absolutely. The the mentality especially it's rampant in our world today. This like I take care of me and mine individualism um whatever. Like certainly that stands in contrast to the kingdom. But I also think that sometimes we can get caught up in this like passivity. Um and I don't mean politically. I mean like uh like okay God I'm just going to trust you and this meekness and like I'm just going to sit here and like do what I'm you know I'm
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just going to wait and b my time. And in some regards in this I see this like um so so what what landed for me and why we were back in Luke 14 for even just a minute on Sunday is because Luke 14 was like count the cost. Count figure out you need to recognize what it's going to cost you to follow me. Yeah. in this it's like count your resources, pay attention to what you've been given, be wise in the way that you're using them. Um, and not just using them like, okay, I'm giving it all away, but like am I
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being wise in what I'm choosing to cash in? So, we even called out some of that. Like, what's that? What's it look like to um where where are the places that I've said, actually, I value physical my physical capital, which can be our our health and whatever, but it's also our time and our minutes. So, I value my time and my minutes and I want to hoard up or I want to hold up my physical capital um at the expense of spiritual capital. I could cash this in and I could spend time with Jesus. I could be
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intentional to listen to the voice of God. I could surround myself with community who's going to point me towards God, but I've actually decided physical capital is really important to me. So, I'm going to hold on to that. Um that stands in contrast to the understanding of what we see in the shrewd manager, right? Or the same thing. I'm gonna do anything I can to keep my job, to keep fa financial stability, to to hold on to that capital even at the expense of building relationship and community around me or
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um spiritual capital again, like any of those things. And so I I don't know. I I guess I also think that there's in this this feels like a call to action to me. It's like you better like yes, be shrewd. be shrewd in the way you use these resources because otherwise they're sitting there and what is like I don't know I just think the enemy is like hey cool if I could just get you to not use those that'd be great or if I could get you to prioritize these in the wrong way that'd be great
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>> and so I do see something in the call out of like >> be shrewd you like be shrewd in the way that the endgame is greater spiritual capital eternal home relationship with others benefits others um so I I I don't know. >> Well, it and it is it it's the leveraging these resources and and understanding like are these um my resources? Do I see myself as an owner of these resources or a manager? Right? So, even in the beginning of this parable, uh the master brings the manager in because he's heard account
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that the manager is wasting uh it says wasting his possessions. The master's possessions. He's been accused of that. And so, the master calls him in. He goes, "Give account." >> Yeah. uh and and then quickly it's like give account because um you cannot be a manager any longer. So you've wasted them. You've not uh you've you've not managed well. You've not stewarded well. You've wasted them. And and then it's it's funny that the accusation of
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wasting the master's resources um or possessions then winds them then then the master or the manager winds up um cancelling some debts. Yeah. >> It's like um in one regard maybe in the in worldly terms of the empire you one might say that's wasteful as well but maybe in the emp in the kingdom uh mindset uh and what maybe Jesus is calling out is he is using the master's possessions um and accounts to as as even Jesus has called out to make friends and and leverage what the master has and what he
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has access to for a little while to um leverage that so that he can have friends that it says he he'll you know welcome them into his their houses that it's it's that piece of in in one context it's like that's seems wasteful again but he's now using it so that he has a friend before it was just like maybe for me and for mine I don't really care what this does or doesn't do but he's very very intentional that now he's cancelling debts so that he can make a
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friend. >> Right. Right. >> But it's that piece it's that piece of of mana of uh owning or or or managing owning or stewarding, >> right? >> Do I do I own these things that exist in my life or am I a steward of them? And are they God's resources, God's provision? And I'm not even just talking about assets and and possessions. I mean all of our capital spiritual, physical, intellectual, um relational and financial and many others that exist in our life. Do I see
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myself as an owner of these things or as a steward uh stewarding well what God has provided? that still sits with me as the question ongoing, you know, every day after even uh studying through Luke 16 of how do I see myself in the those resources that exist in my life, those capitals that exist in my life, >> right? Yeah. and that so so we were um we spent like a brief little bit of time in Psalm 24 because of that very thing which says the earth is the Lord's and everything in it like the the and it
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calls out even the people every everything is the Lord's. So let us not forget um in all of this conversation as we're counting resources because also sometimes what's going to happen is I'm going to count my I'm going to I'm going to like okay what do I have? what are the resources um that I have at my disposal and I'm going to come up short sometimes. There's going to be times where I feel or at least I feel like I've come up short like I don't actually
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have enough. I don't have enough of whatever the capital might be in this situation. Um and sometimes to me that maybe that's coming from a a selfish or a greedy place. But sometimes also there's just a the truth of like I actually don't know that I have enough right now. Um and in those moments do I remember and trust that like the earth is the Lord's and so are all of us and he will not fail. He has not he will not um like he he will take care um and that that even that is um evidence of a of of
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a spiritual capital that says I hear you God. I trust you God. I'm going to obey you. Um I'm going to act in a in a way that says I trust your provision and your goodness. And >> um >> yeah, >> it's all anyways. >> Yeah. Well, and also where it lands there at the end of 16, which um I was like there there is great truth here at the end, but before we and oftenimes we can read through 16, you're like, I don't really know why we're commending this guy. He's like a he's a rascal and
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why would why would we offer any anything but harsh condemnation uh to this behavior? And then it and then it lands to this, you know, whoever is trusted with very little also be um whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest with little is is dishonest with much which uh calls him back to Luke 12 and when the master gives uh these talents to to three and what they do with them and um calling out again it's part of that stewarding. How are you stewarding what the master
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is giving, >> right? Yeah. And that goes back to which we've had this conversation on here before I think, but that goes back to well, so it's priority again. How are you steu stewarding what's what the master's given? Do you recognize like what should come first? But that also goes back to do you understand who the master is? And do you understand the the character and the nature of the master of this good God who is going to provide? He has not he has never not >> provided. He hasn't failed. He won't
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fail you. Do you understand that? >> Because if you do, then the way that you're that you operate in the world, the shrewdness or the whatever words we want to use that lines up differently if I understand who the master is. >> Yeah. Because in Luke 12, it's a misrepresentation or a lack of understanding. This is you see God is this way. >> Yeah. I've I know you I I know you to be a hard master or however that's worded. >> Yeah. And it's like, yeah, but what you
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missed is my compassion, my grace, my provision. >> Also, my invitation to invest what I've given you. This isn't yours. And I've I've asked you to >> I've given it to you to to to >> Yeah. to um leverage, >> right, >> for for the kingdom work, >> right? >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Well, and that's also too where it lands there before we get into what next week holds in the next part of 16 is um there in 15 is you uh in talking to the
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Pharisees um you are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your heart. >> What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's in God's sight. >> And that is a a quite a contrast. what is valued among men, highly valued among men, is detestable, >> right, >> in God's sight. >> So, well, and that goes into the this cautionary parable that's coming next. Woe is me if I am >> if I am looking at things that's highly
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valued among men. Is it is that highly valued among God or in God's sight? >> And do I care? Do I even care enough to pause and ask that question? Yeah. Well, as we wrap this um episode up, Sherea, what would you say is the chyros for you of what is God saying to you and how you are invited to respond? >> Um yeah, after church on Sunday, um a gal came up and was asking questions about the text and the message and which was was cool. we got to have a cool conversation um cuz she was uh just
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trying to figure out she had not heard this um this story. She hadn't heard the uh idea or the concept of of the capitals before. And so one of the things that she was asking was like okay so are these all supposed to be balanced? Like should I always have is my goal like ideally to for these to be balanced? And so that opened a good conversation of like um I I've never seen that in my life. I've never seen a space or a season where I'm like, I have exactly the same amount of capital in
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every space. It's all full. This is all so great, right? Um and so it opened up the conversation and it's it's more of what we're just talking about. Um but maybe it just gave a different perspective of it. Um of like the goal, what's the goal? What's the goal? Um what's the end? if I, you know, we've we've done the gold bar exercise and I I gave that to our people even where you're essentially taking like you have this many bars. If you could place them wherever you want, where would you
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put them? And I always think it's funny every time we do that. Um, every time that I've done that or that I've taught that, it's such a funny thing to watch people because they're like, well, should I give them all to the spiritual one? It seems like that's like what's the God answer here? Um, and so it just we were able to have a conversation um of, you know, just kind of wrestling through that. And so then for me, I think the thing that lands is like, um, it it goes back to the priority. Where's
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my priority? Spiritual, my my spiritual, my relationship with God, the way that I'm listening and hearing, that should always be first. Um, but also at any given time and probably on a regular basis, um, am I am I paying attention to what I do have? Um, or am I more focused on what I don't have on the areas that I'm lacking? Um, because I think that's the other thing like part of in 10 um yeah 10 and 10 11 12 all through there. Um, where it's like uh being faithful in little things. I can't actually be
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faithful if I don't know what I have. And so this idea of um recognizing like am I paying attention to the resources God has given me in any in any given time or season. Not not that they're ever going to be fully balanced or not that I'll probably ever feel like gosh I have um you know no needs, no wants, whatever. Um that's a that's that's a different thing. But but am I paying attention to know like I actually can't leverage these things if I don't know what I have? Um and so am I regularly
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uh yeah just taking inventory of like what do I have and where are you asking me God to um invest some of one of these things um for something that's better that looks more like you that looks more like kingdom um and I think that's actually where we're well that's where we're headed I think this coming week um because if this last week's question was like >> what how count the cost, count or count the resources, excuse me. If this last week's question was count the resources,
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what do you have? This coming week is like what are you going to do with it? How you going to how you going to utilize it? Um, and so I think before we can get there for me this week is like do you even know do you even know what you have? >> Yeah. Yeah. For me along along those lines of reflection and and assessing uh that um this piece of in verse 11. So if you have so if you've not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches, right? And I and I would I would take
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that true riches as like these are kingdom riches. These are eternal things, right? So you don't store up for your treasures on earth, right? Uh but treasures in heaven, right? These are eternal treasures. And um and in that in that statement um because is this idea of the what kind of mindset do I have right if I'm um an owner or a manager an owner of these things or steward of these resources God has provided these these capitals um uh am I stewarding well whether whether they are worldly
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riches uh you know things that exist in this world here and now in temporal uh here on earth am I am I stewarding these things well >> right >> um and then you know does um if I am and that's part of the reflection piece if if I am then might God bless with even something more precious right with an eternal treasure >> and that's the piece of that like you mentioned the reflection it's also a chyros for me of um yeah in these tangible tang tangible assets, whatever they happen to be, or
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things that exist here on earth. um whether it's relationships or uh you know ideas and concepts that uh God's given me do uh am I am I stewarding them well >> or or in these spaces have I >> uh thought that I owned them >> and didn't use them wisely or didn't use them to to leverage for the kingdom good for what God is calling uh and inviting me into. So that's the that's the chyros is along with the reflection but also the mindset which we are uh headed into
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in this coming week. But this if I believe that God is a god of abundance not of scarcity then it matters how I think about these things about these resources and about these capitals. And um I'm just probably like anyone else where I can I can get um pulled into a mindset that says, "Uhoh, they're not going to be enough if we don't if I don't hold on to it or if I don't make sure that I have it, then it won't be there if I don't take it for myself." And that's the I I I can be pulled into
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that. And uh but God's a God of abundance. So trusting him and the things he provides when he provides them. >> Yeah. It's good. >> Yeah. >> Well, guys, thanks for being with us uh on this episode and we hope and pray that your conversations going they're going beyond Sunday and that you're hearing from God and responding to him. Uh we pray that your conversations with one another in in God's word is um inviting you into a transformative kind of work that God is desiring to do in
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and through you. So, have a blessed week. [Music]
