STEWARDSHIP

By Ben Berto

Yesterday, December 20, members of 8 Filipino SDA Churches belonging to the Filipino Association of Advent Believers in British Columbia (FAABBC) had their year-end Christmas program at the Fraser Valley Adventist Academy, in Aldergrove. Over 400 persons attended the Sabbath Service. The churches are Vancouver Filipino SDA church, Burnaby Fil-Can, Surrey Filipino, Fraser Valley, Abundant Life, Agape SDA, and Victoria Filipino SDA churches. For special spiritual emphasis, the speaker was Pastor Alrick Watson, the vice-president for Administration for the British Columbia-Yukon Conference of Seventh-day Adventist Church. 

We extend to our Kababayans our heartfelt Merry Christmas, Maligayang Pasko, Naragsak Nga Pascuayo and Feliz Navidad.

Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill towards men. Luke 2: 14 NKJV

THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST church as a whole believes

in Christmas. However, we should look examine our expenditures and think more of others than ourselves. This is what we call STEWARDSHIP. Our FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS #20 states; We are God’s stewards, entrusted by Him with time and opportunities, abilities and possessions, and the blessings of the earth and its resources. We are responsible to Him for their proper use. We acknowledge God’s ownership by faithful service to Him and our fellowmen, and by returning tithes and giving offerings for the proclamation of His gospel and the support and growth of His church. Stewardship is a privilege given to us by God for nurture in love and the victory over selfishness and covetousness. The steward rejoices in the blessings that come to others as a result of his faithfulness.

What is a steward?  A steward is a person entrusted with the management of the household or the estate of another. In other words, a “manager” in our present time. “To the Christian, stewardship means, “mans responsibility for and use of everything entrusted to him by God—life, physical being, time, talents and abilities, material possessions, opportunities to be of service to others. Christians, therefore, serve as managers over God’s possessions and view life as a divine opportunity to “learn to be faithful stewards, thereby qualifying for the higher stewardship of eternal things in the future life.” “In larger dimensions, then, stewardship involves the wise and unselfish use of life.

We are told that we do not own our life, so if we destroy it by  indulging in the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, and by unhealthy health habits, we are acting irresponsibly and eventually destroy will  ourselves. If our doctors tell us not to indulge in alcohol, and  we heed that warning, how much more should we do what God has commanded. He said in 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 NIV   ¹⁹  Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore, honour God with your bodies.”

So let us be good stewards for God by helping the poorer people this Christmas.

To contact us: Our website is www.abundantlifeadventist.ca. Worship with us every Saturday Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Genesis 2: 2, 3, Exodus 20: 8-10, Isaiah 58: 13, 14; Isaiah 66: 22, 23; Matthew 5: 17-19; Revelation 22: 14, John 14: 1-3, Rev. 6:6-12, Romans 8: 35-39