Church in the home Wed.evenings 7th Apr. 2010, The unrighteous mammon and the sharply dividing sword.

Church in the home Wednesday evenings 7th Apr. 2010

The unrighteous mammon and the sharply dividing sword, part 1

Luke 16: 10-12
And
Hebrews 4:12
This week we read theses two short passages, bearing in mind that the verses in Luke come at the end of a parable which is titled variously in bibles as "the parable of the unjust steward" Cambridge cameo bible, Authorised Kings James version, "de onrechtvaardige rentmeester" in the "staten vertaling, "the parable of the shrewd manager" in the new international version, the Unrighteous Steward in the New American Standard version, The companion bible in the marginal notes Bullinger has Parable: the Unjust Steward, in the REV*, it is called the "parable of the wise manager" … no wonder that this section has caused some confusion to those seeking the truth.
For this evening we limited ourselves to these three verses in Luke, and explored the simple principle of being faithful (trustworthy) in little things, and how that would be a good measure that someone would be faithful in greater things. No detail is too small to be cared for in life. The bible makes clear how concerned God is about the seemingly insignificant things in our lives, remember "he who sees the sparrow fall"…
These three verses, emphasise three different aspects round this theme…
Luke 16:10 Faithful in little, faithful also in much
Luke 16: 11 If not faithful in the unrighteous mammon (Mammonas – the Greek God of wealth), the true riches – who will entrust them to you? (hyperbaton – Bullinger figures of speech)
Luke 16: 12 If not been faithful in another mans (allotrio) who will give you that which is your (our) own? (humeteros / hemeteros)
Many of life’s examples and accounts of successful people bear tribute to these principles. God is concerned about who is looking after his affairs, and the true wealth of sheparding God’s people should only be entrusted to those who are able to look after "little", so to speak.
The Hebrews verse in chapter 4 verse 12 reminds us that the word of God is alive, powerful, and sharp, sharper than a two edged sword. I like to use it in any particular teaching. We are reminded to be sharp not only on the word but in all things.



http://www.biblicalunitarian.com/ (Biblical Unitarianism website)
http://www.truthortradition.com/ (Truth or Tradition web site)
http://www.stfonline.org/ (Spirit and Truth fellowship online website)