September 9, 2021. To followers of Jesus, our brothers and sisters in Christ in America.

Two-thousand years ago, Jesus proclaimed the coming of the Kingdom of God. He gathered followers and sent them to share the good news of this Kingdom to the world. As followers of Jesus, we are called to proclaim the gospel in our day and to live by the values of the Kingdom of God as a witness to our generation.

The authority to proclaim God’s Kingdom and the power to live by Kingdom values comes solely from our identity as redeemed children of God created in God’s image. When we bear that image faithfully, God works in and through us to reach a broken world. This image does not belong to us, it is a gift breathed into us in creation and re-established for us on the cross of Christ. Therefore, it is God’s most precious gift to us. Because it is a gift of grace, we are stewards of this image as followers of Jesus.

Throughout history God has used times of crisis and chaos to get the attention of His people. When we have listened, He has transformed human failure and futility into fertile moments of deep reflection that have brought God’s people back to Him in profound ways. When we have not, we’ve ended up in exile. We are presenting this Steward Manifesto believing that we are living in just such a time.

We believe at the root of the issues of our culture has been a dramatic shift in how we think about the nature and value of the human person. This Steward Manifesto is a call to our brothers and sisters to reclaim our calling to be stewards of this identity, an identity that is being attacked, confused and distorted. The signs of this loss of identity are everywhere.

• We have accommodated the gospel to a cultural agenda and now stand by helplessly amidst the precipitous moral decline all around us. We no longer talk about sin, so grace has become a meaningless word that has lost its power to transform.
• We’ve placed our security in false things, sought our identity from counterfeit sources, adopted an ownership attitude toward life and so we live with the same fear as the world around us. As a result, we have allowed idols such as affluence, self-reliance and financial security to take the place of a daily reliance on God’s provision.
• We fear the growing pluralism in our society, preferring the status quo rather than being salt and light that brings truth into the dialogue. As a result, we’ve lost of the voice and influence in the public square because we have pulled away from serious engagement with our culture.
• Inside our ranks we see a growing apathy toward discipleship and an insidious biblical illiteracy that cuts us off from our source of truth, guidance and strength. As a result, we live in a culture that dehumanizes people, yet we seemingly have no credible response.
• While younger generations are yearning for an authentic experience of God, we seem unable and ill equipped to introduce them to a genuine walk with Jesus. As a result, they are uninspired by our message because we have lost the sweet aroma of Christ.
• At the root of the issues of our culture has been a dramatic shift in how we think about the nature and value of the human person.
• We hear the cries across generations for meaning, belonging, community, security and peace yet we’ve compromised our voice, forfeited our credibility and tarnished our witness by the loss of our identity in Christ.

These are just a few of the indicators that we have abdicated our role as followers of Jesus and our responsibility to be proclaimers of the good news of the coming of the Kingdom of God in all of its fulness. The problem is not with our programs, our techniques, our strategies or our theology. We have lost our way because we have lost sight of our true identity. Or perhaps, we have lost our way because we have allowed a host of counterfeit identities to lure us away. We are trying to serve two masters, God and ourselves, and living as owners instead of stewards.

This Steward Manifesto is not a call for us to return to a golden age of the past, or toward some utopian vision of a self-actualized future. This is a call for us as followers of Jesus to find our way back onto the narrow road where Jesus is waiting, like the father of the prodigal son, for us who have squandered our inheritance to come to our senses and return.

Following Jesus in our day and in this culture will look nothing like it did in the past. For us to faithfully follow our Lord into the world will require us to steward our identity through a passionate return to the kind of complete surrender that leads to freedom and the peace of God that passes all understanding.

Only as stewards can we embrace the radical solutions God has planned for these days. Only by giving up control, trusting the Holy Spirit, living in moment-by-moment obedience, surrendering the outcomes and waiting on God will true revival come. And such revival will take us to a new place, not recover an old one.

This call to steward our identity in Christ provides a lens through which followers of Jesus can view and respond to the pressing social, ethical and cultural issues of our day. Our prayer is for this Steward Manifesto to provide the followers of Jesus with a solidly biblical frame through which to consider their faith journey in light of these pressing issues.

What might that look like?

• Imagine experiencing a renewed passion for intimacy with God as you steward your relationship with God through a recommitment to fervent prayer, rigorous study of His word and vibrant, Christ-centered worship.
• Imagine surrendering every part of your life in a deeper way than you have ever experienced, resulting in meaningful, loving service as you steward your relationship to your neighbor.
• Imagine living at the forefront of a global wave of reconciliation fueled by your passion to steward your identity as a child of God.
• Imagine experiencing the joy of stewarding God’s creation and giving back freely to God’s work from all He has entrusted to you as a steward.
• Imagine your marriage, family and community transformed by your commitment to live humbly as a faithful steward in every area of life.
• Imagine the world witnessing you living a fearless life, shining out as a source of hope, love, selfless service and truth.

This is a glimpse of the vision for what we pray God will manifest in our lives through the Steward Manifesto.

Laying the Foundation

The Steward Manifesto is built on the biblical teaching that in creation God’s gift of relationship was given to us to steward faithfully under His guiding hand. As bearers of the image of God, we were perfectly designed to live as stewards through the four relationships that mark our core meaning and purpose; our relationship to God, Self, Neighbor and the Creation. God the Creator and Sustainer of life was the sole Lord, the one true owner of all creation.

In Eden there was one kingdom and one King. Everything God intended for His creation was given to us as a gift of grace. In the shalom of Eden, we lived as one-kingdom people. One-kingdom people are stewards. One-kingdom people are selfless. One-kingdom people know to whom they belong. One-kingdom people are secure in their purpose and identity. One-kingdom people are free.

That is precisely where the enemy attacked. The false narrative was framed at the tree in Eden with the original lie, “You will be like God.” (Genesis 3:5) We re-enact the sin of Eden every time we try to play the lord in our life and turn God’s one-kingdom gift into a two-kingdom possession. Two-kingdom people choose control over surrender, live as owners instead of stewards, and sacrifice freedom in the pursuit of happiness through accumulation of power and possessions. As a result, two-kingdom people live in bondage.

In John 10:10 Jesus frames the issue, names the deception and proclaims the life He redeemed for each of us. “The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy, but I came that you may have life and have it to the full.” The Steward Manifesto is a call to the body of Christ to understand the demonic agenda of the enemy, name where it has become comingled with the agenda of the church and proclaim the promise of the abundant life in Jesus that is only found through complete surrender and the life of the faithful steward. Everything in all creation belongs to God. We don’t own any of it. We never did.

This is the spiritual battle of our generation, and it is a battle we are losing. We will frame the battle as our calling to live as faithful and free stewards in all four of these relationships. We will name the deceptions we have allowed to take root that rob us of the freedom we have in Christ. And we will proclaim for the body of Christ a new vision for how we might rise triumphantly through repentance and restoration that can lead to true revival.

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Hebrews 4:16

We were created to be faithful stewards, starting with our relationship with God. We do not own this relationship but steward it on behalf of the One who created us for this relationship. The purpose for our lives and meaning of our existence is discovered solely in a deep, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. We experience the love and grace He has in His heart towards every single unique creation within our collective humanity. When we embrace our call to steward our relationship with God, we can experience true intimacy with Him. When we do not, we allow distractions to steal the joy of this intimacy and lure us into a two-kingdom life where we try to serve two masters. Therefore:

• We reject the lie that there are things in this world that can bring us more pleasure, happiness and peace than knowing God intimately.
• We reject the lie that we can own and control our relationship to God and conform it to ways that we believe will bring us the most happiness, and the distortion that deeper intimacy with God comes solely through our ‘daily devotions’ apart from confession, repentance, surrender and obedience.
• We reject the lie that God is more concerned with what we do than who we are, that working for God should be more valued than letting God work in us, and that producing fruit through our labor is a higher calling than bearing the fruit of the Spirit through abiding in Christ.

Proclaiming the Truth

As stewards we embrace the truth that God’s heart is rooted in a love so lavish that He sent His own Son for the purpose of redeeming our lives, forgiving our sin, and drawing us close to himself. Therefore:

• We proclaim the truth that knowing God more intimately must be the greatest, highest and most passionate desire of a follower of Jesus because intimacy is His idea and His greatest desire for us.
• We proclaim the truth that it is only in an intimate relationship with God, through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit that we discover our true identity and find meaning in life as His stewards.
• We proclaim the truth that a deeper walk with Jesus changes everything: it heals us, it restores us, it reconciles us, it comforts us, it encourages us, it calls us, it equips us, and it transforms us.

Our Call to the Body of Christ

As image bearers of God through Jesus Christ, we were created for a whole, meaningful relationship with God through our identity in Christ. We are called to steward this relationship, and therefore:

• We call the body of Christ to steward this relationship by returning to His embrace, becoming so surrendered to Christ that His sweet aroma will flow from us and will draw all people to Him.
• We call the body of Christ to name the things that distract and pull us away from the intimacy God desires for us and surrender them back to God, thirsting for Him to take us to a deeper level than we’ve ever experienced starting with confession and repentance.
• We call the body of Christ to preach and teach against our works-focused culture and proclaim the truth that abiding in Christ is our highest calling and God’s greatest desire for our life.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of Him everywhere. 2 Corinthians 2:1

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a new creation: The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

We were created to be faithful stewards, including our relationship with our self. We do not own this relationship but steward it on behalf of the one who created us for it. As living beings created by God, we declare the uniqueness, value and worth of every man and woman as an image bearer of their Creator. Because we are made in the image of God, we are objects of His love and stewards of the life He gives us. We are defined as humans by our identity in God as His stewards. When we embrace our identity as God’s stewards, it touches every aspect of our lives, especially our understanding of who we are. When we believe we own and control our identity we allow false narratives to shape who we are. We live in bondage and as a result we buy into the lie that lures us into a two-kingdom life and try to serve two masters. Therefore:

• We reject the lie that we can find our identity and purpose in any other place than in an intimate relationship with God, through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.
• We reject the lie that we control and determine our own identity, whether by tying it to our success, achievements, and roles we play or by listening to the many voices that claim our identity is a preference we choose for our own pleasure instead of being a gift given to us by God that we steward for His glory.
• We reject the lie that our life belongs to us and not to God, including our identity.

Proclaiming the Truth

In direct contradiction to these false narratives, we embrace our core identity as being God’s stewards. Therefore:

• We proclaim the truth that God is good and that He created us good, that we are children of God in Jesus Christ, that this identity is a gift from God, and this reality alone shapes our identity.
• We proclaim the truth that as stewards of this precious gift, we are called to the highest level of love and service, acting as champions of reconciliation and justice because all bear His image.
• We proclaim the truth that our identity as God’s stewards creates a way forward to deep, personal meaning, and we best steward our identity by helping others live fully into their own identity as God’s precious children, joyfully stewarding all our other relationships for His glory.

Our Call to the Body of Christ

As image bearers of God through Jesus Christ, we were created for whole, meaningful relationships with God through our identity in Christ. Therefore:

• We call the body of Christ to stand firm against the lie that identity is self-defined and instead to steward its responsibility in affirming that every believer can find their identity as a child of God in Jesus Christ.
• We call the body of Christ to be compassionate towards all people because they also are made in God’s image and to fulfill its stewardship role by inviting all people to find their meaning, purpose and identity in Christ. · We call the body of Christ to preach, teach and model the truth of God’s image in us, to stand against popular cultural narratives about human self-image that are in conflict with God’s Truth.

“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’” Romans 8:14-1

Jesus replied, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39

We were created to be faithful stewards, including our relationship with our neighbor. We do not own this relationship but steward it on behalf of the one who created us for it. Humanity is created to live and flourish in relationship with one another. God’s Kingdom is a community – a body. Stewards are called to create community, protect their community, and care for their community. Moving out from our relationship with God and our self we embrace our relationships with everyone as precious gifts. When we are tempted to follow false narratives about the value of human life, we cannot faithfully steward those relationships. Instead, we attempt to own and control our relationships with others, buying into the lies that only divide and isolate us. Therefore:

• We reject the lie that denies that sin is at the heart of all that separates us from our neighbor and that rejects the truth that it is the sin of our own idolatry, selfishness, and greed that causes us to see others as the enemy.
• We reject the lie that relationships are only valuable if they serve our own happiness, and we must therefore control them to that end.
• We reject the lie that we can develop meaningful relationships without presence, selflessness, patience, repentance and sacrifice.

Proclaiming the Truth

As faithful stewards we are called to pursue reconciliation through compassion and engagement, committed to treating all people as unique image-bearers of God. Therefore:

• We proclaim the truth that reconciliation with our neighbor requires us to name every sin that keeps us divided, repent of every attitude that separates us, and steward every opportunity to honor God through loving our neighbor as He commanded.
• We proclaim the truth that it is only when we stop controlling relationships to serve our own interests and start stewarding relationship to bless and serve others that we are truly following Jesus.
• We proclaim the truth that when we find the affirmation we need in the love of Christ we are set free to create God-honoring relationships that focus on the needs of others.

Our Call to the Body of Christ

Jesus prayed that we might be one as He and the Father are one, for, “then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” We must steward this holy calling. Therefore:

• We call the body of Christ to preach boldly against the sins that is divide us, to call us to repentance and to raise up a new vision for living as stewards of every relationship God places in our care.
• We call the body of Christ to be the loudest voice seeking for justice for our neighbor, the first to reconcile with our neighbor and the most faithful stewards of every relationship with our neighbor.
• We call the body of Christ to preach against our ownership attitudes regarding our relationships and pray for God to set us free to love our neighbors through Jesus Christ for the sake of the witness of the church and the transformation of our culture.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” John 17:20-21

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” Psalm 2:1

We were created to be faithful stewards, including our relationship with creation. We do not own this relationship but steward it on behalf of the one who created this world for us. Nowhere are the competing loyalties for our hearts more clearly seen than in our relationship with creation. Within the church we have seen a spirit of ownership and control produce a compromised message of Kingdom values mingled with worldly principles that ultimately places God’s people in bondage How we view our relationship to time, talents, finances and the earth itself has a powerful impact on our life and witness as the church of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, here, more than anywhere, we have bought the lie of the enemy that we own what only God owns and control what is His alone. As stewards, we must reject these lies with the full force of God’s truth. Therefore:

• We reject the lie that God is not concerned with how we use and invest our time, our skills or our money and that the church has no right to talk about them or challenge how we steward them.
• We reject the lie that the earth will be totally destroyed at the end of the age and is therefore not worth caring for, that the Biblical teaching on dominion gives license to abuse, destroy, or wantonly disregard the creation, and that God’s only goal is salvation of the soul, denying our full stewardship responsibility.
• We reject the lie of the so-called ‘prosperity gospel’ that God has granted creation to humanity in its entirety, and that material blessings are the entitlement of believers.

Proclaiming the Truth

As faithful stewards, we view all of life as a gift and our purpose in life is to steward it faithfully on behalf of God, the true owner. Therefore:

• We proclaim the truth that our use of every second of time, every ounce of our abilities and every penny God has entrusted to us is a stewardship issue that requires prayer, discernment and obedience, and therefore instruction on how we steward them is the right, proper and essential work of the church.
• We proclaim the truth that we are commanded and called to treat creation as God’s gift to us, to use it as God intended it to be, and that dominion means to protect, care, conserve, and sustain God’s creation as His representative, guardian and steward.
• We proclaim the truth that God is a God of abundance, and He has entrusted His people with the resources needed to fully fund every vision, goal and plan He places in the hearts of the leaders of His churches, ministries and organizations; pressed down, shaken together and overflowing.

Our Call to the Body of Christ

We must respond obediently to Scripture’s clear command to steward creation in all its forms that will bear witness to the world of the Lordship of Jesus Christ over all things. Therefore:

• We call the body of Christ to preach boldly that our security and our identity are found only in Jesus Christ and not in material things, freeing God’s people to an unprecedented level of lavish generosity that reflects the abundance of God and equips His work globally for such a time as this.
• We call the body of Christ to preach the whole Gospel and the message of hope and reconciliation to a broken world, to seek intimacy with God as our highest calling and not allow the pursuit, accumulation or false security of money to usurp the place of God in our hearts and lives.
• We call the body of Christ to a new level of commitment in caring for the environment by loving God through valuing the things He love and by seeking the well-being and flourishing of all aspects of creation.

“Let all creation rejoice before the LORD, for He comes, He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.” Psalm 96:13