The BIG Picture (Shorts)

Let’s talk stewardship. If you’ve received the Word of God—really received it—you’re not just a believer, you’re a steward. That changes everything. A steward doesn’t own what he carries. He manages it faithfully. He’s entrusted with something of value for the benefit of others.  Paul didn’t say, “Let a man so account of us as collectors of spiritual artifacts.” He said, “as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1–2). So here’s the question: Are you faithful with what you’ve been given? Faithful to learn, yes—but also to teach, to distribute, to live it out. ______________ Please share these with friends and family. Use this WhatsApp channel to receive these quick Bible lessons on your phone: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaGag8iJP212QPSMmx2W

A "dispensation" is not a period of time, but an administration, or stewardship of time. It's more associated to a way of life than a length of time. The Greek word itself means to manage a household. It describes the role of a steward and a system or a way of doing things. Before Paul's mystery dispensation, Israel lived under the economy of law. God dealt with Israel differently to how He deals with us today. Thus, the mystery dispensation, which started at Paul's conversion, has more to do with God dispensing a new lifestyle of grace to replace Israel's law, than calculating the duration in ages or years on a timeline. A dispensation ends when God declares a new set of rules that changes the pattern or behaviour (1 Tim.1:16) of living from the previous dispensation. In summary, an age deals with time, whereas a dispensation relates to a way of life. So, when studying the Bible rightly divided, the focus should be on the way of living, and not on the duratio...