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Chapter 7 Key or Rule 4 of 7 - The Ordained Stewardship or Institution trusted to carry out the Dispensation, 1 Corinthians 4:1-3

Stewardship is one of the guiding principles of a dispensation

The 'Stewardship institution' is the way someone takes care of the dispensation in operation. The Institution is made up of the stewards responsible or ordained to carry out the operation of God's administration historically. The Stewardship is of a sovereign designer, giving parameters and responsibilities. There are six institutions found in Scripture. (See Chart of the Stewardship Institutions and there relationship to Dispensations)

The steward of a dispensation or administration carries out God’s dealings, rules, and expectations. The progressive failure of the stewardship within the dispensation brings about the end of a dispensation. When a stewardship fails it brings God’s longsuffering and patience to an end; and because of the stewardship’s failure the world lacks the witness of God and it allows the permeation of sin to come upon mankind, ultimately resulting in the punitive judgment from God. This brings a dispensation into a period of transition where the new one begins until the judgment of the former dispensation ends bringing the new dispensation into full operation.

All 7 Keys or guiding principles are common to all dispensations and without all seven principles being there a dispensation does not change. Therefore looking at the institution responsible for administering the dispensation is important helping to distinguish the dispensation and its changes. We see as we study dispensation when the steward fails in their responsibility the people become corrupt unto judgment, we see the saved being corrupted by becoming like the lost and the lost worse than ever, (see chapter on the failure of a dispensation).

Under the different dispensations, on the chart are seen the title ‘God’s Dealings’ showing how the people of this world were to be reached, are being reached or will be reached. We see five stewardship institutions over the seven dispensations, (Family Heads, A select family through Abraham, The Body of Christ, Christ Jesus on the Throne of David and The Eternal Kingdom).

God ordained each individual institution of the dispensation to reach mankind with the message of His desires for them bringing them to salvation and sanctification and giving a message to the lost that they could be saved if they respond according to God’s provisions which He had ordained. 

Note on the chart: the relationship of the people and how they related to the other aspects on the full chart. Each Dispensation ends except the Eternal Dispensation with man’s failure. God provides a new dispensation until the last where He provides salvation and hope based on His covenant of redemption and according to the operating rules at that time of the dispensation. The Dispensation of the Fullness of Time does not end because God has completed His offer of redemption to man. Satan and the non-redeemed with all evil are eternally gone to the Lake of Fire, Revelation 20.

As seen there is the institution (stewardship or servants) ordained of God to fulfill His plan, Romans 13:1. The Steward is the institution the one who manages God's household, dispensation or administration and the steward is responsible to carried it out. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, Matthew 28:16-20, Genesis 28:10-16, Deuteronomy 6, Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 1:28, , (see chapter on universal principle which personal responsibility is universal, whether an individual or an institution).

God has chosen a steward as His instrument to carry out the operation of His administration historically: Family heads, a select family, (through Abraham and Sarah) - Israel, the Church call His Body and finally it will be during Christ’s ruling reign on earth through Nation of Israel in their physical bodies. Along with Christ at this time will be the glorified saints in their glorified bodies both Old Testament saint since creation and the Body of Christ believers ruling with Christ as fulfillment of God's promises given them when they lived on earth, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3, Ephesians 2:12-13, 2 Timothy 2:11-15, Revelations 5:9-12. Also those martyred during the tribulation will rule and reign along side of Christ as promised, Revelation 20:4.

Section on main Chart - Shows God's Dealing with mankind and the Ordained stewardship/institution

The chart shows the instrument who God ordained as steward for the historical fulfillment of the dispensation. The Steward was/is responsible for the operations and the carrying out God’s administration to mankind. This is a key to understanding dispensations correctly.

Dispensation 1, 2, 3, - Animal Sacrifices through the priesthood of the family head as steward. God’s dealings are with all mankind.

Dispensation 4, - A select family and his posteriors as the ordained stewards who would bless the rest of the world. The worlds’ blessing would come to the rest of the world in proportion to their blessings of God’s ordained people. Animal sacrifices were practiced for the covering of sin until Christ Jesus’ finished work and the coming of the Holy Spirit putting into effect the New Covenant. This historically came through the Nation of Israel bring God’s blessings to the rest of the world and their stewardship, “I will bless them which bless you and curse them which curses you,”. Christ Jesus was to be dispensed through the Nation of Israel's stewardship but they failed in their responsibility and the pending judgment of the tribulation was the next prophecies event in history but God revealed a mystery dispensation not found in prophecy and the Nation of Israel's steward was postponed until the end of the Dispensation of the Grace of God.

Dispensation 5 - The stewardship is given to the church called the Body of Christ made up of all believers from every nation. This dispensation was fully revealed through the writing of the Apostle Paul who wrote the majority of the New Testament book (not the longest but most books). He wrote at least wrote 12 and maybe he wrote the book of Hebrews also so if he did there are thirteen. He was commissioned by God to be the Apostle to the Gentiles and he ministered to all mankind according to the revelation he received from God alone, (not on someone else teaching).

Dispensation 6 – God’s fulfillment with the Nation of Israel, dealing with them in fulfillment of the Davidic covenant in the Millennial reign. they again will be the stewards of the earthy Dispensation of the Kingdom in the fulfillment the promise to Abraham and David.

Dispensation 7 – The last and eternal dispensation where sin is no more, and all saints live forever being equal forever, and all rejecters’ of God and His revealed truth are in the Lake of Fire. God alone will be the steward, 'King of Kings', ' Lord of Lords', ' the Alpha and Omega and the role of Jesus Christ will be incorporated with the Farther, completing His work and being the Elohim of eternity.

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