"As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."
- 1 Peter 4:10
The Greek word for "steward" is OIKONOMOS. It literally means a manager of a household or of household affairs. It is broken up into two syllables, OIKOS, meaning a house, and NOMOS, which means an established law or rule. In other words, it involves our right and responsibility to see to it that the laws produced and approved by God are being carried out. A good example would be the law of love. Jesus himself said, "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another" (John 13:34). Under the Old Covenant the law was to love thy neighbor as thyself (Matt. 22:39). But under the New Covenant the command to love requires something much more. It requires of us to love as God loves. This was not even possible unto we became partakers of his divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). According to Romans chapter five, we are told: "The love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Rom. 5:5). That means we have the assurance from within that we are loved by God, but it also represents the fact that we are to love as he loves. That is why Paul wrote to the church of Thessalonica saying,"But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another"
(1 Thess. 4:9). We are taught of God to love because that is the rule of the kingdom. It's not an option. It's not even a suggestion. It is a law! And it becomes part of our administrative responsibility to keep this law as well as enforce it!
This is why Jesus said, "I give unto thee the keys of the kingdom..." (Matt. 16:19). In simple terms, if the rule of the kingdom demands our stewardship, then it becomes incumbent of us to function with administrative leadership. We hold within our hands the rule of law within the kingdom. That means we have the authoritative right to withstand any outside force that tries to disrupt the flow of God's kingdom on the earth. Whatever the enemy may try to do to interfere with heaven's affairs on earth, it is our duty to arrest it and put a halt to it in the Spirit.
Stop and think: If God says we are to be stewards over his house, then the very idea must carry with it the executive and administrative powers of the kingdom or otherwise, what would be the purpose of giving us the keys? A key (singular) would represent the ability to enter into the kingdom, but keys (plural) involve operational duties to open and close whatever is needed within the kingdom.
"...if the rule of the kingdom demands our stewardship, then it become incumbent of us to function with administrative leadership."
The Bible makes it very clear that we are called "citizens" of heaven. Not that one day in the sweet by and by we will become citizens (a part of that heavenly community made up of the faithful), but rather a commonwealth of citizens here below that has been called upon to live by a completely different rule of law than this world system. We are to function under the authority of a king, sitting far above all principalities, powers, might, and dominion. Within this citizenry we have been given keys to bind (prohibit or forbid) and loose (deprive of authority; to overthrow) whatever the flesh, the world, or the devil would seek to do to interrupt kingdom business.
Jesus put us in charge over heaven's affair here on earth, and it is our God-given duty to dismantle and discharge every activity that poses any threat to the household of faith. In other words, we could say that the agency of stewardship is all part of a heavenly homeland security network to oversee and facilitate the welfare of the kingdom. We do not leave it to chance. We do not leave it to fate. We take our place as stewards, enforcing the rule of God and whatever is needed or necessary to assure that kingdom objectives are carried out!
