The Flow Never Ends

What You Do Now Matters for Eternity: The Parable of the Minas

Review: Three Foundational Principles

1. God Owns Everything

Psalm 24:1 (AMP) "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness of it, the world, and those who dwell in it."

Haggai 2:8 (AMP) "'The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine,' declares the Lord of hosts."

2. We Are Stewards of What He Allows Us to Have

1 Chronicles 29:14 (NLT) "But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!"

3. We Have to Be Funnels and Not Containers

2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (AMP) "Now He who provides seed for the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed for sowing [that is, your resources] and increase the harvest of your righteousness [which shows itself in active goodness, kindness, and love]. You will be enriched in every way so that you may be generous, and this [generosity, administered] through us is producing thanksgiving to God [from those who benefit]."

What We Do in the Here and Now Goes into Eternity

Main Text: Luke 19:11-27 (AMP) – Parable of Money Usage

Setting the Scene: Verse 11

Luke 19:11 (AMP) "While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they assumed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately [as soon as He reached the city]."

Critical Question: Who's speaking to the church? Jesus.

The Nobleman's Journey: Verse 12

Luke 19:12 (AMP) "So He said, 'A nobleman went to a distant country to obtain for himself a kingdom, and [then] to return.'"

Important Questions:

• Church, what's the distant country? Earth
• Who was the first king supposed to be? Adam, and then Jesus

The Investment: Verse 13

Luke 19:13 (AMP) "So he called ten of his servants, and gave them ten minas [one apiece, each equal to about a hundred days' wages] and said to them, 'Do business [with this] until I return.'"

Key Observations About the Starting Point:

1. Each servant received the same amount: 1 mina
2. The money was given, not earned: No work was done to receive the initial investment
3. Each servant started the race at the same time
4. Each servant got equal opportunity
5. The command: "Work with what I have given you"

We Are All Given Equal Starting Points

Made in God's Image:

• We are made in the image of God
• We all have a talent

1 Peter 4:10 (AMP) "Just as each one of you has received a special gift [a spiritual talent, an ability graciously given by God], employ it in serving one another as [is appropriate for] good stewards of God's multi-faceted grace [faithfully using the diverse, varied gifts and abilities granted to Christians by God's unmerited favor]."

We Have a Measure of Faith

Romans 12:3 (AMP) "For by the grace [of God] given to me I say to everyone of you not to think more highly of himself [and of his importance and ability] than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has apportioned to each a degree of faith [and a purpose designed for service]."

The Rebels: Verse 14

Luke 19:14 (AMP) "But his citizens [the residents of his new kingdom] hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to be a king over us.'"

• We have free will and can choose not to follow God's plan
• Some reject the King entirely

The Day of Accounting: Verse 15

Luke 19:15 (AMP) "When he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these servants, to whom he had given the money, be called to him, that he might find out what business they had done."

Biblical Truth About Accountability

2 Corinthians 5:10 (AMP) "For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad [that is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities]."

The Three Reports: What Did They Do?

Servant #1: The Faithful Multiplier – Verses 16-17

Luke 19:16-17 (AMP) "The first one came before him and said, 'Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant! Because you proved yourself faithful and trustworthy in a very little thing, you shall [now] have authority over ten cities [in my kingdom].'"

The Result:

• Started with 1 mina
• Ended with 10 minas (1,000% return)
• Received authority over 10 cities
• Got the "Well done, good servant" commendation

Servant #2: The Moderate Multiplier – Verses 18-19

Luke 19:18-19 (AMP) "The second one came and said, 'Lord, your mina has made five minas.' And he said to him also, 'And you shall take charge over five cities.'"

The Result:

• Started with 1 mina
• Ended with 5 minas (500% return)
• Received authority over 5 cities
• Notice: There was not a "well done" attached

Servant #3: The Fearful Hoarder – Verses 20-21

Luke 19:20-21 (AMP) "Then another came and said, 'Lord, here is your mina, which I have kept laid up in a handkerchief [for safekeeping]. I was [always] afraid of you, because you are a stern man; you pick up what you did not lay down and you reap what you did not sow.'"

The Problem: Did nothing. Kept it safe but didn't multiply it.

Financial Scenario Illustration: 40 Years of Investment

Two Different Approaches to $10,000:

Investment Type

Average Annual Return

Value After 40 Years

Real Buying Power

S&P 500

7%

$149,700

Grows 15x

Savings Account

1%

$14,800 nominally

≈ $4,500 real value

The Point: What you do with what you're given matters dramatically over time.

The King's Response to the Fearful Servant – Verses 22-25

Luke 19:22-25 (AMP) "He said to the servant, 'I will judge and condemn you by your own words, you worthless servant! Did you [really] know that I was a stern man, picking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow? Then why did you not [at the very least] put my money in a bank? Then on my return, I would have collected it with interest.' Then he said to the bystanders, 'Take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has the ten minas.' And they said to him, 'Lord, he has ten minas already!'"

Key Principles from the King's Response

1. Management Precedes Promotion

2. Where Would You Invest? Let me ask you a question: Church, if you have an option to invest, would you invest where you see growth or no growth?

3. Use It or Lose It What you don't use, you lose.

4. What About the Other Seven? Notice only three servants reported. There are seven more left out—what happened to them?

The Final Principle: Verses 26-27

Luke 19:26-27 (AMP) "[Jesus explained,] 'I tell you that to everyone who has [because he valued his gifts from God and has used them wisely], more will be given; but from the one who does not have [because he disregarded his gifts from God], even what he has will be taken away.' [The king ended by saying,] 'But as for these enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and kill them in my presence.'"

Important Understanding: I believe when He speaks of "enemies of mine," He's speaking of those eight who didn't do anything (the one who hid it plus the seven who never reported).

Wisdom Key: The Hundredfold Return

Mark 10:29-31 (AMP)

"Jesus said, 'I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there is no one who has given up a house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel's sake, who will not receive a hundred times as much now in the present age—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms—along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.'"

Eternal Perspective: Time from God's Viewpoint

2 Peter 3:8 (NLT)

"But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day."

The Math: How God Sees Our Time

That means:

• 1 God-day = 1,000 human years

So:

• 1 human year = 1/1,000 of a God-day

Now for 10 years:

• 10 ÷ 1,000 = 0.01 God-days

Convert that to hours:

• 0.01 × 24 hours = 0.24 hours

Convert 0.24 hours to minutes:

• 0.24 × 60 = 14.4 minutes

Conclusion: 10 years of our time ≈ 14 minutes in God's time

What This Means for Us

Your entire life:

• Average human lifespan: 80 years
• In God's time: Approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes

The Challenge: What will you do with your brief moment to multiply what God has given you?

Summary: Lessons from the Parable

1. Everyone Starts with Equal Opportunity

• Same amount given
• Same time to work
• Same master to serve

2. What You Do with What You're Given Determines Your Eternal Reward

• The 10-mina servant: Authority over 10 cities + "Well done"
• The 5-mina servant: Authority over 5 cities (no "well done")
• The 1-mina servant: Lost what he had + condemned

3. Fear and Inaction Are Condemned

• The fearful servant was called "worthless"
• Even minimal effort (putting it in a bank) would have been better than nothing

4. Management Precedes Promotion

• Faithful in little = Authority over much
• Unfaithful in little = Loss of everything

5. Time Is Shorter Than You Think

• 10 years = 14 minutes in God's perspective
• Your whole life = Less than 2 hours to God
• What you do now echoes in eternity

Application Questions

1. What "mina" has God given you that you're currently keeping in a handkerchief?
2. Are you a 10-mina multiplier, a 5-mina multiplier, or a fearful hoarder?
3. What gifts, talents, time, or resources are you wasting through fear or inaction?
4. If you stood before the King today, would you hear "Well done, good servant"?
5. Are you investing for temporary comfort or eternal reward?
6. What would change in your life if you truly understood that your 70-80 years is less than 2 hours in God's time?
7. Are you one of the seven servants who never even reported? Are you doing nothing with what God gave you?

The Challenge

You have a mina in your hand right now.

It might be:

• Time
• Talent
• Treasure
• Relationships
• Influence
• Opportunities
• Faith

The question is: What are you doing with it?

Are you multiplying it for the Kingdom, or are you keeping it in a handkerchief for safekeeping?

Remember: What you do in the here and now goes into eternity. Your few minutes on this earth will determine your forever in the Kingdom.

Management precedes promotion.

Use it or lose it.

The King is coming back to settle accounts.