Feeding the Sheep - Living the New Life 14
Instructions for Christian Households
"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord."
-Apostle Paul, 1st century
Colossians 3:22
[This is the 29th message of this series]
This lesson is intended for mature believers (or adulting believers). For a more orderly study, please go through all the previous messages first, if you haven't yet.
New Nature
This is the 14th part of this series, within a series.
Households
As we mentioned in the previous lesson, at the time of this writing all the believers are newbie believers, none of them born into the faith or grew up as Christians. They were the first ones in their family and in their community to follow Christ.
And so Paul was teaching them how to act like one.
Work Relations
Actually the next verse (v. 23) is connected to the verse we read above (v. 22), but we separated them because we want to address the mention of slaves because it is disconcerning.
And we might be asking ourselves, why is that even mentioned in the bible plus it seems like the good book is condoning slavery.
Not So
But as a matter of fact, Jesus is way ahead of His time as He led a 1st century civil rights movement, preaching that everyone is equal. The bible contains the good and the bad, it does not exclude things that we think shouldn't be there.
And we discuss these kinds of "delicate" issues in a separate series of lessons and so we will not go into it on this lesson.
We touched on the issue on slavery and racism in this lesson: Inconvenient Biblical Teaching - Racism/Slavery
Christ like
At that place and time, slaves were conmon, and some of them were becoming new believers.
All believers in Christ are called to be Christ like and coming to the faith we can just imagine how they can reconcile Christ's teachings and how it can be hard and confusing on them, being slaves.
But first, Apostle Paul had to address how they would behave towards their earthly masters.
God is a God of order. And He wants order not just in our family life but also in our work life.
There is structure and hierarchy in God's kingdom. And as such, because these new believers are in the situation they are in, their new nature is calling upon them to be obedient to those in charge over them, and try to win them over to the faith by their behavior.
Present Trial
We know this is easier said than done. But it can be done. We have seen this happen such as in the case of Joseph as recorded in the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament bible).
He was sold into slavery and worse imprisoned for a crime he did not commit, but he endured the situations he was put in and was obedient to his earthly masters, the authorities over him and to God.
God was with Joseph all throughout his ordeal, giving Joseph the opportunities and the favor to turn his circumstances around. And in the end, Joseph was able to recognize that every good and bad thing he went through was for a purpose and working towards a goal.
And not just for his own good but for the good of everyone around him, even his own family, who sold him into slavery and he was able to forgive everyone who have wronged him.
In the same way, those in Paul's time who were in the same situation as Joseph (sold into slavery), although they were freed from spiritual bondage as believers in Christ, they are still working out their current bondage as slaves to earthly masters.
But like Joseph, they will find favor with God and with people, and they wil be able to withstand their current situation and see the beauty like Joseph did that everything will work for good to those who love God and who have been called according to His purpose.
Again, easier said and done and difficult while undergoing their present condition. But this was precisely why they were brought into the faith as new believers, so they can endure. God will continue to watch over them, extend His grace and mercy towards them and they will find favor even in the worst of times and conditions.
God gave them all these, things we did not deserve. This kind of love and grace now resides in our spirit and this is the love we can extend to everyone.
In the same way, those in Paul's time who were in the same situation as Joseph (sold into slavery), although they were freed from spiritual bondage as believers in Christ, they are still working out their current bondage as slaves to earthly masters.
But like Joseph, they will find favor with God and with people, and they wil be able to withstand their current situation and see the beauty like Joseph did that everything will work for good to those who love God and who have been called according to His purpose.
Again, easier said and done and difficult while undergoing their present condition. But this was precisely why they were brought into the faith as new believers, so they can endure. God will continue to watch over them, extend His grace and mercy towards them and they will find favor even in the worst of times and conditions.
God gave them all these, things we did not deserve. This kind of love and grace now resides in our spirit and this is the love we can extend to everyone.
Image Credit:bibleverseimages
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