Philemon 1:8-9
The Apostle Paul had tremendous power and authority in the Church. He was the lead Apostle of the Gospel of the Grace of God. But Paul was also humble and wise. He knew from where the power came and he knew why he had it. We learn a very important lesson about the use of power in this little letter to Philemon.
Paul was in prison for the Christian faith. Onesimus, a runaway slave, received Christ through Paul's prison ministry. Onesimus became a big help to Paul. Paul would have loved for Onesimus to stay with him longer but he believed it was right to send Onesimus back to Philemon. The reason was that Onesimus was one of Philemon's slaves. Paul did not approve of slavery but it was a part of the Greek culture and a reality with which Paul had to deal.
Paul could have easily swelled with pride and ordered Philemon to free Onesimus from slavery instantly. Paul could have chewed out Philemon about what an awful thing slavery was to do to another human being. Paul could have demanded that Philemon welcome back Onesimus, forgive him and give Onesimus his freedom. "...I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do..." However, Paul did not swell with pride. He was humble about the power and authority God had given him. Paul was careful and wise in his use of that power. Instead of demanding, Paul appealed to Philemon "on the basis of love."
Love is more powerful than any order or command one person can give another. Paul had led Philemon to Christ years earlier (Philemon 1:19). They had a special bond of love. Philemon had come to the love of Christ through the love of Paul. Philemon had learned about God's love and the love of brothers for each other through Paul's ministry. Paul had been a great example of God's love to Philemon. Paul's words, "I appeal to you on the basis of love," had a special meaning to Philemon. He got the message. He understood what Paul was asking.
Paul wanted Philemon to do the right thing on the basis of love. Paul knew what Philemon should do: forgive Onesimus, receive him as a brother in Christ and give him freedom from slavery. That was within Philemon's power as a slave owner.
Philemon 1:15-16
Paul stressed the basic respect for humanity and the power of Christian love in that last statement: "...even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord." See how gentle Paul was in his argument? Paul tempered raw power with divine love.
Paul also expressed confidence in Philemon's ability to do the right thing.
Philemon 1:21
Paul was respectful of Philemon and Onesimus. Paul was gentle and careful in his counsel to Philemon. Paul was bold in his stand for what was right and wise in his use of Apostolic power.
Each of us has some power in life. We may be a pastor, teacher, elder, deacon, board member, choir leader, youth leader, husband, wife, father, mother, grandparent, older brother or sister, employer, or supervisor. We may even hold governmental power as a mayor, governor, president, judge, legislator, or police officer. As Christians, we look to God as the Author of all our power. We seek His Face about the use of that power. We have a responsibility, just as Paul did, to use our power for truth and right. We have an obligation to respect all people. We have a duty to be wise and gentle in the use of our heavenly and earthly power.
Paul is an excellent example of one who used power and authority well, but he wasn't the best example. Jesus Christ is THE EXAMPLE of using power and authority to perfection. Jesus was strong and gentle. He was wise and careful. He was demanding and merciful. Jesus Christ is The Power of all life. He is God! He thinks it and it is done. He desires it and it happens. He wants it and all creation does His bidding. Yet, even with all that power, Christ does everything "on the basis of love."
Jesus told people to come to Him and He would give them rest. He told them that His yoke was easy. The secret to our peace in Christ is that Christ is "in" you and you are "in Christ. Christ in you is the hope of glory. Christ in you is the power for living the GraceLife.
Galatians 5:22-23
The Spirit of God does some wonderful things inside the hearts and minds of Christians. His ministry makes us better people. The Holy Spirit builds each of us up in areas we are lacking. One of the things that happens when Christians cooperate with the Spirit's work is we become "patient."
The Greek word for "patience" is makrothumia . It is the combination of two other words: makros (long) and thumos (temper). The idea of makrothumia , is to suffer long (longsuffering). It means enduring patiently instead of losing faith or giving up. One translator wrote that the word carried the idea of exercising understanding and patience toward people. (Zodhiates) The English definition is similar: "bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint, manifesting forbearance under provocation or strain, steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity."
Let's face it, being human is not easy; being Christian can seem even harder. We have enough trouble dealing with our own shortcomings. Putting up with other people's problems and hangups makes it tougher to live, behave and react the way Christ would want. Think of somebody who's giving you a hard time. Maybe it's someone in your family, someone at church, someone at work. How do you react to them? Do you show them the love of Christ when they're working overtime to make you miserable? Are you suffering for the cause of Christ? Is your faith the reason people try to hurt you? That's where the Holy Spirit moves in and makes a difference. It's the secret of Christ "in" you and you "in Christ. We cannot live the Christian life. Only One Person can do that: Christ Himself. Christ in you is your hope of glory. Christ in you is the Way to live. Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Christ is the One Who will live like a Christian through you. He will be patient through you. Patience is a natural outflow of Christ in us. It is the fruit of His Spirit in us.
Think about physical fruit for a minute. How do you get fruit from a tree or plant? First, plant the seed in the right kind of soil where it can get plenty of sunlight. Next, feed and water it. Protect it from insects, disease and weeds. Watch over it day and night. If you care for it, it will grow and you will get fruit. If you don't, you won't. It's the same with spiritual fruit. The Holy Spirit planted us in the right kind of soil where we can get plenty of Sonlight. He warned us about sin and pointed us to right living. He fed us from God's Word and watered us with His Love and Grace. He watches over us day and night. He cares for us. If we care for ourselves, obey God and cooperate with the Spirit in us, we see spiritual fruit in our lives. Just as people can walk by your garden and see what you planted and how well your plants are doing, people can walk by your life and see how well you are doing "in" Christ.
Suffering long is just one of the reasons we need patience as Christians. Another is that God asks us to wait for Him. He has a Plan for us and wants us to follow Him. He wants us to wait for Him to show us His Will for our lives. He asks us to do that with patience.
Romans 8:25
1 Thessalonians 1:10
Titus 2:11-14
Notice that God doesn't ask us to wait around and do nothing until Jesus returns. He gave us His Grace to teach us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions. He wants us to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age "while we wait" for Christ to return. The fruit of the Spirit does NOT include laziness. It does NOT allow for inactivity. God's fruit in our lives will always be active and hardworking. Jesus redeemed and purified for Himself "a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Eager to do good! That's what the fruit of the Spirit will cause in our lives: patience in all circumstances as we serve others and do good.
Do you get what you want when you want it all the time? Do your children? Your friends? Of course not. That isn't possible; nor should it be. We don't always know what we want. We don't always want the right things. God sometimes makes us wait so we'll learn to trust Him. Sometimes He makes us wait to learn valuable life lessons. Many times He makes us wait to protect us from something that could do us terrible harm. Bottom line: trust God. If He tells you to wait, wait. He knows best.
How do we wait? By listening to God's Voice within and without. Remember, Christ is "in" you and you are "in Christ. The Holy Spirit speaks clearly through God's Word. The Holy Spirit speaks clearly to our hearts and minds from within. If we will cooperate and let the Spirit do His Holy work in us, we'll have patience when we need it.
Romans 12:1
The Apostle Paul had little to say in his writings about the formal worship of God, but what he said went a long way. Paul believed a Christian's spiritual act of worship was to offer their bodies as living sacrifices. Christians of that day understood what a sacrifice was because many of the religions, including Judaism, practiced it. Worshippers would bring something of value, animals, vegetables, fruit and precious metals, and give it to a priest or priestess as a gesture of "worship" to their gods. They often did it out of fear or desire for a special blessing. Paul said a Christian's "act of worship" was to offer their bodies as living sacrifices. It was a willing act of love, not fear.
"Worship" is latreian . It means "to render religious service or homage." The word is translated as "act of worship, ministry, service, minister." Paul is saying the way we worship, serve and minister to God, is by offering our bodies as living sacrifices. The way we live is worship. We give ourselves to Him completely. That is what God wants from us!
Christians often ask the question: "What does God want me to do with my life? What is His will for me?" Here's one of God's answers: offer your body to Him as an act of spiritual worship and service. Easier said than done. How does a Christian "offer" their body as a "living sacrifice"?
"Offer" is parastesai . It means "to place beside or near, to present, to offer, to put at one's disposal." Pagan priests would "offer" their sacrifices to the gods. The Levitical priests of Judaism would "offer" their sacrifices to God for Him to do with as He pleased. Offering our bodies to God as a living sacrifice is to place our bodies (somata ) at God's disposal. We give ourselves to Him! We say: "God, here I am. Take me, use me. My life, my heart, my mind, my body, my time, my talents, my gifts, my money, my possessions are at your disposal. Do with me and what is mine as you will." That's the attitude of a "spiritual act of worship."
"Living sacrifice" is zosan thusian . Jewish and pagan priests killed their sacrifice, burned it and offered the sacrifice to God or their gods. They would eat a portion of it as payment for their service. The sacrifice was demanded by the diety to pay homage, often for forgiveness of sins. Christians do NOT offer God their bodies as a sacrifice for sin. Jesus Christ did that already; once for sin. We offer our bodies to God as living sacrifices because we love Him and owe Him everything. It is how we "praise" God and worship Him in the deepest way possible. It is how we enjoy God. Jews gave God a tenth of their earnings. Pagans gave a portion of what they had. God does not want a tenth. He does not want a portion. He wants Christians, His children, to give Him everything! God wants all of us; not because we have to do it to receive forgiveness, but because we can as a way of showing our love and gratitude. It is the power of Christ "in" us.
God is pleased with this act of worship. Why? Because He knows that is how Christians will experience peace. God knows we can never be fully at peace until we do. Paul said that offering our bodies as living sacrifices is "holy and pleasing to God." Do you want to live a holy life? Do you want to please God? Do you want God's joy and peace running through your life? Give Him your body. That is your "spiritual act of worship!"
One last thought: this act of worship is logical. It makes sense. The word "spiritual" is logiken . The word pertains to our faculty of reasoning. It means "reasonable, rational, logical, following reason." Jewish and pagan priests worshipped in an "outward" fashion. They did their worship for "physical show." A Christian's worship is private and "inward". It is not for show. That's why it's called "spiritual" worship. Our worship is between us and God. We offer our bodies to Him so He will be pleased. We are not trying to please people around us. That's where so many Christians fail in their service to God. They get the physical and spiritual sides of worship confused. Jesus said some very harsh words to and about people who worshipped outwardly and physically but not inwardly and spiritually. God wants worshippers to give their bodies to Him as living sacrifices.
Think about this as you serve God and others at home, in the neighborhood, at work and school, and in church.
2 Corinthians 4:16
Three Bible authors used the phrase "do not lose heart" in their writings. Jermemiah told the people of Judah not to lose heart when they heard rumors of violence and war. God would destroy Babylon. The writer to Hebrews told his readers not to lose heart when God disciplined them. God disciplines those he loves. Paul told the Corinthians not to lose heart even though they were wasting away outwardly. Inwardly they were being renewed day by day.
The words "do not lose heart" are always meant as a strong encouragement. Losing heart is one of the possibilities of being human. Life can become so difficult, so painful, that people lose heart. Once a person loses heart, it's tough to do anything. Even the minor actions of life can seem monumental and beyond human endurance.
The Greek word translated "lose heart" is enkakeo . It is used six times in the New Testament. It is translated as "lose heart, become weary, discouraged, give up, tire of." I think all of us can relate to the meaning. Losing heart and becoming discouraged are emotions we've all experienced in our lives. Paul uses the words ouk egkakoumen . That translates as "do not lose heart." Paul uses it twice in the 4th chapter of 2 Corinthians. In verse 1, Paul writes, "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart." He repeats the word again in verse 16 which is in the same general context of living a life of God's Grace (GraceLife) in jars of clay (our humanity). Paul reminded the Corinthians that the treasure of God's Grace existing in the clay of our humanity was to show that "this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." That is a primary pillar of the GraceLife God has given each Christian. It is the reality of Christ "in" you and you "in Christ.
What reason does Paul give us not to lose heart? "Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day." "Wasting away" is diaphtheiretai . It means "corrupted, decaying." It is more than just growing older and coming closer to physical death. Everyone faces that. Why should growing old cause us to lose heart? Look at the context of chapter 4. This is what causes believers to lose heart.
2 Corinthians 4:8-12
The problems of life are what cause people to lose heart and give up. If we all lived in a paradise where nothing ever went wrong, no pain or problems, where we received everything our hearts desired, growing old wouldn't cause us to lose heart. The Grace of God comes to the front when Christians are in the battle of life. When we grow weak from the problems, the attacks, the labor and pain of human existence, God's Grace appears fresh and powerful in us for all to see. "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."
We are not supermen or superwomen; nor should we try to be. We are human beings, jars of clay. A clay jar breaks easily if not handled carefully. What makes us different from everyone else on earth is that we carry God's Treasure in our jar: Christ, the Light of God, "in" us.
Yes, we all are wasting away. That's part of being human. But something else is going on in a Christian's life.
"Renewed" is anakainoutai . It means to "make new in a different way." God is re-newing us. He's making us different and better than before. That's what Christianity is about: making people better with Christ than they were without Him. It's a daily process. What we have is the decay of the flesh and the renewing of the spirit. If a Christian dies of old age, they should be at their weakest point physically and their strongest point spiritually. That's the way it should be. It is a continual process. The tenses of the Greek words point to a continual process of physical decay and spiritual renewal. It's going on everyday. Our jars of clay are slowly wasting away, but our spirits are slowly growing in strength and power! We are becoming like Christ because He is "in" us and we are "in" Him! We are slowly changing from the mortal life we live here to the immortal life that is our future. We are processing from life on earth to life in heaven. We get closer every day.
"Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © , 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers."
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Last Updated: 12/20/1999 "Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love."
"Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good--no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord."
"Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask."
"Heavenly Father, thank you for your love. Thank you for giving Your Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place. Thank you that He used His Power and Authority "on the basis of love" and paid the penalty for sin. Father, thank you for giving us power and authority on earth. Help us use it wisely, gently, correctly. Help us make decisions and direct others "on the basis of love." Keep us from being filled with pride. Keep us from abusing our power and authority. Help us use it for good. Help us be a blessing to all people for Your sake. In Jesus Name we ask this, Amen."
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
"But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently."
"...and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead--Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath."
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say 'No' to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good."
"Father, help us be patient. Help us wait on you. Help us endure the tough times and people who come into our lives. Holy Spirit, please produce in us your Holy Fruit. Help us blossom beautifully for the whole world to see the Glory of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We depend on you. We thank you. In Jesus precious Name, Amen."
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship."
"Father, help us as we consider our 'spiritual act of worship' this week. Show us what it means for us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Father, we trust you to show us the way. We ask this in Jesus precious Name, Amen."
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."
"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."
"...yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."
"Father, help us with this phenomenal, spiritual change going on in our lives today. We look at our bodies and the way life treats us and we can lose heart. We can get to a point where we just give up. We all know Christian brothers and sisters who have lost heart. Lord, we don't want that to happen to us. We hear what you are saying through Paul's letter to the Corinthians. We understand what it means. Now, help us to never forget. Help us to live the GraceLife as You mean for us to live it. We pray in Christ's Powerful Name, Amen."