Post by poetsunshine on Mar 19, 2009 20:48:56 GMT -6
-II
SERVANTS BE OBEDIENT
EPHESIANS 6:5...SERVANTS, BE OBEDIENT TO THEM THAT ARE YOUR MASTERS ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING, IN SINGLENESS OF YOUR HEART, AS UNTO CHRIST.
Did you know the Bible has something definite to say about labor-management relationships?
Paul is very anxious that Christians should have the full blessing of God, which they can have if they are filled with the Holy Ghost. The last mentioned by Paul is that Christians should be submitting themselves one to another.
This bring us all right into the matter of living in this world. Living goes on among people. This is what adds to our problems. It is so natural for anyone to be affected by the actions of others. For instance, if I am greeted in the morning in a cheerful way, I am lifted up, and helped for the day.
The opposite of that is also true. If I should meet someone who is unhappy, down-hearted, discouraged, pessimistic and feels quarrelsome, that would set me in a bad mood. This would complicate our relationship with others. We serve each other. In one situation I may be the master, in another the servant.
Paul speaks of this; SERVANTS, BE OBEDIENT TO THEM THAT ARE YOUR MASTERS ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING, IN SINGLENESS OF YOUR HEART, AS UNTO CHRIST; NOT WITH EYE-SERVICE, AS MEN-PLEASERS; BUT AS THE SERVANTS OF CHRIST. DOING THE WILL OF GOD FROM THE HEART; WITH GOOD WILL DOING SERVICE, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT TO MEN; KNOWING THAT WHATSOEVER GOOD THING ANY MAN DOES THE SAME SHALL BE RECEIVE OF THE LORD, WHETHER HE BE BOND OR FREE. EPH. 6:5-8.
It is notable that Paul should write so fully about this. When Paul is admonishing servants to be obedient to their master, he is simply saying; “Do what the boss tells you. He is in charge,” the servant should do as he asks WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING. It does means the “Christian might fail or blunder. So he is saying; “Do what the boss asks, and keep in mind you might makes a mess of the whole thing. This will keep the Christian humble, which is always essential.
IN SINGLENESS OF HEART means genuinely sincere. We are all servants. Paul would say, be careful that we so as we should, we should be humble.
Christians are to do all of this AS UNTO THE LORD. Christians are to work as if they were working for he Lord Himself. Paul goes right to the heart of this matter. The boss may not be a good man, he may be dishonest. But the Christian must not be dishonest. As for as he Christian is concerned, he should work for his boss as if he were working for the Lord. He should do the very best he can. He may work in an office. He should be as accurate, neat and prompt as he can be.
Perhaps the Christian is a housewife; she should cook, clean, take care of every-thing as if the Lord Himself were at the table. She should do all as unto the Lord. Perhaps in her work she has been treated unfairly. She must turn everything over to the Lord; this will give all others pause to think of her witness.
NOT WITH EYE-SERVICE, AS MEN PLEASERS; BUT AS THE SERVANTS OF CHRIST, DOING THE WILL OF GOD FROM THE HEART; WITH GOOD WILL DOING SERVICE, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT TO MEN. EPH.6:6-7
Regardless of how the Christian is treated, regardless of what that other man is worth and regardless of what kind of a being he is, the Christian will do his assigned work with good will intending to do the very best for his boss, as if he were doing this for the Lord and not for men.
KNOWING THAT WHATSOEVER GOOD THING ANY MAN DOES, THE SAME SHALL BE RECEIVE OF THE LORD, WHETHER HE BE BOND OR FREE. EPHESIANS 6:8.
IN Paul’S day and time there were slaves and there were masters. Paul would say to the Christian slave that he should do his work as if he were working for the Lord. This is real liberty. The entire matter of being free or being a slave for a Christian can be understood in this way.
In the sight of God the Christian is a slave, a bond slave of Jesus Christ. You may be a boss in this world, but you are not a boss with Him. This truth can be turned around the other way. It may be that though a Christian in Christ, you are a servant. In the sight of God, you are an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. You are literally one of God’s own people regardless of where you are in this world.
This is the way Paul give the Christians a clue as to how they ought to act when they go to work for other people. they should work as thought they were working for the Lord.
EPHESIANS 6:5...SERVANTS, BE OBEDIENT TO THEM THAT ARE YOUR MASTERS ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING, IN SINGLENESS OF YOUR HEART, AS UNTO CHRIST.
Did you know the Bible has something definite to say about labor-management relationships?
Paul is very anxious that Christians should have the full blessing of God, which they can have if they are filled with the Holy Ghost. The last mentioned by Paul is that Christians should be submitting themselves one to another.
This bring us all right into the matter of living in this world. Living goes on among people. This is what adds to our problems. It is so natural for anyone to be affected by the actions of others. For instance, if I am greeted in the morning in a cheerful way, I am lifted up, and helped for the day.
The opposite of that is also true. If I should meet someone who is unhappy, down-hearted, discouraged, pessimistic and feels quarrelsome, that would set me in a bad mood. This would complicate our relationship with others. We serve each other. In one situation I may be the master, in another the servant.
Paul speaks of this; SERVANTS, BE OBEDIENT TO THEM THAT ARE YOUR MASTERS ACCORDING TO THE FLESH, WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING, IN SINGLENESS OF YOUR HEART, AS UNTO CHRIST; NOT WITH EYE-SERVICE, AS MEN-PLEASERS; BUT AS THE SERVANTS OF CHRIST. DOING THE WILL OF GOD FROM THE HEART; WITH GOOD WILL DOING SERVICE, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT TO MEN; KNOWING THAT WHATSOEVER GOOD THING ANY MAN DOES THE SAME SHALL BE RECEIVE OF THE LORD, WHETHER HE BE BOND OR FREE. EPH. 6:5-8.
It is notable that Paul should write so fully about this. When Paul is admonishing servants to be obedient to their master, he is simply saying; “Do what the boss tells you. He is in charge,” the servant should do as he asks WITH FEAR AND TREMBLING. It does means the “Christian might fail or blunder. So he is saying; “Do what the boss asks, and keep in mind you might makes a mess of the whole thing. This will keep the Christian humble, which is always essential.
IN SINGLENESS OF HEART means genuinely sincere. We are all servants. Paul would say, be careful that we so as we should, we should be humble.
Christians are to do all of this AS UNTO THE LORD. Christians are to work as if they were working for he Lord Himself. Paul goes right to the heart of this matter. The boss may not be a good man, he may be dishonest. But the Christian must not be dishonest. As for as he Christian is concerned, he should work for his boss as if he were working for the Lord. He should do the very best he can. He may work in an office. He should be as accurate, neat and prompt as he can be.
Perhaps the Christian is a housewife; she should cook, clean, take care of every-thing as if the Lord Himself were at the table. She should do all as unto the Lord. Perhaps in her work she has been treated unfairly. She must turn everything over to the Lord; this will give all others pause to think of her witness.
NOT WITH EYE-SERVICE, AS MEN PLEASERS; BUT AS THE SERVANTS OF CHRIST, DOING THE WILL OF GOD FROM THE HEART; WITH GOOD WILL DOING SERVICE, AS TO THE LORD, AND NOT TO MEN. EPH.6:6-7
Regardless of how the Christian is treated, regardless of what that other man is worth and regardless of what kind of a being he is, the Christian will do his assigned work with good will intending to do the very best for his boss, as if he were doing this for the Lord and not for men.
KNOWING THAT WHATSOEVER GOOD THING ANY MAN DOES, THE SAME SHALL BE RECEIVE OF THE LORD, WHETHER HE BE BOND OR FREE. EPHESIANS 6:8.
IN Paul’S day and time there were slaves and there were masters. Paul would say to the Christian slave that he should do his work as if he were working for the Lord. This is real liberty. The entire matter of being free or being a slave for a Christian can be understood in this way.
In the sight of God the Christian is a slave, a bond slave of Jesus Christ. You may be a boss in this world, but you are not a boss with Him. This truth can be turned around the other way. It may be that though a Christian in Christ, you are a servant. In the sight of God, you are an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. You are literally one of God’s own people regardless of where you are in this world.
This is the way Paul give the Christians a clue as to how they ought to act when they go to work for other people. they should work as thought they were working for the Lord.
