Hidden Saints

Scripture:

Philippians 4:21-23

Greet every saint in Christ Jesus. The friends who are with me greet you. All the saints greet you, especially those of the emperor’s household.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

Observation:

As this letter comes to a close Paul sends out his special greetings. Implied in this is that there are those within the church who are being transformed into saints by the holiness of Christ. It seems to be a normal expectation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 

Interestingly we catch a glimpse of the hidden saints which are now tucked into Roman life. The transformational work of the Holy Spirit had reached beyond human barriers and made its way into the household of the emperor. There, within the very bowels of power and authority were those who were being transformed into God’s holy people. They had now become a part of this new family of believers and sent their well-wishes to those who were serving in Philippi. 

The grace of Jesus Christ was prayed for and extended to all those who were united in Christ. 

Application:

The Apostle Paul never really gives us a “how-to” Manual on starting new churches and spreading the gospel, but he gives us hints when we catch a glimpse of the results. It’s amazing to think that a man living under house arrest was able to have a major influence upon the city of Rome. No wonder the government authorities were afraid of him! No matter what they did to try and contain him they could not suppress the power of the Holy Spirit working in and through him. The result was that people across the city and in high places of authority were turning to Christ. 

Evidently Paul believed that it was important to reach everyone, at every level of society for Christ. Yes, he ministered to the poor, but he also found ways to connect with those who were in high places and help them come to Christ. Over the years these hidden saints would have been in places of influence that would have helped to transform society. If you think about the fact that Christianity radically changed the world in just 300 years Christians themselves had to have infiltrated every level of society. 

Where are our hidden saints today? Christianity is under attack in many parts of the world. Criticism continues to mount that those who are followers of Christ would bring their “religious” opinions to work with them. The attack against believers is that they are bigoted and moral. It must be of vital importance to the hidden saints to remain true to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and love their neighbor. In other words, holy love ought to inform our behaviors day in and day out. And yes, Christians may be surprisingly honest, non-critical, hard-working, and dependable. At least I believe that this would be a genuine reflection of Jesus Christ in the workplace. 

Hidden saints are to be genuine reflections of Jesus Christ, taking him into places where he would not be invited. The church needs more hidden saints and has a responsibility to prepare Christlike disciples, armed and ready to go into the hidden and secret places of society and reach the world with the overwhelming love of Jesus. 

Prayer:

Lord, I pray that you empower the church to raise up more hidden saints and strengthen those saints for your work. Amen.