Prisoner in the Lord

-
Remnants of the prison in Philippi where it is believed that Paul was held. 


Scripture:

Eph. 4:1    I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

Observation:

This passage is an appeal to unity but before Paul goes into that detail, he wants to remind his readers that he is in chains in Rome. Following Christ is not necessarily an easy task and he wants those who will read his letter to know that they can, just as he has, rise above their circumstances. This includes ones personal and moral infirmities. Sometimes we are imprisoned by our own lives and Paul has intentionally given himself over to become a prisoner of Christ. 

Paul then begs or urges his readers to “lead a life” which quite literally means “to walk” a life that is “worthy of the calling.” The entire journey is to be infused with intentionality in uniting the body of Christ, revealing love that reflects true freedom. Paul has an expectation that believers will grow in grace and will desire to conform their lives to reflect the pure and righteous God whom they have chosen to serve. All of this is not oppressive but develops develops in beauty. 

Application:

Everyday there are things that keep us down, or hold us prisoner. It’s the tyranny of the urgent that remains before our eyes. For me, it’s another report to write, another sermon to prepare, more e-mails to answer, and more writing projects than I have time to prepare. It’s far too easy to become a prisoner to my in-box or to-do list. However, if I do that, I’m prone to miss out on the beauty and mystery to be found in God. 

The unity to which Paul calls us is found in the Triune God. When we are united with Christ, then we too participate in the relationship found in God. The result is unity, not on human terms, but on God’s. There is too much ego involved in all of us for this to happen only by human will. Only when we give ourselves over to entire participation in God can we be filled with God’s love and unity, which then spills over to the inclusion of others. This is why we want to be prisoners of Jesus Christ, for only then will our walk in life be entirely reflective of the nature of God. 

Paul believed that intentional imitation of Christ was like exercise for the spiritual life, strengthening the muscles and sinews of our lives and helping us to be formed into the image of God. This was not a works theology, but rather, a participation and willingness to imitate and be united with Christ. To be a prisoner in the Lord may include physical shackles, or, it may be glorious freedom resulting from a life of intentional and wholehearted devotion to Christ. 

Prayer:

Lord, we pray for unity among your children which will spill over into the surrounding culture. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Take Off Your Ornaments

-
Scripture: Ex. 33:4 ¶ When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned, and no one put on ornaments. Ex. 33:5 For the LORD had said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, and I will decide what to do to you.’” Ex. 33:6 Therefore the Israelites stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Observation: The people had sinned before God by making and worshiping the golden calf!  They had taken their golden jewelry — the earrings and other items they had gotten from the Egyptians and used them to create an idol.  Now, in an act of humility and repentance they were to take off all of their jewelry and ornaments.  It was a time of mourning over their sin and it included intentional action on the part of the Israelites.  Application: We don’t do all that well with humility and repentance!  It seems that we live in a ti...
Read more

Does God Value Boys More than Girls?

-
Scripture: Lev. 12:1 ¶ The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Lev. 12:2 Speak to the people of Israel, saying: ¶ If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be ceremonially unclean seven days; as at the time of her menstruation, she shall be unclean. Lev. 12:3 On the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised. Lev. 12:4 Her time of blood purification shall be thirty-three days; she shall not touch any holy thing, or come into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification are completed. Lev. 12:5 If she bears a female child, she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her menstruation; her time of blood purification shall be sixty-six days. Lev. 12:6 ¶ When the days of her purification are completed, whether for a son or for a daughter, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the tent of meeting a lamb in its first year for a burnt offering, and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. Lev. 12:7 He shall offer it before the LORD, and make atonement on her ...
Read more

On Grief and A Flute Player

-
Scripture: Matt. 9:23 When Jesus came to the leader’s house and saw the flute players and the crowd making a commotion, Matt. 9:24 he said, “Go away; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at him. Matt. 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. Matt. 9:26 And the report of this spread throughout that district. Observation: This is a simple story which we have heard or read numerous times. Jesus heals the little girl and the people rejoice. But at the moment in which he arrives at the home he encounters the professional mourners. These are the flute players, the ones who have come to make a great noise about the child’s death. It is the flute player that testifies to the fact that she is truly dead. Also, flutes were generally employed when it came to the death of a child. The whole community would therefore understand that it is a child who has died in this home. The flute player is doing the job they have ...
Read more