When I was about 19
I met a Christian at the tech school I was attending. One day we were
having a discussion about the claims of Jesus Christ, and the Spirit
really started working on my heart. What he said made a lot of sense,
and I was minutes away from committing my life to the lordship of Jesus
Christ.
But then he made a remark that completely turned me off to Christianity.
He said that when I became a Christian, I would cut my hair and shave
off my beard. I couldn’t see what a beard, or the length of hair had
to do with having a relationship with God. So I challenged him on his
statement.
His rationale for me doing all this was that when Jesus Christ enters
a person’s life, everything, inwardly & outwardly, changes. Unfortunately,
I rejected his rationale, and the Spirit’s tugging on my heart that
day. And it would be another 8 years before the Spirit spoke to me about
my need to get saved. This time it was through a church that accepted
me just as I was, long-hair, beard, and all.
I don’t want to be too hard on that young man who tried to share Jesus
with me. For all of us wonder if a genuine conversion has taken place
if there is little evidence of a changed life. Suppose a person makes
a profession of faith in Christ but still cusses, is this person a genuine
Christian? Or suppose they still cheat on their income tax, is this
person a genuine Christian?
Or suppose they still hang around bars and strip joints, is this person
a genuine Christian? Or suppose they still ingest a steady diet of soaps
and Jerry Springer, is this person a genuine Christian? Or suppose they
still yell at his or her spouse and kids everyday, is this person a
genuine Christian? My answer when I first got saved, was, “No way!”
But as I have seen myself struggle with my own sins, I now say, “It
is possible!”
I say that because while it is true that many aspects of a person’s
life becomes new when Jesus Christ becomes the Lord of their life, it
is also true that not all things become new instantaneously. In fact,
Paul states 3 times within the space of 8 verses, that some things will
stay the same, even after one becomes a Christian. Paul says this in
verses 17, 20, & 24.
I am of the opinion that God never repeats himself without a reason.
When a principle is found three times in such a short span of Scripture,
I believe we ought to wake up and pay attention. What Paul means by
his thrice repeated statement is that when a person becomes a Christian
he shouldn’t immediately bail out of his marriage if he is married to
an unbeliever. Or he should immediately quit his secular job and go
on the mission field. Or he should move from his neighborhood to a Christian
commune. Or he should quit hanging around his heathen friends and join
a monastery.
Of course, there are exceptions to what Paul is saying. If a married
man is committing adultery when he gets saved, he shouldn’t continue
to sleep with his mistress. Or if a girl is living with her boyfriend
when she gets saved, she shouldn’t keep on living with him. Or if a
man is a bank robber when he gets saved, he should’t keep on robbing
banks. Or if a woman is a prostitute when she gets saved, she needs
to get hooked on Jesus, not stay a hooker.
One of God’s concerns is that his people are be able to accurately represent
Jesus Christ in the real world. He doesn’t want us to go around saying
we are Christians and then act as though we aren’t. If we are new creatures
in Christ then the world ought to be able to see the difference Jesus
has made in us. They should be able to see it in our job performance.
They should be able to see it in the way we treat our wives & children.
And they should be able to see it in the way we treat each other. In
order for that to happen, we need to live out our faith in the place
God has put us.
Now that may not sound as glamorous as going on the mission field, but
the truth of the matter is that we you leave these doors, you enter
into your mission field. And that field may be your home, or the place
you work, or the school you attend.
What Paul wants us to understand is that God has us where we are for
a reason--v. 17. This verse helps us to see the sovereignty of God in
the everyday affairs of our lives. The word distributed/assigned in
the Greek means to separate into parts. And the idea here is that each
person in the body of Christ is important because each person has been
given the assignment by God to represent him in to all the different
parts of this world.
There are many people who feel that since they are not doing much for
Jesus, then their lives are so insignificant that there is no way they
could be used by God. For example, most people don’t teach Sunday school,
or sing in the music ministry, or serve as a deacon or an elder. In
fact the only thing they may do in the church is serve in the nursery,
or show up for work days. The rest of the time they are stuck in an
office, or they work outside with a bunch of sweaty co-workers. And
it is easy to think that they are not doing anything of significance
for the kingdom of God.
And yet, Paul makes it clear that when it comes to life in general,
each of us have been given by God the assignment to glorify him wherever
we are in life. Please realize that many of the people you mingle with
on a daily basis may never, or rarely, ever go to church. And most of
the people you know I would never have the opportunity to talk to about
Jesus. But you do, through your lips & your life.
So you have the precious privilege of allowing people to see Jesus Christ
in you. For the way you bring glory to God is by allowing God to glow
from within you as you go through the same experiences of life that
everybody else does. That means we need to let the glow of God shine
whether we are going through tremendous struggles or when everything
seems to be going great. A good example of this is seen in the life
of Peter.
After his resurrection, Jesus said to Peter: “I tell you the truth,
when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted;
but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else
will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go. Jesus said
this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.
Then he said to him, ‘Follow me!’ Peter turned and saw that the disciple
whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned
back against Jesus at the supper and had said, ‘Lord, who is going to
betray you?’) When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’
Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what
is that to you? You must follow me.’” (John
21:18-22)
Peter’s life was going to be far differnent from John’s life. But both
of them was given the assignment to glorify God through their life.
In fact, it would be very easy to miss this fact if you fail to notice
that Jesus said that Peter’s death would glorify God. If Peter glorified
God even in his death; don’t you know that he also glorified God through
his life? The same is true of you and me. Wherever we are in life, at
any given moment, we are to glow for God. Always remember that the reason
God saved you is so your life can glorify him!
Paul goes on to explain to us how all of this applies to our lives--vv.
18-19. To a Jew circumcision was of paramount importance. To a Gentile
circumcision was despicable. When a Gentile became a Christian in a
church that was predominantly Jewish he sometimes felt that to be accepted
he had to submit to circumcision. On the other hand, when a Jewish person
became a Christian in a predominantly Gentile church he sometimes felt
pressure to conform to Gentile ways, even to the point of undergoing
a painful operation to reverse his circumcision.
Paul says both ideas are wrong, therefore, the Jew should remain a Jew,
and the Gentile should remain a Gentile, as far as outward appearances
go. What Paul is teaching is that you don’t need to try and change your
outward appearance, or become someone you’re not, to serve the Lord
with your heart. And so, whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, we can and
must serve God where we are to his glory.
Bob Jones University made the news a couple of years ago because of
visits by John Ashcroft and President Bush. It became one of the favorite
whipping boys of the liberal press. Bob Jones is actually a very fine
university, but they have, in my estimation, some radical, un-biblical
positions on certain social issues.
Now obviously, if a student is going to attend there voluntarily, he/she
should obey the rules. But when a man graduates, should he still feel
compelled to keep his hair short? Or should a woman keep wearing her
skirts long? If they are still single, should they continue to avoid
interracial dating? Should they never drink alcohol, and steer clear
of Billy Graham? Those are the kinds of issues that should be decided
by the believer’s conscience, not peer pressure.
Keeping one’s hair short or dress long is not where it’s at with God.
He cares more about who/what has the affection of your heart then he
does about keeping a bunch of manmade rules & regulations. The only
laws he wants us to obey are what we could call the Laws of Love. “Jesus
said ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all
your soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbor
as yourself.’” (Matthew
22:37 & 39)
And if you think about it, what Jesus said made a lot of sense. For
if you really love God, you wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. And if
you really love the people in your world, you wouldn’t do anything to
hurt them either.
And when it comes to the rules God sets forth in his word, we are to
follow & obey them because of our love for him. In fact, that is exactly
what Jesus told his disciples when he said, “If you love Me keep my
commandments!” (John
14:15) We don’t keep his commandments as a way of earning/keeping
our salvation. Rather, we keep his commandments as a way of demonstrating
that we appreciate the salvation which he freely gave us.
Now in light of what Jesus said, how can Paul say that circumcision
is not important when it was a clear command of God in the Old Testament?
The answer is that the basic moral laws of God are universal, but not
all the rules and regulations that God gave to Israel are for the people
who make up the church. We simply must recognize the difference the
death & resurrection of Jesus Christ has made in our relationship to
many of the Old Testament commandments of God.
John made a profound statement when he said, “For the law was given
through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John
1:17) That doesn’t mean the Law was without grace and truth, nor
that Jesus Christ came to do away with God’s laws. But it does mean
that the fundamental way God chooses to deal with us changed at the
Cross.
No longer is the Law the principal interpreter of God’s character. Instead,
we also need to look to the Cross. For if you only look to the Law to
discover what God is like, you will only see God as the Enforcer waiting
to punish people when they get out of line. But if you also look to
the Cross, you see God more clearly as the lover and forgiver of men’s
souls.
Paul next tells us that our standing with God is not determined by economic
or social status--v. 21. Paul’s outlook on slavery in this passage has
been a real problem to many people. But we must be careful or we will
miss the whole point of Paul’s instructions. His purpose is to impress
upon us that it is possible to be a good Christian whether you carry
a lunch box or a brief case to work. He is just trying to help us keep
the main thing, the main thing.
God wants us to know that fame & fortune are not the main things for
a Christian. The main thing, as Paul said, is to “Know Him and the power
of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed
to His death, in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the
dead. I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things
or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward
that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and
wants me to be.” (Philippians
3:10-12)
So to keep Jesus as the main thing, we need to keep our focus on what
can change, namely our heart. Since have become new creatures in Christ,
we shouldn’t be running around spending all our energies on trying to
earn fame & fortune. Rather, we must work overtime trying to say avoid
any temptation that would cause us to fall back into the slavery of
sin. The point Paul is trying to make is that from God’s perspective
economic slavery is not nearly as awful as slavery to sin. In fact,
Paul humorously is reminding us that it doesn’t make any difference
what our circumstances are, for we are all enslaved to Jesus Christ--vv.
22-23.
This paradoxical statement is the most important truth we as believers
in Jesus Christ need to know. For none of us will ever comprehend the
freedom we have in Christ until we come to comprehend the fact that
we are now the slaves of Christ. It’s only when we realize that Jesus
has captured us, that we will ever walk in true freedom.
In these verses Paul provides a word picture to explain this truth.
In those days it was possible for a slave to purchase their freedom.
The way a slave did this was by working another job on the side during
the small amount of free time their master gave them. While most of
the money they made on the side had to be given to their master, their
master allowed them to keep a certain percentage of it. And whatever
money the slave was given, he then took to the pagan temple to deposit
it in an account that would be used to purchase his freedom.
And whenever he had saved up enough money to buy his freedom, he would
take his master to the temple, where the priest would give the money
to his master to secure his freedom. But then the slave had to promise
that he would become a slave to whatever god that temple worshipped.
So even though he was liberated from his earthly master, he was still
a slave to the god of the temple.
Paul uses the practice of the day, and applies a Christian principle
to it. It is the same principle that Peter taught us when he said: “For
you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you
inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold
or silver. He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the
sinless, spotless Lamb of God.” (1
Peter 1:18-19)
We know that as a result of the shedding of Christ’s blood, that we
have been set free. But that doesn’t mean that we can live our lives
like we want to. Rather it means that we are to live our lives in such
a way that it pleases our new master, God. The truth of Christianity
is not one of independence, but rather one of interdependence. The only
way we can live free from the entanglements of sin is to stay connected
to Jesus Christ. We are not to go through this life like the Everyready
rabbit, relying on batteries that never need recharging. Rather we are
to go through this life like we hooked up to a drop cord. We need to
always make sure we are plugged into the source of our power, Jesus
Christ.
Then for the third time, Paul restates his general principle in verse
24. Now I don’t want you to get the notion that God never calls on us
to revolutionize our lives. Back in 1993 I got laid off and I knew that
if I wanted to continue to work in the construction trade that I would
have to move to another location. Normally, that would have been no
big deal. Except for the fact that I was also serving this church as
one of the pastors.
So as I discussed our options with Carol, I also discussed them with
God. I told God that I loved pastoring, but I also needed a job. His
answer was very profound. He said that for years I had been building
buildings for the glory of man, but now he wanted me to build his church
for his glory. He said that for years I had joined 2 pieces of pipe
by welding them together, but now he wanted me to weld together the
broken relationships between people and himself through the preaching
of his word. He said that if I would weld together the hearts of those
broken by sin, he would take care of the rest.
So for 11 years I have done exactly that, and he has done exactly what
he promised he would do. And despite the lower pay, and no earthly benefits,
I have never once looked back and regretted my decision to follow his
plan for my life. In fact, in doing so, I was able to achieve one of
my goals, and I did it 10 years earlier than I had planned on doing.
My number 1 goal was to retire by the time I turned 50. And praise God
I did that when I turned 40. I say that because what I am doing now
is not a job. It is not a job being your pastor. It is a privilege,
and I thank God daily that I no longer have to go to work.
God may never call you into a new career like he did me. And if he doesn’t,
thank him for the career he has given you, and do it with all your heart.
Our primary concern should be to serve God where we currently are. We
are to bloom where we are planted.
What Christianity has above all other religions is the ability to change
people for the better while they are in the world. Only Christianity
has the ability to make people holy while they are living in the midst
of a perverse generation. God rarely calls us to do radical things,
but he always calls us to radically change our hearts.
If every Christian abandoned his or her unbelieving spouse, how would
that spouse find Jesus? If all believers retreat from their unsaved
neighbors, and quit engaging their pagan fellow-employees during their
lunch hour, how will they ever learn that God loves them and Jesus died
so they could have abundant and everlasting life? If we can’t learn
to be content where God has planted us, we will never bring glory to
him.
If that happens, then the unsaved people in our world will never see
the difference Jesus has made in us. And then we will not be salt or
light to those in our world who are still dead in their sins, and headed
for a eternity in hell. I don’t know about you, but I want my life to
glow for God, no matter where he has me, or what is going on in my life.
How about you? As you sit here today, are you content with where God
has you? Permit me to close with this challenge: Will you be faithful
right where God has placed you?
If so, then this means that when you go back home this afternoon, don’t
be wishing you had a new spouse, or new kids, or a new house. Or don’t
be wishing you had new parents, or a new boyfriend/girlfriend. Don’t
go home thinking that if only God would make you happy, then you’d start
to serve him. And when you go back to work tomorrow, don’t be wishing
you had a better job, or you were working in a more Christian atmosphere,
or wishing you could go full-time in the ministry. Instead, be content
knowing that God has you right where you need to be for this time in
your life. Be content knowing that God is orchestrating your world exactly
the way it should be in order that you become more like Jesus. So instead
of grumbling and complaining, be looking for ways you can glorify God
by the way you treat your spouse, your kids, and your parents. Instead,
seek ways you can glorify God by the quality of work you do, and by
the way you treat your boss and your fellow co-workers.
God wants you to live at home and at work in such a way that your life
demonstrates the radical change that Jesus has made in your life. God
is not so much interested in giving you a new life as he is in making
your old life new.
Let’s
pray
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