Date:   10/03/2010

Text:   1 Timothy 6:1-2

Title:    Caring for the Strong

Theme: Our Lord Jesus Christ came to serve, therefore as His followers our life is to be

marked with Servitude.

Introduction:

  How do you like sitting next to your school teacher in the worship service? How do you like sitting next to or in the same church as your boss, or employer or your employee?

In HK it is common for families to have domestic helpers or maids from the Philippines . Many of the maids are Christians and would go to churches catered to their special needs. I was told that there is one church with 4000 attendents. I often wondered what if the maid and family are both Christians and also go to the same church?

  Something similar was happening in the first century churches in the Roman Empire . By the first century, in many of the large Roman cities, such as Corinth , Ephesus and Rome , 30% of the population were slaves. At the time of Paul’s writing this letter, around 65 A.D., slavery was in rapid decline. Owners of slaves were releasing them to be free persons and few would grow up to be 30 years old and still remain as slaves. As a matter of fact, the release was so fast that the Roman government had to issue a policy to slow down the trend.

  With the advance of the gospel message, many slaves and their masters had become believers and worshipped in the same church. They heard Paul’s teaching that in Christ we are all equal, Galatians 3;28, “ There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. ” What were the slaves to do with the new found freedom in Christ? How would this affect the relationship between the slave and the master? Will it abolish the social system of slavery? Today, we do not have slaves anymore. However, as long as we work, we are bound by the employer and employee relationships. So, what does God’s word tells us about this employer and employee relationship? How does our faith in God affect this relationship?   

  Let’s tune in to hear what Paul has to say to such issues.

I •  The mission of the church is to bring the gospel message to all. 2:4

To understand these two verses, we need to take a look at the bigger context. Few weeks ago, we have discussed how to relate to those who are older, those younger than us, plus our peers. Why is this necessary? To answer this, we need to know the mission or the purpose for the church’s existence. In 2:4, “ 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” It is God’s desire that all men would come to know him and be reconciled to him. The mission of the church is to see the gospel message be proclaimed and bring all men to Christ. When we fail to conduct ourselves properly in God’s house, the church, His name will be disgraced. We have all met individuals who have left churches because they are disillusioned with the infighting and unresolved conflicts among the believers. Some have even vowed never again to step into the doors of any church. Once they left, their hearts would become hardened to the gospel message.

On the other hand, when the world sees us loving and respecting one another, they’ll know that we belong to God, and be open and receptive to the gospel message. This is the reason for conducting ourselves properly in God’s house. This is the reason slaves and their masters, employees and employers need to know how to treat each other.

In his letters to the Ephesians and Colossians, Paul taught the slave owners how to treat their slaves. They were to be kind and gentle to them. The treatment must be fair and just. Paul did not advocate the abolishment of the slavery system. On the one hand the slavery system was on its way out. But on the other, he was addressing the core issue of slavery: the treatment of the helpless and weak ones. In a way, he was attacking the very core of slavery by advocating that both the slaves and their masters are to treat each other as human with dignity and equality. This is how the gospel message can be proclaimed and bring others to God.

II •  The mission is carried out when Christian employees show respect to their non-believing employers .

Vs.1 is about believing slaves with non-believing masters. “ Let all who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.” To be under a yoke is not comfortable. The slaves would have to go along with their owners, even if they were mean. Now the slaves knew they were free in Christ. Then there was also the false teaching that since Christ had already come, the relationship with Him superseded all human relationships. This could easily be interpreted as we are under no one except Christ. We don’t have to listen to our masters anymore. In modern day terminology: I am not accountable to anyone, except God.

Phil Towner in his commentary on this passage shared his experience as a new Christian serving in the British army. He and several other new Christian soldiers somehow concluded that they didn’t need to be concerned with mundane rules about shinning boots and clean, pressed uniforms. He concludes that their supervisors quickly made the connection between their Christian faith and their sloppy appearance. And in that small corner of the world, the Christian God was given a black mark.

Or in another situation, an employer became skeptical about the Christian faith because of his experience with two seminary students working in his company. They often stood around and talked about God during work hours. One time, he observed one of them went into the bathroom and came out 20 minutes later. This person said to his friend, “I just had the most wonderful time. I read 3 chapters of the gospel of John. Reading 3 chapters of John in the John on the boss’s time is not pleasing to God or man.

The same was happening in Ephesus. Non-Christian masters found their slaves had become disrespectful so they in turn blasphemed both the name of God and the teaching of the gospel. This ran against the mission of the church. Thus Paul instructed the Christian slaves to respect and submit to their masters.

No one likes to submit to another person. If we can, we want others to work for us. But when we work for others, we are under the same yoke as our bosses and supervisors. This is never easy, especially when he/she is unreasonable in their demands; or the management style does not fit our personality bent. We may not like the job, but it is important that we respect and honor those who are above us. The more difficult our supervisor is, the more we are to respect and honor them. We are to submit and serve, when it is not contradicting God’s law. We are to submit and serve so our supervisors can benefit from our presence. Why? First, as Christians we are to treat everyone with honor and dignity. Secondly, this is how we are to be the light and salt in the workplace, attracting others to God and the gospel message.

III •  The mission is carried out when Christians employees diligently serve their believing employers

Vs.1 is about believing slaves and non-believing masters. Now, vs. 2 is about both the slave and masters who are believers. Or both the employer and employee are believers. “ 2 Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved. “ As I mentioned earlier, Paul had some extensive writing instructing the Christian masters, to treat their slaves, servants with kindness, fairness and gentleness. Now, in this instance, both the employer and employee are believers.. In the Ephesian church, the slaves were thinking that since we are both believers, we are now brothers and sisters in Christ. They thought that this relationship in Christ will supersede the master-slave, employer and employee relationship. Slowly the boundary between the employer and employee will fade away. We’ll begin to take things for granted. We feel that because we are brothers in Christ, he, that is my master/boss/supervisor should not treat me with such strict rules and policies. There should be more love and leniency. This is one reason that in many Christian communities, organizations and churches, accountability is so difficult to enforce. For the employee would say how can you treat me like this? Why can’t there be more forgiveness and grace? Among the Christian employers there is the saying that it is easy to hire someone, but difficult to terminate the employment, especially if the person is a believer.

However, the instruction here is that because you both are brothers in Christ, the servant, or the employee, should show extra respect and serve even more diligently. The relationship in Christ should not hinder our service to our employer, but because he/she is a believer, we should work even harder to serve him.

Conclusion:

  In these two verses we see the simple truth that in the Christian community, the one who serves, should respect and serve faithfully to the one above them, whether or not he is a believer. If not, it would bring shame to God’s name and will make the world belittle the gospel message. So, the repeated theme in this passage is: serving others faithfully; it is about servanthood. We serve the weak, but also the strong, the ones who are above us because of their positions. Doesn’t this remind us of Jesus Christ? Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

  Marriage is about service. The husband, being the head, is to serve his wife just as Christ serves the church. The wife is to serve the husband by submitting to him, making his servanthood so much easier and fulfilling.

  Family is about service. Parents serve their children so they can grow up to be all that God wants them to be. Children, while growing up, are to serve their parents by obeying them. Thus bringing joy and fulfillment to their parents.

  In the Christian community, we are to serve one another so as to build up this body of Christ. We are to avoid the consumer attitude of what can you do for me. The give me, give me, what is there for me attitude is very destructive in a christian community. We are to serve one another as Christ as served us.

  At work it is about serving. The manager, or boss, is to serve his employees so they can succeed in life. He is to serve them so they can blossom and mature while working for him. He/she is not to stifle their growth but to encourage them to fully develop their potential and talents. The employees are to serve their supervisors/boss so the company can become a great company. The work place is our greatest contact point with non-Christians. It is the place we come constantly into contact with non-Christians. This is the reason our relationship with the supervisors and others is so important.

  This is what life is all about: Serving others. Shortly after I decided to follow God’s call to go into full time ministry, I shared this with my advisor at Stanford Medical Center. I still deeply remember his response: William, glad to know you have chosen this path. Isn’t this what life is all about, serving others?

  As we follow Christ, our mark is that of servanthood. It is not what others can do to meet my needs. But what can I do to serve others. As we decide on a major, as we apply for a job, we are to ask: how will this major, this profession allow me to serve others? It is by faithfully serving others, that we bring others to Christ.