Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! The Lord has been good to us throughout the past week and I am very sure that we are all grateful to God for His exceedingly great mercy and loving kindness towards us. We have no doubt about God’s faithfulness to us but what about us? Are we faithful to God? Are we well-behaved with one another? Or, are we stuck in a state of spiritual complacency? If we are stuck in the spiritual complacency state, we might consider ourselves as a better person than many others who are around us and live a self-righteous and self-sufficient life and be satisfied with our spiritual standing. Such people will be comfortable with everything that is going on around them including that which is spiritually evil. It seems the time or era in which we live in right now is not very suitable to trust one another or to build up healthy relationship with one another or to create a bright future for our posterity. Right now, if we look around us, we can notice that the world is hurt and it is in danger. So much chaos and frustrations and restlessness are going on among the general public. While a few are occupied in the high positions and earning surprisingly high remuneration for what they are doing, many are out of job and struggling to meet their everyday needs.

Similarly, while some are living a carefree life with so much to spend on luxurious commodities for the comfort of their life, many are struggling to meet their basic needs that are critical for their survival. The prices of everyday food items and other household merchandises are going up and up without anyone to stop it. The government and its leaders, who represent the citizens and the general public, are supposed to control the ongoing price hike but if they themselves become the reasons for the price hike to whom the citizens and the general public appeal for help. It reminds me a statement Eli the priest who led Israel for forty years as judge made when he heard about everything his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were doing to all Israel and against God’s will, he said to them If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them? (1 Samuel 2:25). Similarly, if the individual businesses or companies raise the prices of food items and other everyday household goods, the government can mediate for its citizens [the general pubic] who voted for them to be their leaders and represent them in the government entities. But if the government itself raises the prices of food items and other everyday household goods, who will mediate for its citizens and the general public. It will be something like the guards themselves eat up the crops. When an individual or family or group faces injustice from another individual or family or group, the victim/s will approach the law enforcement for justice; if they do not get justice from the law enforcement, the victim/s will approach the lower/local court of law for justice; if they do not get justice from the lower/local court of law, the victim/s will approach the higher court of law; if the victim/s do/es not get justice from the higher court, the victim/s will approach the supreme/federal court of law; if the supreme/federal court of law is superior to all other powers and authorities in the nation, the victims will get justice; and if the supreme/federal court of law is corrupted in itself, [humanly thinking] the victims will never be able to get justice from anywhere else on Earth. In such situations, some people (including some of those who believe in God) may withdraw themselves from trying for getting justice for the injustice they faced in life and live with it for the rest of their life bearing the scorn of its shame and loss; but a vast majority of victims might take the law in their hands and act according to that which is right in their own eyes, which might pave way for the rise of a lawless community and ultimately end up in a local or national emergency. Due to Eli’s sons’ wickedness God punished Eli (1 Samuel 2:30-34) and his sons (1 Samuel 2:34; 4:11) as God said: Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained (1 Samuel 2:30b). Regarding the nation of Israel, due to their ongoing unfaithfulness, sin, and rebelliousness against the God of their fathers who chose them to be His people (Genesis 12:1-3), He punished the Israelites – the nation of Israel itself was divided into two different nations (1 Kings 11:11-13, 29-39) and uprooted both the nations due to their rebellious nature against the God (2 Kings 17:5-23; 2 Kings 24:8-17; 25:1-21; Jeremiah 29:4-7) who established them as a powerful nation on earth (Deuteronomy 4:7; 2 Samuel 7:23). God doesn’t show any partiality towards anyone (Deuteronomy 10:17; Acts 10:34; Romans 2:11) rather He, being the God of gods and Lord of lords and righteous in His word and deed, blesses anyone who does His will and punishes anyone who sins against His will whether it is an angel or Jews or Christian believers or anyone who acknowledge Him or not (Romans 2:1-3; Colossians 3:25; Revelation 21:8).

For you and me to be righteous before God, we need to keep His righteous laws and decrees and commands (Deuteronomy 4:8-9; 6:1-25); and we need to love the Lord God Almighty, who created the universe and everything in it, including mankind, in His likeness and image, with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all our strength (Deuteronomy 6:5; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; Luke 10:27a); and we need to love our neighbor as ourselves and care for them the way we take care of ourselves (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27b).  This includes taking care of the widows and fatherless and the poor and the helpless, and so on, while keeping oneself from being polluted by the world (James 1:27); in addition to the commands to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). Moses reminded the Israelites, saying: And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). God cares for the widow and the fatherless and the poor and so on; and that’s why He is asking His chosen people to do so: He [the Lord God] executes justice for the fatherless and widow, and He loves the foreigner, giving him food and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:18). Prophet Isaiah prophesied and said: Learn to do right; seek justice and correct the oppressor. Defend the fatherless and plead the case of the widow (Isaiah :17). In these seasons of turmoil, the followers of Christ, as His chosen people and royal priesthood and holy nation and His special possession, need to stand in the gap and intercede for our government and its officials and our religious, social, political, and community leaders, so that God will bless them with wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and power to execute the law and order to bring justice to all equally. Apostle Paul stated:

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended. For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience (Romans 13:1-5)

Also, we need to uphold our brothers and sisters and our fellow citizens of this world in prayer, so that God would bless them to be a blessing to others and give them a heart to love one another, as God spoke through prophet Ezekiel that I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Thus, everyone who is born again will keep the righteous laws and decrees and will behave well with one another and care for each other in a way that will bring glory and honor to God. As God’s chosen people, the Scripture teaches us saying:

• • Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act (Proverbs 3:27)
  • Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves (Romans 12:10).
  • Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
  • Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32)
  • Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:3-4).
  • Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (Colossians 3:12).
  • And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased (Hebrews 13:16).

It is not only in these days that leading a godly life is hard but even during the early stages of the Christian faith, it was almost the same. In fact, it was worst in most scenarios, especially the political or social or religious situations. Without much differences, the Egyptian or Assyrian or Babylonian or Medo-Persian or Roman rulers were all alike one way or another and did harm to untold number of fellow-human beings, including their own citizens and others, because they were a law to themselves and promoted their own honor (refer to Habakkuk 1:7). Democratic rulers or nations were almost nonexistent in those days. Many of the rulers in the ancient world were brutal and ruled in a way that brought profit and pleasure for themselves and treated other people and things as it pleased to them. Human enslavement was common and slavery was practiced almost all across the world. There were rarely anyone spoke anything against all such evil practices that had been going on for generation after generation up until the time of Jesus who, being the Sovereign Lord God incarnate, proclaimed freedom for everyone, as He affirmed: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19). Jesus not only preached freedom for those in bondage but also practiced what He preached and taught His followers to do the same (Refer to: Isaiah 42:7; 58:6; John 8:36).

The apostles and other disciples of Christ preached the Gospel of Grace that brought freedom from the bondage of sin and death (John 8:36; Romans 8:2; 2 Corinthians 3:17; Galatians 5:1; 1 Peter 2:16). The Gospel of Grace preached in the name of Jesus brought the light of God’s love and compassion upon many, especially upon the slave owners and, as a result, many slave-owners showed mercy/compassion towards their slaves and freed them from their bondage. For instance, through the ministry of Apostle Paul, Philemon, one of the slave owners, became a follower of Christ who offered freedom for many of his slaves among whom there was a slave named Onesimus. It was true that Onesimus who ran away from Philemon was a slave of Philemon but it is not sure whether Onesimus ran away from Philemon before or after Philemon became a follower of Christ. Most probably, Onesimus ran away from Philemon before he became a follower of Christ because if it were after he became a follower of Christ, perhaps, Onesimus would not have run away from him because Philemon’s approach to his slaves and everyone else should have definitely changed after he became a follower of Christ. Or, if we think in favor of Philemon, who knows, Onesimus should have been a rebellious slave who stole some valuables from Philemon’s household and ran away. In either case, both Philemon and Onesimus know Paul personally. As Philemon became a follower of Christ through the ministry of Apostle Paul (Philemon 1:19b), he opened his house for gathering for believers’ fellowship and worship, which consequently turn out to be a house-church and, perhaps, Philemon also served as one of the ministers in the church that gathered at his house along with other appointed minsters of the gospel (Philemon 1:1b).

During the course of time, Onesimus also ended up in a Roman prison (either because of what he had done to Philemon his master or for some other reason) where Apostle Paul was imprisoned for the cause of his faith in Jesus Christ. As a result, through the ministry of Apostle Paul, Onesimus became an ardent believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and, consequently, a new creation in the Lord, as Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). When Onesimus became a new person in the Lord, Paul didn’t want to keep Onesimus with him, despite the help he could offer to Paul (Philemon 1:13).  Rather, he wanted to send him back to his master Philemon but with Philemon’s permission (Philemon 1:12-14). Thus, Paul wrote a letter to Philemon (which is added in the Bible as: Paul’s Epistle to Philemon) requesting him to accept Onesimus his former slave, not as a slave but as a dear brother in the Lord (Philemon 1:16). Apostle Paul’s letter to Philemon reveals how he is connected with both Philemon (Philemon 1:1b, 8, 19b-22) as well as Onesimus, Philemon’s slave (Philemon 1:10-12, 17-19a). Paul wrote to Philemon, stating: I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you (Philemon 1:10-12). Paul continues to urge Philemon to accept Onesimus back no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord (Philemon 1:16). And Paul assured Philemon that If he [Onesimus] has done you [Philemon] any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me [Paul]. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back … (Philemon 1:18-19). Paul gives his own guarantee to Philemon that he will pay him everything that Onesimus owes to Philemon. Although, as a slave, once Onesimus was considered as worthless and useless person, when he became a faithful follower of Christ he became a useful person, as Apostle Paul stated: Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me (Philemon 1:11).

Paul, being the spiritual father to Philemon as well as to Onesimus, has the freedom to ask his spiritual children to do what seems right to him in the sight of the Lord. As a friend and fellow minister of Apostle Paul and as a faithful follower and a new creation in the Lord, Philemon, definitely, must have accepted Onesimus upon Paul’s suggestion not as slave but as a dear brother in the Lord. Onesimus, though formerly a runaway slave of Philemon, became a faithful follower of Christ and a new person and new creation in the Lord.  Apostle Paul, who was a former opponent of the gospel but turned out to be a strong proponent and defender of faith in Jesus Christ with a momentary encounter with Jesus, has fully sold out for Jesus and for His service and tirelessly worked hard to bring everyone under the saving grace of Jesus. He could win the slave master Philemon for Jesus as well as Philemon’s runaway slave Onesimus for Jesus and mediated between them to forgive each other and be reconciled to one another and accept each other not as a master or a slave but as brothers in the Lord. Thus, through Paul’s effort and mediation, the slave master and his runaway slave became the brothers in the Lord. This was the kind of reconciliation Jesus established between the holy God and the sinful humanity. Though Onesimus became a follower of Christ through his ministry, Paul did not keep Onesimus with him to avail his assistance for the ministry he was involved in but he sent Onesimus back to his master Philemon. Jesus also will not keep for Himself the humanity he saved by giving up His very life but, in the due time, He will present the saved humanity to His Father in heaven (refer to: John 6:37, 40; 14:2, 6; Ephesians 2:18).

The following questions are for our personal examination?

• • • If you and I were in Paul’s place how would we have done – would we have acted the way Apostle Paul acted or have we kept Onesimus with us so that he can help us or would you have send him back to his master Philemon or some other different way?
    • If you and I were in Philemon’s place, how would we have reacted – would we have followed Paul’s instruction or some different way?
    • If you and I were in Onesimus’ place, how would we have heeded Paul’s instruction? Would we have obeyed or rejected Paul’s instruction?

Dear friends in the Lord, Whatever we say or do, let it bring glory and honor to God and God alone! May the Lord God Almighty bless us all! Amen!