For those who are responsible for others take heed …
“It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favouritism.” (Colossians 3 v 25)
When we are served then we are to be right and fair with those who serve us
This is how the Amplified Bible explains it; “For he who deals wrongfully will [reap the fruit of his folly and] be punished for his wrongdoing. And [with God] there is no partiality [no matter what a person’s position may be, whether he is the slave or the master]” (vs. 25 AMP).
Slaves have rights according to Paul. In his letters, masters are given 3 principles to live by:
- Do the same as slaves. That is if you hope to receive respect then show it; if you hope to receive service then give it.
- Don’t threaten. They are not to misuse their position of authority.
- Realise that Jesus is the Master. He is over them as much as they are over the slaves.
Leaders of the Church must walk in the justice of the Kingdom of Christ. How do people serve us? And how do we lead them? We must lead them as a Christ the Shepherd does.
In the years to come when sheep remember the shepherds that have been responsible for their life. They will perhaps have forgotten the many words spoken and the way they were led into new things. But they will never forget they were shepherded, they were cared for, they were loved.
Sheep never forget the cross. That is the justice of the Kingdom which Shepherds choose and which is Christ’s.
Everyone reaps what they sow …
There is no guarantee on earth of fairness of treatment from those whom we work for. Sometimes partiality means that bad workers are unfairly rewarded and good employees are penalised or left unrewarded. Paul assures us that there is a final rewarding and punishment, and with this there is no partiality.
For most of the Jews of Paul’s day they believed that God actually hated the Gentiles and loved the Jews. Think about the following beliefs:
There were 3 things to be thankful for as a Jewish man, you were not a slave, a woman or a GENTILE.
Never help a GENTILE, not at all, no matter how small or how much of an emergency it was. The answer was NO.
Funerals were held for Jews who married GENTILES. They were dead people.
Yes, it ran deep!
Church leaders, like Peter, once believed all of that.
Peter was part of the discipleship team of Jesus and still he was prejudiced. How was that possible?! He had seen the love of Jesus to every person no matter Jew or Gentile. How could he hold such hate in his heart? But he did and it needed changing for God has no favourites. He loves equally.
Maybe the answer can be had by asking the same question of those today who are in a discipleship team, who love and follow Jesus, but who look down on other people and condemn them because they are different to them. For example, U.S. Pastor Steven Anderson who after a nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida on June 12th 2016, where 49 gay people were killed actually unbelievably said on national tv, “The good news is that there are now 50 less paedophiles in this world.”
Yes it still exists this hatred towards others.
You might disagree with a person’s belief or behaviour but you are stupid to disagree with God’s love!
With the measure you use it will be measured against you. That’s the justice of the Kingdom of Christ
Missions Paul 