Eastland eBulletin 7.15.07
For Your Benefit...
- Please pick up a copy of the support letters on the table in the foyer. The elders are encouraging everyone to read these support letters to better appreciate what we participate in. Also pray for these men, and consider writing them an encouraging note.
- Tonight — Monthly Singing @ 5:00.
- July 15-20 — Overland VBS.
- July 20 — Taylorsville Rd (Singing).
- July 20-22 — Hodgenville.
- July 27-28 — Charlestown Rd Youth Lectures.
Idea of the Week
For this week…
Pray on the way to work and pray on the way home from work.
By all means, pay attention to the traffic!
However, there are plenty of opportunities for prayer during your commute: At long lights; in traffic jams; taking just a few moments after you get into the car and before you get on the road; in the parking lot of the Starbucks drive-through; etc.
This quite a Biblical notion. When Nehemiah requested King Artaxerxes safe passage to Jerusalem, he prayed in the very presence of the king (Nehemiah 2:4). My guess is that he silently and briefly offered a mental petition to God.
Those are the kinds of prayers we can offer anytime and anyplace. As you go to work this week, pray about your work, your boss, your coworkers, and your influence. As you return home, pray about your family.
In short, pray.
Servant or Slave — Which?
Reggie Robarts
Reggie Robarts
There is an obvious difference in the meaning of the words servant and slave in our language. The word slave immediately conjures up in most of our minds the condition which existed in the Old South before the Civil War. Human beings were owned, bought and sold, severely disciplined even to the point of death, at the hands of their owners. They were completely under the control of their masters and had no rights of their own. Servants, on the other hand, entered voluntarily into the service of another, forfeiting none of their human rights while in that service. They could terminate the agreement at anytime they wished and were free to pursue some other course in their lives.
In Scripture the word for slave is often translated servant. It gives an improper understanding of what our relationship to God is. The concept of what a proper relationship is more accurately conveyed by our word slave. The difference in our slavery as children of God, and our concept of human slavery is, however, significant. Serving God is always voluntary and we can sever that relationship anytime we choose. We do give up our rights when we become God's children but it does not mean an onerous, unhappy life, of forced servitude. It is a joyous and happy life because it frees us from the most demanding taskmaster of all, sin.
The idea of being a slave should not be repugnant to us at all. Jesus set the pattern of being a servant/slave by coming here to minister to mankind. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of man" (Philippians 2:5-7). He gave up His royal splendor, His status in heaven to serve you and me. ( i.e. Consider His washing the disciples feet). Paul had no trouble of describing himself as a salve or bondservant. See Romans 1:1, Philippians 1:1, Titus 1:1. etc. Nor did other notable New Testament writers such as Peter and James have trouble understanding their position as slaves of God. See 2 Peter 1:1, and James 1:1. If those who revealed God's will to us spoke of themselves as slaves what should be our understanding of our relationship to God? In fact, the description of us as bondservants/slaves is common in the New Testament.
Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline has some provocative things to say from which we all can profit. It casts our understanding of service and servant to another level.
"A natural and understandable hesitancy accompanies any serious discussion of service. The hesitancy is prudent since it is wise to count the cost before plunging head long into any Discipline. We experience a fear that comes out of something like this: 'If I do that, people will take advantage of me; they will walk all over me.'
"Right here we must see the difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant. When we choose to serve, we are still in charge. We decide whom we serve and when we will serve. And if we are in charge, we will worry a great deal about anyone stepping on us, that is, taking charge.
"But when we choose to be a servant, we give up the right to be in charge. There is great freedom in this. If we voluntarily choose to be taken advantage of, then we cannot be manipulated. When we choose to be a servant, we surrender the right to decide who and when we will serve. We become available and vulnerable.
"Consider the perspective of a slave. A slave sees all of life from the viewpoint of slavery. He does not see himself as possessing the same rights as free men and women. Please understand me, when this slavery is involuntary it is cruel and dehumanizing. When the slavery is freely chosen, however, everything is changed. Voluntary servitude is a great joy.
"Paul frequently boasted of his slavery to Christ. He makes lavish use of the first century concept of 'love slave' one whose motivation to service is based on love. We do our best to soften Paul's language by translating the word 'slave' as 'servant', but whatever the word we decide to use, let us be certain that we understand that Paul meant he had freely given up his rights.
"Therefore the fear that we will be taken advantage of and stepped on is justified. That is exactly what may happen. But who can hurt someone who has freely chosen to be stepped on?
"Learn the lesson that, if you are to do the work of a prophet what you need is not a scepter but a hoe."
I will add nothing to these wonderful words except that we all need to learn and do them and truly become servants of our Lord.
