Prisoner of Christ
Language of being a prisoner for Christ is not very common or popular here in the US. Part of it, I guess, is rooted in our colonial past and we are not comfortable with slavery language as a culture. Part of it may be rooted in our quest for freedom. Part of it might be rooted in our fear of criminals. Part of it may be rooted in our sense of the American Dream which calls into question authority which could threaten our individualism.
However, if anyone who has read the New Testament can quickly find. Being a slave is a common theme in the writings of Paul and those attributed to Paul there are multiple references to Paul as a prisoner of Christ.
Philemon 1:1, Ephesians 3:1, Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 4.10, 2 Timothy 1.8, to list a few.
Those of us who claim the Christian name takes the role of being in submission to a higher authority in our lives. Christians are prisoners of the message of Jesus Christ. Christians have freedom in Christ but that freedom in Christ is paradoxical.
We are free from guilt, shame and the law.
We are prisoners of Grace, Love and forgiveness.
Anyone who is a prisoner of Grace and Love and forgiveness realizes that their actions are limited - like a prisoner.
Christians are not free to condemn. We are not free to judge. We are not free to hate or abuse or deny people food, water or other resources.
Christians are prisoners to forgive even if you do not want to. Christians are prisoners to give grace to all people at all times even if we do not want to of feel others deserve it. Christians are prisoners to love people even if we do not want to.
Followers of Christ are free.
We are free to chose becoming a prisoner.
Economy
If you are like me there is a huge question mark about the why we are in the current economic situation, but more than that a larger question mark over a way out. While this video does not offer practical solutions, it does highlight some obvious facts about wages and a large justice issue.
Agree or not, it does feel like the majority of us are fighting over scraps (as the video says). I don't recall when the economy was benefiting from the 90's web explosion, massive immigration laws passed (well known) in Arizona and (less known but stricter) in Alabama.
As Gandhi said "There is enough in the world for everyone's need; there is not enough for everyone's greed."
As another point of thinking about justice and distribution of wealth
Agree or not, it does feel like the majority of us are fighting over scraps (as the video says). I don't recall when the economy was benefiting from the 90's web explosion, massive immigration laws passed (well known) in Arizona and (less known but stricter) in Alabama.
As Gandhi said "There is enough in the world for everyone's need; there is not enough for everyone's greed."
As another point of thinking about justice and distribution of wealth
Ray Altman - Living Stones
Do you have people in your life who seem to radiate the Spirit of God of a Peace that you also desire?
If you have that person in your life, I want to share with you that person in my life.
He is also a newly ordained young clergy but he ministers in the south of Texas. His name is Ray Altman and while his blog is just up and coming as he discovers how best to utilize the blogging platform, I hope you will add him to your blog reading and come to see the Peace of Christ that I have come to see in him.
Check out Living Stones.
Here is a little blurb from his May 30th post:
"You see, God intends us to be dependent, needy, and ignorant because his plan is to provide us with everything we need. Not that we would posses it for ourselves but that we might find it in him and thereby be in fellowship with him. Dependence, neediness, and ignorance are only negative terms for those who have no provider, no lover and no teacher! There was one person who had for himself all independence, who needed nothing at all from any creature, and who knew all things in heaven and earth. He is the Messiah. And yet in Jesus Christ we find one who chose to humble himself in the form of a slave."
If you have that person in your life, I want to share with you that person in my life.
He is also a newly ordained young clergy but he ministers in the south of Texas. His name is Ray Altman and while his blog is just up and coming as he discovers how best to utilize the blogging platform, I hope you will add him to your blog reading and come to see the Peace of Christ that I have come to see in him.
Check out Living Stones.
Here is a little blurb from his May 30th post:
"You see, God intends us to be dependent, needy, and ignorant because his plan is to provide us with everything we need. Not that we would posses it for ourselves but that we might find it in him and thereby be in fellowship with him. Dependence, neediness, and ignorance are only negative terms for those who have no provider, no lover and no teacher! There was one person who had for himself all independence, who needed nothing at all from any creature, and who knew all things in heaven and earth. He is the Messiah. And yet in Jesus Christ we find one who chose to humble himself in the form of a slave."
Be the change by Jason Valendy is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.