Lion of Grace

In the New Testament, the class of people freed by a redemption price, were slaves. I think Jesus, Peter and Paul used this analogy to help us understand that a people with no hope of freedom, could receive freedom through Christ. Slaves were bound for life. The analogy for Christians would be that we are bound to sin and death, until the ransom for our souls was paid. Through Jesus, we break the fetters of sin, we are no longer bound and chained. Our lives are given freely to Christ and through Him we have our freedom to live.

We should be a dwelling place for God in Spirit by "being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 2:4-5. We have to be "doers" of the word. We are followers of Christ. Also in 1 Peter 2: 18-25 we are shown what we are called to as individuals and as a congregation. To submit ourselves to those who are not only good and considerate, but to those who are harsh. For it is commendable if a man bears up under suffering because he is conscience of God. This is what Jesus taught us and showed us through His life....His example to us. Love covers over all wrongs. If we each esteemed others over ourselves and really gave our all to Christ....entering into His wonderful light....we would be a most excellent example of the way Christ lived and wants us to live. Jesus....the way, the truth, the light! We follow Him! Beam on!

My favorite is 1 Peter 2:21-25. "To this you were called, (suffering) because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls." Interesting enough, I am also doing an additional Ephesians study (I recommend) on Vision for the Church. Next to this 1 Peter passage I have marked "Isaiah 53" and in reference to 1 Peter 2:4-7. "As you come to Him the living stone-rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in scripture it says: See I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone. To those who don't believe, this stone is a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. WOW! Thanks be to God! Thank you Holy Spirit for faithful direction and encouragement! Praise Jesus! He's alive!

The apostles and Prophets contribute to our lives today by showing us truth. The Prophets showed us who to look for in the Messiah and the truth of God's ways and the Apostles taught the truth of Jesus Christ and the power for us to live in Him. Jesus lived every prophecy. He is the Messiah. Today we have scripture to read, study and meditate on for the truth about life and our hope in Christ. This is the same either individually or in a congregation of Christians. We learn the truth of God's Kingdom and His ways and the foundation of the truth of our salvation and new lives through Christ. The cornerstone of a building is the most important stone of the building. Without it, the building would begin to shift and move and eventually collapse. Without Jesus and our faith in Him, our "spiritual" buildings, made up of individual temples and as living stones knit together as Christs church and holy bride, will do the`same. He and our faith in Him must always be our foundational truth. He MUST be the truth we stand upon. Other beliefs or Jesus plus anything starts a shift away from God's purposes and the building and morals, freedom and truths etc. start to crumble. We as a church, "rise" with Christ from physical death, (Where oh death is your sting?) into eternal life and we "rise" cleansed from sin, freed from death from sin. Jesus rose and conquered death and sin and with Him, by our faith in Him, we share in these glories. We "grow" in the grace and knowledge of Jesus and we find His love and the power of His love with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. The more we grow in understanding this loving God, the more we reach a world in love to show who He is, drawing them to Him also. In His love, our lives become changed....for we then love Him because He first loved us. Our motivation in everything comes from love and no longer the law....because we have Christ. We have love. This growth occurs through, spending time with God, abiding in Him, thankfulness for all He has done. It grows through our faith in Christ and in feeding on His Word for He is the Word. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We fill ourselves with Him when we read/study and meditate on the Word. Through prayer, we can ask the Holy Spirit, our helper and counselor with us now for wisdom and growth and strength in faith. We can ask that our minds be healed and renewed. That our lives be an honor to God and for His purposes. We fellowship with other true Christians for encouragement and ask God to help us in any way we need to see how to be more submitted to Who He is and how we should live by the renewing of our hearts and minds.

From beginning to end, Jesus was bearing everything for us. God is a just God and with sin, there is no life or hope. Jesus came, though He`was God and esteemed Himself as nothing. He became a servant of all. He lived a sinless life and fulfilled the law. None of us could ever do that. He was rejected and despised and plotted against all His life. Even his family, friends and close followers denied Him. He became fully human, so He could experience empathy for our lives and know who we are and our weaknesses, trials and temptations, yet never gave away His complete holiness. He is our perfect priest and intercessor, actually having lived as a human. He came to save us, not to condemn us and He gave His own blood as an atoning sacrifice in exchange for our lives. He redeemed us. Bought us with His blood. Without His blood there would be no forgiveness. He took our deserved punishment for all our sins and suffered a cruel, punishing, slaughtering death to pay for us. The death He endured should really make us think of our sins with more seriousness. He paid a huge, awful price all our sins laid upon Him. He experienced separation from His Father at His time of greatest need. He was totally abandoned. He really paid in full. He paid in full for all He did for us from beginning to end and knew from the beginning of creation He would! If that's not love....I don't know what is and I am deeply grateful and humbled. What small things WE are asked to do.....and how unwilling we are sometimes..........

" Members of God's household" to me says that we are family, but we are of a spiritual family. God's household isn't of any buildings here, or systems of government or social settings in a building called a church. The very nature of God is of the spirit, so we are a spiritual household. We ourselves are the living stones that build the house. Jesus is the cornerstone. Without Him, we will collapse. Our fellowship is of the Spirit also. We demonstrate fruits of the Spirit and filled by the Spirit, relate to each other in and of the Spirit. Ways of the world are abandoned and we are filled to live a more excellent way by the power of the Holy Spirit in love. I've been very briefly in a place where I did not want to fellowship with others because of so much worldliness in the church. Though I remained connected with God, I felt isolated and alone and really struggled with holding on to things not of the Spirit. I wasn't forgiving and was becoming self righteous in how I thought and was very frustrated with the spiritual abuse I was surrounded with in the particular "church" I was attending. God though was patient with me in my time away and directed me through devotionals and christian programming to see the church in a different way with more humbleness and I returned.....but to a different church. I did find one with more humble people and am continuing to trust God to grow us and build us together. Still not perfect, but with more understanding of everyone being included and growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, standing at the foot of the cross together. We are of the Spirit and of a spiritual kingdom, so we need to fellowship with those truly of the Kingdom and we know them by their love and their fruit. No matter in our local congregations or far from home, our fellowship is with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Well no doubt....we are all guilty....every one of us. By our guilt through sin, we are sentenced to die with no hope. Jesus came as a servant, though He was royalty, to do what was necessary to take away our sin and our sentence of death, to die in our place, so we were pardoned, set free and can live. He took those sins on Himself and shed His blood because without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. This was the requirement to fulfill the justice needed to set us free. Jesus freely gave His life blood and died so we could be freed and live. He didn't just "pardon" us before God....He paid the ultimate price to exchange His life for ours.

I think a good summation is found in Acts 17: 24-28. Access to the Father is important because "In Him we live and move and have our being." Everything all our lives is in Him and for Him and our very being is connected to Him. We belong to Him. We are a part of Him. We are His offspring. His children. Without Him we have no true life. He has determined our exact times and places to live. He has full control of our lives for our good if we open our hearts to Him. He desires for men to seek Him and find Him. He is not far from any of us. He desires to share His very being and who He is with us. That was always His desire. Our "diplomatic" relationship is like being one in agreement for the good of all. Through Jesus, all have access to the Father. When we are in agreement that Jesus came that ALL would have eternal life, we agree as one through Him that all can come freely and be given the full benefits of belief in Christ. All become one under the Father and are His children having access to His throne of grace. This access fulfills the two greatest commandments on love because if we love God more than anything else, we believe in our unity in Him and that we are all brothers and sisters of one family. God is our Father whom we love and we live and have our being in Him. If we truly accept this, all relations with each other should be one in God and of love for each other. This is the power of God for God is love. His purpose for us is that we will live in love and be a demonstration of love to each other in encouragement as well as to the lost and the weak and the suffering, so to draw others to Him also. He desires that none should perish but all will have eternal life.

I have two favorites from the new Testament where Jesus revealed that He knew His mission and that parallel Isaiah 53. The first is John 10:14-18. Jesus the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for His sheep. He also tells of the "other sheep" He must bring also, so that there will be one flock and one Shepherd. He foretells His death, and of laying His life down of His own accord and not just for the Jews, but for all who will be of His flock. I also love John 17:1-5 (and all of John 17 really) where Jesus reveals what He is about to do with full awareness of His divine authority over "all" people that He might give eternal life to all who God has given to Him. I'm convinced......and HE IS ALIVE!

Universal: All pervading, relating to the whole world, entire, total. Jesus came and died as the perfect sacrifice for everyone. No one excluded, to offer salvation to the entire world. For all. Not one person left out. Ever. How is this gift wasted? Many ways I think. Some receive the good news, but fall away for one reason or other. Some receive but don't really believe in salvation. They turn to salvation plus works and eventually loose sight of Jesus. One woman I witnessed to, knew her Bible from a literal point of view yet said to me, "I don't need your Jesus." My heart grieves still because she heard, she knew, yet she openly rejected. Some hear, but don't abide to be fed every day and slowly slide back into worldly living and thinking. Some just can't grasp that salvation is a gift. They think they "earn" it. Some can't admit to being a sinner....and eventually lose sight that they NEED a Savior. Accepting the gift, being humble in receiving unmerited favor and mercy and abiding in Him are the foundations for growing in Him. Seek first the Kingdom of God and all other things will be added to you. Jesus. The foundation and corner stone. All we need.

God intended to teach us that sin has serious consequences and they are a matter of life and death. I think He wants all to see the cost of sin. It has a price and someone/something always has to pay, often the innocent or those not guilty. This should really make us reflect even more on our choices. He gives an understanding too I think of the sacredness of life and the seriousness of how we choose to live our lives. Pouring out of blood is giving all for atonement. This was a forerunner of understanding what Jesus would do for us. Pouring out "life giving" blood for our sins. That's profound. God is teaching that He is holy. That though He is a God of mercy, He is a just God too. He doesn't and can't overlook sin, but He loves us enough to provide for a way when we sin. He wants us to be holy as He is holy and yet knows who and what we are. He shows His compassion in this. God in His very nature can not be with sin because He is holy and by His Son, we are now healed and can come into His presence. God is showing His nature and I think we often miss it! He IS loving and compassionate and kind to those who are in Christ Jesus. I don't think there is anything done not motivated by love or for our good. From the beginning He's had a love story with us and Jesus was there. We are mere creations....but not only did Jesus come to save, but God himself declared "Good will to men" and gave His only begotten Son so that none would perish but have eternal life. Now we have The Holy Spirit with us to guide and help us....so I'd say His nature is more than compassionate and a love like we have never known!

I am so excited like Paul, to see the power of God at work in US! Going back to vs. 16, I wondered what "out of His glorious riches" he may "strengthen you with His power" really meant. I pray to totally understand that. God is`glorious and is from whom all divine splendor and perfection proceed. The riches of God are the character and ways of God as exhibited through Christ to and through believers. Paul asks that we be strengthened by this inner power and that Christ dwell in our hearts in faith. He asks we be rooted and established in love. Together with all the saints. To grasp the love of God and to know this love surpasses all knowledge. To be filled with the fullness of God. The power of God is love. The character of God is love. The riches of God are mercy and love. The fullness of God is His love in us. God is at work one by one to fill us with the power of His love and in all the church as a whole also, now and forever. His power is expressed in His love through us. Why isn't it more evident? Because we so often don't grasp how much God loves us....to be filled with it and to give that love away to others. We don't see that love is better than knowledge, so we "know" a lot, but we don't "love much." It is true that those who have been forgiven much, love much, because they truly have experienced God's great love and mercy. All who have, know Jesus and His love and forgiveness and His sacrifice ARE the treasure to seek for, find and give up everything for. Mercy and love are within us, for we have the power of God in us. We love Him because He first loved us and we give love because we are loved! Without Him there is no life and no love.

God's provision of animal sacrifice for sin was an expression of mercy in that without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness for sin. By providing sacrifice, He also granted a way to be forgiven of sins. God's mercy was shown in this provision to reconcile the people back to Himself, for they were separated from Him by sin. Were animal sacrifices adequate for atoning for sin? Yes, I believe so. In Hebrews 9 we learn that under "the law" (that the Old Testament was under) it was required that nearly everything had to be cleansed with blood. (Put into practice by Moses. For without the shedding of blood there was no forgiveness of sin. So at the time, the offering of sacrifices was acceptable by God for the forgiveness of sin. This though was only a "copy" of Heavenly things to be purified, for the "Heavenly things themselves" (not under law) had a better sacrifice than these. Christ Jesus. He fulfilled the law. Blood still atoned for sin, but Jesus did not enter a man made sanctuary, but Heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. He didn't enter again and again like the priest did, but once and for all to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself. He was still a blood sacrifice. And though the blood of continuous animal sacrifice will no longer atone for sin, our faith in Christ Jesus, the lamb of God, the perfect atoning sacrifice does!

When Christ is head over everything for the church, then Christ is our leader, exalted over anything or anyone and directs the actions of the church. We as the body, are the fullness of Him, directly connected to Christ, so as we are led by the Holy Spirit, we will represent Christ's presence to the world. Christ will use us as the church, to exercise his authority and power for His will to be done. If His will is being exercised, nothing can ever stop us! Nothing can ever defeat the church that has Christ as leader!

The basic elements involved in a sacrifice for sin were a desire to bring an atoning sacrifice for the sin, confession of sin, a lamb without blemish, laying on of the hands to transfer the sins, slaughtering of the animal (blood) and a priest to offer atonement for the sins. Today we need to recognize our sin and confess our sin trusting in the blood of Jesus as the atoning sacrifice once and for all. We no longer need to repeatedly sacrifice anything for each sin, nor do we need a mediator. We approach the throne of God ourselves.

From the standpoint of power, the significance of Paul stating we are "raised up with Christ and seated with Him in the Heavenly realms." is awesome and absolute! When Christ was raised up, we were assured of being raised up. Our victory is certain in all things. Over anything evil and over death! We have full participation in everything with Christ through the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us. Who then should we fear? It is done. We have won through Jesus! Nothing....nothing can undo that or separate us from Him! Believe it! This always reminds me of John 17: 1-5, 20-26. I'm always overcome by the beauty of Jesus as He prayed for us....yes us....as He completed His mission here on Earth. If we ever doubt, we should read this glimpse into His heart and into the heart of our Father. We should be reminded of His generosity and all He desires to share with us. We could not have had any of this without Jesus. How He deserves our love and devotion with profound thankfulness and joy!

I think animal sacrifice is repulsive to modern people because of the sanitized society we live in. As already stated, we go to the supermarket and pick up our already packaged meat, that doesn't look anything like an animal and take it home and eat it. I don't know about anyone else, but I avoid the "feet", "ears" and "knuckles" that have any resemblance to the real thing! I'm a city girl born and bred, but now on a crop farm....no livestock. My husband has always been a farm boy. He looks at it totally different from me. He raised animals and butchered them all the time. He sees them as just animals....I tend to get attached to them and can't imagine eating anything I once cared for and would feel bad every day I fed them to accomplish that end! Sorry....I'm a cupcake when it comes to that. I realize the necessity but that's not my area of expertise. If faced with starvation for my family....I could kill and eat.....but not unless it was an absolute only solution. I've thought about this though in reference to sacrifice and sin and I too think it profound that an innocent animal would be offered to slaughter in exchange for my wrongdoing. Just the thought of killing an animal that has no understanding, that trusted it's provider every day and was innocent of everything really makes`me reflect on Jesus as the Lamb of God and on God the Father who allowed Jesus to die for love of us! To be slaughtered and slain. His own Son. This makes`me reflect on "God our provider" even more deeply. So much of God I can't comprehend, but I am so glad for this question. It has opened my mind to really reflect more on how shallow we are when we talk about the Lamb of God and our thankfulness to God for what He has allowed because He wanted us. This just touches me to the core of my being.

The significance of Paul teaching that Christ is seated at God's right hand was to establish with them the authority and favor God has given to Jesus. He wanted to reassure the Gentile believers who thought that spiritual beings had power over them, that the one whom they had believed in (Christ)had supreme power over any other being. He taught the truth that Christ was second to none and has power and authority over all. God raised Him to the highest place over all and all are under His feet and must be submitted to Him and His will and decree. He wanted believers to retain security in the power of God and even in the supremacy of all His decrees. Even in times when testing or trouble is allowed....we all can trust God in all things. Paul wanted to remind too, that they themselves (and we) are seated with Jesus and by being in Him, have power and authority over their (our) enemies so though trouble may come or suffering for a time in anything, Christ has the victory in it and we do too! We win!

Paul's prayers that eyes may be opened to see God's incomparably great power were offered, because the churches in Asia Minor needed encouragement to continue in their faith against worldly influences. To do so, they needed to trust in who they were in Christ. That they were sealed in the power of the Holy Spirit. That the power given in them and around them to persevere was the same power that raised Christ from the dead. He desired them to be strengthened in the truth of God for them and with them and in them. He hoped to encourage them as a unified body of Christ that God`was at work in every circumstance and no entities, spiritual or human could come against the power of Christ. The victory is already won! He wanted to strengthen their faith. He asked that their eyes be opened to the truth and not focused on circumstances or worldly living. In Asia Minor the churches were being faced with heathen religions teaching their own supremacy and offering human enticements such as prostitution in connection with the temple of Diana. There was also internal fighting particularly over some members with Jewish backgrounds proclaiming "historical advantages" over Gentile believers causing disunity in the church. The people were struggling with temptation to compromise morally, to fit in a secular world or to follow their beliefs. But some, though following their beliefs, were drawing away from the body of Christ in monastic lifestyles. Paul wanted them to be strengthened to follow Christ trusting in His power, truth and love as a body of believers. This is the same power that raised Christ from the dead....and truly incomparable!

Anger is an appropriate response to sin because we should have a passion to hate what is sin. We should have righteous anger over injustice and prejudices, things and issues that are unethical and immoral. These things are not in alignment with God's Word or His will. We should feel a "productive" anger over what is not right and seek to speak out for truth. This is where I think most "anger" then becomes sin. We are to be angry, but not sin. The key here is to speak the truth in love and to love in truth. This is often forgotten. And....that every sin we speak out against is for the "reconciliation" of those caught up in the sin. If we "judge" and become angry and condemn....we have missed the mark. If we have become angry and entered into wrong doing to "correct" then we missed the mark too. If our anger has alienated and caused hatred....then we have not done anything in excellence. We can be angry, speak in love, declare the truth, be a sure witness for Christ and pray for good fruit. Everyone has free will though and it is all left to God to work in hearts. Our own and others. There will be times when we will have made a difference in some ways, but will have to shake the dust off our feet and leave some areas to the work of the Holy Spirit after we have done our best to speak out against sin in truth and love.

John the Baptists statement about the Lamb of God refers to sacrifice when he states "who takes away the sins of the world." The lamb was symbolic of Jewish sacrifice for the atonement of sins. The prophets spoke of the coming Messiah (Anointed one)as the Suffering Servant/sacrificial lamb. Jesus took these symbols on Himself as the Passover lamb. Why was it so hard to comprehend Jesus as the Passover Lamb? An atonement for the sins of the world? I think it is the same today! The concept that one man, God's son would be a perfect sacrifice, taking on all the sins of the world and would make blood atonement for all of us once and for all, keeping us safe and secure from death, is amazing and hard to comprehend! Back then, even more so with beliefs of the Jews being the "chosen" race and Gentiles included in the sacrifice offering of Jesus. Also, up to that time, the Priests were only allowed to come into the presence of God to make the atonement offering and Jesus made the way for each person to reconcile with God individually through His righteousness and that was a big shake-up. Also, that a mere "person" would claim to be God and forgive sin was considered blasphemy. But by the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus WAS proclaimed the Son of God and not mere man. Up to that time, the Pharisees taught that the Spirit of God had left the Earth with the last of the Prophets and would not return until the Messiah came. That the Holy Spirit came as a dove and proclaimed Jesus, "My Son in whom I am well pleased." only fulfilled what they taught.....yet most chose to not believe!

Is it "wise" to put up money to cover another person's debt? Well, to me it depends if you are looking at things worldly or spiritually. Is it "wise" to take a risk on my money being misused or that I may be taken advantage of? Could it be used wastefully? By a worldly standard, these would be my issues and I could say it would be unwise to offer money to anyone other than "A sure bet." Sometimes though, we won't have opportunity to "know" a person and we have to decide or discern what we would do in any particular case. If I knew for an absolute surety that I was going to give money that would be misused or wasted, I would use my God given wisdom/discernment to not give in that area. We are called/instructed to be discerning and careful. If the situation isn't quite that clear, I believe we are called and it is wise to give. By spiritual standards, it IS wise to help another financially in time of need. Even if we don't know the person and aren't sure of their best intentions, we are called to give. From experience, I know The Holy Spirit guides in all things. I help clean our church and sometimes people come in looking for money for a variety of reasons. Three times I had to make a decision on giving money because no one else was at the church to refer them to at the time. One was a young man looking for money for " milk and bread for his kids." I felt a prompting by the Holy Spirit to give all I had in my purse to him. I did and to this day, I'm not sure if it went for bread and milk, but I KNOW I was to give. Another 2 times, another man made repeated visits to the church for money and I would have given, but I didn't have a dime on me! Both times! I couldn't! Our sermon the Sunday after his last visit, was about the beggar at the Beautiful gate and how Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give thee. In the name of Jesus, rise up and walk!" I chatted with that guy on a variety of subjects and if he continues to come back, I'm inviting him to join us on Sunday. I have also given money to persons of extreme risk, but knew the Holy Spirit wanted to encourage them in a new life....so the true wisdom is in listening to what God is directing. Paul gave the promise to cover the debt Onesimus had for a three fold purpose I think. To show his trust in Onesimus and the sincerity of his conversion. To show love covers over a multitude of wrongs. For Philemon, as a reminder to cancel the debt owed and to remember he was once indebted himself and was shown mercy. And to show the most excellent way of Christ who paid our debt and canceled what we owe. He was calling all to LIVE the truth of the Gospel

Paul didn't "command" anyone because everyone involved had to decide from their own hearts which way to follow. We can "order around and demand" all we want and may even get a few non-lasting results, but if a heart is not changed and there isn't love motivating what we do, it's not good and true. If motivations come through love....well.....then we just love to do them! Even most difficult things. Even when things are not fair for us or we are asked to submit in ways not natural to us. Or we may be ridiculed for doing things God's way against what is "acceptable" by the world's standard. In the end, if we live for Christ in His way, the rewards are great! I think Paul acted out of respect for each person individually here and yet at the same time, let each decide for their own selves what they would do. Great wisdom! That would encourage good character and lasting changes inward for each person allowing freedom for each individual all the while promoting Godly living as followers of Christ.

The book of Philemon is a beautiful expression of forgiveness and grace, changed lives from the inside out and kingdom living vs. worldly living. Paul sends Onesimus back to Philemon because he was rightly Philemon's property. We don't have slaves in our culture here today but back then, Onesimus was legally owned by another. For Paul to encourage Onesimus to continue to be on the run would not be right advice. Instead, Paul knew there was a more excellent way and he encouraged that excellence. He encouraged Onesimus to return to his master to serve him, to work out what problems they had by fully applying the Christian principles he now knew and had decided to follow. To Philemon, he reasoned with him to accept his slave back as a changed man and to not only accept him back, but to accept him not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. Paul knew, by kingdom standards, Onesimus's real freedom came by being in Christ so no matter the "station" in life, a real viable relationship would be established in Spirit. I liken this to ourselves as we were once considered slaves but are now children of God. We can serve out of duty or forced labor....or we can serve out of love in new relationship. Paul was always about the Gospel and this was his main goal in his letter. For two people to recognize a better way in Christ. For Onesimus to return and serve his master willingly in love and for Philemon to accept him back in forgiveness as more than a slave now, but as a brother in Christ. Paul himself never saw Onesimus as anything "less than" a brother in Christ and this shows his true beauty too. He knew the true worth of Onesimus as a child of God equal at the foot of the cross with anyone, caught in a "world" that "legally" kept him in bondage to other humans as a slave. He corrected so many issues in this short book of the Bible. He addressed social issues, spiritual issues and taught of a most excellent way to live for all involved.

I think Archippus was singled out in vs. 17 as an encouragement and as a gentle admonition to continue in the work he had received to do in the Lord. If I could invent a story of the role of Archippus in the church, I would see him as an ordinary man (We all are!) that had received specific instruction and leading from God for some work to do to accomplish God's will. I think Archippus was being obedient to God, but as he was obedient, he faced the challenges of his work, the wiles of Satan against his work and his human limitations to complete them. I would see him as becoming discouraged and maybe even a little depressed and lethargic in his passion to see it through. Perhaps he was discouraged that the "vision" he saw was not coming to fruition as he had imagined or there were so many setbacks, he wondered if he was really called at all! I think we all have been in those mind sets and failings! How wonderful though....to be reminded and singled out by Paul that he had indeed been given "the work in the Lord". How strengthening to be reminded by Paul to continue on. To have faith in completing the work given to him. Sometimes just a few kind words from someone can make us rise from our beds of hopelessness and strengthen us to remember just who is behind the work! Renewed, we do go forth and we are also brought back to the realization of our own striving in what we have been doing and turn back to God for the strength to continue, knowing HE is doing the work through us. That's a huge burden to leave by the wayside and continue on in God's strength and grace for everyone involved and to be content in how HE is doing things! I know I am most grateful when I receive a word of encouragement as I have so many times in this study. I am most grateful to be reminded of my grounding in the Lord too. And, what the truth of the Word says about who I am in the Lord. Just being able to participate in this study is an encouragement to continue in the work God has given me to do and has renewed and strengthened me in foundational truths as I continue on. I am most grateful to God by the power of the Holy Spirit that He is with us and leads us in the way we should go and connects us with the encouragements so vital to continue! God bless and much praise to our most wonderful God!