A SLAVE OF CHRIST

"If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.  If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account." - Philemon 7, 8

For many years, Bill Bright served as the leader of Campus Crusade for Christ.  Years before, he & his wife made a covenant with the Lord, giving themselves as slaves for His cause.  That sounds like a radical thing to do, but they meant it.  As a result, God used them in profound ways to impact the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In his famous Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves here in America.  His bold move paved the way for people of every color to enjoy the freedom that our forefathers envisioned.  Looking back, we are ashamed that our nation once approved of slavery. 

The tiny book of Philemon is the letter that Paul wrote about a runaway slave.  Philemon's slave, Onesimus, had escaped from his master.  During his exodus, he encountered the Apostle Paul.  In their encounter, Paul led Onesimus to Christ.  Onesimus was now a new man, yet he still had responsibilities.  He needed to return to Philemon, ask for forgiveness and submit to Philemon's leadership.  Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with a letter that has been included in our Bible.

The book of Philemon is a personal appeal from Paul, asking Philemon to have mercy and take Onesimus back without penalizing him.  In fact, Paul wrote, "If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself."  Paul put his reputation on the line.  He reminded Philemon that he owed Paul a great debt because of Paul's ministry to him.  Now Paul is calling in the favor.  Furthermore, Paul told Philemon that any debt that Onesimus has created would be a debt that he would take responsibility for. 

I believe that Paul's intercession for Onesimus mirrors the intercession that Jesus made for us.  We were unfaithful to the Father.  We had offended Him.  We had strayed from Him, rebelling against Him.  We were far from the Father.  Jesus came and went to the cross on our behalf.  Through His shed blood, we have been redeemed from our sins.  We may now approach the throne of grace and speak directly to the Father because of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

It is easy to look back at the past and feel ashamed.  We may not forget our sins, but the Father accepts us because of Jesus.  Through His shed blood, Jesus could address the Father & say of me, "... receive him as Myself."  God receives me because of Jesus.

Furthermore, like Paul's writing to Philemon, Jesus could say to the Father of me, "... If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account."  I had a great debt that I owed, but a great Savior paid my account in full.  Like the old song says, "The Old Account Was Settled Long Ago."  Another hymn states it this way, "Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe." 

Just think, we've been freed from the oppression of Satan ... the ruthless taskmaster that sought our death.  We were purchased by One who loves us and prizes us.

In seemed counter-intuitive for Bill Bright to offer himself as a slave for Christ.  Yet as we read the book of Philemon, we realize that he was right.  My friend, Charles Towler, wrote a great song several years ago that illustrates this perfectly:

"Just a slave on the auction block of sin,

I was serving Satan's purpose, but then;

Jesus paid the sacrifice, fully paid sin's awful price,

Bought my ransom on the old rugged cross.

No longer a slave, I've been loosed from my chains,

And now I can sing, I'm free! I'm free!

He's my Father, I'm His son, Praise the Lord! The work is done,

And I'm His for eternity!"

(c) James D. Vaughan, Music Publisher

Living as a slave to Christ is much different than being a slave to Satan.  We obey Christ because He loves us and we love Him.  Now that we belong to Him, we have His protection, His grace and His mercy.  We enjoy fellowship at His table and have now been adopted as His children.

I'm glad that God receives me as He receives Jesus & I'm glad that Jesus paid my debt in full. 

What a great God we serve!!!