March 2003 chaplain's corner

The Chaplain's Corner is a monthly message for chaplains.

Chaplain's Corner - March, 2003

Rev. Rich Hines

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior, and are serving as correctional or rescue mission chaplains within the United States.

A Christian chaplain in the correctional setting has the responsibility to evangelize inmates and staff. He or she is to bring the biblical gospel of Christ to those in the institution where they have been sent. Salvation isn't theoretical, it's practical, and must be lived out. For instance, learning to make an honest living with right attitudes and actions is one result of eternal life - of a real relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior from sin and the true Lord over an individual life.

That being the case, last month we began a two part series on biblical work ethics (see "read archived messages"). In the February message we saw how the concept of working for a living was part of God's good plan for man from the time of his creation, but also that the fall of mankind into sin made making a living ("eating") difficult, because sin brought God's curse on the ground. We also saw that after the fall, idleness - not working, or not working much, gave the sinful nature of man more time to dream up evil and perform it, as was the case in ancient Sodom. We saw that the book of Proverbs exalts honest hard work and exposes the foolishness of laziness and slothfulness about work.

Moving into the New Testament Scriptures we saw that some of the professing Christians in the early church actually refused to work. In 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 the Apostle Paul called some in the church to repent from this sinful conduct. He also called the rest of the church to enact church discipline on them if they did not repent of their unwillingness to work for a living. Note the call to CHURCH DISCIPLINE ON THOSE IN THIS SIN in

2 Thessalonians 3:13-15

13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good (that is those of you that are working for a living)

14 And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle (which here means the teaching on this issue of going to work), NOTE THAT PERSON AND DO NOT KEEP COMPANY WITH HIM, SO THAT HE MAY BE ASHAMED.

In other words, put him out of the church, enacting church discipline.

15 Yet do not count him as an enemy, but admonish (warn) him as a brother.

We also looked at passages that make it obvious that just any way to acquire money to live on is not proper. Inmates therefore must be taught the biblical principle of honest, God-honoring labor. The fact that it is difficult, especially for ex-inmates to find honest, upright work when they are released, doesn't change God's standards. By faith they have to trust God will provide if they keep prayerfully seeking this honest kind of employment.

This month, in continuing to look at this important subject, I want to have you consider some passages addressed to professing believers in Christ that deal with "on the job performance." Of course, the historical context of the Roman world of the first century was a society that had forms of slavery entrenched in it. Into that kind of world the gospel came. The gospel never advocated the overturning of slavery - it just taught the responsibility to see all men as creations of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus and called for repentance from sin, including those sins that abused other human beings.

An outgrowth of the gospel should do away with the evils associated with the sinful abuse of human beings in slavery or any other social situation. These biblical texts from the first century accept that slavery existed in the contemporary society and called Christian believers to be testimonies while still in that system. In all the biblical texts referring to slaves (bondservants) and masters the same principles apply today to employees and employers. When the texts speak to "bondservants" or "slaves" today by application it means employees. When they address "masters" by application today it is talking to employers.

The passages I want to have you look at this month are very similar, yet there are also some important differences in the texts, which I will point out (BY CAPITALIZING THE DIFFERENCES IN THE TEXTS FOR EMPHASIS).

Ephesians 6:5-8

5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh,

This refers to literally "hearing under" or submitting to the commands given by human bosses.

5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear (of the Lord, God - compare Colossians 3:22) AND TREMBLING (literally "quaking"),

This is because as Christians we bear His name. We represent Him. How we do our work and obey our human bosses, speaks of our Lord and His work in our life.

5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart (singleness, undividedness of the vision of the heart or inner man), as to Christ; (so as to please Him)

Then negatively he continues in verse 6 -

6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, (these words denote first a service performed only when the human master is watching and then for the purpose of only pleasing human bosses, never God)

This reminds me of my days as a correctional chaplain when I used to drive onto the facility grounds. They had a large minimum security jail on the way and many "trustee" type inmates working the fields and along side the roads. They did not always have direct supervision and when the inmates that were supposed to be raking and tending the plants saw my car coming up the road all of a sudden they'd jump up and get busy doing their job - thinking I might be a Deputy Sheriff ("the man!") on his way to work. When my car got out about a half-mile away, they went back to loafing. They were doing their work with "eyeservice."

"Be obedient ... not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will (desire) of God (Remember, Jesus is God, so doing God's will is doing what Jesus says to do)

... Adoing the will (desire) of God from the heart (literally, out of the soul),

7 with goodwill (good thinking, or thinking well) doing service,"

Attitude is so important, compare Ruth 2:4, which Dr. J. Vernon McGee used to call "Divine labor relations."

"Boaz (a godly master, employer) came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, (his employees) 'The LORD be with you!' And they (the employees) answered him, 'The LORD bless you!!'"

That's good will towards both employer and employees.

7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, (meaning as if to Jesus Christ) and not to men,

Teach professing Christian inmates that while they do their jobs, even while in the institution, they are serving Jesus, not the officer or deputy. They are to look at the officer or deputy boss as if he were Jesus Christ, because that's Who they really are serving - Christ! That ought to give them "goodwill" towards their human boss.

8 knowing (having learned) that whatever good (good in nature and beneficial to others in its effect) anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, WHETHER HE IS A SLAVE OR FREE.

"Free" in verse 8, means not a slave, and probably refers in context to the human "masters" (as they are addressed in the next verse, Eph. 6:9, and also in the first verse after the parallel passage in Colossians 3:22-25

Colossians 3:22-25

22 Bondservants, obey ( same word exactly as in Eph. 6:5) in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, FEARING GOD. (NU text says 'fearing the Lord,' meaning Christ)

This is very similar to Ephesians 6:5, but here it says the One to fear is God, even the Lord Jesus Christ.

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, (heartily means with all of the inner man, with all you are, with all your emotional and physical might)

24 knowing (having learned) that from the Lord you will receive THE REWARD OF THE INHERITANCE; FOR YOU SERVE THE LORD CHRIST.

Eph. 6:8 says good will be repaid the believer by the Lord, but here the good the believer is to receive is said to be a "reward of the inheritance". This refers to an eternal reward in heaven. That's better than any raise or recognition for a job well done while still on earth.

In the Ephesians passage, it only speaks of receiving this good reward from the Lord, but here in Colossians 3:25 something else is added:

25 BUT HE WHO DOES WRONG (acts unjustly, doing unrighteousness) WILL BE REPAID FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE, AND THERE IS NO PARTIALITY. (Meaning respect of persons, titles, position among men with the Lord God).

Everyone will give Jesus an answer for what they did wrong on their earthly jobs. For the believer it will mean rebuke and the loss of rewards (see 2 John verse 8 and 1 Cor. 3:12-15), but not the loss of eternal life. For the unbeliever it ultimately means eternal judgement.

Lastly I want you to look at 1 Timothy 6:1-

1 Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, ( that is respect the boss) SO THAT THE NAME OF GOD AND HIS DOCTRINE MAY NOT BE BLASPHEMED.

This last part of this verse (CAPITALIZED) is unique to 1 Timothy. Blasphemed means evil spoken against.

Therefore, according to this verse you chaplains are to teach believers that the way they perform on the job reflects on the nature and gospel teaching of God. A professing Christian believer that is a poor employee, is an excuse for others to mock the God of the Bible and its truth!

In conclusion and summary - we have seen that the word of God teaches professing believers the following principles.

1. Obey human employers commands fearing the Lord as you work.

2. Obey human employers commands with an undivided heart.

3. Obey human employers commands doing what God desires you to do on your job.

4. Obey human employers commands with all of your inner man making an effort.

5. Obey human employers commands thinking well and good of your job situation.

6. Obey human employers commands realizing you are actually serving Christ Jesus, not just men.

7. Obey human employers commands knowing the Lord Jesus will ultimately reward what you do that is good and truly beneficial to others.

Then negatively -

8. Do not look busy and try harder only when the boss is watching

9. Do not seek to impress and please just your human boss.

10. Do not do wrong or evil (unrighteousness) to your employer.

11. Do not do anything on the job that will dishonor God's teaching and message in His word because God will discipline you as a believer, or judge you as an unbeliever if you do wrong, no matter who you are.

May the God of all truth bless you as you seek to establish the gospel and teach Christian inmates these things.

Rev. Rich Hines

Minister To Chaplains - Aurora Ministries