Are You The Slave You Want To Be?

James 1:1

James 1:1 “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: To the twelve tribes dispersed abroad. Greetings.”

Romans 1:1 “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—”

δοῦλος (doulos). n. masc. servant, slave. Refers to someone who is the property of another. A servant (doulos) is someone who is a slave and obeys the commands of his or her master.

Ron Clark and Dougald McLaurin III, “Duty,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

These early Christians were Christians that, not only identified as slaves to the risen Christ, The Word, who was in the beginning with God and was God. (John1:1)

But also, they were identified by others as slaves of Christ, or;

belonging to Christ

obedient to the commands of Christ

in other words Ambassadors of Christ and His kingdom

How do we do that?

Ephesians 6:6 “Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart.”

1 Peter 2:16 “Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God’s slaves.”

Have you ever worn a team Jersey without actually being a fan of a the team or even sport for that matter?

If not, have you ever witnessed someone else doing that?

Could you tell?

Some people are better at pretending than others, but when you know them, you know if they are a true fan or not. If you don’t know them, you can quickly tell by their action;

are they as excited for the team as you are or would be?

Other than body language and action, do they communicate with conversation, knowledge, dedication, and other indicators that they are a true fan; social media posts, attending games, celebrating team victories, and engaged in team events and scheduled games in any way shape or form?

In the same way, these early Christians, I believe wanted to be clear, that when they said,

I am a servant of God

I am a Christian

I am a believer of Jesus

I am a believer

That they meant it.

This can also extend to actions

I read the bible

I give to the poor

I go to church every Sunday AND Wednesday

I help with this ministry

I tithe

Why did these salutations or intros to these books and letters start the way Paul and Peter did?

because it was important to not just say the words, but mean the words.

Do not be Christ like for show. Being honest with yourself, surrender to Christ.

Lord Jesus, I give up trying to fix myself and my life

Lord Jesus I repent, I change my mind about the way I have been living my life

Lord Jesus I do not want to pretend, I want to experience you taking control of my life.

When you do this from the heart others see it,

Acts 16:17 “As she followed Paul and us she cried out, “These men, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation, are the servants of the Most High God.””

So, others could also testify from the outside looking in; these men abide in Christ and Christ in them.

God calls you to abide/remain in Him,

John 15:4 “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.”

John 15:6 “If anyone does not remain in me, he is thrown aside like a branch and he withers. They gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”

John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you.”

Abide in my love, commands Jesus,

John 15:9 ““As the Father has loved me, I have also loved you. Remain in my love.”