Spirit Filled Home & Workplace

Ephesians 6:1–9 CSB

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, because this is right. Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. ————- Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ. Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will from your heart. Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people, knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with him.

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Spirit Filled Homes

Spirit Filled Children Obey with Honor

Obedience is hearing/actively listening and then responding appropriately/accordingly to the command given. In the case of those who have authority over us, we submit ourselves to their voice. In the case of righteousness, we submit to the voice of wisdom (Christ & Spirit), not our own inward sinful desires.

Ex. As the winds and waves obey Christ, Like one knocking on the door elicits an immediate response to open.

To Honor is to prize highly, to care for and show affection towards, to respect/fear. This Honor is shown both in childhood and in adulthood. In childhood, Obedience is how a child honors their parents. To listen and not respond accordingly is to not respect the authority of a parent.While disagreement is allowed, disrespect of authority is not. In adulthood, when one’s parents are aged and in need of care, they should be prized and respected, not tossed away or shunned until their death.

Obedience/Honor is linked to the promise of a lasting life in the land. This promise, as seen in Exodus, tells of a long life of protection from God for the nation of Israel, pending that they show life-long honor to their parents. In the same way, believers As God seen first in God’s care

“In the Lord” qualifies the attitude of obedience from the child. Children who obey their parents honor them and the Lord, and will often go on in life to honor the Lord in adulthood. Obedience from children, should always be a picture of what it is to obey and honor the lord; our relationship with God is often reflected in our relationship with our parents. While we should always obey/honor our parents, we are not commanded to obey evil commands, those that are not in accordance with the Word of God.

Spirit Filled Fathers Build Up, Don’t Stir Up

To Stir Up Anger, is to provoke/challenge/exasperate one into fits of rage or anger. Colossians 3:21 says that fathers should discipline/correct in such a way that their children are encouraged, not emotionally battered and disheartened. Fathers ought to discipline with level heads; human anger only burns it never builds.

Fathers are rather called to Bring Up, which means to nourish, care, and provide what a child needs. The language Paul uses, illustrates a trainer who takes the time to understand the needs of their athletes, seeing their potential and aiming to develop them with that future goal in mind. Fathers ought to discipline their children in this way, always looking to develop them, emotionally, morally, spiritually, mentally, physically, etc. When a child needs to be corrected, a father should do so in the form of admonition, without provoking, but gently and sternly correcting the course. Like a road crew puts up guard rails, the correction of a father should be a guard or a warning of potential danger for their children.

Specifically, fathers must pay carful attention to spiritually develop their children. Fathers who live sprit-filled lives can model and teach their children to honor the Lord, living in relationship with Christ and walking worthy of his calling. Fathers represent God to their children, as they Imitate Christ, their children learn to imitate them. Fathers must lead by example, modeling a christ like life for their children. Honoring/Obeying parents is the first way in which children learn to honor/obey God.

All of their commands ought to be in Line with God’s Wisdom/Word and not just personal opinion. This requires a father to be in God’s word daily, praying that God would teach him how to teach his children. A fathers relationship with God will often reflect his children's relationship with him.

Proverbs 22:6 “Start a youth out on his way; even when he grows old he will not depart from it.”

Spirit Filled Workplaces

Spirit Filled Employees Serve with Integrity

While we do not have slaves and masters in our world, we can still apply Paul’s teaching to the way in which believers act in the marketplace, whether as employees or bosses.

Obedience/Service is hearing/actively listening and then responding appropriately/accordingly to the command given. In the case of those who have authority over us, we submit ourselves to their voice, and work in a way that is in line with their commands.

Pauls says that slaves ought to obey with fear, trembling, and sincerity; As we obey Christ they should also maintain the same attitude of respect towards those who employ us. We should always act with integrity and uprightness, not slandering or speaking crudely to/about them.

Just as we would treat Christ we ought to treat those who we work for with the same respect. We should whole-heartedly work at all times as Christ-pleasers not people-pleasers. We do not aim to just work when others are watching, treating earthly gain as the only prize. We must work with an attitude of benevolence and goodwill eagerly serving as If everything we do is for the Lord, pursuing heavenly treasure, treating everything we do as an opportunity to shine the light of Christ, glorifying him above all. His will is done when we shine brightly for him, no matter our circumstances.

Living in this way, spirit-filled believers act knowing in faith that they will receive repayment of good from the Lord for the good we show others. Even when our actions receive no credit from people, we can trust that our father in heaven is watching, great is the reward of those who serve the Lord in everything they do.

Spirit Filled Employers Lead with Fairness

Spirit-filled Masters or those with authority should not live as though they have ultimate authority but should live in authority to Christ, treating those in their care with the same love/respect that Christ shows them. They should act justly and fairly, not showing favoritism but treating all equally.

They should never be harsh or threatening, but treat their workers with integrity, uplifting their value as fellow image bearers of God. Masters should always remember that they belong to God, meaning they themselves are slaves of Christ.