Martin Luther nailed 95 thesis to the church door at Wittenburg. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery Alabama. Martin Luther King Jr. told everyone that he had a dream. John Lennon & Yoko Ono stayed in bed for a week. Students in China protested in Tiananmen Square. The Southern Baptist convention voted to boycott the Walt Disney Corporation.
Famous attempts at changing the world. While each met with varying degrees of success, each one thought that this was an appropriate way to change the world for better. As a Christian, though, how can we change the world? Should we vote, boycott, picket, protest, and harass? Should we stand by the road with signs, collect signatures on petitions, and attempt to pass laws that outlaw sinful behavior? Throughout history, Christians have tried to change the world through political means. Is that the way Christ would have us change the world, though?
Does the Bible give us a paradigm for changing the world? I believe it does. Let’s, for an example, take the issue of slavery. Slavery in the Roman world was universally practiced and accepted. The primary source of slaves was warfare and masters had complete control over their “human tools” (as Aristotle called them.) In America, we think of slavery through the eyes of American history. However, slavery in the ancient world had less to do with racism as it did with economics and class distinction (not that the American version didn’t either.)
We modern Christians are horrified at the institution of slavery. It is a shameful chapter in our history. We would expect that the New Testament would forcefully condemn this inhumane practice. Surely the Apostle Paul would have us boycott businesses run by slaves, petition the Emperor to abolish the practice, and condemn slave owners publicly–especially those who were Christians.
Guess what: it isn’t there. The New Testament offers little critique of slavery except to say that slaves should be good workers and masters should be good overseers (see Ephesians 6:5-9; 1 Corinthians 7:21; Colossians 3:22-4:2; and 1 Timothy 6:1-2.) Paul doesn’t encourage Christians to harbor runaway slaves. He doesn’t denounce those who economically support the institution. He just seems resigned to accept it.
Except for his letter to Philemon. Here’s the background…Paul starts a church in Colossae. Philemon, a somewhat wealthy man, becomes a Christian under the influence of Paul and even hosts church meeting in his house. Paul becomes imprisoned in Rome for preaching the gospel. While in prison, Paul runs into Onesimus, who happens to be a runaway slave of Paul’s good friend Philemon. Onesimus becomes a Christian under the influence of Paul. Now Paul is legally bound to return Onesimus to Philemon as a slave. Paul, however, sends this letter back with Onesimus to Philemon.
In this very personal letter, Paul gives his strategy for changing the world. Here it is…
Change the world through character, not criticism (v1-3). Paul notes that he also is a prisoner rather than criticizing Philemon for owning slaves.
Change the world through prayer, not protest (v4-7). Paul is always praying for Philemon rather than protesting his involvement in slavery.
Change the world with love, not laws (v8-11). Though Paul could have told Philemon what to do, he chose instead to appeal for the sake of love.
Change the world with purity, not piety (v12-13). Paul’s motives were pure and he didn’t have a hidden agenda. No one can question pure motives.
Change the world with compassion, not compulsion (v14-16). Paul had compassion for both Onesimus and Philemon rather than making something happen under compulsion.
Change the world with partnership, not pride (v17). Paul knew that the only way to accomplish anything was through partnership, not the prideful assumption that no one else can help.
Change the world with self-sacrifice, not self-righteousness (v18-25). Paul offered to pay for the damages himself rather than simply talking about what should be done.
Paul’s approach to eliminating slavery was this: win both slaves and masters to the Lord and the problem will take care of itself.
Too many times Christians are known for anything but love. We’re known for protesting, picketing, petitioning, and publicizing rather than loving. There is a time and place to make our voice heard in our country, but we should always do it with the love of Christ.
How do you change the world–from the bottom up, not the top down.
How do you change the world–you allow the Kingdom of God to govern every action.
How do you change the world–by changing the hearts of people.
How do you change the world–one person at a time.
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