2016-01-31 Redeemed Slaves Who Become His Trusted Friends! (John 15:12-17)

In today’s world, slavery is a reality we completely reject. But in the Bible, slavery is neither condemned nor condoned, it’s just an accepted part of the social structure. What’s condemned in the Bible is every abuse within slavery, every sin committed against slaves, every wrongdoing and mistreatment.

While slavery itself is not condemned, it is in fact part of:
a spiritual structure to help us understand our relationship to Jesus Christ – Who is the Lord, the Master, the King! In the Ancient World, wherever there was a lord, there were slaves. If Jesus is our Lord, then we are His slaves – BUT! – we are His slaves who have become His friends! So says today’s passage in John 15.

In the New Testament, slavery was very, very common and did not have the stigma it has today. For some people, it was the best of all possibilities because they were cared for (along with their family) for the whole of their life. And history shows that sometimes, these “slaves” were so well-loved and so well-cared for by a good and faithful master, they would actually go to their master and say, “Master, I want to serve you for the rest of my life.”

Welcome friends, to Home Church Langley!