Thoughts by Theophilus

[theophilus]

Philippians 3:20 says of Christians,

Our citizenship is in Heaven.

When someone is naturalized as a citizen of a country he gives up whatever citizenship he previously had and no longer has any allegiance to his former country. So does this mean that when we became Christians we gave up our citizenship in our earthly country? There are some Christians who think this is so and that for this reason Christians shouldn’t get involved in any form of political activity.

Citizenship in New Testament times was not the same thing it is today. The Roman Empire was made up of many nations. Some of the people in that empire were considered Roman citizens and had rights that noncitizens didn’t. Paul was such a citizen and if you read Acts you will find out that he exercised his citizenship rights when doing so would help him spread the gospel.

But being a Roman citizen didn’t keep a person from also being a citizen of whatever part of the empire he lived in. This citizenship was in addition to whatever other citizenship he possessed, not a substitute for it.

It was similar to being a citizen of a country and also a citizen of a state or province of that country. I am a citizen of the United States and since I live in Kansas I am also a citizen of Kansas. I can exercise both citizenships at the same time without any conflict. In the same way, the fact that I am a citizen of Heaven because I am a Christian is no barrier for my exercising the rights of my American citizenship.

In fact the Bible clearly state that human governments ultimately get their authority from God.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
Romans 13:1 ESV

And verse 4 says,

For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.

It certainly can’t be wrong to take part in an institution which God has established.

There are examples in the Bible of followers of God being involved in worldly governments.

Joseph’s faithful obedience resulted in his being placed in the position of being second in command in the Egyptian government.

Daniel was taken to Babylon and there rose to a position where he had a strong influence on the government.

Paul took advantage of his status as a Roman citizen and exercised the rights that came with his citizenship.

At least one member of the church in Corinth held a government position. Paul wrote the letter to the Romans from that city and at the end he names some believers who sent their greetings to the Romans.

Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.
Romans 16:23 ESV

This doesn’t necessarily mean that we must always do everything our government commands us to do. When its actions or laws contradict God’s commands we must obey God. We find some examples of this in Daniel. Chapter 3 tells how Daniel’s three friends refused to bow down to a stature when commanded to do so. Chapter 6 tells how Daniel disobeyed a law the prohibited him from praying to God. But we must do whatever our government requires when it is possible to do so without disobeying God.

Christians are free to exercise the same rights and must fulfill the same responsibilities as other citizens. But we have a responsibility that other citizens do not and it is the most important one. We are commanded to pray for our country.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV

In a letter written to the exiles in Babylon Jeremiah said,

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
Jeremiah 29:7 ESV

When someone becomes a Christian this act doesn’t make him of less value as a citizen. If his country has laws that are contrary to God’s commands his faith may force him to disobey those laws, but his new relationship with God means that he can pray for his country and God will hear his prayers. The country is better of as a result of his new relationship with God.

[theophilus]

When Christians discuss the Bible we are often accused of choosing Bible verses that support our position and ignoring those that oppose it. Usually this takes the form of quoting some law found in the Old Testament and asking why we don’t practice it. Since we consider all of the Bible, including the Old Testament, to be the Word of God this is a reasonable objection that should be answered.

God has given two kind of commands in the Bible. One kind consists of moral laws that are given to all people and are always in effect. Jesus said that these laws can be summarized in two commands:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

All of the other moral laws of the Bible are simply detailed instructions on how to carry out these commands.

In addition to giving universal commands that apply to everyone God also gives commands to specific individuals and groups that apply to them but to no one else. For example, he told Noah to build an ark to keep all life from being destroyed in the flood. This command was given to Noah and his family alone and God never intended for anyone else to obey it.

After he had delivered the Israelites from slavery in Egypt he chose them to be his people and gave them laws which they were required to obey. These laws included all the moral laws which apply to everyone but they also include commands which weren’t ever given to anyone else.

The question is, which of these commands must we obey today and which were only for Israel and don’t apply to us?

Israel was a nation. The Church isn’t a nation but is a body of believers who are subject to the laws of the nations in which they live. A nation has the authority to enforce its laws and punish those who violate them, even executing them if their offenses are serious enough. A church doesn’t have the authority to impose any kind of physical punishment but is limited to expelling from its membership those who continue in sin and refuse to repent.

A nation has the right to engage in military activities to protect itself against other nations. Christians are engaged in warfare but it is spiritual, not physical.

If church leaders in the past had kept these distinctions in mind the Crusades and the Inquisition probably wouldn’t have taken place.

God commanded the Israelites to offer animal sacrifices to atone for their sins and he established a priesthood to carry out these sacrifices. These sacrifices were intended to show what Christ would do when he died for our sins.

But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.

For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
Hebrews 9:11-14 ESV

Since Christ has offered himself as the perfect sacrifice which takes away all our sins we no longer need to make animal sacrifices.

The Israelites were given laws regulating what kinds of food they could eat and were commanded to observe special holy days. These commands, like the sacrifices, were intended to be illustrations of what Christ would do and we no longer have to obey them.

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.
Colossians 2:16-17 ESV

The fact that we are not required to follow some of the laws in the Old Testament doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t study them. Second Timothy 3:16,17 says,

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Many of the commands were intended to illustrate spiritual truths. One example of such a law is Deuteronomy 25:4.

You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.

In 1 Corinthians 9:9 and 1 Timothy 5:8 Paul quoted this command to show that Christians are to financially support those who work full time at preaching the gospel.

When you read a command in the law you should think not just about its literal meaning but what spiritual truth it illustrates.

[theophilus]

The Old Testament contains many commands which were given specifically to Israel. How should Christians regard these commands? Should we ignore them as not being relevant to us today or can we learn something from studying them? The Bible gives us the answer to this question.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16,17 ESV

Since all Scripture is profitable we must study all the commands God has given even if we are no longer required to follow them literally. God has also given us an example to show us how to interpret these commands.

You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.
Deuteronomy 25:4 ESV

Very few people use oxen anymore so not many of us can obey this command literally but Paul quoted it twice and in doing so showed us the spiritual principle which it illustrates.

Do I say these things on human authority? Does not the Law say the same? For it is written in the Law of Moses, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?
1 Corinthians 9:8-12 ESV

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”
1 Timothy 5:17-18 ESV

The real meaning of the command is that anyone who does work that benefits another person should be payed for it. In both of these cases Paul was speaking about those who work full time in serving God but it isn’t limited to this kind of work.

Here are two more examples of commands that have a deeper meaning that the literal one. If you take the time and effort to study the law you will be able to find more.

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When you build a new house, you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring the guilt of blood upon your house, if anyone should fall from it.
Deuteronomy 22:8 ESV

When this was written houses were built with flat roofs and the roof was used as another room in the house so obviously a railing was needed to protect the people on it. Since we don’t normally build houses like this today we don’t have to follow this law literally but we can learn something from it that does apply today.

If God had wanted to do so he could have used his power to protect the people from falling off their roofs and a railing wouldn’t have been necessary, but he has chosen not to do this. We learn from this that he expects us to foresee possible dangers and take precautions to guard against them. For example, we should fasten our seatbelts when in a car and we should always use protective equipment when doing things that involve the risk of injury. We should not use the fact that he has promised to protect us as an excuse for carelessness.

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You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together.
Deuteronomy 22:10 ESV

An ox was a clean animal which could be eaten or offered as a sacrifice. A donkey was unclean and couldn’t be sacrificed to God. Paul might have had this verse in mind when he wrote 2 Corinthians 6:14,

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.

The work of God is to be carried out only by Christians and we must avoid anything which we bind us too closely with unsaved people. This verse has often been used to show that a Christian shouldn’t marry a nonChristian, and while this is true it applies to other situations as well.

One area where Christians have often violated this principle in the past is in making Christianity the official religion of a nation or trying to get help from the government for the church. Practices like these have led to Christians relying on the government rather than to God and has opened a door for the unsaved citizens of the government to influence the church. We should use our influence to ensure that the laws of their country are in accord with God’s standards of right and wrong but we should never seek or accept government help in the primary work of the church, which is preaching the gospel and teaching the Bible.

[theophilus]

I used the plural, relationships, in the title because God is a trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and Christians are related to each of these in a different way. Ephesians 5:22 to 6:9 gives instructions regarding three kinds of human relationship which also serve as illustrations of our relationships with God.

The first is that between a husband and a wife.

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”

This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Ephesians 5:22-33 ESV

Wives are to submit to their husbands in the same way the church submits to Christ. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Since Christ died for the church this means they should be willing to give their lives for their wives. The relationship between a husband and a wife is intended to show the relationship between Christ and the church.

(In the New Testament the church is called the bride of Christ. In the Old Testament God refers to Israel as his wife. Marriage is intended to be a picture of the relationship between God and those who follow him with the husband taking the role of God and the wife that of his worshippers. It is impossible for two men or two women to portray this relationship. That is why same sex marriage is wrong.)

The next set of instructions is to parents and children.

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.”

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Ephesians 6:1-4 ESV

Human fathers are commanded to instruct and discipline their children. God is our father and he disciplines us when it is necessary.

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?
“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord,
nor be weary when reproved by him.
For the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
and chastises every son whom he receives.”

It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness.
Hebrews 12:5-10 ESV

The final set of instructions is for masters and servants. Today we would call them employers and employees.

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free.

Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
Ephesians 6:5-9 ESV

After we are saved we are given work to do for God and it is the Holy Spirit who directs us in this work.

First he gives us the spiritual gifts we will need.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 ESV

Then he assigns each of us the work in which we are to exercise that gift.

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Acts 13:1-3 ESV

Finally he guides us as we carry out this work.

And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”

And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Acts 16:6-10 ESV

The order of these instructions is important. We were once separated from God because of our sins. Christ died to pay for our sins and we must first be forgiven by faith in him. We are then born again and become children of God. After that we can begin to serve God.

[theophilus]

It is easy to see the reason for many of the commands God gives us but there are others that don’t seem to make any sense. For example, what about this one?

You shall not wear cloth of wool and linen mixed together.
Deuteronomy 22:11 ESV

What difference can it possibly make what our clothes are made of?

There is another place in the Bible where wool and linen are mentioned together. The last part of Ezekiel includes a description of the temple that will exist during the Millenium and this is part of the instructions for the priests who offer sacrifices there.

When they enter the gates of the inner court, they shall wear linen garments. They shall have nothing of wool on them, while they minister at the gates of the inner court, and within. They shall have linen turbans on their heads, and linen undergarments around their waists. They shall not bind themselves with anything that causes sweat.
Ezekiel 44:17-18 ESV

The significance of linen is revealed in Revelation 19:6-8.

Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

In the Bible a saint is someone who has been saved by faith in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-10 shows how a Christian’s deeds are related to his salvation.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

The good deeds a Christian does are not the means of acquiring salvation but the result of salvation. Salvation isn’t the result of anything we do but being saved will lead us to do what is good. Linen symbolizes the good works that are the result of salvation and not intended as a means of acquiring it.

The passage from Ezekiel equates wool with what causes sweat. This means that wool is a symbol of trying to achieve salvation by our works.

Many people think that salvation is the result of a combination of faith and works. There are many variations of this belief: for example, we must believe and be baptized or we are saved by faith but we must live a good life in order to keep our salvation. Wearing something made of both wool and linen is a symbol of this kind of teaching

[theophilus]

If we want to understand the Bible well we must not only read it but spend time thinking about what it says. Here is how the Bible describes the person whom God blesses.

His delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psalm 1:2 ESV

What does it mean to meditate day and night? Do we have to stay awake and think about the Bible rather than sleeping?

There may be times when we need to stay up at night and study the Bible but this isn’t normally the case. When we sleep our minds continue to operate even when our bodies are inactive and most of us experience periods of wakefulness during the night. What we think about during these times often influences our activities during the day.

If we think about the wrong things this effect can be bad.

Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand.
Micah 2:1 ESV

But spending this time thinking about God will produce good results.

My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night.
Psalm 63:5-6 ESV

What we are thinking about at the end of the day often determines what we think about during the night. Most Christians are aware of the importance of starting the day with a time of prayer and Bible reading. When we do this we are following the example of Jesus who often rose early in the morning to pray. Perhaps we should end the day the same way.

When the Israelites worshipped in the tabernacle God commanded them to make daily sacrifices in the morning and in the evening.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Command the people of Israel and say to them, ‘My offering, my food for my food offerings, my pleasing aroma, you shall be careful to offer to me at its appointed time.’ And you shall say to them, This is the food offering that you shall offer to the LORD: two male lambs a year old without blemish, day by day, as a regular offering. The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight.”
Numbers 28:1-4 ESV

We should follow their example in our personal worship. If we make it a habit to spend time thinking about God just before we go to bed we will find it easier to do the same thing in the morning.

[theophilus]

Our actions always have unintended consequences that we couldn’t possibly have foreseen. King David discovered that after he showed mercy to someone whom most people would have considered his enemy.

Because King Saul failed to obey God’s commands God chose David to be his successor. When Saul learned of this he tried to kill David but Saul’s son Jonathan supported David because he recognized that he had been chosen by God. David promised Jonathan that when he became king he would repay him for the kindness he had shown.

Both Saul and Jonathan were killed in battle with the Philistines and as a result David became king of Israel. A king who started a new dynasty would often kill all the relatives of the previous king because they were potential threats to his rule. The Israelites probably thought that David would follow this practice but instead he looked for a way to keep his promise to Jonathan.

And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

And he said, “I am your servant.”

And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”

Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”

The king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
2 Samuel 9:1-4 ESV

It is likely that Machir thought he was risking his life by providing a place of refuge for Mephibosheth. The fact that he was willing to do this shows a high degree of loyalty to Saul and he probably considered David a usurper who had no right to rule Israel.

When David learned where Mephibosheth was he had him brought to Jerusalem.

Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!”

And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”

And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
2 Samuel 9:5-7 ESV

David kept his promise to Jonathan and his decision to do so had an effect on what would happen to him in the future.

David’s son Absalom rebelled and David was forced to flee from Jerusalem. At least one of Saul’s supporters was happy to see this happen.

When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually. And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on his left.

And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The LORD has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”
2 Samuel 16:5-8 ESV

Since Machir had been loyal to Saul it would seem likely that he would feel the same way Shimei did, but that turned out not to be the case.

When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils, honey and curds and sheep and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”
2 Samuel 17:27-29 ESV

Machir had gone from being an enemy of David to someone who was willing to help him even when it was dangerous to do so. The obvious reason for this was David’s treatment of Mephibosheth. David’s loyalty to one friend resulted in his making a new friend who was able to help him in a time of need.

We can’t foresee every result that our actions will have but God can. If we are careful to obey him we can be sure the the final outcome of what we do will be good and may even help us in ways we could never have foreseen.

[theophilus]

When we were young our parents stressed the importance of always washing our hands before we eat. In the Bible it was customary for a host to offer his guests water so they could wash their feet before eating.

Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.”


So they said, “Do as you have said.”
Genesis 18:2-5 ESV

This was such a common practice that when he had been invited to dinner Jesus spoke of his host’s failure to do it.

Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.”
Luke 7:44 ESV

When the events in the Bible took place there were no sidewalks or paved roads so people had to walk in the dirt. Since most people wore sandals or went barefoot their feet naturally became dirty so foot washing was a necessity.

Before the last supper Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and what he said to Peter on this occasion shows that the custom had a significance that went beyond mere physical cleansing.

Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?”

Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”

Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean.”
John 13:5-10 ESV

Washing in water is a symbol of the spiritual cleansing we need in order to have fellowship with Jesus. Two kinds of washing are mentioned here. The first is bathing the whole body. This is a picture of salvation.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Titus 3:4-7 ESV

This is what Jesus was referring to when he told Nicodemas about the necessity of being born again.

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
John 3:5 ESV

This kind of washing is something that only takes place once. When someone puts his faith in Jesus he is reborn spiritually and now has eternal life.

After salvation we still sin and these sins need to be taken care of. This is the equivalent of washing out feet to remove the dirt we have picked up as we go through life.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 ESV

We are not told that we must cleanse ourselves. We must admit that we have sinned and need to be cleansed and then we must allow Jesus to remove the spiritual dirt from our lives just as Peter allowed him to remove the physical dirt from his feet.

All of these instances of foot washing took place as preparation for a meal. Our souls, as well as our bodies, need food to continue functioning. The food for our souls comes from the Bible.

Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Deuteronomy 8:3 ESV

We can only understand the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit.

These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God.
1 Corinthians 2:10-12 ESV

We must always remember that he is the Holy Spirit. Sin in our lives is a barrier that keeps him from helping us. We should follow the Biblical practice of washing our feet before we eat; before we begin to read or study the Bible we should be sure that we have confessed our sins and received cleansing from Jesus. If we do this then the Holy Spirit will be free to work in us and open our minds so we can understand the Bible more fully.

[theophilus]

The prophet Daniel was one of the captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar when he conquered Judah. He was fully committed to obeying God even though he was a captive and as a result God placed him in a position where he could have a godly influence on the king. As a result, Nebuchadnezzar became a worshipper of God.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.
Daniel 4:37 ESV

God has commanded Christians to pray for those in authority over them.

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV

This is often quoted to show that we should pray for the leaders of our government. This is true but they aren’t the only ones we need to pray for. Those who control news and entertainment media, educational institutions, and businesses often have as much influence on people as our political leaders do and we should pray for them as well.

Those who hold positions of authority have helpers and advisors who assist them in carrying out their duties. The account of Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar shows that sometimes these assistants can have a strong influence on their bosses. If they are Christians this influence will be a good one.

The title of this post is “Pray for Daniel.” What I meant by that is that when we pray for someone in authority we should pray that God will place Christians in jobs where they can have a good influence on him and we should pray for those who already hold such positions.

If you are a Christian and have a job which brings you into contact with someone who is in a position of power you should consider the possibility that God has placed you in that job so you will be a Daniel (or a Danielle) to provide a godly influence in that person’s life.

[theophilus]

When Paul was on his final journey to Jerusalem he spent some time at the home of a man named Philip.

On the next day we departed and came to Caesarea, and we entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.
Acts 21:8 ESV

We are told two things about him: he was an evangelist and he was one of the seven.

Chapter eight of Acts contains the record of his evangelistic activity. It begins with a successful campaign of preaching the gospel in Samaria.

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Christ. And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip when they heard him and saw the signs that he did. For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was much joy in that city.
Acts 8:5-8 ESV

Afterward an angel directed him a place where he would meet an Ethiopian official who was interested in learning about God.

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place.

And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.
Acts 8:26-28 ESV

Philip explained the gospel to him and he became a believer.

And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”

And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
Acts 8:36-38 ESV

He then began a preaching tour that led him to Caesarea where he evidently stayed.

He is also called one of the seven. Chapter six tells us what this means.

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
Acts 6:1-6 ESV

In chapter six he is appointed to a group that was placed in charge of food distribution. In chapter eight he is an evangelist. How did such a change come about? The answer is found in the first part of chapter eight.

And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.

Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word.
Acts 8:1-4 ESV

If Philip hadn’t been forced by persecution to leave Jerusalem he might have spent the rest of his life overseeing the distribution of food and never preached the gospel to the Samaritans or the Ethiopian eunuch.

God uses many methods to call people to carry out the work he has given them to do. Sometimes they are sent out as official representatives of a church, as Paul was.

Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
Acts 13:1-3 ESV

Sometimes he speaks to them directly as he did to Samuel.

And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.”
1 Samuel 3:10 ESV

And sometimes, as he did with Philip, he sends some event that completely disrupts their lives but leads to opportunities to serve God that they wouldn’t otherwise have experienced.

Philip wasn’t the first person this happened to. Joseph was sold into slavery by is brothers and ended up becoming the second highest ruler of Egypt. Daniel was taken to Babylon as a slave and ended up exerting a godly influence on the king. If you are a Christian and you are experiencing some crisis that has completely upset your life you should consider the possibility that God is in the process of leading you into a new area of service for him.

There are many places in the world today where Christians are being persecuted and many of them have been forced to flee from their homes just as the Christians in Jerusalem were. We should pray that these people will find new homes but we should also pray that like the first persecution victims they will preach the word everywhere they go. The persecutors are trying to destroy the truth but God can use their efforts to spread the truth instead.