Our study this week is from Ephesians 6:9:

Of course this is a continuation of the theme that we studied the last two weeks which exhorted slaves to do their work as unto the Lord and not men. They “do the same things” means that the masters should also do their work as unto the Lord. How could the master of slaves do that? As the verse continues, it is by knowing that the true Master is in heaven, which means that those who are in their charge are His servants, not theirs.

This one verse, if observed, might have so revolutionized slavery that it would have been a much more humane institution, though that still does not mean slavery was right, or that it would not have needed to be abolished. As we also studied previously, it is much better to be free, and freedom is a basic goal of Christianity for every person. Even so, how would the above verse have revolutionized slavery, and how does this apply to us today?

Let’s think about how we would act if we lived in a kingdom in which the king put us in charge of his own personal servants. Would we not treat his servants with the utmost dignity and respect? Would we not be devoted to their health and well being knowing that the king will hold us responsible? This is what the apostle was trying to convey to the slave owners of his time, that their true Master was also their Master—they were all slaves of Christ regardless of their position on earth. In this way the earthly masters were to lead their slaves as unto the Lord, for the Lord’s purposes and not just their own.

It is interesting that the apostle also commands the slave owners to “give up threatening.” Threatening is demeaning and should never be exercised by anyone in authority. We should have clear guidelines, with rewards for good behavior, and penalties for bad behavior, just as the Lord Himself established in both the Old and New Covenants. It was not a threat when the Lord stated the penalty for disobedience, but the warning of a sure result. For Him to just go on threatening without keeping His Word in these matters would have only caused all to lose respect for Him and His Word. The same happens to us when we resort to threatening instead of keeping our word.

Threatening our children or employees is evidence of a lack of true authority. The rewards and penalties should already be clear, and if there is disobedience, discipline should be administered the first time, not further threatening. If we have to threaten to compel our children or anyone else that we are in charge of to obey us, then somehow it has already been established that our “yes” did not really mean “yes,” and our “no” did not really mean “no.”

In whatever capacity we find ourselves as leaders we need to keep in mind that we are under the leadership of the King. Even as parents our children are not our children, they are His and He has given us the ultimate privilege and responsibility of raising and watching over them. If we are employers, supervisors, or in any way put in authority over others, we must always keep in mind that these are the Lord’s people that we have been given the responsibility to lead. We must always do this with the utmost respect for them, and for the authority that we have been trusted with. This should compel us to keep our word in all things and in all ways if it is at all possible. When we start threatening instead of enforcing, there is an erosion of authority and respect, and this will hurt everyone.

Over the years I have had to lay off a few people who worked for our ministry for either substandard performance, for seriously violating our policies, or the regulations that govern our ministry. This is the hardest thing I have to do as a leader of our ministry. In almost every case the people leave hurt and angry regardless of how I try to make it easier by commending them for the good things they did, etc. I can still remember the looks on the faces of each one that I had to lay off. Several said, “I never thought you would do this!” Two of these said that they never thought I would do it because no one in their life had ever enforced such a standard. However, several of these have sought me out later, sometimes after years, to tell me that my letting them go was the best thing that had happened to them. Each has gone on to previously unprecedented success which they attributed to the wake up call of getting fired. Of course, this has not been the case with all—some became bitter instead of better.

I am not trying to make excuses for these people or their problems. But when we fail to do what we say, and instead resort to threatening or other forms of pressuring people to do what we say in place of our “yes” meaning “yes” and our “no” meaning “no,” we are hurting them far more than they will be hurt by our discipline. One of the ultimate evils that is released in the last days is lawlessness. The lack of true authority that functions with dignity and respect for those in our charge, but functions nonetheless, is helping to release this ultimate evil. If we are going to be an authority that represents the King of kings, our word must be true.