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Learning To Be Effective In Broken Systems
“I pray that the partnership of your faith may become effective as you comprehend all the good that we share in Christ.” - Philemon 1:6
Philemon is a personal letter that the Apostle Paul while in prison, wrote to one of his wealthy slave holding converts, on behalf of a runaway enslaved convert.
How do we follow Jesus in broken world, when we are confronted with nothing but bad options?
Paul was already in prison in large part because his teachings were disrupted of the social order. Declaring that there’s neither Jew nor Greek, Slave nor Free, and there’s no longer male and female- as the early Christians did during their baptisms, carries real social implications.
But what does one do when your new converts aren’t fully ready to embrace this new reality? What does one do when the present status quo is doing everything in its power to perpetuate itself?
Paul answers the moment not with anger or outrage, but with patience, kindness, boldness, and gentleness. He reminds the slave holding brother that the enslaved person is also his brother and encourages, just short of demanding, that he do the right thing towards this brother.
Individual and social transformation take time, sometimes generations. We don’t accept the status quo. But we do have to learn how to be effective. Being effective change agents requires us to be patient, gentle, kind, strategic and bold.
I’m Horace McMillon. This is 60 Seconds of Hope. Peace be with you.
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