Rules of Christian behavior

Ephesians 4:25-28

 Rules of Christian behavior

A Christian is a citizen separated from the world.

For the proper functioning of any entity, it is necessary to establish rules of behavior. Today, for the good of the Christian community, Apostle Paul has left us a list of old practices that need to be thrown away and replaced by new ones since we live under new standards.

 I call that list “Throw away and Pick up.” We are going to discuss those old practices side-by-side. When you throw away bad habits you need to pick up what is good to replace it. Do not leave the place empty.

1. First, in v. 25 throw away Lying and pick up  Speaking  the truth with your neighbor.

Who is your neighbor?  A person who lives near or next to you. So, the members of your family, brothers, and sisters in Christ are more than a neighbor to you. Be honest with them. Have you ever seen someone tell lies to himself or herself? When you tell lies to each other, you are lying to yourselves because, as the last part of the verse says, we are members of one another. If eyes are lying to feet and feet are lying to hands and each member of the body is lying to each other, do not you think that the whole body will fall one day in a pit? Lying is the mark of Satan. When you lie, you show that Satan’s hand is upon you.

 A pastor asked a brother why he did not show up for a service one Sunday. His response was,” I was sick last Sunday.” Later, the day, the Pastor called to his house and fell on the wife who complained that her husband went to the beach instead of going to church. We need to understand that the hole of lies is not deep. Covering lies with lies will eventually come to the surface one day. With what are you going to replace lies? Speaking the truth is the answer.

2. Throw away Anger and pick up  Self-control

As a Christian, it is normal to be angry against injustice, wrongdoings, but do not let it fester or continue for long. Pick up Self-control to show that you are a holy people,  set apart from the world. As a rule of thumb, do not go to sleep angry. Try to reconcile or regain self-control before going to bed. If you are easily angry, Satan is going to exploit that weakness to have a foothold from which he can make further progress in your life. Whenever you feel anger wants to consume you for any reason, calm down to defeat the enemy.

3. Throw away Stealing and pick up Getting a job.

Many people like to receive, but what about giving back? When you work you do not labor only to provide for yourself, but you must share with those in need. Work is freedom and obligation at the same time.  A Christian should not develop a complex about doing any job to take care of himself, his family, and help those in need.  Unfortunately, we had been raised in our Haitian culture to despise manual labor because we believe it is for uneducated people or household servants.  Those who have education usually go to work in offices.

It is worth noting that both Greeks and Romans despised manual work. Therefore, they used slaves for such works. But for Jewish families, there was nothing wrong with manual labor. So, they trained their children to work in a trade. That is why Paul made tents to provide for his needs. If God gives your friend two hands to work manually, you can do it also. Otherwise, he would have given your friend three hands or four. Of course, not everybody is super intelligent, but every one of us in general has two hands. Please, do not be a burden to the church. Go get a job. The exception is for people who are unable to work.

As a matter of fact, our upbringing makes life difficult for us. We cannot do this; we cannot do that. As Christians, we need to go beyond picking and choosing what kind of work we want to do. It is not what we do that matters, it is providing for our family that matters. Any job is better than no job at all.

Some believers in the Early Church used the impending return of The Lord as an excuse to not work and relied on other members to take care of them.  Keep in mind that idleness is the mother of all vices, such as stealing, gossip, envy.  Laziness is a dishonor. But the cure for gossip is hard work. Do you know why you have time to meddle in the affairs of others? It is not because you have a phone or an account on social media. It is because you do not work. So, you have free time to speak badly of others.  

Let us read 2 Thessalonians 3: 7-12.

“For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.  We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.  For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”  We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.  Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quietness and earn the food they eat.”

 How proud are we to earn our living as Paul did! If people refuse to work, do not encourage them by supporting them. These people are not only a financial burden, but they become a nuisance to the congregation and to  the cause of the gospel.

If you are one of those Christians that keeps on lying, is consumed by anger, and refuses to work, I encourage you to make a U-TURN in your life.

Throw away Lying and pick up Saying the truth

Throw away Anger and pick up Self-control

Finally, throw away Stealing and pick up Getting a job.

Your family and God will be happy with you.

God bless you.

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