Bond Slave or Love Slave

Pastor Syd addresses the issue of being a hireling or an heir, a bond slave or
a love slave. Hirelings work for their pay. They trade their time for
something, and when things get risky, they run away. (John 10:11-13) In
service to the Lord, a person serves because they love the Master. Do not
serve the Lord as a business transaction. Bond slaves do not have a choice in
the matter. They serve out of condemnation, fear, and compulsion. Love
slaves choose to be a slave for life because of love. They serve with willing
hearts and are in it for others; good. (Luke 17:7-10) Slaves serve others and
then serve themselves last. Heirs inherit, but start out like slaves when they
are young. As they mature, they turn into love children. Money takes on the
characteristics of the person who holds it. Heirs have an inheritance coming.
They may work for a time, but it belongs to them. God gave His Son (John
3:16). In the Old Testament, a slave had to be freed after six years
(Deuteronomy 15:12-17), but they could choose to become a love slave for
the rest of their lives. Paul introduced himself as a slave (Titus 1:1;
Philippians 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1). John identifies himself as a slave in
Revelation 1:1. Are you a bond slave or a love slave? God owns us. Jesus
bought us back. Jesus made Himself to be a slave (Philippians 2:5). He went
to the cross because He loved the Father. Slavery against your will is fearful.
We receive the Spirit of adoption (Romans 8:15-17). If you serve the Lord
because of getting the blessings, you are a hireling. (Luke 12:35-38) Be
ready for service. The remainder of the message was information about
making a faith promise for alms and missions giving, not tithes giving. In the
US 2%-15% of a church’s budget goes to outreach. CWI’s outreach giving
was 43%. Nine percent of churches teach on giving weekly, and 90% of
those churches experience financial growth. Our vision is TEAM: transform,
equip, accountability, and mobilize. You can see more at
churchoftheword.com.