Servant's in Caesar's Household

All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household. ~ Philippians 4:22

This brief addition to Paul’s final greetings in his letter to Church at Phillippi stands out because of its acknowledgment that there were Christian Believers in Ceasar’s household. It serves to remind modern believers that Christ’s followers are embedded in unlikely places. It is often problematic for Christians in small towns and rural settings to believe that authentic Christianity thrives in big cities and even media centers like New York and Las Angeles. It is even more challenging to imagine them in the media industry. When one considers government centers like Washington DC and the UN, it seems impossible to believe that authentic Christian women and men serve there. Yet, Paul sent greetings from the believers in Ceasar’s household. 

It is short-sighted and a little arrogant to think that God is not at work in power and influence centers. They are present witnesses for Christ, though like missionaries amid foreigners, they adapt to the culture and meet the people where they are. They learn the language and seek to understand before striving to be heard and followed. So, imagine the Christian in Ceasar’s household for a moment. He/she dresses appropriately for the environment and cultural norms, as far as it is compatible with his devotion to the LORD’s precepts. He/she observes and recalls the motives and priorities of his non-believing associates. He/she prays and trusts the Spirit to enhance his conversation and actions so that associates are intrigued by his unusual approach to everyday matters. The Christian in Ceasar’s household is most influential when exhibiting God’s unprecedented grace, the extraordinary love of Christ, and the irrefutable wisdom of the Holy Spirit. 

Servants of the Enemy are also deeply embedded in the centers of influence and power. Typical of Satan’s ways, they cunningly mirror the servants of Christ while subverting and mocking the LORD. Therefore, the Christians in Ceasar’s household live a supernatural variation of the political schemes, spy stories, and cold war chess matches associated with government and media. It is a life-and-death struggle both literally and figuratively. Careers and personal security are at stake, and sometimes even one’s life. 

        Awakened to the reality of God’s servants in Ceasar’s household, how shall Christian Believers in other settings respond to the awareness? First, pray fervently for saints who witness in such places. Second, look for their work and influence. Satan is always easily identified by the chaos that reigns under his influence. Likewise, recognize the LORD by the cosmos, or divine order, that reigns under His power. Christian disciples are always there, in the cosmos, not the chaos. The beloved children’s television host, Fred Rogers, said, “When I was a boy, and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” It is true of Ceasar’s household too. Christ’s helpers are there. So, prayers for them are essential. Above all, trust the LORD and look for His divine order pushing through the chaos like the green shoots and blooms emerging from the cold soil amid the brown doldrums of the waning winter.