All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.
Philippians 4:22 NIV
Christians In Caesar’s Household
While some of the 343 Members of Parliament are Christian, there are many more Christians working on Parliament Hill as “staffers.” Back in 1976, one exhausted Christian staffer, who was working for a cabinet minister, approached Diane Scarf. As Scarf recalls, at that time, “They work their staff day and night. He approached me and said, ‘I’m just falling apart, we need something, we need support for those who are Christians.’ And that was the beginning.” This encounter prompted Scarf, and a group of other Christians, to start the “Parliament Hill Christian Fellowship.”
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Winston Churchill once said, “Politics is not a game. It is serious business.” My life has been given to ministry, not politics, but I’m grateful to godly men and women who spend their lives doing their best to represent Jesus in the world of politics. There is a fascinating verse at the end of Paul’s epistle to the Philippian believers. In Philippians 4:22, he says, “All God’s people here send you greetings, especially those who belong to Caesar’s household.” The phrase “Caesar’s household” is not speaking about his immediate family, but rather who are part of the Imperial Civil Service. It would be another three centuries until Christianity would become the official religion of the Roman Empire, but very early on God had His people in charge of the affairs of the Empire. In a day when politics seems to be getting more toxic, God still has His people – in Parliament and in the bureaucracy. Take time today to pray for them, that they would stand strong in their faith and be salt and light for God’s Kingdom.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley