Genesis 39:6 And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not ought he had, save the bread which he did eat.
In Genesis 39, we see Joseph as one who is both a slave and a steward. He had been sold into Potiphar's house, where he served as a slave. Because God was with him, everything he did prospered. Potiphar noticed, and eventually he put Joseph in charge of his entire household. Now Joseph was not merely a slave. He was also a steward in Potiphar's household. Potiphar knew that Joseph would take care of everything. Joseph's faithful stewardship made Potiphar's household a place of rest and enjoyment. Managing a household is no simple thing. I believe that it gave Joseph a lot of trouble. In his disposition toward Potipher, though, he didn't convey any of this. He didn't let Potiphar know about his worries and troubles. If an issue came up, he dealt with it in such a way that Potiphar never even knew about it. Potiphar's only concern was the bread before him.
In this passage, the Lord showed me that this is how the church life should be for new ones. In God's household today, the church life, the Lord needs faithful slaves and stewards. He needs brothers who are given for the service of the saints and who can be entrusted with the riches in God's house. Most importantly, he needs faithful brothers who will protect the new ones' appetites and make sure that their only concern is to enjoy the bread before them.
According to the New Testament, the greater one is the one sitting at the table being fed, and the lesser is the one who supplies the food. For Joseph, the greater one was Potiphar, his "boss." In the church life, the greatest ones, the ones sitting at the table to be fed, are the new ones among us. As we mature in the Lord, the Lord needs us to become the lesser ones so the new ones take the seat of the greater at the table. In a sense, they should the ones who rule us. Our consideration should be for them. This is the kind of relationship that Joseph eventually had with Potiphar.
The new ones among us should have no concerns apart from eating the "bread of life." They should only know that the Church is where they receive their life from the living Bread. They should be able to eat without being troubled by anything else. This requires that we be faithful stewards with the word, bringing something out and setting it before them for their enjoyment. We have to realize that they cannot grow if we don't supply food. Perhaps more importantly, it requires that we be careful about our disposition. The atmosphere in the church life has everything to do with our disposition. Many times we are heavy laden, and even though we don't say anything about it, our disposition betrays us. If Joseph had been carrying his cares in his face, Potiphar would have known it and would not have had the rest. Likewise, when we come to the meetings where there are new ones, we should not have anything in our disposition that would give them cause to worry. This is not easy - it requires maturity. This does not mean that we are to modify our behavior to be "good" or "better" Christians. But it does mean we need to deliberately exercise ourselves for the protection of the new ones. Lots of times we forget that we are slaves in God's house, and we just care for our own things. We become loose with our feeling and allow our heart to remain full of our cares. This shows up on our face. Then, when we go to speak or to say something to supply a new one, what should they think? When we are like this, it affects the atmosphere of the church life, and it affects the saints' appetites. How could Potiphar have eaten if he thought that something might be going on behind the scenes in his household? How can the new ones among us eat and rest when the one who is giving them food has a face full of care and worry?
Joseph might have had some fellow slaves that he could unload his burdens on. He also had the Lord. Likewise we do need some mature brothers who we can unload on, and we need to learn to cast our cares on the Lord. This is not just for our sake, but so that we aren't carrying negative things before the ones who are being fed.
As I considered this, I realized that the Lord is telling me personally that it is time to "grow up." As we start seeing more new ones among us, I pray that we can be faithful stewards in God's house. May the Lord have mercy on us so that we would be able to really lay hold of Him, cast our cares upon Him, and have a heart that is a soft, open, channel for His Spirit to flow out through. In this way, there will be a supply of bread in His house, and the new ones among us will have a good appetite to eat and to grow.