March 09, 2024) Brian Bell shares…

It was while Paul was imprisoned in Rome that he wrote his short letter to Philemon, who it would seem was a wealthy man but also a well-respected believer among the Christians who made up the church in Colossae.

During his imprisonment, Paul had met a slave called Onesimus, a native of Colossae who had run away from Philemon. While in prison Onesimus came to faith in the Lord Jesus and the intention of Paul’s letter was asking Philemon to receive Onesimus back into his home.

From what is likely a very well-known story I share five encouraging thoughts…

1. Philemon’s Principle
While Paul writes specifically to Philemon he says he is ‘also writing to the church that meets in your house’ verse 2 (NLT). The church of course refers to the collective body of Christian believers.

Philemon seems to me to appreciate the principle and necessity of Christian fellowship. For those 1^st century believers there would not be a definable building to call ‘church’ as we do today in the western world, so they very often met in the homes of believers as was the case here in Colossae.

The believers who met in Philemon’s home formed a part of the Colossian church to whom Paul had also written a letter. In his letter to the Colossians in chapter 4 verse 9 (NLT) we read ‘I am also sending Onesimus a faithful and much-loved brother, one of your own people.’

While it is still a practice in some places today for Christian believers to meet together in small groups and even in homes, it is not the place or size of the gathering which is important – it is our assembling together in Jesus’ name.

2. Philemon’s Practice
In verses 5 to 7 (NLT) Paul’s letter speaks about Philemon in these terms –

‘I keep hearing of your trust in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. You are generous because of your faith and I am praying that you will put your generosity to work … I myself have gained much joy and comfort from your love, my brother because your kindness has so often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.’

Reading Paul’s commendation of Philemon can only lead us to conclude that Philemon was a man of Christ-like attributes such as –

• Trust
• Love
• Generosity
• Faith
• Refreshings.
  

Paul’s commendation of Philemon was not simply based on what he had heard from others but from personal experience. Philemon’s attributes were clearly a direct result of a life under the influence of the Holy Spirit and had an impact on the life of other believers.

It encourages and challenges me that these attributes are still what I should seek to allow the Holy Spirit to demonstrate in my life today! (As should we all!).

3. Paul’s Plea
Verse 10 ‘My plea is that you show kindness to Onesimus. I think of him as my own son because he became a believer as a result of my ministry here in prison.’

In essence Paul is asking Philemon to extend grace to Onesimus for he adds in verse 11: ‘he hasn’t been of much use to you in the past.’ Words that tell us very clearly Onesimus did not deserve to be shown kindness by Philemon.

Is that not where all of us stand before a Holy God? Our sinful nature, our past, our mistakes and our failings may call out loudly to condemn us, but because of Jesus God shows us kindness, His grace.

Like Onesimus we too have been changed from those who have not been of much use spiritually to be made children of the living God, saved and kept by grace alone. We should aim to be useful servants, a scriptural principle.

4. Paul’s Confidence
In verse 18 Paul writes ‘If he has harmed you in any way or stolen anything from you, charge me for it’ and in verse 21 says, ‘I am confident as I write this letter that you will do what I ask and even more.’

Paul encourages Philemon to overlook any wrong that may have been done to him and to forgive Onesimus.

Wow! Is that not a challenge to us as believers today! Sadly even among believers there can be a tendency to repeat or dwell on those times we may feel we have been wronged and it may cause us to harbour unforgiveness which I believe grieves and can quench the Holy Spirit.

Bible teacher and author Mike Raiter suggests ‘to love people who have seriously wronged you makes the world sit up and take notice.’

Within the Christian church it is not that we have an absence of problems but we have the Christ-like spirit with which we seek to face them, deal with them and resolve them, making us different because we can live in an attitude of forgiveness!

5. Philemon’s Heritage
While I am not aware of any scripture or other ‘evidence’ to attest to Philemon’s response to Paul’s letter, I choose to believe Philemon did extend grace to Onesimus.

In verse 2 of his letter to Philemon Paul says he is also writing to the church that meets in Philemon’s house, which I suggest is a reference to Paul’s general letter to the Colossians. The Colossians may well have met in other homes in Colosse in addition to that group who met under the provision of Philemon.

While Paul was clearly directly concerned that the situation between Onesimus and Philemon should be reconciled, he wrote in more detail about Christian behaviour in his Colossian letter and his letter to Philemon is entirely consistent with his Colossian teachings.

Today we have the benefit of having Paul’s letters to the Colossians and Philemon in one scriptural source – our Bible – and that I suggest that, at least in part, the letter to Philemon is a God-honouring heritage not only to Philemon but also to you and me.

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Brian Bell is a diaconate member, Christ Church (Congregational) Abbots Cross, Northern Ireland, and a volunteer with Disabled Christians Fellowship Ireland. Brian describes himself as ‘grateful for the privilege and opportunity given me to serve my Lord.’
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