Paul's letter to Philemon was written right around the year 62 A.D. while Paul remained under house arrest in Rome. This letter was written at roughly the same time that Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians.
Paul wrote this letter to Philemon, a man of great influence in the church at Colossae. Philemon had come to know Christ possibly through Paul's preaching ministry in Ephesus about a decade earlier or through some other face-to-face interaction with Paul, but he continued to own slaves which was a very common practice in Rome. A very large portion of people living under Roman rule at the time were in some form of slavery, either because of debts they owed or because they had been taken captive through conquest.
One of Philemon's slaves, a man named Onesimus, apparently got sick of living in slavery and escaped (which was a capital offense). Onesimus may have also stolen money from Philemon when he made his escape. He then fled the city of Colossae and went to Rome where he may have been attempting to hide out and start a new life. In the process, he met Paul and came to faith in Christ. He also began actively assisting Paul in his ministry.
In time, Onesimus felt convinced that he needed to return to Colossae and face up to what he had done. Paul sent this letter with him to encourage Philemon to think very carefully about how he responded to Onesimus. When Onesimus ran away, he was a slave and a thief, but he was returning as a brother in the Lord. Paul strongly encouraged Philemon to treat Onesimus as a brother, reminding him that he too had been a recipient of the grace and mercy of Jesus.
I love this brief letter because it serves as such a strong example of Christ's power to change lives. As we work our way through it, we'll see that demonstrated clearly. And in the verses we're looking at right now, we'll see how Christ's love for us, and our love for Him, translates into genuine love for the church as well.
I. Would you risk your personal safety for the church?
““Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,” ”
The other day I was raking my front lawn while my neighbor was mowing his. Inevitably, we started talking and analyzing all the problems we're facing in our country and in our world today. One of the things we agreed on is the fact that a large percentage of humanity seems to prioritize their safety and comfort over their convictions, and it's rare to find someone who lives out their convictions when it stops being safe to do so.
Paul was the kind of person who prioritized conviction over safety and comfort. He had a conviction that this world needed to hear the life-changing message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, so he went where the Holy Spirit led him to go to make that message known. As he did so, he planted churches and trained leaders to continue the work he started once his stay in the city was completed.
But Paul's convictions, and the action he took based on those convictions, didn't sit well with everyone. People actively tried to prevent him from telling more people about Christ. They actively sought to take his life before he could train more leaders or disciple more believers. And as this letter was being written, Paul remained imprisoned under house arrest while he awaited trial in Rome.
There's only one of Paul's letters that begins with him describing himself as a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and this is it. And when I read his words and think about the example he set, I can't help but ask myself, "Would I be willing to allow my illusion of safety and comfort be interrupted for the sake of the church? Would I be willing to preach the gospel, train leaders, and disciple believers even if my well-being was threatened for doing so?" If my answer to that question ever stops being "yes," please remove me from church leadership that instant.
II. Would you open up your home to the church?
““To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:””
Paul addresses three people who were actively involved in the church of Colossae in his greeting. It very well may be that Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus were family. That certainly seems to be a natural way to read this introduction, especially because Paul references the fact that the Colossian church would often meet in their home.
It appears that multiple people in the Colossian church opened up their homes for the church to use as meeting places. In Colossians 4:15, Paul mentions Nympha and the fact that the church met in her home. Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus were apparently generous in this way as well.
When I read about what life was like during the era of the early church, I'm often inspired by their example. They were persecuted by their culture, yet their faith remained strong. They didn't have church buildings, cathedrals, or conference centers, but what they did have was a willingness to share generously.
““Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” ”
Would you open up your home to the church? Would you give someone in the church a ride in your car? If another believer asked to borrow one of your tools, would you lend it to him? Would you give your time to another Christian if they needed someone to sit with them during a doctor's appointment? Would you offer to babysit the children of a young couple so they could go out to eat for two or three hours?
Philemon's family was very likely well-off, but their generosity demonstrated that they didn't hold onto the blessings the Lord entrusted to them in a selfish way. They shared what was theirs with their brothers and sisters in Christ as the Lord directed their hearts to do so.
III. Would you share what Jesus is doing in your life with the church?
““Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” ”
Over the course of my life, I have been looking for people who serve as good examples that can teach me something new or model something for me that I need to better understand. There are people in my life that I consider excellent examples of what it means to be a man, a husband, a pastor, an entrepreneur, a writer, a speaker, and more. And there are people in my life that I have often looked at as examples of what it means to be strong in faith in Christ Jesus. In fact, before I ever read the Bible for myself, I was reading the lives of other Christians, and their example showed me what following Jesus looked like.
By the way, someone is also copying you. Whether you realize it or not, there are people who make decisions with eternal ramifications based on what they are presently observing in your life.
Philemon was an example and a man of influence in his city. He was known for being generous. He was known as a man who loved Jesus and had great trust in Him. Philemon was also known as someone who loved the church. And because he loved the church, he shared what he was learning with them. I get the impression that he was very active in doing that with the goal that others would develop a full understanding of who Jesus is and what He has accomplished on our behalf.
But as this letter will demonstrate, Philemon was still a work in progress. There were many things he was getting right, but there were also areas where he needed to grow and develop. I think that's a good thing for us to remember if we're ever tempted to think we've "arrived." We may have experienced a lot of growth in recent years, but none of us has come to a place where we don't need to continue to grow spiritually.
We get ten or less brief decades on this planet and that is in no way enough time for us to fully understand the height, depth, or width of the love of God that has been shown to us in Christ Jesus. We will spend eternity contemplating that truth.
But even though there's still much more for us to learn, let's remain active to share what we've already come to know. You don't have to wait until you're the world's foremost expert on Christianity to share what the Spirit of God has made known to you thus far. Philemon still needed to grow in many ways, but that didn't stop him from generously sharing what he had already come to know.
IV. Would you actively seek to refresh the church when it's weary?
““For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.””
Paul didn't plant the church at Colossae, but he certainly cared for its well-being. And even though he couldn't be with them physically, he was grateful for those who actively served and led the church like Philemon had a reputation for doing. In fact, the knowledge of Philemon's service brought comfort and joy to Paul's heart during this imprisonment.
Paul describes Philemon's work as refreshing. The believers in the church were refreshed through him. This makes me wonder, how can we as present-day believers refresh one another?
I don't think there's a conclusive list of all the ways this can be done, but I can tell you personally how other believers have refreshed me throughout the course of my life. There are people who regularly pray for me and remind me that they're doing so. I can think of people who have gone out of their way to minister to my wife and my children through the years. I'm also often reminded of people that have come alongside me to serve in a variety of ministries or projects. One of the greatest examples of that is our local church that bears the fingerprints of many different believers using their gifts and resources to come alongside one another and build others up in faith.
I believe God intentionally sends His people into our lives to refresh us when we need a boost. Philemon was a refreshing person in the church at Colossae, and we have the privilege to be refreshing to the church in our day.
Christ loves the church. That was demonstrated during the course of His earthly ministry, and His love continues to be demonstrated today. Do you love His church as well? How are you making the most of the opportunities He grants us to demonstrate that love?
© John Stange, 2022
