Paul writes to Philemon, whose slave ran away and found Jesus Christ.

Philemon 1:1-7

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“Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother.” Philemon 1:1-7

The purpose of Paul writing to Philemon concerns Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, which is discussed in the post on Philemon 1:8-25. The following verse reveals that when Paul said, “For perhaps [Onesimus] departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” Philemon 1:15-16

When Paul wrote this letter, He was imprisoned in Rome by the Romans for spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere. Paul was a prisoner of Jesus Christ, meaning imprisoned for being a Christian. Timothy is the one who actually put the ink on the paper for the words Paul spoke to him. Paul and Timothy considered Philemon to be a dear friend as well as a coworker for Jesus Christ. As Followers of our Lord Jesus, we too should be endeared to those who work to lift up the name of Jesus Christ. Paul and Timothy were also speaking to the lady Apphia, the man Archippus, and the church in Philemon’s house. The “church in Philemon’s house” reveals to us that the church is not a house, building, or any other man-made structure, but the church is people, like me and you, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…” 1 Corinthians 6:19

While Paul wrote to address the issue of Philemon’s runaway slave, in his heart there was nothing except grace and peace offered from God and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is exactly the example we are to follow when we have issues to address with others, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Colossians 4:6 We should always be thankful for other believers, to mention them in the presence of the Holy Spirit within our prayers, and to rejoice to hear of their love and faith towards Jesus Christ and other believers. The sharing of our faith is effective because we acknowledge the good things in us that are there in the Spirit of Christ Jesus. We should pray that every believer be effective in sharing the Gospel of Christ. The faith of other believers is a source of joy and comfort for us because we know the heart of believers everywhere are refreshed by that faith.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:1