Philemon 1-7
Let me introduce you to some very diverse people.
First, there is Paul.
Paul is a Jew. Educated under the
top Rabbi of his day, Paul grew up as a Pharisee. Before becoming a Christian, he was the most
zealous Pharisee around. He is also
educated, so educated that the Roman procurator said to him, “Paul, you are out
of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” (Acts 26:24)[i] Paul is the equivalent of a PhD of our day.
Then there is Timothy.
Timothy is a disciple of Paul. He
is the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Forbidden by Mosaic Law, mixed marriages were
not accepted by Pharisees. However, this
did not stop Paul, the ex-Pharisee, from loving and working with his young
protégé.
Next, there is Philemon. Philemon’s name is Greek. Of course, normally Jews like Paul would have
nothing to do with Greeks. Philemon
lived in Colossae and was well to do, a slave owner. He had a church in his house. His wife was Apphia and his son’s name was
Archippus. Philemon was converted under
the ministry of Paul and Paul calls him a beloved fellow worker. Tradition has it that he was martyred for his
faith.
Colossae had been a leading city in Asia Minor several
hundred years before Paul’s day.
However, by the first century A.D., Colossae had diminished to a
second-rate market town and had been surpassed long before in power and
importance by the neighboring towns of Laodicea and Hierapolis. During Paul’s three-year ministry in Ephesus,
Epaphras was converted and carried the gospel to Colossae.[ii]
It was in this town of Colossae that Philemon and his family
lived and worked. Here is where there is
more about Archippus. When Paul wrote to
the Church in Colossae, he said:
And say to Archippus, “See that you
fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” (Colossians 4:17)
So, not only was his father a leader in the Church,
Archippus had a ministry in the church as well.
The word translated “ministry” here is the word “διακονίαν” from which we get our word “deacon.” Some take
this to mean that Archippus was a deacon in the church. According to tradition, Archippus was later
the bishop of Laodicea.
The final character I wish to introduce to you today is
Onesimus. His name means useful. He is a slave. Slavery was common in those days. According to the “Ancient History” website, 1
in 5 people were slaves across the Roman Empire.[iii]
These people were all from different cultural, social and
economic backgrounds. They come from different
countries, languages, cities and families.
They are as diverse as can be and should have nothing in common.
However, we will see that they are the most loving and
unified group one could imagine.
There was one unifying factor involved and I want to look at
it with you and look at how it worked in each of their lives.
The one unifying factor was Christ or the Gospel.
As diverse and different as these people were, they were
unified in purpose. This is the first
thing necessary for a mission. A simple
definition of “Mission” is: a task or
job that someone is given to do.[iv]
What we have in Philemon is a picture or a vignette of people
living out the mission in their daily lives.
Paul and Timothy were in Rome.
Philemon, Apphia and Archippus were in Colossae, and they were all
living out the mission. Look at how Paul
addresses them. He calls Philemon, “our
beloved fellow worker” and he calls Archippus, “our fellow soldier.” They were
all workers in the same cause.
Now, as for Paul, he calls himself, “a prisoner for Christ
Jesus.”
First of all then, it is important for us as Christians,
living in light of our mission, to realize and keep in mind that all of our
circumstances can serve and do serve the mission.
Paul was a prisoner of the Roman Empire, persecuted by Jews
who hated the mission he was on and the message he preached. The very ones who had crucified the Lord
Jesus Christ now sought to have Paul put to death. But, Paul does not consider himself their
prisoner. He considers himself Christ’s
prisoner. In Philippians 1, writing
about his imprisonment he says:
12I want you to know,
brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,
13so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard
and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 14And most of the brothers, having
become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak
the word without fear.
God is in control of all of our circumstances. Paul rejoiced that his chains served to
advance the gospel. They were all
workers in the same cause, fellow soldiers in the cause of Christ. Paul set the example by seeing every
circumstance as a God given opportunity to advance the gospel. The unifying factor in purpose and
circumstances is Christ.
However, reading Philemon, we see that these people are much
more than fellow workers. They are
family. Timothy is called “our
brother.” Philemon is addressed as
beloved and Apphia is called “our sister.”
Look at what Paul says in verses 4 and 5:
4I thank my God always
when I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear of your love and
of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints,
Look at the reference to love and compare it to what Paul
says is verse 7. “For I have derived
much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the
saints have been refreshed through you.”
The bonds of our mission run deep.
We said, “It is important for us as Christians, living in
light of our mission, to realize and keep it in mind that all of our
circumstances can serve and do serve the mission.” It is also important to realize and keep it
in mind that no one of us should or can go it alone. Paul was a prisoner, but he had Luke,
Timothy, Epaphras, Tychicus, Justus, Mark, Demas and others either with him or
delivering messages for him. (Colossians
4) Paul was part of a Christian
community that he considered his family.
We see this community at work in the exchange of letters, messages and
prayers. At the end of Colossians 4,
Paul says, “And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in
the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from
Laodicea.” (Verse 16) Here, in the exchange of letters and
communications between the Laodiceans and the Colossians, we see the tight knit
fellowship of the family.
We see the family community in operation as Paul says he
derives much joy and comfort from Philemon’s love. We see the family community in operation as
Paul says the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through Philemon. We see the family community in operation as
Paul boldly tells Philemon to prepare a guest room for him in verse 22.
Jesus set the example.
He called His disciples brothers.
In Matthew 28:10 He says, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to
go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Hebrews 2:11 explains to us, “So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy
have the same Father. That is why Jesus
is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters.” (NLT)[v] It is because of Jesus’s example that we know
what love is and how to relate to each other as brothers and sisters. We read in 1 John 3:16, “By this we know
love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for
the brothers.”
This family community is an essential part of the
mission. We belong. We are a part of something big, powerful,
world changing, and we are important to this family. The mission is who we are. We are the people of Christ. That is why they call us Christians. When our missionaries are in far off places,
they are our flesh and blood serving, on behalf of Christ and on our behalf, our
brothers and sisters in Christ who we have yet to meet. In addition, you and I should be no less
dedicated to the service of Christ. Every
day we get to serve Christ wherever we are, and we have a wonderful family to
love, support and encourage us, to walk with us along the way.
The unifying purpose in all our circumstances is Christ. The unifying factor in our relationships is
Christ. Christ is the mission. He said, “I am the way, and the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.” (John 14:6) We find a beautiful expression of this truth
in Philemon 6. I like the King James Version
of this verse:
That the communication of thy faith
may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you
in Christ Jesus.
The word “communication” here is an interpretation of the
Greek word “κοινωνία” which is usually translated “fellowship.” The idea of verse 6 is closely tied to verse
5 and Paul’s thanksgiving every time he prays for Philemon. The faith and love expressed by Philemon are
going to result in the full knowledge of what is in us because of Christ. The knowledge of what is in us because of
Christ is effective, life changing and powerful. It breaks down strongholds. It sets prisoners free. It changes us into His image. Let me list a few things that are in us
because of Christ.
Because of Christ, we are God’s children.
Because of Christ, we are beloved.
Because of Christ, we have eternal life.
Because of Christ, we have an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven (1 Peter 1:4)
Because of Christ, we have the mind of Christ.
Because of Christ, we have the Holy Spirit of God living
within us.
Because of Christ, we have the power of God.
These and so much more are ours because of Christ.
Christ is our mission.
Christ is the unifying factor.
All true Christians agree that Jesus is Lord. He is risen from the dead and He is Lord. If you find yourself on the outside looking
in, then perhaps you do not yet know Jesus.
Perhaps divisions and strife among us mean that we do not yet know Him,
as we should. Our first job or mission
or purpose is to know Him. When we know
Him and love Him with all our heart, then we can make disciples, disciples who
will know Him and love Him with all their hearts. Philemon actually made
disciples as a natural outgrowth of his life because he knew Jesus and loved
Jesus with all his heart.
Do you know Jesus?
Do you love Jesus with all your heart?
[i] Scripture
quotations are taken from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News
Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[ii]
The NIV Study Bible, copyright 1985 by the Zondervan corporation, pg. 1851
[v] Scripture
quotations marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House
Foundation. Used by permission of
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Steam, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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