Philemon 1-7

Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved fellow worker and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:  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.  For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.

This is Paul’s shortest and most personal letter.  We get a glimpse into his relationship with a special family that is active in ministry and has been faithful partners for the advancement of the Gospel.  It is a story of transformation through the power of Christ that is born out of relationships that have been forged through suffering and cooperation within the body of Christ.  This introduction to the book gives un insight into the faith and love that are necessary for effective ministry for the Gospel.

PERSONAL GREETINGS: It is a remarkable thing to witness Paul’s productivity and concern for the wellbeing of the body of Christ while in prison.  We also get insight into the early church and the hospitality that was demonstrated in hosting a church in the residence of Philemon.  This family is clearly engaged in the advancement of the mission and is using their resources to minister to the body of Christ.  Paul’s greeting to them includes a desire for them to experience the grace and peace of God and the Lord Jesus.  It is only by the grace of God that we can experience peace with God and the peace of God through the work of Christ on the cross.  We would do well to bless one another with these kinds of prayers and desires.

PRAYERFUL GRATITUDE: Paul is motivated to pray for this family because of his gratitude for the work of God’s grace in their lives.  The two characteristics that stand out as marking this family are faith and love.  Our relationship with God starts with faith in Him because of His work on the cross on our behalf.  Only by placing our faith in this supreme act of love can we experience the love of God flowing through us back towards God and out to those around us.  If faith and love are the motive for Paul’s gratitude and prayer; His request on their behalf is that their ministry of sharing their faith in Christ would be effective.  As believers we are called to share our faith with others.  However, only the Spirit of God can make those efforts effective.  This is what prayer and sharing our faith must walk hand in hand.  The result of sharing our faith is an expanding knowledge of the work of Christ on our behalf.  We learn and appreciate the Lord as a result of sharing with others about Him.  Others also learn more about Christ as we share.  He is the source of any goodness that is in us and that is the message we are called to proclaim.  The power of Jesus to transform our live should be evident in our lives and audible through our speech.  The life of this special family has been a source of joy and comfort to Paul because he sees how they are using their spiritual gifts as well as their physical resources to refresh the hearts of the saints.  We are blessed by God so that the blessings of God can flow through us to be a source of joy and refreshment to others.

APPLICATION: Strive to build a family that uses its resources to be a blessing to others.  Allow the grace and peace that we have through Christ to build faith and love in us that flows out to others.  Actively share our faith with the people the Lord places in our path.  Look for ways to bring refreshment to the hearts of people.

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