Over the next 3 days, we are looking at the little letter of Philemon.

1 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker, 2 to Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that meets at your house:
3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I always thank my God, remembering you in my prayers, 5 because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6 I pray that your partnership in the faith may become effective as you fully acknowledge every good thing that is ours in Christ. 7 I take great joy and encouragement in your love, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

8 So although in Christ I am bold enough to order you to do what is proper, 9 I prefer to appeal on the basis of love. For I, Paul, am now aged, and a prisoner of Christ Jesus as well.

10 I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whose father I became while I was in chains. 11 Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Like 2 Timothy, Paul wrote this letter from a prison cell, though this was some years earlier (how many times was Paul thrown in jail for preaching Christ?!).

It’s a simple letter, but it’s important to understand the situation of the two main people Paul talks about. He wrote the letter to Philemon, who was a close Christian friend and a gospel coworker. It seems that Philemon was reasonably well-off – he had a church gathering meeting at his house, and he had at least one slave. Well, until recently.

That’s the other main character: Philemon’s runaway slave Onesimus. It seems that Onesimus had been an unbeliever and a lousy slave, and had wronged his master Philemon in some way (we don’t know how – maybe he stole something from him). He then fled, but he somehow ended up with Paul in prison. Through Paul, Onesimus not only came to faith in Christ, Paul clearly came to have a deep affection for him. On top of that, Paul tells Philemon, “now he has become useful both to you and to me” (v. 11).

Paul is having a bit of fun with Onesimus’s name there. His name means “useful” or “profitable.” But before he knew Christ, when it came to the things of faith and eternity and salvation, Onesimus didn’t live up to his name. He wasn’t Mr Useful, he was Mr Useless, Mr Good-For-Nothing. But how amazing and transforming is it to know Christ?! Christ turned this crooked and spiritually useless runaway slave into Mr Useful-For-Jesus.

So Paul wants Philemon to see his slave Onesimus, not as a loser who will scrape into heaven in last place. Onesimus is now Philemon’s partner in the gospel, just like Paul is.

Two thoughts to finish. As you think about yourself: Jesus doesn’t just save us from hell. He saves us for useful work. His goal is to transform us into “gospel doers” in his service, hard-working partners with our brothers and sisters. Are you aiming and striving for Christ’s goal for you?

And as you think about your brothers and sisters at church: Which of them do you see as your potential gospel partners, as Useful-For-Jesus people? If there are some you don’t put in that category, pray for your heart and mindset now.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.