A series on Pauls’
prayers
(Click on the
link below to read the verses.)
Philemon 1:4-25
[Paul was a
controversial figure in the first century church. But it could also be argued
that he was the most dynamic and influential apostle. In this series we’ll be looking
at Paul’s prayers and what he has to say to us today.]
The second house that Debbie and I ever owned was
beautiful, but it needed a lot of work. One of the things that needed some
attention was the garage. Actually, it was a wreck; to the point of being useless.
In fact, it needed to be demolished.
One Saturday, a group of friends came over and that’s exactly what we did. Truth be known, it was kind of fun tearing it down. When we were done, all that was left was a pile of debris and a lot of dust.
We live in a time of significant divisions -
political, racial, economic and religious – just to name a few. There were many
divisions during Paul’s time as well – men and women, rich and poor, Jew and
Gentile, slave and master.
Philemon was a believer from the Colossian church…
and a slave owner. According to the NIV Study Bible, Roman era slavery was
significantly different from American history. First, it wasn’t based on race.
Most slaves could expect to be emancipated. Some even owned property.
What prompted Paul’s letter to Philemon was that one
of his slaves, Onesimus, stole from him and then ran away. It was during this
time as a fugitive that he met Paul and became a Christian.
Paul’s personal appeal to Philemon was for him to accept
Onesimus as a Christian brother and to forgive him. In light of what happened,
forgiveness and reconciliation between owner and slave was a radical request.
Reading between the lines, you can easily see where
Paul is going with his prayer. “Put into
action the generosity that comes from your faith”. In other words, just as
Jesus showed grace to Philemon and forgave him, he should show grace to
Onesimus and forgive him.
Just like my friends and I knocked down the walls of
my dilapidated garage, Paul was asking Philemon to knock down the walls of
division between Onesimus and himself. He was asking Philemon to go against the
norms of society by not only forgiving Onesimus, but also accepting him as a
brother in Christ.
15 Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a
little while was that you might have him back forever— 16 no
longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is
very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother
in the Lord. NIV
As Paul asked Philemon to knock down the walls of
division in his life, the Lord is asking you and me to begin the demolition of
division in ours.
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