PHILEMON
KJV
WEB
Ph, 1-25
(252h) Trinity
>>
You shall put no other gods before Me >> Worship
God >> Worship God for who He is >>
Worship God for being God –
Philemon is a single-chapter letter, often forgotten and
by-passed. Few know its significance or why it was included in the New Testament. If it were
only for historical purposes, it would be well enough, but Philemon offers much
more than that. It plays a role to
enhance the whole of Scripture and gives us a wonderful perspective from heaven
about our relationship with God. We wonder sometimes what God really thinks of
us. Is He mad at us? Is He tired of us? We all have doubts, but the
answer to these questions is a resounding ‘NO!’ The book of Philemon is
meant as an analogy where Christ represents the Father, Paul represents Jesus, Onesimus represents the Holy Spirit and Philemon represents the Church. Note that the
letter is addressed
to Philemon, yet it is about Onesimus, meaning that it is a message to the
Church about the Holy Spirit. For further review, read 2Cor
12-20,21, where Paul is speaking for Christ about His ambivalence regarding His
second coming. See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; Ph, 4-25; 123i
Ph-1
(101k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >>
Building up the body of Christ -- These verses go with verses
21
(216f) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >>
God forces His bond-servants to do His will -- This verse goes with
verse 13
Ph, 4-25
(123i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Spiritual affection >> Being in love with the
body of Christ >> Emotional situations –
The Lord does not want to do anything to us without our consent, “that
your goodness would not be, in effect, by compulsion but of your own free
will” (v14). This is the exact relationship we have with the Holy
Spirit. He never forces us to do anything but wants our goodness to be voluntary, for
if we don't freely offer our service to Him, then He doesn’t want
it, Paul echoing this in verse 16, “no longer as a slave, but more than a
slave, a beloved brother.” Slave is in reference to Paul's statement
in Rom 6-18, "Having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."
Jesus appeals to us as a brother, and He loves us as
a Father. He longs for our fellowship and seeks to befriend us. We are partners with the Holy Spirit as fellow
workers in the things of God. This is the kind of relationship we will have
with God in eternity. In every way, our relationship with Him makes the whole purpose of
this life an opportunity to
practice our faith in preparation to receive a Kingdom that will endure
forever. He has left us among the heathen to save as many
souls as possible and to embed His godly principles in us through the hardships of life. Then we will know that godliness means something to
us.
See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; Ph, 8-22; 68e
Ph, 4-22
(95h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Attitude >> Having an obedient attitude >>
Ready to do God’s will
Ph, 4-10
(87l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Minister to people through
obedience -- These verses go with verse 21
Ph, 4-6
(83e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Intercession >> Jesus stands in the gap >>
He prays for us
(142k) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >>
Having a reputation for knowing God >> known as
being intimate with God –
Paul speaks with the greatest spiritual affection of all his letters that
found their way into the cannon of authoritative works.
He was bubbling with the love of Christ for Philemon and especially for
Onesimus, being clearly proud of Philemon because of his love and devotion to
the saints in his willingness to refresh their hearts in the comfort of his
faith. This bespeaks of the godly emotions that Paul had for all his helpers
in spreading the gospel. Although he had the authority to command them (v8), he rather implored them with the graciousness of Christ. It was
obvious by his letter the love he had for Philemon, as a friend and as a brother in the faith and fellow worker
in Christ. They both anticipated heaven, and over the
course of eternity they would no doubt bump into each other and continue
sharing their spirit, just as they did in
this life. Philemon was in Paul’s
prayers as were many others whom he mentioned by name, asking the Lord for His
spiritual blessings, that He would continually give the increase to their
longing zeal, that they might produce a lifetime of good works to the
praise of His glory, which would become their bountiful gift on the day of
Christ, with the Lord turning their offering into the treasures of
heaven beginning at the resurrection of the righteous, appended to their spiritual bodies.
Ph-4,5
(208fa) Salvation
>>
The salvation of God >> Personal relationship >>
Being the friend of God >> Relationship with God
through obedience >> We resemble Him through faith
Ph-5
(125b) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >>
Faith and love
>> Faith toward God and love toward man
KJV
WEB
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Ph, 6-17
(139a) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >>
Encouragement >> Our brothers encourage us in
our adversity -- These verses go with verses 20&21
Ph, 6-8
(127i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Rewards for doing good >> Doing good teaches
you about the truth
Ph-6,7
(130g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Committed to caring for the needs of the body >>
Caring for spiritual needs -- These verses go with verse 22
Ph-6
(233h) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Seeking the glory of God >> Seek His glory without wavering
>>
Seek His glory by faith
(246j) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Demonstration of God’s kingdom >> God
demonstrates His glory >> Outward demonstration
of an inward work
Ph, 7-22
(131a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Interdependent on each other to do the will of God
Ph, 7-10
(119e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Fences of freedom >> Freedom in Christ --
These verses go with verses 14-16
Ph-7
(74a) Thy kingdom come
>>
The heart >> God wants you to bless your brother
from the heart
(125d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Joy >>
Joy is the result of investing in the kingdom >>
Investing in a life of service
(131d) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Brother depends on you >> To help build the
temple
(228d) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> Comforted >>
We are comforted in the presence of God >> God
comforts us in His company
Ph, 8-22
(68e) Authority
>>
Jesus delegates the Holy Spirit to us >> Sent
from heaven –
Paul said that through Onesimus he would rather appeal to the brethren instead
of commanding them, having begotten Onesimus in his
imprisonment. This is symbolic of the fact that Jesus made a way to send
the Holy Spirit through the covenant He made in His own blood. Jesus’ cross
made the Holy Spirit available to empower us to do His will, whereas the Old Testament made no
such promises. Only the leaders of Israel, Kings and prophets, were eligible
for this anointing, but the common man was exempt, but now in the new
covenant all God’s people are welcome to the Holy Spirit. Paul said of
Onesimus, “I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very
heart” (v12); this is iconic to Jesus speaking about sending the
Holy Spirit, who said in Jn 14,16-18, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you
another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth,
whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but
you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave
you as orphans; I will come to you.” Paul was coming to the
brethren in Onesimus just as Jesus came to us in the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are
intrinsically the same, so for
Christ to send the Holy Spirit was to send His very heart. See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; Ph,9-22;
225f
Ph, 8-10
(72f)
Authority >> Transferring authority
>>
Receiving the delegated authority of men
Ph-8
(122h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in
yourself as you die to sin >> Confidence in the Church through your ministry -- This verse goes with verse
21
KJV
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Ph,9-22
(225f)
Kingdom of God >> Illustrating the kingdom >>
Parables >> Parables about wealth >>
Parables about a father and his sons – Following is an interpretation to Paul’s letter to
Philemon. We will assign Paul the role of Christ, give Onesimus the
role of the Holy Spirit, and give Philemon the role of the Church. Verse 11 says
Onesimus (
the Holy Spirit), " who formally was useless to you, but now is useful both to
you and to me," suggests that Onesimus interceded between Paul and
Philemon. This is allegorical to the Holy Spirit interceding between Christ and
the Church, as Christ intercedes with the Father. Through
role-playing, we see the significance of this letter, which was all about
Onesimus, the young man whom Paul, “the aged,” had converted to the faith
while in prison. Onesimus was probably younger than both Philemon and Timothy,
who were young themselves, Onesimus’ youth elucidating his role as a
servant both to Paul and to Philemon. Paul referred to Onesimus as a son,
showing Christ's greater authority over the Holy Spirit. Christ is currently estranged from
the Church, as Paul imprisoned was estranged from Philemon, the Holy Spirit
being free to intercede between them, Onesimus traveling back and forth from Paul
and Philemon. He was a servant of Paul in his
imprisonment, who though he needed Onesimus, yet gave him to Philemon, analogous to Christ giving the Holy Spirit to the Church. In essence,
Paul was saying, 'Onesimus can minister better to me when he is with you,
because then he will be more useful to God.' The analogy of Paul’s confinement was reminiscent to
Jesus’ first coming in the flesh, comparing it to a jail sentence in light of
His former life in heaven. Jesus’ relationship with the Father while in the flesh was that
of a slave. He had to force His flesh to obey the will of God as He gave His life for the Church, so in verse 10 Paul said he had begotten Onesimus in his imprisonment, signifying that Jesus had begotten the ministry of the Holy Spirit through the cross.
See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; Ph, 10-22; 61c
Ph-9
(216g) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >>
God forces us by His love –
Paul said, ‘I could command you, but for love’s sake I rather
appeal to you.’ His appeal was urgent as a command, but because of Paul’s love,
and the love of Onesimus and Philemon, he made request, knowing they were
motivated by the love of God. We too are motivated by love, being more
compliant than the soldier who places his body in harm’s way on command.
Jesus went to the cross in love for His Father, and His Spirit now dwell in
us, who compels us to lay down our lives for the brethren. We have an upward call of God that is far greater than any calling of the
military. The world may 'forget our work and the love we have shown His name, in
ministering and still ministering to the saints' (Heb 6-10), but the lord will
never forget what services we rendered and our proven faith. He first loved us
by demonstration of the cross, and then gave His Spirit to us, and now we who
have fallen
in love with Him. Once He has our heart, He requests our
sacrifice for love's sake that others may be saved. God loves the world; Jesus died for
us; He desires everyone to know and love Him and to be released from Satan’s
grip and from the sentence of eternal damnation, and the only way He is
willing to communicate that is through love. He is willing to sacrifice us for
them, who have eternal life. Nothing can happen to us; we are
indestructible. Our bodies will grow old and die, but our spirit united with
Christ will never die. He wants that for everyone, and He is ready to use us to make it
happen.
(240f) Kingdom of God
>>
Opposition toward the Kingdom of God >>
Hindering the kingdom >> Natural disadvantage >>
Natural disadvantage of the flesh >> Limitations
of the flesh –
One disadvantage of the flesh is that we get old. The opportunity to
minister declines and eventually ends, but before that happened to Paul, he racked up a host
of rewards for the services he rendered to Christ throughout his Christian
life. Age also has an advantage in that we will eventually die and
enter a new life with Christ in heaven, a much better life than we have today.
In some ways Paul was happy to go to heaven, but in other ways he regretted
getting old and losing the ability to get around, his mind not as sharp,
everything beginning to fail. Paul felt as much imprisoned in his body as he
body felt imprisoned in his cell.
KJV
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Ph,10-25
(14i) Servant
>>
Ministry of helps >> Helpers are Indirectly in charge of
the word >> They minister to God's leaders
Ph, 10-22
(61c) Paradox
>>
Two implied meanings >> Author—Paul / Jesus
Christ – Verse 17 says, “If then you regard me a
partner, accept him as you would me.” This is like Jesus telling the Church to accept the Holy Spirit as if He were Christ Himself, in the way that
Philemon should accept Onesimus as though he were Paul. It is as though Jesus
were writing the book of Philemon to the Church, saying that if the Holy
Spirit “has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my
account; I… will repay it (lest I should mention to you that you owe to me
even your own self as well).” The Holy Spirit would never do anything wrong
to us, but there are those who would charge Him with negligence
for allowing them to suffer. Jesus went to the cross for us, and now we owe
Him our very lives. When we are forced to suffer, many of us blame God, so it is not surprising that many plan to go to heaven and
complain to God about all the things they had to endure, telling Him, ‘I became a Christian because I expected things to go smoother for me
as a child of God. You were supposed to take care of me, yet I had many trials.’ They think they will go to heaven
with these objections, but Jesus will tell them, ‘Do you think the Holy Spirit did you wrong and
now you want me to repay you? I went to the cross for you; you owe me your
very lives! You were supposed to faithfully endure your circumstances as a
token of your gratitude.’ God has every intention of rewarding our
endurance, but God is unwilling to endure our attitudes. See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; Ph,10-17; 148f
(236e) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Invest in the kingdom >>
Invest your strength into the kingdom >> Invest
your labors
Ph,10-17
(7c) Responsibility
>> Protecting the gospel >> Defending the word of God >> Protecting the men who carry the gospel
(148f) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Natural advantage as an evangelist >> Being
youthful –
Paul wrote a letter to Philemon, a Colossian believer who looked after Paul
while he was in prison, who was also a slaveholder of one, Onesimus. Paul said
in this single-chapter book that he had begotten Onesimus in his imprisonment,
leading him to salvation. Onesimus was a young boy, while Paul was an old man,
and Philemon was probably middle-aged. What the book of Philemon means is
exactly what it says, but we could attribute symbolism to flesh out some
rather meaningful truths about God. We could say that Christ represents the
Father, Paul represents Christ, Onesimus represents the Holy Spirit and
Philemon represents the Church. If we read this letter replacing Paul with
Christ,
what does prison mean for Christ who is currently in heaven? His Prison is
the entire age of grace! Jesus is not enjoying Himself in heaven; His ministry toward
the Church is still transpiring, and He is still suffering. His physical
suffering has ended, but He is suffering with His people as though He were
present with us, not only suffering everything we suffer but also suffering
our disobedience and rebellion. See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; 228c
(228c) Kingdom of God
>>
God’s kingdom is a living organism >> God
working in you >> Comforted >>
We are comforted in the presence of God >> Holy
Spirit is our comforter
– Onesimus
is reminiscent of the Holy Spirit, speaking about Him as a lad, one who has authority based
only on what Paul has given him. Christ
appeals to us as little children through the Holy Spirit. Christians are waiting for a heavy hand to
fall upon them and force them to do God’s will, but heavy-handedness never
comes. Psalm 32-9 says, “Do not be as the horse or as the
mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to
hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you.” God is
interested in our willing desire to serve Him. He sends a little child to
instruct us and to lead us in the way, as verse 12 says, “I have sent him back to you
in person, that is, sending my very heart.” Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to
us, sending His very heart, then he said in verse 17, “If then you regard me a
partner, accept him as you would me.” If we regard Jesus a partner in our
salvation, then we are to follow the Holy Spirit as we would Christ. See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; Ph, 12-14;
124a
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Ph,10-16
(187b) Die to self (Process of substitution)
>>
Separation from the old man >> Die to the flesh >>
The ministry of dying to self >> Die to self to
minister to people >> Die to self to encourage
the strong
Ph-10,11
(3o) Responsibility
>>
Children are accountable to their parents
Ph-10
(72m)
Authority >> Hierarchy of authority
>>
Authority makes you accountable >> Children are
accountable to their parents – Philemon was Paul’s spiritual son,
and Onesimus was Paul’s younger son, and Scripture teaches that the younger shall serve the
older, whose services were vital to Paul. Young
children during family projects always get the gopher jobs: go-for this and
hand-me that; they receive the most rudiment assignments, not old enough to
take on bigger jobs. These odd jobs that parents give their children
during family projects may be small, but they are still important. When we
think of the child performing these small tasks, the depth of the parent’s
heart for their child and the care they show is immeasurable, making sure to
choose a job that suits his age and is safe, borrowing
their little hands to reach into small spaces to perform necessary tasks,
whose little fingers are just the right size for the job. Little children are
always eager to help; they seek confirmation as vital members of the family
and get excited when they succeed. Onesimus was a young boy when Paul reached him
with the gospel, and he became a spiritual son and brother to Paul,
and he became incredibly useful as a communicator and runner between
jailhouse and the Churches, transporting letters, food and clothing and performing other necessary
jobs for Paul
that nobody else could do, running under the radar of Paul's captors. We think that being
young is a disadvantage, but being young is one of the most
wonderful experiences of our lives, and Paul made full use of
Onesimus.
(148i) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Works of the Church bear witness to Jesus >> Evangelism >>
Obligation to preach the gospel >> Ambassador in
chains
(238b) Kingdom of God
>>
Pursuing the kingdom >> Transferring the kingdom >> The kingdom is transferred to
the Church >>
Born again >> Born of the Spirit by the will of
man
Ph-11
(128j) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Bearing fruit >>
Living a fruitful life >> Living a continuous
life of fruitfulness
(197f) Denying Christ
>>
Man exercises his will against God >> Man
withers when he is in control >> Fruitlessness >>
Neutral is unfruitful
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Ph, 12-14
(124a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Love >>
Acts of love >> Love takes from the rich and
gives to the poor >> Love takes sacrifice –
In this short letter to Philemon, Christ represents the Father, Paul represents Christ,
Onesimus represents the Holy Spirit and Philemon represents the Church. This
letter is an epistle not directed to any particular church but to the Church
as a whole. Speaking about Christ's perspective in heaven
interceding for the Church, what kind of experience is this for Him? It
says that He has sent Onesimus to Philemon, that is, Christ sent the Holy Spirit to the
Church, sending the very heart of God. He wished to keep Onesimus with him but thought Onesimus would
minister to him better by ministering to Philemon. It was a sacrifice for
Christ to send the Holy Spirit to us. The Holy Spirit is what makes heaven
heavenly, and He has sent the Holy Spirit to us hoping to make earth heavenly,
but it is not going very well, because of disobedience in the Church
and lawlessness in the world. If the Church were to obey the Holy Spirit, we
could transform the earth into a heavenly paradise, but Christians are more
interested in doing their own will instead of obeying the Holy Spirit, which
God interprets as sin. See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; Ph-18,19;
4f
Ph-12,13
(247e) Priorities
>>
God’s priorities >> God’s interests >>
Concern >> Concerned about your well being –
In this short letter to Philemon, if we give Paul the role of Christ, it
speaks
as though He were a prisoner of heaven in the sense that He is apart from
His people. Jesus longs to be with us, but the time has not yet come, and once we
are together, we will remain together forever. 2Cor 5-8 says to be “absent
from the body and to be at home with the Lord;” those who have gone
before us do not have bodies; they are disembodied spirits, whereas
Jesus has a body. Still, He is not with His people as He desires; He
longs to be with us in body, longing for the Kingdom of God to manifest in the
natural realm.
Ph-13
(216f) Sovereignty
>>
God overrides the will of man >> God’s will
over man >> Compelled by the Spirit >>
God forces His bond-servants to do His will -- This verse goes with
verse 1
Ph, 14-16
(119e) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Freedom >>
Fences of freedom >> Freedom in Christ --
These verses go with verses 7-10. At
least temporarily, a person can perform the requirements of the law without God in his heart,
but he will also attempt to fit his personal interests into his life. The
law did not speak against this; it only spoke against those who
broke the law. It commands us to love the Lord with all our heart, but it had no way of
helping us do that, nor did it provide incentive to even want to do it, but
the new covenant does both, plus much more. Paul was seeking a willing heart in the
saints, but in today’s apostasy people who call themselves Christians are
like tree stumps, unmovable and afraid to do anything for fear of becoming
legalistic. Other religions blindly try to serve God doing all kinds of things
hoping to find favor with God, but the Bible speaks against a works oriented
salvation. The greatest limitation of the law was that its promises terminated
at the worshipper's death; it made no mention of eternal life, only that this life
should be long and prosperous, and it judged those
who rebelled. The new covenant is a better one in that it maintained the
promises of the old covenant and appended the new promise of eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord. See also: New Covenant is better; Ph-14; 127a
Ph-14
(127a) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Kindness >>
Be kind like God >> Practice the kindness of God –
It was important to Paul that Philemon served God by his own
free will, for if he felt coerced to obey, he would no longer be free, but he
would have returned full-circle to the law. Those who follow the law must
comply or else face the consequences, whereas with the new covenant we we long
to please God according to our own free will through the Spirit who dwells in
us. We are
free in every respect with no strings attached, yet there was another reason
Paul wanted Philemon to freely serve the Lord: there was
reward in it, which is freedom itself, and that willingness represents our
faith (Gal 5-1; Jn 8-32). See
also: New Covenant is better; Ph,14-16; 119e
(127h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Goodness >>
Rewards for doing good >> Doing good is the will
of God
Ph-15
(215e) Sovereignty
>>
God controls time >> God’s timing >>
God views time in eternity >> God sees eras as
moments –
Paul was speaking about Onesimus, who allegorically refers to the Holy Spirit,
who was speaking about Jesus Christ being separated from us for a while,
"that [we] would have him back forever." We might ask why God takes so long about everything he
does? He is eternal; He has been gone only two days (2Pet 3-8), and in that
sense it has been only a week since He
created man, but for
us it has been six thousand years! We will have to get used to God’s lack of
concern for time, since it is irrelevant to Him, though it is relevant to
us. Fortunately, He takes time into account, otherwise His plan of redemption may have
taken longer.
Ph-17
(130i) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Accept one another >> Accepting the great and
the small >> Great leaders accept small people
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Ph-18,19
(3m)
Responsibility >> Parents for their
children >> Paul feels responsible for
those he brings to the faith
(4f)
Responsibility >> Advocate God’s cause >>
From him who has shall much be required – Paul
said that if Philemon had a problem with Onesimus, he was to address him and
not Onesimus, only to remember this, Philemon owed his entire life to Paul,
since he was the one who introduced Philemon to Christ. Translating, if we have a problem with the Holy Spirit, we are to voice our complaints to
Jesus in reference to suffering and evil, obviously not in this life but in
heaven when we get there, as though we would yell at God in His own house, who has scars all over His body
from paying the price for us to be there. Many people have complaints
about God because He allows so many terrible things to happen without lifting
a finger to prevent them. He has required us to remain in the flesh and suffer according
to His will for a season, and requests that we not cop an attitude about it, because it is not evil for us to suffer and it is not evil for
God to
allow it. We are to accept our lot in life and rejoice in the Lord, for He has
a plan to make things better in eternity. See also: Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; Ph, 1-25;
252h / Suffering and evil (God put us in this situation); Rom 3-21,22; 51j
(58i) Paradox
>>
Opposites >> Hold me responsible for any
inconvenience, while you owe me your entire lives
(72l)
Authority >> Hierarchy of authority
>>
Authority makes you accountable >> Parents are responsible for their children
Ph-20,21
(139a) Temple
>>
Building the temple (with hands) >>
Encouragement >> Our brothers encourage us in
our adversity -- These verses go with verses 6-17.
In
the world Paul had no authority, but in the Church he was an apostle to those
who believed. Paul asked Philemon to let him benefit from
his relationship with God, referring to spiritual fellowship, the words of
faith and truth we offer one another for the purpose of edification. It isn’t the words themselves that Paul sought but the Spirit of
God who dwelt in Philemon.
He needed confirmation to refresh his spirit that the word he spent his life
sowing in the hearts of men were still alive in them by faith. Paul sought
words that originated from heaven, where he longed to go every day. The next
best thing to being there was hearing the words that encapsulated that place,
spoken in faith. Paul wanted a glimpse of the eternal joy that was waiting for
him on the other side
that he was soon to receive. He wanted
to hear the words, not for his benefit only, but also for the benefit of
Philemon, confirming his own faith when he spoke the oracle
of God. Spiritual fellowship confirms our faith and our salvation to one
another, and it confirms our status as sons and daughters of the Most High and as
brothers and sisters of Christ. Spiritual fellowship is the closest we will get to
heaven in this life, second only to our personal time in the word of God and prayer.
Fellowshipping with the brethren is the result of our faith, and
for this reason many are unable to engage beyond mere socializing,
because their faith is lacking. True spiritual fellowship beyond mere
socializing is very rare among believers in the Church these days, though it is mentioned in the Bible, nine times to be
exact, four of which occur in First John chapter 1. However, the larger scope
of this subject has its roots in communion, that
whenever we take our meals together we are to remember the sacrifice Jesus
made for us. Paul was in prison and he
spent long hours alone, possibly becoming overwhelmed and depressed with
sadness. Occasionally he needed someone to contribute to his spirit and
encourage him in the faith. See also: Spiritual fellowship;
Eph 6-21; 102c
Ph-21,22
(44i) Judgment
>>
Transformed >> Fulfill your ministry >>
Calling from God >> Complete it
KJV
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Ph-21
(34l) Gift of God
>>
Be generous like your Father >> Give to your
brother
(87l) Thy kingdom come
>>
Obedience >> Minister to people through
obedience -- This verse goes with verses 4-10
(101k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Ambitious to promote the Kingdom of God >>
Building up the body of Christ -- These verses go with verses
1
(122h) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Confidence in
yourself as you die to sin >> Confidence in the Church through your ministry -- This verse goes with verse
8
(142e) Witness
>>
Validity of Jesus Christ >> Witnesses of Jesus >>
Having a good reputation >> A reputation of
being trustworthy –
Paul wrote to Philemon, Apphia and Archippus, saying that he trusts their
obedience, knowing they will do even more than he asks, because of the deep
love they have for God and for one another. We could say they loved
unbelievers too, but love of the brethren is different from loving people in
the world, in that light has no fellowship with darkness. It is fellowship of
the saints that cements us together to become one Church in Christ, and there
is one thing that drives our love for God and one another, and that is zeal.
The Church today is full of lazy Christians who repeated the sinner’s
prayer, and now they are on a course with heaven, having said the magic words.
Now they can go to church and live however they want, and in the end go to
heaven, but where is their zeal that drives their love for the brethren? We
know that it existed in the First Century, but who has seen it lately? People
are zealous for this world, working many hours to bring home a fat paycheck.
There is a certain amount of pride we should have in our work, but our busy
schedule often gets in the way of our relationship with God.
Ph-22
(35f) Gift of God
>>
God gives Himself to us >> Father sends the Holy
Spirit
(42a)
Judgment >> Satan destroyed >>
Be like Jesus >> Blameless before God >>
Prepare for His return – Paul being released from prison and
allowed to come back to his people is analogous to the second coming of
Christ. Jesus is currently separated from his people, and it has turned
heaven into a prison cell in His
deep longing to be with His people. He very much anticipates bringing them together
and finally dwelling among them. We must always be prepared in a state of
readiness for His return as Jesus so often reiterated, prepare our heart for
Him and not to be caught off guard.
(82k) Thy kingdom come
>>
Power of prayer >> Prayer prepares you to meet
Jesus
(130g) Thy kingdom come
>>
Manifestations of faith >> Unity >>
Committed to caring for the needs of the body >>
Caring for spiritual needs -- This verse goes with verses
6&7
(245n) Kingdom of God
>>
Spirit realm imposed on the natural realm >>
Literal manifestations >> Spirit realm
superimposed upon the natural realm >> The
spiritual manifesting into the natural –
Paul said to prepare for him a lodging, speaking as Christ, “For I hope that
through your prayers I will be given to you,” meaning that He will return
from prison to rejoin His friends, symbolic of Christ's second coming. So,
Christ's experience in heaven is like being in prison. The First
Resurrection and the return of Christ are examples of the spiritual realm
superimposing over the natural realm, that is, God imposing His will on
this natural creation. When Christ superimposes His kingdom over
the earth (Rev 7-15), it will happily submit to Him during Christ’s reign (Rom
8,19-22) and there will be peace for a
thousand years.
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