Philemon: Fixing Fellowship pt 1
The Gospel is about reconciliation. God being reconciled to humanity through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But how often do we think about how this ‘Gospel reconciliation’ impacts our relationships with each other? The apostle Paul challenged his dear friend Philemon to be reconciled to his former slave, Onesimus, who ran away from him. In Paul’s encouragement to Philemon to forgive his former slave, we see an amazing picture of how the Gospel transforms our relationships — especially with those who have wronged us.
1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— 2also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:
3Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Reflection: Paul loved the church. He was deeply committed to see the church grow and flourish. In this small piece of personal correspondence to his good friend Philemon, he challenges him, and his family, to love even when it is difficult. Why would he do this? Because the church is a community where our fellowship with one another is so important. Sadly, our church communities can be places of strong opinions, division, and fractures.
Prayer: Father God, as I think of the grace you have shown me, and the peace you have brought through your Son, Jesus Christ, may I show this to those around me. May I seek to love my church deeply for the sake of your name. Amen.
Angus is one of the pastors at Orange Presbyterian Church. He and Steph have three children, a puppy and a veggie garden.
This devotion first appeared in the Bible Society’s Daily Bible Devotions, February 2023
More Reflections.
Often, we build something up so much in our minds, that the experience we want becomes almost unattainable. We romanticise what we think it will be like and we think “If I can just do this one thing or tick this one experience off my bucket list, then I will be able to feel a sense of fulfilment that I wouldn’t necessarily have had otherwise”.