A Study of PHILEMON

The Relationship of godly people with the newly converted.

Many folks who read this lesson from the blog or email will miss a great deal of context simply because time does not allow me to fill in a lot of the material I will be discussing during our class. If you have questions please let me know I will be glad to answer you via email. Jesse

(DRAFT) Philemon 1:8-16

Goal of the Lesson: The Human need for Friendship

• To help us overcome the feeling of Distress in our lives

• To help us overcome the feeling being Detach from everyone

• To help us overcome the feeling of Disapproval from others

• To help us overcome the feeling of being Deserted by friends and loved ones.

This Lesson will help us: The Heroic call of being a Friend.

• A Friend is someone who is Full of Courage

• A Friend is someone who is Filled with Commitment

• A Friend is someone who is Found to be Consistent

Last week we looked over the bond of friendships with other believers. God also allows us to meet and develop friendships with unbelieving people too. This week we will look at friends that God places in our path. The goals and helps of this lesson are the same. One of the very significant problems we face in life is the problem of getting along with other people.

There are all sorts of people in the world around us and the apostle Paul says this about the people he comes in contact with. “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men”. Acts 24:16 Earlier in Acts 23:1 He makes a similar statement about his conscience. The LORD Jesus is making similar comments about His character when He says to Nicodemus; “Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what WE know and you do not receive Our witness. If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things.” John 3:11-12, also see John 5:31.

So here is the point! The feelings of Distress, Detachment, Disapproval and Desertion are all conscience related. These can be ongoing realities in our life. We see this with the apostles throughout the epistles. We see this too in the life of Jesus.

But yes, we do often get to the point of throwing in the towel. We say things like. “Please don't leave me alone!” or “I just can't take this any more!” Matthew 26:36-46.

The apostle knew people all over the Mediterranean are. He knew many of the apostles, many preachers of the Word, pastors of churches, laborers and soldiers of the LORD. All you really need to do to know this is to read the Book of Acts. He had friendships, but he suffered greatly with distress, disapproval, disappointment and detachment.

Some of his loneliest moments were spent in prison. The Mamertine Prison in Rome is where he is when a fellow by the name of Onesimus shows up. The prison is known throughout Europe as the dungeon. We in today's world do not understand this definition. It was little more than a cave, a hole in the ground. It was always cold and dank, there was little ventilation. Rats and other creatures were in abundance. Just before his death he asked friend Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:13, 21. The apostle knew that when winter struck the prison the cold would be severe.

Under these conditions the apostle meets Onesimus. Paul knows the man and that he comes from Colosse. Colossians 4:8-9 tells us this. Philemon 1:16 explains to us that he was a slave. Historians estimate there were as many as sixty million slaves in the Roman Empire. The definition of slave was different than our understanding. Many were general laborers, but others were educators, artists and administrators. Some have even classified physicians like Luke, to be a bond servant to Paul.

The slave market is frowned upon by our standards today, a place where one could go and purchase a another person to work for them. Many of the these slaves became permanently attached to their owners. Today we contract people to do work for us. If they are good at what they do we may hire them again, the major difference is that we do not own them as we would a permanent commodity.

For Philemon, Onesimus was a thief, most likely Onesimus would have spent the rest of his life in the Mamertine Prison if it were not for the apostle who himself is under distress, disappointment, discouragement and disapproval. The apostle knows the fate of both himself and Onesimus and Paul is challenged by the Holy Spirit to recall some of the words he had written earlier. Philippians 4:13 and some of the words he heard Jesus speak to him via the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Paul is courageous, he is committed and he is consistent. Having met Onesimus in Colosse it was not hard to strike up conversation. Paul learns what happened to put Onesimus in jail. Then he brings Onesimus to Jesus Christ, they become strong friends.

We will pick this up again next week, but as we conclude we need to remember the challenge of being friends with others. We often want to pick and choose who we will be friends with. Many folks like the popularity of being friends with the educator, the doctor, lawyer and other folks of influence. But God does not call us with a bias bent. He calls us to reach out to the little people. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31