Colossians 4:9; Philemon 1:1-25 – Onesimus
The one whom Paul sent with Tychicus to Colossae was no stranger to at least some of the people in Colossae. His story is told in one of the other letters that the two men were going to carry with them. Onesimus, whose name means ‘useful’, had been a slave of Philemon, a man who had come to faith in Christ, probably through the ministry of Paul himself. Unlike his name, Onesimus had been anything but useful to his master. He had apparently stolen from his master and had run away to Rome. In the remarkable providence of God, in the city known for its depravity and vice, this runaway slave came face to face, not only with the apostle Paul, but more importantly, with Paul’s master the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now Paul wants to send him back to Philemon, no longer as a worthless, untrustworthy and dishonest slave, but as a faithful and beloved brother in Christ. In the letter Paul sends to Philemon he tells him of just how useful Onesimus had now become to him. Indeed, Paul would have loved to have kept Onesimus with him, but believed that it was the right thing to do to send him back to his master.
There are two wonderful lessons in this incident:
1. The gospel has the power to change all sorts and conditions of men. There is no-one beyond the transforming power of Christ. This gives great encouragement to go to men and women with the gospel.
2. The gospel is able to bind all classes and conditions of men into a loving brotherhood. There could scarcely be a bigger gulf between a runaway slave and the master from whom he had stolen and fled, and yet these two are now united in the bonds of Christ Philemon v.16.
Questions
- Think about barriers that can exist between professing Christians and how they can be overcome.
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would be united in Christ.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.