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December 15th
The bible reading today is in the letters Paul sent to a friend named Philemon, and the church in Colossae.
Paul was in his first Roman imprisonment, around 60AD when he wrote these letters.
He asked his friend, Tychicus, to deliver the letters for him and take a newly converted slave named Onesimus with him.
Onesimus belongs to Philemon’s letter. Onesimus was a runaway slave from Colossae. He made his way to Rome to get lost in the big city and start a new life. There he met Paul and Jesus. His life would never be the same. He did indeed start a new life...a life on mission with Jesus.
Question: What about his runaway slave status? Paul told Onesimus that he needed to go back to his master and ask for forgiveness. And trust God with the results.
Maybe God would work in the heart of Philemon and Philemon would send him back to Rome to serve the purpose of God as a new brother in Christ, there with Paul.
And what was the message to Philemon? “Forgive Onesimus and treat him as a brother in the Lord...and if Onesimus owes you anything, put it on my account, I'll cover it later. And if you could, please send Onesimus back to me. He could serve me and Christ in your absence.
Paul is best known for his letters to the churches. But he had more than a passing interest in the individual believer...especially those who came to Christ under his ministry. Philemon was one such brother.
Paul called him, “my fellow worker in the gospel”...friends in the faith for sure...but Paul spoke straight with his friend...” as Christ forgave you, you must forgive the debt Onesimus owes you.”
Thank’s Lord for this personal snapshot of what forgiveness looks like. May we never forget it!
On to the Colossian letter...A brother named Epaphras, probably the pastor of the church in Colossae, made his way to Rome to visit his mentor, the Apostle Paul.
Epaphras was probably converted to Christ in Ephesus during Paul’s 3rd missionary journey. He knew that if anyone could shed some light on the church’s struggles in Colossae, it would be Paul.
Epaphras told Paul that there were some “so-called” Christians in Colossae, teaching that Jesus was not God. After Epaphras’ visit, Paul penned a letter to the church regarding the false teachers.
“Make no mistake, Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
