10/10/2013 - FELLOW SOLDIER

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Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved friend and fellow laborer, to the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.

Philemon 1:1-2

One of the best things we can do is to be thankful to the Lord for the people we lead to Christ. When they start walking with the Lord they show such love for the Father that we are filled with joy. Just as our biological sons and daughters, who fill us with pleasure, our spiritual children also rejoice us greatly.

The good thing is when these children continue in faith, always increasing in love, both towards Jesus and other members of the divine family. In fact, we have been saved to serve God here and in the hereafter. But will he who does not serve Him now serve Him in the future? The behavior of our spiritual children will show what kind of people they really are.

If those converted through us are not taught in the right way, the loss will be ours, as the Lord commanded us to make disciples (Matthew 28:19). Therefore, we must not allow selfishness to dominate our heart; on the contrary, we should teach them to make their communion of faith become increasingly efficient. As a result, one day we may be benefited by those who we introduced to the Lord’s Kingdom. This will be possible through the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you and in our children in faith, through Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:6).

Paul was happy and comforted by the unfolding of Philemon’s love, because the hearts of the saints had been revived by him. How nice it would be if that happened with everyone who is born in the Kingdom! Those who are good stewards of the resources of the Lord will have a greater glory upon His coming. No one needs to order us to do good because this should be the desire of our hearts at all times.

The apostle felt complete freedom in Christ to command Philemon to do what was fitting, but he preferred to appeal to him, for love’s sake, to receive his former slave – Onesimus – not as a slave anymore but as a son who the Apostle had begotten in Rome while in his chains. Now the Apostle was old, a prisoner of Caesar, his life about to be mowed, Paul begets a fugitive slave, and asks for him to be received as a brother.

Before, as a fugitive, Onesimus was useless to Paul, but now as a servant of God he would be useful. So the apostle convinced him to go back to his master, but as a brother in Christ this time. He sent him as if it were his own heart. Because he felt Onesimus would be more useful to Philemon, Paul asked the latter to receive him as a brother in Christ, not for a short period of time but rather as a fellow in faith.

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares