20/09/2022 - THE CHURCH WAS IN A HOME

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To the beloved Apphia, Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house                                                                                                       Philemon 1.2

Paul’s greeting was extended to sister Apphia, whom some believe to be Philemon’s wife, to Archippus, whom they also believe to be his son, and to the whole church. Now, we must not leave some out of the message God sent to all. After all, we are parts of the same Body, that of Christ (Romans 12.5; 1 Corinthians 12.27). Therefore, we must give equal treatment to the saved, so that all may grow together. Thus, the work will develop as the Most High desires. After all, we are brothers in Christ!

If any brother is offended because we don’t give them proper attention, we will soon see others also feeling discriminated against, and the Church will be divided. This is one of the tactics used by the devil; after all, he doesn’t want to see the Lord’s work growing. At the same time, we cannot allow some to turn the house of God into a temple of Baal or any other false god. Watching and praying are recommendations so that we do not fall into temptation (Matthew 26.41). Believe, serve and live!

We are dealing with one of the churches that learned the most about the work Jesus accomplished in His death: the Colossians. Those brethren did not have a temple, as we see everywhere today, but they met in Philemon’s house. They converted to Christ by the work of Paul’s retainers in that city, so Paul felt free to speak to them about how to proceed, using gentle, not harsh words (Colossians 1.3-8).

Paul implies that Archippus was involved in the church by calling him a companion. The apostle was in prison in Rome because of the false accusation made by the envious Jews (Philippians 1:1). While awaiting Caesar’s decision, the divine work continued to be carried out, and the Word fulfilled its mission through Paul, tireless and intrepid servant of God. Nothing can hinder the task entrusted by the Lord.

Being called a co-worker in the church is very important, even if one is not in the preaching ministry. To tell others about the works of the Most High in His house helps greatly. Cooperators should pray to increase their income, so they will give better tithes and participate more enthusiastically in the offering. As a young man, I was a real estate broker, and I set up goals for my tithes to increase, and I succeeded.

In fact, every saved person is happy to cooperate in God’s ministry. Now, when one of them feels upset because the church works in missions, he is going astray and therefore needs prayer. It is wrong to rebel against the act of raising offerings – when the pastor explains that the church needs to pay some of its bills and asks how many can help with a certain amount. Many people feel moved to give a special offering and soon see the reward come (Malachi 3.8-12; 2 Corinthians 9.6-10).

When a Christian is bothered by the fact that we pray, in the house of God, to deliver those oppressed by the devil – because he would rather not “see” demon-possessed people – it is a sign that there is a threat from the evil one to weaken him in his faith. Not being happy to see someone freed from evil spirits is serious. Our hearts should rejoice when we see a person set free. Never give way to the devil!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares