The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philemon 1:1-25, “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,

2 and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:

3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

4 I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,

5 because I hear of your love, and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all the saints;

6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.

7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.

8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do that which is proper,

9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you– since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus–

10 I appeal to you for my child, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment, Onesimus,

11 who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me.

12 And I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart,

13 whom I wished to keep with me, that in your behalf he might minister to me in my imprisonment for the gospel;

14 but without your consent I did not want to do anything, that your goodness should not be as it were by compulsion, but of your own free will.

15 For perhaps he was for this reason parted from you for a while, that you should have him back forever,

16 no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would me.

18 But if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account;

19 I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (lest I should mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well).

20 Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ.

21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

22 And at the same time also prepare me a lodging; for I hope that through your prayers I shall be given to you.

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you,

24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.

25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.”

Let me URGE you to read carefully these 25 verses! I’m not going to comment on every verse, but I want to give you the gist of Paul’s clever approach to Philemon.

The name Philemon means “affectionate one.” The name Onesimus means

“useful one.” Philemon owned Onesimus; and for a reason not disclosed, Onesimus ran away and joined Paul, who was imprisoned in Rome. While the letter is basically addressed to Philemon, Paul also mentions Apphia, Archippus, and the whole church. Paul wants everyone to hear and know what he’s going to say.

In verses 4-9, Paul speaks lovingly and graciously to Philemon, while he lays the groundwork for what he is going to ask of him. Then, Paul tells Philemon that while he has the right to order him to do what he’s going to ask, he chooses rather to “appeal” to him as an old man wanting something from one much younger.

In verses 10-18, Paul unpacks the whole ball of wax! “I’m sending him back to you. He wasn’t very useful to you when he was with you, but he sure was useful to me! I wanted to keep him; but it wasn’t right, because he legally belongs to you. If you think of me as a partner in the Gospel, accept Onesimus as you would me. And if he owes you any money, put it on my tab –just remember that you owe me quite a lot –even your life. But, let’s not talk about that. I have every confidence in you, brother. I’m sure you will do even more than I am asking.”

“Oh, by the way, get my room ready because I’m praying about visiting you, if the LORD wills.” Then, in verses 23-24, Paul mentions those who are with him in Rome. He undoubtedly wants Philemon to know all of those who know about what Paul is writing. He then concludes with a prayer in verse 25.

Now, look at the practical aspect of what Paul has written, and how you can utilize the principles in everyday life.

First, you compliment the other person. (Your one fine persons, Zeke.)

Second, you hint at the problem you will later identify. (Of course, no one is

everything he ought to be.)

Third, you come right out and boldly cite your criticism. (Zeke, you simply

got to stop lying about other people.)

Fourth, you identify this criticism with yourself. (I used to lie about

everything. You have no idea!)

Fifth, you compliment the person whom you’ve just criticized. (But, you’re

still one of the finest guys I know.)

The guarantee is that the person you dared to criticize will remember only the First and the Fifth statements. We all want to think the best of ourselves.

By the way, I was taught to never lie! Had I done so, I would not be here today! Whew!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas 72764

United States of America

“We never know that God is all we need

until He becomes all that we have.”