The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Philemon 1:1-7, “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.”

If you’ve ever read a letter that your grandmother or great-grandmother had written, you instantly know how it differs from one you would write today. Styles of writing change with the times, just like the recipients of the letters do.

In this letter to Philemon, we learn of Paul’s diplomatic effort in reaching out to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave. Subsequently, however, Onesimus, at some point in his affiliation with Paul, come to faith in Jesus Christ. His return to Philemon would be difficult, and Paul wanted to ease the situation with some well-scripted words to Philemon.

Far too often, we allow young Christians to go their own way. We say, “God bless you; the LORD will take care of you.” Of course, He will and He does. At the same time, He surely expects that we will show spiritual and practical concern for young Christians and guide them as far as is possible.

There’s more to Paul’s letter to Philemon, and we would all do well to read and re-read it.
It overflows with love and concern for Philemon and Onesimus. Further, it sets the tone
the LORD wants from all His children. Young Christians need the nurturing that their elders have experienced. Whether in the home or in the church, we all need to “grow in the knowledge of our LORD Jesus Christ.”

Pray for me that I may grow in Him. No matter how long we’ve walked with Him, we still need the prayers of the saints to be offered on our behalf. Thank you!

Heartily in Christ Jesus,

(Dado III)

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.
Springdale, Arkansas 72764
United States of America

“We never know that Christ is all we need until He becomes all that we have.” – Corrie ten Boom