The GT Weekend! ~ Philemon, Week 3

Katelyn Palmer
March 4, 2023
Rest your soul through reflective journaling,
praying Scripture,
and worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!
This Week's Journeys

Colossians 3:12-15
Prayer Journal Entry
Fill me with the strength of the Holy Spirit and empower me to be Your ambassador. (2 Corinthians 5:20) Our world may be divided today, but, Lord, You give assurance for the kingdom of perfect unity to come; empower us to live for your kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. (Matthew 6:10) In Your Son’s name I pray, Amen.
Worship Through Song
Journal Prompts
Philemon covers less than 2 pages in our Bibles, yet within its single chapter there are many images and lessons to glean. In verses 18-19, Paul takes on Onesimus’ debt to Philemon, accepting responsibility for payment in order for Philemon to be reconciled to Onesimus.
This is a reflection of Jesus’ sacrifice through His death on the cross to reconcile us to God. He took the punishment on Himself that we deserved because of our rebellious sin against God. A key to reconciliation is forgiveness and the goal is unity in the body of Christ. In order to obtain either of these, we must submit to the will of God, allowing the Holy Spirit to do His work in our lives, keeping in mind the need for forgiveness between ourselves and God.
The act of reconciliation among believers also serves to put the focus back on God rather than on us or worldly things. With our focus on God, we are able to recognize the strength of Christ’s love binding us together, which is far superior to the evil powers trying to separate us from Him. This process takes deliberate effort and sacrifice, but is rewarded by bringing glory to God and living with Christ’s peace in our communities.
Our second Journey Study this week was rich with biblical lessons from Philemon, but it also taught us an important study tactic when reading the Bible.
We must approach each book of the Bible with the questions of who the book was written for, when the book was written and the historical context of that time period, and the overarching goal of the book. With this background knowledge, we can identify the literal implications of the book for its direct audience and how that correlates with our spiritual and physical lives today.
When we apply this study tactic to Philemon, we are able to see how Philemon’s actions in daily life led Paul to be confident in his ability to surrender to the work of the Holy Spirit in order to reconcile with Onesimus, further unifying the body of Christ. We are also reminded that submission to God is an ongoing choice allowing us to move forward with the confidence and expectation that God will answer our prayers.
Yesterday, we finished our Journey Into Philemon with an example of Paul’s preaching illustrated in his own life. In the closing verses of Philemon (verses 23-25), we read several names of coworkers offering greetings to Philemon and his church.
One in particular, Mark, had some sort of previous grievance with Paul. (Acts 15:38-39) Paul’s inclusion of Mark’s greetings in Philemon evidence Paul’s reconciliation with Mark. This is further supported by 2 Timothy 4:11, when Paul requests Mark’s company on a mission. This seemingly small detail proves the consistency in Paul’s preaching, as well as in his actions, as they relate to the spread of the gospel and promoting unity within the Body of Christ.
The greatest leaders put their teaching into practice and lead by example, just as Jesus did, which is what Paul does here. Paul’s closing benediction to Philemon reminds us again of the intimacy of the first churches. They knew, supported, and prayed for one another on a personal level we should all strive to emulate in our own homes and churches as we seek to foster intimacy and love for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
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This Week's Lock Screen

