Philemon: Fixing Fellowship pt 3
The Gospel is about reconciliation. God being reconciled to humanity through the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But how often do we think about how this ‘Gospel reconciliation’ impacts our relationships with each other? The apostle Paul challenged his dear friend Philemon to be reconciled to his former slave, Onesimus, who ran away from him. In Paul’s encouragement to Philemon to forgive his former slave, we see an amazing picture of how the Gospel transforms our relationships — especially with those who have wronged us.
6 I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
Reflection: When we become a Christian, we become part of something larger than ourselves. We are called into a body of believers. We are called into fellowship. Paul prays for Philemon, that as he partners with Paul and others in the gospel, Philemon would know more and more of how Christ shapes his life. It is the same for us. As we walk together, we grow together. Through seasons of joy and seasons of hardship, we grow together. This is the beauty of the body of Christ. All we do is for the sake of Christ, not for ourselves. This has a myriad of implications for us as we seek to love and serve each other.
What is the good thing that God is calling you do today as you serve him?
Prayer: Father God, thank you for my church community. I pray that you would enable me to know how I can love and serve those around me, no matter what we face.
Angus is one of the pastors at Orange Presbyterian Church. He and Steph have three children, a puppy and a veggie garden.
This devotion first appeared in the Bible Society’s Daily Bible Devotions, February 2023
More Reflections.
Often, we build something up so much in our minds, that the experience we want becomes almost unattainable. We romanticise what we think it will be like and we think “If I can just do this one thing or tick this one experience off my bucket list, then I will be able to feel a sense of fulfilment that I wouldn’t necessarily have had otherwise”.