The Whole Enchilada of Philemon

In one paragraph

Pastor James walked through the entire book of Philemon in one sitting, placing it inside the longer chronological journey the church has been taking through the New Testament. The letter is short, just twenty-five verses and one chapter, but the situation behind it is anything but simple. A runaway slave, a wealthy Christian householder, and an apostle under house arrest all meet on the same...

Read together

1. Psalm 147:1 quoted at the opening as a call to praise: 'How good to sing praises to our God, how delightful and how fitting'
2. Acts 21:10-14 read aloud to show the prophet Agabus binding himself with Paul's belt and predicting Paul's arrest in Jerusalem
3. Philemon 1-25 read and expounded in full as the main text of the sermon
4. Jude 24-25 quoted as the benediction: 'present you faultless before the presence of his glory and exceeding joy, to the only wise God our savior, be glory and majesty, dominion, and power both now and forever'

Talk about it

1. Paul tells Philemon he has the authority to order him what to do, but chooses instead to appeal to him out of love and trust his free will. What does that approach say about how Paul understood the relationship between authority and love in the church?
2. The pastor pointed out that Paul opens and closes this letter with grace and peace, even though he has a specific and difficult request to make of Philemon. Why do you think he frames a hard ask that way, and what does that tell us about how grace functions in a real conflict?
3. Paul suggests to Philemon that Onesimus being separated from him for a time may have been part of God's plan, so that he would have him back forever, no longer as a slave but as a beloved brother. Have you ever looked back on a painful or confusing situation and seen a purpose in it that you could not see at the time?
4. Paul tells Philemon that Onesimus is now a brother in Christ, both in the flesh and in the Lord, and asks him to receive Onesimus as he would receive Paul himself. What does it actually cost to treat someone that way when your history with them has included hurt or betrayal?
5. The pastor noted that the law gave Philemon every right to keep Onesimus as a slave, and that what Paul was asking for would be grace because Philemon did not have to give it. Where in your own life is God asking you to do something right that nobody is legally or socially requiring of you?