13 December 2015
Dear Phyllis,
The other day I was impressed by what volumes are expressed by a few obscure words in the Bible. I noticed how the book of Colossians and Philemon are joined at the hip. Onesimus was the object of Paul's letter to Philemon. Onesimus had been a slave of Philemon who apparently had stolen some money and took off. By Roman law that was a capital offense. Runaway slaves were executed and a thief on to of that, he definitely was dead meat. But after escaping from Philemon, Onesimus ran into Paul who led him to Christ. Paul said he would have liked to keep Onesimus with him but he was returning him back to his legal owner. That was nice but what Paul was asking was ridiculous. It would have been grace for an owner to take back a runaway slave without executing him – but a thieving slave...? What was totally unthinkable was that Paul was asking Philemon not only to take him back and forgive him – not as a slave – but as a brother in Christ. Only the Gospel of Jesus Christ could have come up with such an off-the-chart request.
Scholars are pretty much agreed that Philemon lived in Colossae. We know that he had a church in his house and, in all probability, the Church in Colossae was either the church in Philemon's house or that church had grown to become the Church in Colossae. In his letter to the Colossians Paul sends greetings from five people mentioned in the previous letter to Philemon. And one of them is Onesimus who is now one of the main co-workers with Paul. He is going to be one of the two to carry Paul's letter to Colossae. Paul calls him a“faithful and beloved brother” (Col.4:9). Oh my goodness, that no-account, runaway, thieving slave is now one of the major men in the 1st century church. Obviously Philemon took him back as a family member and he grew tremendously in the Lord. Those who knew him must have been deeply impressed as he rapidly matured as a Christian standing up week by week sharing what the Lord had showed him and done for him. Increasingly he rose to take more and more a position of leasdership in the Philemon's house church. Then Philemon probably said, “Why don't you go and work with Paul?” In Paul's letter he had mentioned that he would have liked to keep Onesimus with him then. Now he comes back as a mature man of God.
The second name that impressed me was Epapharus. He was from that church in Philemon's house and was with Paul. This man is described as one of the great men of prayer in the NT. Paul said, “I bear him record that he hath a great zeal for you” and he previously said, “laboring fervently for you that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” (Col. 4:13,12). What a man of God. He came from Philemon's church and was now with Paul as a prayer warrior.
The third name that impressed me was Archipus. Most scholars are agreed that Archipus was a son of Philemon and Appia. He naturally would have been saved along with his mom and dad. Very naturally he would have had a favored place in the church as the son in that house. That confidence would have been well invested as he obviously was a gifted man and had a significant ministry. But as time passed there was a concern. He began to cool off. Other things began to take more interest and the ministry became secondary. The brethren were talking about it and when Paul wrote his letter back to Colossae he had a special message. Just before the end Paul inserted, “And say to Archipus, take heed to the ministry that thou hast received from the Lord, that thou fulfill it” (Col. 4:17). History does not tell us what happened after that. Hopefully that word of correction brought him to his senses and he was restored back to the prominence of Jesus being number one in his life.
A fourth name is Demas. He too was from Philemon's church and he was with Paul when Onesimus was saved. He was mentioned in the letter to Philemon and again in this second letter to the Colossians as saying “hello” (Col. 4:14). Demas is mentioned right along side of Luke who was Paul's most favored companion. Luke, of course, wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. He was with Paul from Acts 16 to the end. In Paul's last letter he mentions “only Luke is with me” (2 Tim. 4:11). But two verses before then Paul writes one of the most melancholic remarks in the NT – “Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world”. Paul had placed great confidence in Demas. He had known him from the early days in Philemon's house and he had been with him for several years. But the world secretly had first place in Demas' heart and in the end, what had been there all along, came out.
The Bible is full of gems like this. The unspoken testimonies of many of the great 1st century Christians are put on display in very few words. How amazing that the Lord would lay his hand of a no-good, thieving, runaway slave and make him to be one of the major men with Paul. And a promising young man who had been with him through thick and thin at the last turned his back and loved the world.
We all have seen much of this today. It is bewildering that the guy who led me to Christ was the most outstanding young Christian man I had ever met. When he was 21 Johnny was the best preacher I had ever heard. In every respect he was one in a thousand. He was the one who first invited me to go with him to Stadsklev's house that later became my family. He was the one who said one night at 9:30, “I think I'll go talk to Cook”. He found me in a beer party, called me outside, and challenged me to give my heart to Jesus. I was saved that night. When he was 23 he was having seminars for pastors teaching them how to do personal work. We all assumed he would be a giant of a Christian. But rather than going in the ministry he wound up a senior Captain pilot for TWA. The last I saw him ten years ago, he was just moving into a new apartment and said, “I'm sorry I don't have anything in the refrigerator to drink. All I have is beer and wine”. I thought he was disgusting. His conduct and fellowship was the bottom level of Christian.
As I said last week, “It is not those who sparkle like rockets but those who finish well, they are the ones who win the prize in heaven.”
Lord Jesus, keep me faithful,
bill
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