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saints need to follow P au l’s admonition (Phil. 4 :6 ) “ B e carefu l fo r nothing) but in every thin g b y p ra ye r and supplication w ith th an k sgivin g let you r requests be made known unto God.” (2) P au l’s P etition fo r Onesimus, vs. 8-17. Paul, th e prisoner of Jesu s Christ, petitions for the erring bond slave. Paul was a prisoner of th è Roman Govern ment, b u t he is not saying th a t now. P risoner of Jesus Christ. How he de lights to emphasize dt! How he glories in it! Call to m ind th e scene on th e road to Damascus when the risen Christ appeared to him to whom he said, “Lord, w hat w ilt thou have me to do?’’ and in th e flash of a moment Saul of T arsus became a buoyant bond-slave of. our Lord. One of the “all th ing s” God had for P aul was a prison experience; one of the essential things to make him the full-fledged man of God th a t he became. The stubborn will of P aul had to be broken, and brought into obedience to th e will of God; so th a t he could say, “ I have learned in whatsoever state I am therew ith to be content.” (Phil. 4 :11.) . This is God’s given way to a life of restfu l happiness, where th e joy of th e Lord becomes our strength. P aul had au tho rity , as an apostle, to command Philemon, bu t he preferred to en tre at him. P au l would gladly have retained Onesimus for his own comfort, b u t is ju st and sends him back to his m aster, rem inding Philemon th a t th e re was a providence in th e slave’s running away, for he ran into the arm s of th e Lord and became no t now a slave only but, w ith h is m aster, a slave to Christ. (3 ) P a u l’s P ledge fo r Onesimus, vs. 18-21. Here we have a climax in P au l’s re quest, w ith a delicate, tender Christian ipgenuousness. P aul calls atten tion to Philemon’s indebtedness to him , and asks th a t th e slave m ight be received in P au l’s own stead, bu t if th a t was not
“ I f an y m an love not the Lord Je a n * Ch rist, let him be accursed, the Cord cometh,” and th e tend er pleading for a slave, now a saved sinner. (1 ) P au l’s P ersonal Greetings, vs. 1-7. An understanding of th e epistle de mands a few facts for th e background of th e charm ing love story which is un surpassed in its beauty and in its pic to rial illu stration of th e life and loving service of our Lord Jesus Christ in be half of sinners who are the, bond-ser vants of Satan and whose deliverance is 'p ro c u re d by th e payment of a price demanding H is life blood. The principal characters, beside Paul, are Philemon to whom th e letter- is ad dressed, who was a sp iritu al son of P au l’s and leading worker in th e church a t Colosse; and Onesimus, a slave be longing to Philemon who had ru n away from his m aster and had been brought by God’s providence into close touch w ith Paul, th e prisoner, had accept ed P au l’s Saviour, and shown by his life th e evidence of a new b irth . P aul testifies to his own love for Philemon and assures him th a t he re members him in his prayers. He has good news concerning Philemon, not concerning his prosperity in business, bu t about his love and faith toward Christ and his fellow-saints. Perhaps Onesimus had testified to th is fact. There is no g reater joy to th e ser vants of our Lord th an th e testimony concerning th e growing faith and ser vice of th e ir converts. The pay of the evangelist is no t in th e sordid silver dol lars he receives, and sometimes they are few enough, b u t in th e soul develop m ent of the converts, th e fru itag e of th eir faith fu l living. P aul also m anifests th e g reat privi lege accorded th e sain ts in praying for one ano th er. He was in prison, bu t th ere could be no bonds which could separate him from th e beloved saints. P rayers are burden lifters, and the
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