Philemon 1:10-11 – “…I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me…”

The book of Philemon is really a short, personal letter to Philemon (a Christian in the first century) from the Apostle Paul. Often neglected by preachers today, the book contains some powerful lessons for us about the Christian life and our faith.

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INTRODUCTORY OBSERVATIONS:  Most of the book of Revelation is a prophecy about the Last Days, far into the future from the New Testament era.  It does not reveal the future events in chronological order.  Instead, the events predicted in one chapter can occur simultaneously with events in previous chapters.  This “cyclical” style of writing was very common in ancient Israel – the Book of Hebrews follows a similar structure.  This is why we see in Revelation some overlap with the seals, bowls, and trumpets – they are describing the events occurring at the same time in the Last Days. continue

Matthew 24:46 -  ”…It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.”    

Each week or month that passed brings us closer to our Blessed Hope, the coming of our Lord Jesus.  We feel that we must make the most of the time we have remaining (see Ephesians 5:16).  Time is running out for us to carry out everything the Lord wants us to do, and for those around us to receive the blessing of salvation through Christ.    

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1 Corinthians 12:12-13 - ”The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free-and we were all given the one Spirit to drink...”  

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Hebrews 10:19-22 - ”Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”  

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Hebrews 11:1 - “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  

Many people think of faith merely in terms of a certain feeling, or a strong religious opinion that people hold for a period of time.  True faith, by contrast, interacts with the prophetic realm.  Faith from eternity is dynamic, not static.  We say it is “dynamic” because it is connected to God’s unfolding plan or project of salvation, so faith keeps in step with what God is doing at the moment.  Human feelings and opinions (the things that unbelievers think of as “faith”) are static and temporary.  

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Acts 13:2-3 - ”While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”  So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.”

“Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.” - Acts 14:23

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1 Corinthians 12:7-8 - ”Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit…”

The gift of knowledge is when the Holy Spirit reveals things about the present moment that we could not have known otherwise.  It is not a revelation about the FUTURE – that would be the gift of prophecy, which we discuss in another lesson.  It is a specific revelation about things going on around us, right at this moment, which our eyes cannot see.  The gift of knowledge is a miraculous occurrence, a true revelation, not just human insight, intelligence, or information.  

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Galatians 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.  The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” 

Church historians usually date the death of Paul at the year 68 or 69, during Nero’s main phase of persecution against the Christians. This assumes that Paul obtained an acquittal from the charges pending against him at the end of the book of Acts, and that he made one or two subsequent missionary journeys.  Early historical writings suggest that Paul died (beheaded by the Romans) in the city of Rome, and today there is a large Catholic church supposedly built on top of Paul’s tomb.  The earliest historical writings about the death of the Apostle Paul, however, are from hundreds of years later.  No one from his generation wrote a biography of the Apostle Paul describing his death.   continue

Acts 26:19 - “I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven.”

What set Paul apart from many other Christian ministers was this: when the Lord corrected him, he immediately repented and became obedient to God’s revelation.  We see this at his conversion (Acts 9), when he changed in a single moment from a man who persecuted the Lord Jesus to one who obeyed Him as God.  This willingness to obey the revelation of the Lord was a crucial factor in his conversion, and was a trait throughout his apostolic ministry.  The Lord made him one of the most fruitful preachers in the history of the church.  The amazing fruit of his ministry came because of Paul’s zeal to obey the Lord’s revelation.   continue