Philemon 1:4-21
4I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, 5because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. 6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. 7Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.
8Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, 9yet I appeal to you on the basis of love. I then, as Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus— 10I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. 11Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.
12I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you. 13I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel. 14But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced. 15Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back for good— 16no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a man and as a brother in the Lord.
17So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. 18If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. 20I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. 21Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.
If you have ever been confronted you will know how uncomfortable it can feel. Let’s say that you have been hurt in a relationship and have decided that the best way to deal with the other person is to avoid them. This is exactly what I decided to do a few years ago after a very difficult breakup. Even though I saw my ex-girlfriend at church and around our group of friends I decided that instead of arguing, I would rather forget she existed. This technique was good for me but painful for her.
After a few months of selective amnesia I was confronted by a wise man that happened to be her father. He confronted me with love and concern, and after a few minutes of squirming in my chair I realized I needed to forgive and accept his daughter.
At only 25 verses long, it’s easy to miss the book of Philemon. Hidden inside this epistle is a very important plea: we need to forgive and accept those who have wronged us. Paul confronted Philemon to forgive Onesimus. Philemon had been wronged; Onesimus had stolen from him and had betrayed his trust. Imagine what Philemon must of felt when he received this letter from his friend Paul: excitement, anticipation, joy. Now imagine what he felt like after reading it: embarrassment, conviction, shame.
If there is someone that you need to forgive, do it. We do not know what happened after Paul confronted Philemon, but we do know what Philemon should have done: forgiven Onesimus as a brother in Christ. I know what I did after that awkward confrontation with that girl years ago, I forgave and accepted her. She then became a friend again, someone who later became my fiancé and would become my wife.
Youth Department