Tucked inside the story of Philemon in the Bible is the character Onesimus. He was a slave in Philemon's household. Even though Philemon was a believer, Onesimus ran away. While he was running, he bumped into Paul in jail in Rome. His life was transformed and he began discussions with Paul to send him back.
In the Greek, Onesimus' name means useful and beneficial. However, during his slavery and escape, he was neither useful or beneficial to Philemon, himself, or God's kingdom. In the following blogposts, I'd like to consider a few things that contributed to Onesimus' change from prisoner to partner.
The first key toward usefulness in God's kingdom is being in community with other believers (v.7). In the short twenty-five verses of Philemon, 11 different people are mentioned. O.S. Hawkins suggested, "Life itself is made up of relationships." Solomon reminded his readers, "A chord of three strands is not easily broken." (Eccl. 4:12) You will not experience the kingdom and presence of God apart from the people of God. God's plan for kingdom expansion includes cooperation, dependence, and sacrifice on behalf of others.
Application: Am I
connected to others in Bible study, prayer, and need?
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