A Picture Of Gospel Partnership Series

A Picture of Gospel Partnership

Philemon 1-7

Rev. Brian Bill

November 1-2, 2025

Perhaps you’ve wondered about the process I go through to choose what to preach on. After an extended time of prayer, I think through our four G’s (Gather, Grow, Give, and Go) to see if there’s a value that we need to give extra attention to. I also run the ideas by our staff team.

The series we just completed called, “Here Am I” was designed to mobilize us to go, or to send others who will go with the gospel to the nations. We also talked about the importance of first taking the gospel to our families and our neighbors, as we live on mission to our campuses and workplaces. Over 30 people filled out Go Con Response Cards and are taking their next steps. Last Saturday night, 8-10 people stood at the end of the service to indicate they were surrendering to the Lord by saying, “Here am I. Send me.” About that same number stood at the end of the 9:00 a.m. service.

I didn’t see anyone stand at the end of the 10:45 service but I did get this message a couple days later: “When you gave everyone the opportunity to stand and say ‘Here Am I,’ I wanted to stand so badly but I kept thinking I misunderstood the opportunity…no one stood…and that blew my mind…regardless, I got on my hands and knees on my doorsteps upon returning home and cried out to Him to allow me to go wherever He leads me and live every second of every day on mission for His glory, no matter where that may put me...”

Another Edgewood member gave his insight into what God did at Go Con and through our recent series: “He has called us out of our comfort zones to be available for what He is calling us to do.” Someone else offered this feedback: “I believe the church will complete the Great Commission and the fullness of the Gentiles will be achieved. We have a way to go, and a lot of work is still ahead. Now is not the time to quit. When the Lord returns, it won’t be to rescue a failed church. It will be to claim the victory!”

Our December series will be called, “Behold the Wonder” as we walk through the first chapter of John’s gospel. This past Tuesday, I asked the staff team what they thought of us preaching through the Book of Revelation in 2026. Everyone was excited about the idea. As we were discussing the possible length of the series, I asked this question: “Give me your thoughts how long a series should be on the Book of Revelation.” Just then, Siri suddenly woke up on someone’s iPhone and blurted out in her computerized voice, “I can’t help you with that!” We all burst out laughing.

For November, I wanted to preach through one of the shorter, relatively unknown books of the Bible. So, here’s a question for you: Can you name the five books in the Bible with only one chapter? I came across this brief video in which some guys gave it a try.

Play Video

These five books have two things in common: They all have one chapter, and they are among the least-read books in the Bible. Perhaps because of their length, and because we tend to flip right past them, we often assume that they don’t have anything important to say to us today. But, as 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

The Book of Philemon (or “Philamon” from the video) is a unique masterpiece of tactful persuasion. If you ever want to learn how to write a letter, or have a conversation, with someone you need to convince about an important matter, study how Paul approached Philemon about a very delicate issue. In the end, his appeal for Philemon to receive his converted runaway slave as a brother in Christ was compelling.

I appreciated Warren Wiersbe’s helpful summary of the situation: “Paul was a prisoner in Rome, his friend Philemon was in Colossae, and the human link between them was a runaway slave named Onesimus…Onesimus robbed his master [Philemon] and then fled to Rome, hoping to be swallowed up in the crowded metropolis. But, in the providence of God, he met Paul and was converted.”

This powerful letter is all about redemption and reconciliation and serves as a primer in applied Christianity. Through it, we see how the gospel changes everything, including relationships and social structures. While Paul did not directly confront the institution of slavery, he effectively undermined it by emphasizing the transforming power of grace and the equality of all believers in Christ.