A PLEA FOR ONESIMUS
"8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting, 9 yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ— 10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. 12 I am sending him back. You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart, 13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel. 14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary. 15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever, 16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord." Philemon 1:8-16.
Philemon was a wealthy man living in Colossae (modern-day Turkey). And like most rich men of that time, he had slaves and one of those slaves was Onesimus. This fellow called Onesimus whose name means “useful” or “profitable, had betrayed, stolen, and run from his master. Onesimus travelled all the way to Rome. While there, he met Apostle Paul who had been imprisoned for preaching. Yet he refused to allow the imprisonment hinder him from reaching out to the lost souls, and in doing so, Onesimus became a believer. Paul wanted the new convert, Onesimus, to stay and help him, but wonders if he should go back and be reconcile with his master. Paul was facing difficulty with his aging body and his imprisonment, so it would have been better for him to keep Onesimus, but Paul was determined to send him back to Philemon. He hoped that Philemon would accept, forgive and be reconciled with Onesimus, his former slave but now a believer in the Lord Jesus.
In those days, a runaway slave was supposed to be punished according to Roman law. So for Philemon to not do that may be a reason to lose respect of his community and compromise his reputation. On the other hand, he was a Christian and forgiveness is at the very heart of Christianity. God had forgiven Philemon and in turn, he was also to pass along this agape love and forgive Onesimus. Would he? Would he display the proper Christian conduct to his slave who is now a believer and a brother in Christ or would he resort to anger and vengeance.
NO MORE SLAVES:
"Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin." John 8:34.
Slavery was a common issue in the ancient world. They were much lower than servants. The powerful and the wealthy had many slaves to ran their farms, homes, and businesses. These slaves were held in the hand of their masters, who have the right to issue commands without any explanation. There was no negotiation by a slave with his master regarding what he could do or not do. Slaves were bought and owned. Slaves had no freedom to do as they pleased. In fact, they were pieces of property that was owned or discarded. A slave was a possession of his master and is bound to obey him. The master had the power of life and death over him. Slaves did not have any rights of their own, but were bound to a life of slavery with not even a shred of hope. A slave could be sold, exchanged, given away or seized as payment for debt. A slave can be bought at a price.
Before becoming a disciple of Paul and a believer in the Lord Jesus, Onesimus was a slave! We too were once slaves. "Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ." Galatians 4:7. Slaves to sin; with no rights and privileges. Ephesians 2:1-2. But Jesus sets us free from sin and at the same time enables us to live a life of righteousness. Our freedom in Christ means we're no longer slaves to sin. We're freed from habitual sin and now stand before God reconciled and made holy, blameless and free. We no longer allow sin to reign in our bodies, obeying its lusts, but instead we are to present ourselves to God as instruments of righteousness. Romans 6:12-14. We have been given power to conquer sin and are set free from its slavery. We're free to live the life God has created us to live. We're free from sin, and its hold.
Sin is a hard slave master! Yet many people are content to remain in its bondage. Are you a slave to lust, anger. addictions, pride, alcoholism, etc? You can choose freedom today! Decide if you want to be free. Don’t let sin rule you. Don’t obey sin's passions and emotions. Sin is like a quicksand! Stay as far away from the edge of the cliff as you can. Don’t offer your eyes, ears, hands or any part of your body to the power of sin. Use them for righteousness. What's holding you back? Now is the time! Acknowledge that Jesus Christ paid for your sins when He died on the cross. Receive Him as your Savior today. You are now God’s child! You have been given a new identity, status, position and a new relationship with God. You can now live in the victory that Jesus purchased for you on the Cross. Once freed, you must not allow yourself to be enslaved by sin again.
THE GOSPEL OF LOVE:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35.
One of the qualities of a redeemed life is love. The Holy Spirit pours out God’s love into our hearts, so we can pour it out. We are to love the people God placed in our family, neighbourhood, church, workplace, and school. This is a command! It is not optional. We are to love one another. We must be quick to forgive and love as God loves us. Are you walking in love as a child of God? If not, whose child are you? When the love of God flows in us, we can love others as He loves us. We can love unconditionally! When you walk in love you're patient with others. But when you hold a grudge or are bitter towards others you're not truly walking in God's love.
Treat them with dignity, respect and love! Don't attach conditions to your love. Let it not be based on what they can do for you, or how they treat you, but rather based on how God treated us. Treat everyone you come across daily the same way you want to be treated. Love covers multitude of sins. Love forgives.
WHEN FORGIVENESS IS HARD:
Forgiveness is the demonstration of a love that keeps no record of wrongs. 1 Corinthians 13:5.
The ultimate example of love was on display when Jesus died on the Cross. Luke 23:34. As the last moment on Earth drew near, He said “Father forgive them for they don’t know what they do” Jesus forgave the guilty.
The dictionary defines forgiveness as “cancelling a debt”. Debt cancellation is exactly what we received through Christ. Luke 11:4. We were released from the judgment of our sins. Therefore, we're called to release others from their debt to us. Forgiveness is to pardon or excuse; it means that we no longer blame others or are angry at those who hurt us. To forgive and yet hold a grudge against someone who caused us pain is really no forgiveness at all. A relationship flourishes when we're willing to forgive.
The command to forgive is most difficult because sometimes we don’t want to forgive. It is always hard when we are dealing with deep wounds and injustices from others. When you’ve been hurt by someone in the past or when someone continues to behave in a way that really hurts you, its very difficult to forgive. We want to strike back, we want justice, we want the other person to feel the pain he or she has inflicted on us. When desire for payback rises within you, its hard not to take matters into your own hands. But, God asks us to forgive. He's asking us to let go and move on. Forgiveness is to let go. It is key for a healthy body and mind. Holding on to an offense is to ultimately isolate us from others and God. A lack of forgiveness leads to anger, and bitterness.
Get rid of poison that comes from bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. Develop a forgiving heart. Forgive yourself. Choose to live in harmony and at peace with everyone. Love freely! Choose to bless rather than to curse. In the Greek to bless means "to speak well of" and to curse means "to speak evil of." Begin today!
THE POWER OF RECONCILIATION
The word 'reconcile' means to re-establish relationship between two parties. It is to settle a dispute. Colossians 1:21-22; Romans 5:8. Reconciliation happens when people who were in dispute ask and receive forgiveness from each other. It is to re-establish damaged relationships. Reconciliation is the restoration of harmony, trust, and peace between people in conflict. Reconciliation is moving from a place of separation, and hurt to a place of healing, and reunion. There's no relationship that God cannot restore when both parties are in agreement.
"that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation." 2 Corinthians 5:19. Before Christ came, we were separated from God because of sin. But God restored the relationship by reconciling us to Himself through Christ. If you have been reconciled to God through Christ you are invited to be a minister of reconciliation. Reconciliation is an act of one who is free. We all need to be God's agents of reconciliation.
Reconciliation begins with God. Have you accepted God’s gift of reconciliation? It is up to us to accept His gift. Reconciliation with God starts with salvation. Are you saved? Salvation delivers from sin and allows us to be in a relationship with God. Romans 6:23; Romans 10:9. Don't spend your eternity apart from Him.
Acknowledge your feelings; take responsibility! Refusal to take responsibility aggravate the issues. Galatians 6:5. Examine your heart and discern the areas where you need to change. Be responsible.
Be humble. Pride opposes and resists the need to forgive. It demands justice and wants to get even. Pride makes you feel entitled. Your humble attitude will show the love of Christ and possibly cause others to do the same. Proverbs 6:3. Humility create rooms for reconciliation to occur. James 4:6.
Confession and Repentance. Reconciliation is impossible without confession and repentance. Confession means to admit something; it is to tell the truth. Confession is to admit guilt; its to be grieved or be remorseful.
Repentance requires the offender(s) to turn away and seek to repair the harm done. Repentance is important in order to heal broken relationships. Confess your faults to one another. James 5:16.
Forgive. God calls us to forgive. "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Ephesians 4:32. Forgiveness is to let go so you can get on with the rest of your life. Forgiveness doesn’t diminish justice; it entrusts it to God! Justice is up to God. Let go today and let God.
Pray. Prayer changes us. Ask God to forgive you. Pray to receive strength to talk to the person you’ve hurt. Pray for peace. Pray for emotional healing. Pray for forgiveness. Pray for restoration.
Make amendment. Apostle Paul was willing to make restitution for the loss Onesimus caused Philemon. The act of making amends is to pay back or remedy in some form for loss or harm resulting from wrongdoing. Restitution is attempting to restore that which has been damaged or destroyed. If you have taken physical property, you have to give it back or make a payment for it. But restitution is difficult when you have said words that have damaged another person's name, reputation and character.
Love unconditionally. 1 Peter 4:8. Forgiving is part of loving others. Love for others must exceed faults.
Adjust your expectations.
Give them a chance.
Start afresh.
"23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:23-24.
Are things falling apart in your relationships? It could be a marital problem, family, or a contentious believer at church. Maybe its someone close to you who betrayed your trust. We've all been hurt by someone else and people will continue to hurt us. We will hurt others as well, even if we do so unintentionally. Decide today to get those relationships right. Surrender your relationships to God. Let healing take place. Don’t let Satan weigh you down with feelings of guilt. Make up your mind today, forgive and begin living an entirely new life.
PRAYER POINTS:
1. Father, I thank You that I am no longer a slave to sin, in Jesus name.
2. O Lord, give me strength and wisdom to rebuild my broken relationships, in Jesus name.
3. Father, help me to be addicted to You rather than the desires of the flesh, in Jesus name.
4. O Lord, give me the humility to always conduct my relationships the way You desire, in Jesus name.
5. Father, show me if there are people with whom I need to be reconciled. Help me to forgive them and restore the broken relationships, in Jesus name.
6. O Lord, if there is any resentment that I am still holding on to, reveal and help me to let it go, in Jesus name.
7. Father, flood my heart with Your love, in Jesus name.
8. O Lord, help me to forgive others their errors and mistakes, as You have forgiven me, in Jesus name.
9. Father, help me to show love, forgiveness, and grace to those who have wronged me, in Jesus name.
10. Thank God for answering your prayers.
