Sunday – November 12, 2023, Cheshvan 28, 5784
Greetings brothers and sisters in the Kingdom of God and welcome back this study of the Book of Philemon. I have been shortening the individual teachings of this blog for we are in a sound bit, microwave generation, shorter teachings may enhance digestibility, and may increase readership. The main theme of this Book of Philemon is intercession (intervention, mediation, arbitration, negotiation) and upon that I will focus. As with any Book of the Bible there are lots of Truths spoken of, but I will do my best to stick with intercession. What a wonderful God given gift and assignment for mankind to exercise one for the other.
Please take a moment to share this teaching, all of this Ministry’s teachings, as widely as possible. Thank you so much for sharing. Your sharing is vital to the dissemination of the Truth, the Gospel, the Good News. There are many excellent Anointed Bible teachers in the body of Christ but I pray the Lord has led you to be a part of these teachings, this Ministry. Now, let’s turn our attention to our primary Bible text from, you guessed it, Philemon. Please be sure you are reading out loud, yes out loud. You know why.
Philemon 1:9-14 (KJV)
9 Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
12 Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
13 Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
14 But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
Last week we discovered that Onesimus was a runaway slave who got saved under the ministry of the Apostle Paul when Paul was in prison. The Apostle is now imploring Philemon to accept Onesimus back as a profitable beloved brother in Christ. In fact, it appears that Onesimus is already on his way back to Philemon. Let’s look at this twelfth verse in the New Living Translation.
Philemon 1:12 (NLT)
12 I am sending him back to you, and with him comes my own heart.
This is very personal for the Apostle and wants Philemon to receive Onesimus in this very personal way, in love (agapē). The Apostle is vouching for this man. The KJV is a little hard to understand here so I’m going to the NLT.
Philemon 1:13 (NLT)
13 I wanted to keep him here with me while I am in these chains for preaching the Good News, and he would have helped me on your behalf.
14 But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent. I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced.
This man was of such service to the Apostle Paul that he wanted to keep him (Onesimus) but didn’t think that was right without the consent, willing consent, of Philemon. Therefore, Onesimus is on his way back to Philemon and likely already there being the most likely carrier of the letter.
Lord willing, I will pick up right here next Sunday. Have we lost this love (agapē) substituting the worlds version?
Authored By: Dr. David R. Wood, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
2 Chronicles 20:20 b (KJV)
20 … Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.
Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (KJV)
13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
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