Mark wrote his gospel in the 1st century AD, probably based on his work assisting the apostle Peter. It reliably announces Jesus as God’s king to whom all must respond. It can be trusted to tell us the core of
Refreshing others
Philemon 20-25. The Lord Jesus invited the weary to find rest in him. Christians take that example and live it out in daily life: our aim must be not to tire others but refresh them. Paul uses that thought as
Debt free
Philemon 15-19. God loves to see reconciliation. Paul presses this on his slave-owning friend, as he returns the runaway slave Onesimus to him. He hints that maybe God even brought about these circumstances so that they could come together in
Slavery
The big issue which triggers the note we know as Philemon is slavery: Paul is sending a slave back to his master. So what do we need to know about slavery which helps us to understand Paul’s approach? This sermon
Blind spot
Philemon 10-14. Though Paul’s friend has been a great help to other Christians, Paul knows he could easily react badly to his ‘useless’ returning slave. So the apostle writes to impress upon his friend just how much Christ has changed
Trust and respect
Philemon 7-10. Paul’s prayer was for his friend’s love to be applied more widely. Now he turns to what that means in practice: welcoming back his slave not with harsh anger but as a Christian brother. However, Paul doesn’t command
Do good to all
Philemon 4-6. After his greeting, Paul next mentions his prayers for the recipient. In his words we hear indications of the way he will write in the rest of the letter. He thanks God for his friend’s faith and the
The ‘lay aside’ rule
Philemon 1-3. Sitting beneath all Paul writes is a principle which Christians must apply to their lives. It teaches us how to think of the benefits and advantages we personally have. Applied well, it makes our lives suited to building
Catalyst for change
In this new series we’ll work through the short New Testament letter which Paul sent to a friend in the Lycus Valley, asking him to receive as a brother a slave who left him. It was a tough request but
Bittersweet finale
The end of Luke’s second book has a bittersweet taste to it. The bitterness comes from the rejection of Paul’s gospel by many of his fellow Jews in Rome, which highlights the power of sin in human hearts. The sweetness