The apostle Paul (also known as Saul) wrote the greater part of the New Testament Bible. His Letters were addressed to churches, communities, individuals, among many others. One individual recipient of Paul’s letter is a man named Philemon. This letter was an appeal letter written to ask Philemon to consider forgiving his runaway slave. Paul wrote this letter out of love for the Master and the slave, who were both believers. In this short introduction, we shall consider a few lessons from this letter and how we can apply these lessons in managing conflicts within and outside the church.
Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker (Philemon 1:1)
Who was Philemon? He was a wealthy Colossian who was also a believer. Philemon also hosted the church in his home and that accounts for why Paul’s letter addressed the church that meets in Philemon’s home (Philemon 1:2). Philemon seemed to have worked together with a woman named Apphia and another man called Archippus (Philemon1:2). Thus, working as a team wasn’t new to Philemon. In his letter, Paul addressed Philemon as “our dear friend and fellow worker” (Philemon 1:1). Paul on the other hand was still serving a prison term in Rome as at the time he wrote this letter. The apostle Paul, who was in chains for the gospel, didn’t relent in interceding for another person who had become a family in Rome.
In this short letter from Paul, we are reminded of the need to make room for each other and how to restore relationships within the church. It is obvious that Paul’s appeal was accepted by Philemon. In subsequent posts, we shall consider the details of the appeal and Paul’s advice to Philemon. We need to understand that irrespective of our spiritual maturity, there would always be the need to resolve issues within the church. Be always willing and ready to be an agent of peace.
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