Philemon 4-7
4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, 5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; 6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. 7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
How do you know that you truly care for someone? How do you know that someone truly cares about you? Is it because they say they do? Is it because they because they do nice things for you? What does true Christian care look like? After opening his letter to Philemon with a greeting that reminds us of the importance of called, committed, and equipped service for Christ with the people of God, Paul moves into the body of his letter. Like many of the letters that he wrote to the churches, Paul begins the letter with some commendations of Philemon’s demonstrated Christian character and love for God’s people. In the form of a prayer, Paul expressed his thanks to God for all that God had done in the body of Christ through Philemon and prayed that God would continue to work through him mightily. As we look at Paul’s commendations of Philemon and the Christian character exhibited in Philemon, we have demonstrated for us what true care and concern for God’s people looks like. As we seek to learn from this letter what it means to love as Christ loved, there are three things in these verses that we draw out as necessary proofs of what it means to care like Christ cares.
The first way the letter of Philemon teaches us to care like Christ cares is for us to pray for God’s people. In verses 4-5, Paul tells Philemon about his continual prayers for him as his brother in Christ. In what Paul says about his prayer here, there are three principles for praying with and for the people of God that you I need to take away from the passage. First, our prayers should be marked by thankfulness. Paul begins describing his prayers for Philemon with “I thank my God.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:17-18, Paul would instruct believers to “Pray without ceasing” and would follow that call with “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” God’s will is that we be thankful people. What was Paul specifically thankful for here in Philemon? The context tells us that he was thankful for Philemon and the fruit that was being lived out in Philemon’s life. You and I should be thankful for the body of Christ. If we are going to pray as we ought for one another, we should do so from an attitude of thankfulness for each other, not an attitude of condescension or antagonism. Secondly, we learn that we should be consistent in our prayers. Paul mentioned the frequency of his praying for Philemon when he wrote, “making mention of thee always in my prayers.” He “always” prayed for Philemon. How often do we pray for our church family? How often do we pray for the furtherance of the work of the gospel in the hearts and lives of those around us? We must be consistent and persistent in our praying as Jesus called us to be (Luke 11:5-10). Lastly, we learn from Paul’s mentioning of prayer in verses 4-5 that we are to be genuine in our prayer. The basis of Paul’s letter to Philemon and what he would compel Philemon to do is Philemon’s track record of genuine love demonstrated toward Christ and His people. Our motivations in all that we do in the body of Christ must be genuine love for Christ and His people. Effective prayer is founded upon this. When we pray to God, what is the motivation of our prayer? We must not be “double-minded” (James 1:5-8). Instead, we must be genuine. Be thankful. Be consistent. Be genuine.
The next way this section teaches us to care like Christ cares is for us to grow with God’s people. In verse 6, Paul mentions the “communication” of Philemon’s “faith” and he prays that Philemon’s faith would be “effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.” The word “communication” is the Greek word koinonia, a common word in the New Testament that is translated as fellowship, communion, or partnership. It is used to describe the believer’s mutual relationship and partnership in the faith. The word “effectual” means powerful or effective. The word “acknowledging” refers to experiential knowledge “of every good thing…in Christ Jesus.” Put together, this verse is Paul praying that Philemon’s faith might be powerfully used by God as he experiences all that God has done in Christ. This is a simple prayer for Philemon to be used by God among the people of God as he grows with God’s people. A vital component of our Christian growth is our involvement in the body of Christ. Interacting with other believers is the primary way in which we live out our faith and grow into what God wants us to be. Hebrews 10:24-25 tells us, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” The way that you and I grow is through living out what God has put within us through our relationship with Christ Jesus as we partner with God’s people.
The third way in which this section tells us we can demonstrate care for God’s people is to encourage them. Here, Paul uses Philemon as an example of one who served as an encouragement to the body of Christ. We are surrounded today by an attitude in Christianity that is hypercritical and always looking to find something negative in others. Often, this gets labeled as discernment, but it is actually harmful to the body of Christ and rooted in pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). Instead, the Bible tell us, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3) and “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think” (Romans 12:3). Pul wrote here of the “great joy and consolation [encouragement or comfort] in” Philemon’s “love.” The love that he demonstrated served to bring joy to Paul and encouragement to the body of Christ. In other words, love led him to encourage like Barnabas who was known as “the son of consolation [encouragement]” (Acts 4:36). The heart that is motivated by pride will seek to tear down and discourage because pride drives people to self-advancement. The heart driven by love will seek to build up, encourage, and support because the is geared to the advancement of others. When Paul refers to “the bowels of the saints” he is using the “bowels” as it was used in that day to describe the seat of emotions. The life of the believer can be a turbulent one. We are promised trouble if we faithfully follow Christ (John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12). What God’s people need in every age and in every circumstance are people who are willing to come alongside us so that we can be “refreshed.” The word used there is a verb that notes a past and continual providing of rest. Philemon was a calming presence in the life of God’s people. Have you ever been around someone who is constantly in crisis or causing crises in the church? They are constantly at the center of controversy or disagreement. They are constantly at odds with someone, have a complaint, or have an issue with something or someone. Philemon provided rest for God’s people. He did this in how he served, in how he loved, and in how he cared. He wasn’t worried about pushing his own selfish desires, but upon selflessly caring for the people of God. What Paul says here about Philemon serves as a small fleshing out of what Jesus promised His people in salvation when He said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:28-29). Do you provide encouragement and rest for God’s people or are you continually stirring something up? Be an encouragement.
Do we really care for God’s people? Do we really care like Christ cared? We can answer those questions by looking at the three things drawn out of this text that model caring for God’s people. Do you pray regularly for your church family? Are you committed to regularly growing with the body of Christ and living out your faith with the family of God? Are you known for being an encouragement to others or a discouraging criticizer? How we answer those questions will reveal to us where our hearts truly are. In the letter of Philemon, we have the very heart of Jesus in the gospel presented to us. Let’s submit to God and allow Him to conform us into Christ’s image and give us a genuine care for God’s people. May we care like Jesus cares.