Making A Difference Daily

Today’s Passage – Philemon – Hebrews 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 86 – 90; Proverbs 18)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Proverbs 27:15

Read the “1218 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, 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. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:” (Philemon 1:8-10)

Paul’s Letter to Philemon is one of the epistles that Paul wrote while he was imprisoned at Rome. Philemon was a member of the church at Colosse, which was located in Asia Minor in an area known as Phrygia. It is not too far away from Ephesus where Paul had labored for 3 years as a missionary. It is even nearer (about 13 miles) to the City of Laodicea, which is mentioned in the Book of Revelation. At one time Colosse was an important city with a large population.  It was located in an area that connected the markets of the far east with the markets of Europe.  It was known for a particular kind of purple wool called colossinus that was in demand around the world.  As time went on, however, Laodicea became the prominent city and Colosse eventually faded off the scene.  Only ruins are left today of both cities.  It is probable that both cities were eventually destroyed by a series of earthquakes.

At the time of this writing, Paul had never personally visited this church or the city, but had apparently become acquainted with Philemon somewhere else, and was influential in leading him to Christ. Philemon had apparently opened up his home as a meeting place for the church at Colosse. He was very likely the husband of Apphia and the father of Archippus. Although Philemon was saved, he apparently had been a slaveholder, which was unfortunately an accepted part of the Asian culture in that day.  Interestingly, neither Paul nor Peter condemns slavery in their writings, though they were obviously opposed to it, and did not participate in it.  Instead they chose to teach principles to both the servants and the masters regarding how they should treat each other: 

“Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.” (Ephesians 6:5-9; see also Colossians 3:22 – 4:1; 1 Timothy 6:1 – 2; Titus 2:9 -10; 1 Peter 2:18 – 19)

This Letter to Philemon was delivered by Onesimus, along with the Letter to the Colossians. However, the Epistle to Philemon is very different from the Letter to the Colossians. Colossians is written to a church and is both doctrinal as well as practical.  Philemon, on the other hand, is very personal; written primarily to encourage reconciliation between Onesimus, who was a runaway servant from Colosse that was gloriously saved in Rome, and Philemon. 

Notice that the heart of this letter is about reconciliation and Paul is very bold to interfere in the matter to help bring it about.  Paul does not pull any punches either.  He makes it crystal clear what each party should do. 

In this little letter we see four steps that Paul took to be a peacemaker and a problem solver in bringing about reconciliation between Philemon and Onesimus. In these four things we will also recognize that Paul is a picture or type of Christ. He is truly acting on behalf of the Lord Jesus as His ambassador. 

I. He prayed for him and praised him (Philemon 4 – 7)

Paul prayed for Philemon. He also prayed for Onesimus. Jesus prayed for us also:

“But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” (Luke 22:32)

“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” (John 17:9)

Notice also that even though Paul is writing to Philemon to correct him about something, he also was careful to praise him for what he was doing right. 

Parents can learn a lesson from this. Teachers can learn a lesson from this. Employers can learn a lesson from this.  A little bit of genuine praise will go a long way. Paul also expressed confidence that Philemon would do what was right. Notice v. 6:

“That the communication of thy faith may become effectual (ἐνεργής – energēs – meaning active or powerful) by the acknowledging of every good thing that is within you in Christ Jesus.”

Paul was telling Philemon that he had the opportunity to put his faith into practice, that his faith would become a powerful testimony for Christ if he did the right thing here.

II. He gave him a choice to do right (Philemon 8 & 9)

Paul had the power to force his will, but he gave Philemon a chance to choose to do the right thing. Jesus does the same thing. He could sovereignly force His will upon us, but He allows us to choose to do right.

III. He interceded on behalf of Onesimus. He was willing to give him a second chance.  (Philemon 10 – 16)

Paul sticks his neck out here and begins to beg (beseech) Philemon to forget about the wrong that was done in the past, and, for the cause of Christ, release him from his debt. Jesus does the same thing for us. We are guilty sinners deserving of punishment, and the accuser is always there to point out what we have done wrong; but Jesus is always there to intercede on our behalf.

“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

IV. He was willing to pay Onesimus’ debt himself. (Philemon 17 – 21)

Christ paid our debt of sin.

Conclusion

When Paul found out that his new convert Onesimus had a problem with Philemon, another friend of  his, he did not avoid the problem; he tackled it head on. He didn’t allow Onesimus to run from the problem, either. He sent him back to Philemon to face him, but with a letter from Paul that would hopefully encourage Philemon to make the right decision.

Paul’s intercession on behalf of Onesimus  enabled him to get right with his boss, and also provided Philemon with an opportunity to demonstrate Christ to the people who were watching. The result of this was that God was glorified, the devil suffered a defeat, and the cause of Christ – the Gospel – was advanced. 

            Three lessons we can take away from this:

1. Be a peacemaker and a problem solver. When we have an opportunity to help bring about reconciliation between people, we ought to do it.
2. Don’t run away from your problems – face them head on.
3. When someone who has wronged you comes to you to get things right – let him. In fact, don’t wait for them to come to you – take the initiative to get things right with them. 

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)

In this little Letter to Philemon we see that Paul truly was a peacemaker, a problem solver, and a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Today’s Passages – 1 Corinthians 6 – 9 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 1 – 5; Proverbs 1)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Joshua 1:8

Read the “1201 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Stumblingblocks,” “Property of Jesus,” and “Settling Disputes Within the Church.“

“Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (1 Corinthians 6:7)

One of the many problems that Apostle Paul was dealing with in his correspondence with the Church in Corinth was the problem of disputes between the brethren. Apparently, conflicts from within the church body were being brought before the secular courts for resolution. Paul uses some pretty strong language rebuking them for resorting to such measures in order to settle their disagreements, and he even uses a little sarcasm in order to drive his point home. However, we can glean some important principles from this problem at Corinth that will help us in our dealings with fellow believers today.

1. Never sue another believer. Personally, I have never sued anybody, Christian or not; but, I will not go beyond what the text is clearly teaching here. In Corinth, Paul was dealing with individuals from within the same church. Believers need to be very careful when dealing with each other, carefully considering all possible end results of their transactions. When we enter into an agreement with somebody, we seldom think about anything ever going wrong, but often that is not the case. We need to be able to resolve our disputes among ourselves.

2. Be willing to let it go. You may not be able to do this in every case, but if it is at all possible, be willing to forgive (and forget) the damage that was caused you by the offending brother. After all, isn’t that what Jesus did, and is still doing, for us.

3.  Follow the procedure outlined in Matthew 18:15 – 17

“Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.” (Matthew 18:15-17)

According to Jesus’ instruction in Matthew, the offended brother should first go to the offending party and try to work out the disagreement between them. If that doesn’t work, then he is to bring in another person or possibly two to help bring about resolution. If this fails, then the dispute is to be brought before the church for a final decision. The church was the last “court of appeals” for any case.

4.  Be a peacemaker yourself.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “blessed are the peacemakers”. Every church needs to have a few Sprit-filled, impartial people who could sit down with two disagreeing parties and help them come to a mutual agreement.

As long as there are Christians who possess “a flesh” there are at times going to be disagreements within our churches. God prepares us to deal with these disputes in a Christlike way without airing them out before the unsaved world. I think that point two above is the most important instruction out of the four. There are going to be many times in life where we should be willing to give in and just let God deal with the situation. If it is a financial dispute, understand that all money belongs to God and He is well able to replace whatever amount you lost.

Today’s Passages – Romans 14 – 16 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Deuteronomy 32:4

Read the “1129 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this passage – “Responsibility“, “Giving Back“, “It Is Written”, and “Just One More Thing“

“Whensoever I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you: for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company. But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.” (Romans 15:24-26)

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.” (James 4:14-16)

Things rarely go according to our plans. It was no different for the Apostle Paul. He had plans to travel to Spain that he thought were going to come to pass, but his plans were changed by God.

The Letter to the Romans was written from Corinth at the end of the third missionary journey. In Romans 15:24 – 26, Paul states that he had plans to stop in Rome on his way to Spain, but first he had to go back to Jerusalem to deliver an offering that he had collected from the saints in Macedonia (Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea) and Achaia (Corinth, Cenchrea, and Athens). According to the Book of Acts, Paul does go to Jerusalem, but he will be falsely accused and arrested there, and taken into Roman custody. He will end up going to Rome but not as he originally desires. After two years being confined to the palace prison in Caesarea, he is transferred to Rome in order to appeal his case to Caesar. He remains there for a couple of more years awaiting his trial and is eventually released. However, there is no Biblical record of him every going to Spain. There are some traditional accounts of him traveling there (and possibly even into Britain) before his death, but this cannot be proven.

This is not the first time Paul’s plans were changed by God, either. In his second missionary journey, it was his intention to go through Galatia and then northeast into Bythinia, but the Spirit of God wanted him to go west into Greece:

“Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.” (Acts 16:6-10)

God has the right to veto or change any plan that we may have. It is good to have dreams about the future, and it is right to pray and plan the road ahead, but don’t be surprised if God radically alters your vision. God’s will is so much better than our will anyway. His wisdom is infinite and he sees what we cannot possibly see. Who knows? Our plans may have led to disaster. We need to trust that God knows what is best. “If the Lord wills” or “the Lord willing” needs to be more than just a trite phrase we spit out on occasion; it needs to be a mindset of cheerful submission to the perfect will of God.

Today’s Passage – Mark 1 – 3 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Psalms 81 – 85; Proverbs 17)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Scripture Song-Isaiah 51-11

Read the “1017 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read previous posts from this morning’s Bible reading passage – “What Does It Mean To Blaspheme the Holy Ghost?;“ and “Who’s In the Driver’s Seat?“

“(21) And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught. (22) And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.” (Mark 1:21-22)

“The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” (Proverbs 28:1)

In our Scripture passage this morning we see Jesus teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. Verse 22 tells us that He spoke “as one that had authority,” and then the passage adds that his teaching was unlike the scribes. The word for authority in this particular verse is ἐξουσίαν (from ἐξουσία – exousia), which meant in this case that Jesus had the right or jurisdiction to preach and teach the word of God. The same word is used in Matthew 28:18, where it is translated into the English word, “power:”

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)

The interesting thing here is that the scribes were the one who were actually granted authority and recognized by men within the synagogue. Jesus had no formal training. The scribes would have been educated under recognized teachers, and no doubt had their degrees and other credentials. Jesus had none of those things, but He had the full power (δύναμις – dynamis, meaning might or strength – like dynamite), and authority of God because He was (and is) God. The people within the synagogue could easily perceive the difference between the man-made authority of the scribes, and the God-given authority and power of Jesus.

Charles Clark Jr. is a man with no formal education who was called by God to start a church from scratch in Berlin, NJ. He began forty years ago with just his family and a small group of other people in a rented Methodist Church building. Today, Solid Rock Baptist Church numbers well over a thousand and meets in a large and beautiful facility. There have been thousands of people saved through the years, and countless lives impacted through the Bible teaching of Pastor Clark and the other men and women who were raised up and trained through his ministry. Yet, in the eyes of the world, Pastor Clark has no authority. He has no college degree or credentials that the world considers important. But one thing Pastor Clark has is God. He has diligently studied the Bible and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and God has used him in amazing ways.

I am not minimizing the importance of education. I believe that every preacher or Bible teacher should get as much formal training as he possibly can, but the only authority that really matters as far as eternity is concerned is the authority given by God. 

Christian, you have been commissioned with Jesus’ authority to take the gospel to the lost world around you. He has empowered you and authorized you to take the Word of God and preach and teach it to a world that is totally ignorant of the Truth. You have power and you have authority. Don’t be intimidated and silenced by those out there who may have more formal education than you. You have God within you and the Bible in your hand. Be bold as a lion and teach with God’s authority.

Today’s Passage – Ezekiel 20 – 21 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – click here to view the text from the Blue Letter Bible website)

(Second Milers also read – Galatians 4 – 6; Psalms 21 – 25; Proverbs 5)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 48:1 & 2

Read the “0905 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed.” – (Ezekiel 20:43)

“O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?” – (Romans 7:24)

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. [8] And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:” – (John 16:7-8)

Just a quick thought from the Scripture this morning. Here in chapter 20 & 21, God is delivering a stern rebuke upon the people of Israel for their rebellion against Him. However, there is one place in these two chapters where I see hope for the children of Israel, and it comes here in v 43. This is the place where the people finally recognize their sin against God, and actually feel what would be to us the convicting power of the Holy Spirit of God. I cannot say that I enjoy the feeling of being pronounced guilty from within my own spirit; but I am very glad that God loves me enough to let me know when I am guilty. Incidentally, one of the best assurances that you are a child of God is the presence of the Holy Spirit of God within you.

Notice an important truth about this loathing that people of Israel would feel about themselves. It comes after God gathers them back into the land of Israel, and after He begins to bless them again. He says in verse 44 that the people would realize that God did not deal with them according to their wickedness; He blessed them inspite of the fact that they had turned against Him. They deserved judgment, yet God dealt with them in mercy and grace. The New Testament tells us that it is the love of Christ that constrains us. That verse is referring to His love for us, not our love for Him. When we realize the unmerited and unconditional love that God has for us, it causes us to realize how undeserving of that love we really are, and it brings about the conviction, the self-loathing that Ezekiel speaks about in this passage.

Paul felt the same way about himself in the Book of Romans. He called himself a wretched man. He recognized the sin that was within him. The Holy Spirit of God pointed it out to him, and he didn’t attempt to cover it, hide it, or defend it. He came clean with God. We need to do the same thing. When our Heavenly Father points out to us the things in our lives that displease Him, the best thing that we can do is agree with Him, confess them, and then forsake them. The whole process starts, however, with conviction.