The Friendship and FellowshipOf the Gospel, Part 1

Philemon 1-2May 15, 2005

Point: gospel creates friendship and fellowship (partnership) with each other. It is an atmosphere of grace and mercy in which we live with each other in acceptation, welcome, forgiveness. And it is an atmosphere which consequently and automatically fosters and produces an advancement of the gospel, especially among the saints. This advancement is manifested first and foremost in the generosity believers display towards each other.

When you understand the letter to Philemon it is easy to perceive the first few verses as sort of a ‘buttering up.’ But Paul is not flattering Philemon here just to get what he wants. To be sure, Paul definitely wants two things. He wants Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a brother in Christ, and he wants Philemon to release Onesimus so he can go back and serve Paul.

But there is no ‘buttering up,’ going on here. Rather, he is thanking God for Philemon to Philemon, for the work that God has done in and through Philemon to others. And that work of God in and through Philemon is what becomes the basis for Paul’s appeal regarding Onesimus.

1. True Believers will Care About the Gospel’s Application and Advancement

The first thing I want you to notice as we open the letter to Philemon is that true believers will care about the gospel’s application and advancement. They will care

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about the fact that it is applied to their own lives’ as well as to the lives’ of others. Equally as important, they will care about how, when, where, and why the gospel is applied. These things will begin to surface as we make our way through Paul’s introduction in this letter. As we make our way through the first few verses, it becomes apparent that Paul sees the gospel not just as a doctrine to be believed, but as a doctrine that shapes the way we behave, think, feel, and speak. It affects everything we do. And because of that, Paul was sure to bring up gospel-centered encouragements at the outset of his letter, so as to remind Philemon of that gospel, thereby laying the foundation for the request Paul will make of him later.

And Paul also lays another piece of that foundation. Also true of every believer is that he or she will care about the advancement of the gospel throughout the rest of the world. Paul cared about this deeply, as this is why he is found writing this letter from prison. He is suffering for the sake of the gospel. Indeed, he was arrested and imprisoned for trying to advance it throughout the rest of the world.

In short, Paul wanted Philemon to apply the gospel by forgiving and accepting Onesimus, his runaway slave, into his household as a new brother in Jesus Christ. And Paul wanted Philemon to advance the gospel by sending Onesimus back to him in prison to help in whatever ways he had already proven so useful.

A. In verse 1, Paul opens his letter by identifying himself, which he usually does in almost all of his letters. But one thing that is different in this letter as compared to the others is the fact that he made no reference to himself as “an apostle of Jesus Christ,” as he usually does. Instead he refers to himself as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus.” This is for two reasons it seems.

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1. First, he wants Philemon to know where he is. He is in prison, suffering for the sake of the gospel. He is writing from house arrest in Rome where, it appears, he was awaiting word of his release.

2. Second, Paul’s decision to refer to himself as a prisoner instead of an apostle is significant because he wanted to foster in Philemon a certain sense or attitude based on his condition in prison. He is writing as a suffering and imprisoned saint which produces in the heart and mind a different sense and attitude than it would otherwise. Philemon’s heart and mind should go out to Paul in such a condition, and in remembering that condition, Philemon would have a very natural inclination to do whatever Paul asked.

Is this manipulation? Not at all, for manipulation is using fleshly and many times sinful means of twisting another person’s emotions to do what we want them to do or elicit a certain desired response. Manipulation is motivated by sinfulness and hopes to gain something that is usually a fleshly desire.

But Paul isn’t motivated by fleshliness in this letter. He is motivated by the gospel, and more specifically the forgiveness that freely and abundantly flows from the gospel. It was that very message which he preached all over the Roman world, and for which he had been arrested and imprisoned.

Therefore, the object or aim of his letter is not one that is fleshly either. Just as is manifested and reflected in all his preaching, he desires to see a completely restored and reconciled relationship (cross-references on reconciliation?) between God and man, and between man and man. And further, he simply wants the gospel

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to go forth, advancing throughout the world. And in this particular letter, Paul desires to see such restoration and reconciliation between Philemon and Onesimus, now that both are believers. And he clearly intimates his desire for Philemon to send Onesimus back so Onesimus could continue to be of such great help to Paul. So the reconciliation and the generosity Paul is requesting here are two things that very naturally flow from the gospel.

Also in verse 1, Paul refers to Philemon as “our beloved fellow worker.”

Paul writes to Philemon. Philemon was a rather common name in Greek history and literature. It means “affectionate one or beloved.” He was probably a Gentile, and he lived in Colosse. It appears that he was very wealthy, very generous, and very respectable in the community. According to verse 19 of this little letter, it appears that Philemon was a convert of Paul’s, perhaps having become one while meeting up with Paul in Ephesus where he had so much influence in the province of Asia (Acts 19:8-22, 26; 1 Cor. 16:19).

Notice the first description Paul uses for Philemon – “beloved.” It is probably a play on words. By adding the word “beloved” to a name that already means “beloved one,” Paul is emphasizing just how “beloved” Philemon really is to him.

Notice second that Philemon was probably a minister, elder, or pastor of a particular group of Colossian believers who met in his house. How do we know this?

o First, Paul makes reference in verse 3 to the love he showed to all the saints. This brings to mind Titus 1:8 in which we read that the

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minister is one given to hospitality and a lover of good.

o Second, Paul calls Philemon a “fellow worker,” a Greek phrase used also in 12 other NT texts (Rom 16:3, 9, 21; 1Co 3:9; 2Co 1:24; 8:23; Phil 2:25; 4:3; Col 4:11; 1Th 3:2; Phm 1:24; 3 Jo 1:8) to refer to ministers, those who labored alongside Paul in various locations to shepherd the flock of God and advance the preaching of the gospel. Per John Gill:

“…for though such are sometimes said to be labourers and fellow helpers with the apostle, who assisted in carrying on the interest of Christ, with their purses, and prayers, and private conversation; yet as it is used in this same epistle, of such who were in the work of the ministry, Phm 24 it is very probable it is so to be understood here…”

Per Matthew Henry

“Paul, in the highest degree of ministry, not only calls Timothy, an evangelist, his brother, but Philemon, an ordinary pastor, his dearly beloved fellow-labourer - an example of humility and condescension, and of all affectionate regards, even in those that are highest in the church, towards others that are labourers in the same special heavenly calling.”

Now, the reference to Philemon as a “beloved fellow worker,” is important in this letter for this reason. Paul was appealing to Philemon as a fellow minister in the gospel whose care and concern was for the gospel – its

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application in his people’s lives and the advancement in the rest of the world. Since they both had great interest in and affections for the lives of others, calling Philemon a “beloved fellow worker” would reestablish that fact in Philemon’s mind and on that basis request something of Philemon that give him opportunity to apply the gospel to his own life and help Paul advance it throughout the rest of the world (See Gill).

The description Paul gave Philemon then, was a reminder of who he, Philemon, was and therefore what should flow from Paul’s request of him. Listen to what Chrysostom preached concerning this request.

“If Philemon is a ‘fellow laborer,’ then not only may he be instructed in such a matter, but he ought to acknowledge it as a favor. For Philemon is bringing blessing upon himself, and he is building up the same work [i.e., of spreading the gospel and bringing others to faith]. So that apart from any request, Paul says, you have another reason for granting the favor. For if he is profitable to the gospel and you are anxious to promote the gospel, then you should be the one pleading with me, rather than me with you” (Homilies on Philemon 1, quoted in ACCS, 9:311).

Summary of Verse One

So, then, in summary, by referring to his own imprisonment for the sake of the gospel, Paul hoped to elicit a certain desire or attitude within Philemon’s heart of mutuality in love for the gospel’s advancement. In so doing, perhaps Philemon would send Onesimus back to Paul for this purpose.

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And by referring to Philemon’s beloved heart and actions, as well as his labors in ministry, Paul hopes to elicit a certain desire or attitude within Philemon’s heart of love for the gospel’s application to his own heart, with respect to his runaway slave. In so doing, Philemon would forgive Onesimus and welcome him into complete and total reconciliation and acceptation because they were now brothers in Christ.

B. Continuing in verse 2, we see others whom Paul greets (a man, a woman and a body of believers), each of whom are also specially described, as was Philemon, in order to apply and advance the gospel. All of these persons have been united with him in friendship and fellowship created by the gospel of Christ.

1. He greets Apphia, “our sister,” as well as Archippus, “our fellow soldier.” He further greets “the church in your house,” speaking of the local assembly meeting in Philemon’s house.The first of these three is, “Apphia our sister.” The description Paul uses of her points toward the familial bond that Jesus Christ had created between she and Paul in the gospel. Jesus taught us in the gospels that those who hear His word and obey it are His real family members (reference?). There is and should be an intimate bond between such spiritual family members, more so than there ever is between biological family members.

But outside of the larger spiritual imagery used here, the fact is that Apphia was probably Philemon’s wife, for it makes the most sense since he name her second, right after Philemon. If we stop and consider for a moment why he included her name, it will help us understand how Paul hopes to apply and advance the gospel.

Consider first that Paul doesn’t just include names for the heck of it, nor does he include them to flatter special

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people within certain churches by whom he hopes to gain at some point in the future. In other words, he doesn’t mention names just to make deposits into people’s trust banks so he can make a withdrawal later on. Remember, every word is inspired by the Spirit, which means even the persons Paul greets have a purpose just like the other words do.

I believe that Paul includes Apphia’s name here, again not to flatter her or make her feel special, but to appeal to her as well on what he is about to ask. Think of it this way: what person in a household can make or break the head of the household? That’s right, the wife. So in writing to her too, Paul was hoping to engage her along with her husband to receive, forgive and welcome Onesimus back into their household. Otherwise, who knows but that she might stand in the way of it, becoming a great hindrance to the reconciliation process (see Gill). Because they are one flesh, their actions and thoughts on the matter of Onesimus should be one as well.

See then how the gospel is applied and advanced. The gospel has saved both Philemon and his wife Apphia. And it teaches both of them to forgive and welcome the offender. Further, it teaches that since both are one, and since the husband is the pastor of the house church there, she should have as great an interest in the advancement of the gospel, using Onesimus, as her husband would.

2. The second person Paul says ‘hello’ to is, “Archippus our fellow soldier.” He may have been Philemon’s son. The description Paul used of him points toward the bond of warfare that exists between he and Paul. Paul was a soldier of Christ, suffering for his warfare for the sake of the gospel (cf. 1 Cor. 9:7; 2 Cor. 10:4; 1 Tim. 1:18). This is the phrase Paul used of Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25. And he identifies

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Archippus as such a soldier also, and in so doing, points to that particular and special bond between them. To be sure, all believers are soldiers of Christ, but Paul identifies Archippus by this name purposefully in order to point out the specific character of his life and ministry.

He is referred to in Colossians 4:17 with a special word from Paul that means nothing to us today, but meant something specific for Archippus. There Paul wrote to him, “And say to Archippus, ‘Be sure to carry out the work the Lord gave you.’” It is cryptic to us but clear to Archippus. Whatever it is, we know that it is a special work of ministry to which the Lord had called him. It was probably a teaching ministry, since the Greek word for “ministry” in Colossians 4:17 is used without a determining genitive and commonly refers to a function or office of biblical instruction (see Acts 6:4).

My view on this is that if, in fact, Archippus was Philemon’s son, then he was in co-leadership with his father Philemon in the particular group of believers who met at Philemon’s house in Colosse. And if not a co-pastor, then at least a deacon, probably much like Phillip or Stephen. And if not Philemon’s son, then perhaps only fulfilling a temporary mission in Colosse as directed by the Apostle Paul. What mission would that be? Perhaps taking over Epaphras’ duties. You see, Epaphras, who was with Paul in Rome, serving him while he was in prison, is the one who founded the church at Colosse, according to Colossians 1:7,8, and is in verse 13 still spoken of as the one responsible for the church. So it may very well be that while Epaphras was in Rome helping Paul, Archippus, whether son of Philemon or not, was asked to take his place for a while.

3. The third group Paul makes mention of in his greeting is, “the church in your house.” This phrase points toward either (a) all the believers who were meeting in Philemon’s house in the city of Colosse, or (b)

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all the believers in Philemon’s personal family. On the first option, to be sure, there were several other house churches in Colosse, and Paul’s letter to the Colossians was a letter that was intended to be circulated among all those other local assemblies.

But this particular letter to Philemon carried a special greeting to either the local church meeting in Philemon’s house, or else Philemon’s personal family. (Either way it is remarkable what kind of testimony, influence, reputation and leadership Philemon must have displayed, because as late as the fifth century, Theodoret stated that Philemon’s house was still identifiable.)

Such identifying characteristics, then, as “sister,” “soldier,” and “church,” all produced and fostered much encouragement to those whom he called by those names. Apphia was encouraged to be a part of God’s family with Paul, her brother in Jesus Christ. Archippus was encouraged to continue waging war for the sake of the gospel, enduring even tougher battles than before. And the church in Philemon’s house was encouraged in two ways.

a. First, they were encouraged that God had especially chosen them from before the foundation of the world to be His sons and daughters, providing them with comfort and security in the midst of such persecuting times, especially with Paul being in prison.

b. Second, they were further encouraged with a special greeting by the apostle Paul which would have had the added effect of (a) bolstering their affection for Paul as their spiritual father and church planter, and (b) bolstering their affection for Philemon to whom the letter was written (who is referred especially as being a source of refreshment for the saints in his house church), as well as Apphia and Archippus who are mentioned by

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name, presumably pointing to special qualities in their lives of godly church leadership.

Application: The Application and Advancement of the Gospel Depends upon Believers Serving One Another

Now least you ask yourselves what in the world all of this has to do with our main point, I don’t want you to miss it. If anything, this speculation on history shows us in the very least that the advancement of the gospel depends upon believers applying the gospel to their own lives by doing whatever they must do to serve one another. The advancement of the gospel doesn’t depend on us. It does, however, depend upon us serving one another. And that’s what’s going on here, even if we get the history wrong on some points.

We do know Epaphras was the founder of the church in Colosse. Yet we also know in the letter to Philemon that he is in Rome helping Paul while in prison. So this founding pastor of the church leaves his church to serve an apostle hundreds of miles away in another city.

But Epaphras can only go and serve Paul in this way because another named Archippus has determined to step up and serve Epaphras by taking his place as pastor, or at least as a church leader of some sort.

But Archippus can only rise to serve the church in Colosse as a leader because people like Philemon and Apphia, as well as the rest of the church body, are serving him by identifying, recognizing and affirming his gifts in this area of leadership.

And the church body can only identify, recognize and affirm his gifts in leadership because they are serving

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one another in love, as we read of in verse 7 – they were all refreshed.

But all of them were only refreshed because Philemon was serving them through his generosity and love for them. So the advancement of the gospel in Rome was happening through Paul because believers were serving him and were serving each other.

Further, if Philemon was in fact an elder or leader in the church, then Archippus could have only assumed pastoral leadership of the church in Philemon’s home if Philemon was generous enough to open his home up for the believers to gather there, and if Philemon, presumably, gave the necessary monies to finance his work, and possibly even Epaphras’.

And, if Archippus was really Philemon’s son, then the father is serving son through the generosity of home and finances so that the son can serve the father, thereby both serving the rest of the body of Christ.

That’s how the gospel works itself in us and out through us to the rest of the world. Everybody serving everybody so that the gospel can go out to everybody else.

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