All Things for Good

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All Things for Good

Philemon 15-16

July 7, 2024 • Anthony Delgado • Philemon 15–16, Genesis 50:20, Matthew 16:21–23, Romans 8:28

Does God take the failings of others and turn them into good for God’s people?

Onesimus was separated from Philemon because he ran away. Paul thinks that maybe God separated Onesimus and Philemon, not to create division, but to create a deeper bond in Christ. Paul is ascribing a higher reason.

God wants to take things that are broken in the world and restore them into something that is good. However, this is not a promise to everyone. (Romans 8:28) The key in the Onesimus/Philemon story is that Onesimus found Paul and came to faith. The very first act of turning bad to good is to call you according to his purpose–to turn you around, from bad to good.

For those called according to His purpose, God takes our circumstances and works them for good so that we may be conformed to His image.

"We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." Romans 8:28-29

Welcome Him as You Would Welcome Me

July 21, 2024 • Anthony Delgado • Philemon 17, Amos

Philemon 17 So if you consider me a partner, welcome [receive/take] him as you would me. Onesimus coming to faith meant he was on equal footing with Philemon in the Kingdom of God. Paul’s exhortation to Philemon is this: Because Philemon is in the position of social privilege, Paul is putting it on Philemon to deal with Onesimus, not according to the ways of the world or according to the laws of the land or even common etiquette, but according to godliness, according to the social protocols of the Kingdom of God. When sin entered the world (Genesis 3), we immediately see the division and oppression of others based on nationality, race, and class being practiced. When Jesus comes, the restoration of Israel is fulfilled in Jesus–in part in his first advent, and ultimately in his second. This includes the restoration of social constructs. What this means for Philemon and Onesimus is that we can’t have a situation within the people of God where one is being oppressed by another, where one is the slave of another, where one’s social status means the disparity of another. Within a congregation, no one can be held more or less important than someone else. The congration needs to: * Have space for those who are hurting in our society. * Allow people of higher social standing to serve as normal people without making them feel like a tool or a bank while challenging them to remain generous. The Gospel is fundamentally about the forgiveness of sins and being transformed from our sinful state. But, one of the immediate effects of sin was social stratification. Therefore, one of the immediate effects of the Gospel is social healing. In Christ, we all come to the same table.

Why Not Rather Be Wronged

July 14, 2024 • Anthony Delgado • 1 Corinthians 6:7, 1 Peter 3:8–9, Proverbs 19:11, Philemon 17–19

Philemon 17–19 "So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would me. And if he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—not to mention to you that you owe me even your very self." In his letter to Philemon, Paul addresses the wrongs between Philemon and Onesimus. Both men have sinned against each other with the potential of those sins spiraling and standing in the way of their restoration, becoming a potential issue for the church in Collasae. Paul is most concerned with unity within the church of Collasae. He’s unconcerned about who owes who or making things fair. Paul wants the shortest, most generous, and gracious resolution to the problem - so much so that he offers to pay any debt owed. It's better to be wronged in order to remain unified as God's People. 3 Biblical Principals for Conflict in the Church: 1. Overlooking harm suffered by a brother/sister is better than creating division. In principle, you should be humble enough to allow wrongdoing to be settled within the context of the local church or else overlook it. 2. Assume a position of sympathy, love, and humility towards wrongdoers. This settles the issue and stops the cycle of wrongdoing/sin–so that there is healing and peace in the community, which benefits everyone. 3. Virtue reorients the people against the problem. In the church, there will be conflict. But it's not him against her or this group against that group. It’s the church against the problem. This insight gives us the patience to step back and evaluate the situation, to deal with it in wisdom.

The Fellowship of Faith

June 30, 2024 • Anthony Delgado • Philemon 6, Colossians 1:9–10, Hebrews 13:20–21

In Philemon 6, we’ll see there are binding agents that hold the church together: 1. Knowledge Binds Us in Fellowship 2. Goodness Binds Us in Fellowship 3. Glorifying Christ Binds Us in Fellowship Christians are bound together in fellowship in the local church so that the church is strengthened and we effectively make much of Christ. When our hearts and minds focus on the good things of Christ that bind us together, we will not have much room for the things of this world that seek to destroy Christ’s church and defame the name of Jesus Christ. When we pursue knowledge of every good thing for the glory of Christ, it elevates Christ as King. Only then are we bound together in fellowship as the people of God. Knowledge binds us together as God’s people. Goodness binds us. And our mutual pursuit of the glory of Christ bunds us as Christ’s people.