Will You Be The One?

Partner — Fellowship...Paul and Philemon were partners and more than that, brothers in Christ. Together, they participated in sharing of the Gospel with the world.

Fellowship and Partnership...Paul and Philemon had Christian fellowship and as a result a partnership with one another

They had a relationship with Christ

They had fellowship with one another...were brothers in Christ…united together in the family of God by their faith in Jesus.

Together, they participated in sharing of the Gospel with the world as partners.

They were partners in sharing of the Gospel with the world.

They were doing life together loving Christ and each other with their life…with their attitudes, actions, time and stuff!

They had fellowship with one another.

“Fellowship in the N.T. basically means sharing and self-sacrifice with other believers. As N.T. scholar J.R. McRay has noted, "Fellowship in the early church was not based on uniformity of thought and practice, except where limits of immorality or rejection of the confession of Christ were involved."

I think as Christians we sometimes forget what binds us together in fellowship as the church. It isn’t the name on the door, our denomination, shared politics, morality, preference of music or type of worship…

We are bound together in fellowship with one another at a much more significant and deeper level than all of these might offer.

We are brothers and sisters in Christ…a part of God’s spiritual family in Jesus. This kind of fellowship crosses denominational lines…crosses cultural barriers…crosses nation’s borders…crosses race and any kind of socio-economic obstacle we know or don’t know.

We have a relationship in Christ that is invaluable (it is impossible to assign value to it.) This relationship (because of its nature in Christ) is perfect and can never be broken.

And because of this fellowship we also have a partnership. We are partners together in the sharing of the ministry of Christ. We are together ministers of His salvation…ministers of His reconciliation with the world. Together, with the power and help of the Holy Spirit, we share Jesus and see people saved

When Paul asks for Philemon to be obedient to God in the matter of Onesimus he reminds Philemon of the fellowship and partnership the two of them have in Christ. He wants Philemon to understand that Onesimus has now entered into that same fellowship/partnership…he has now become their brother in Christ and is on mission with them.

Paul was not asking anything from selfish motives but altruistic ones. He

The shared life and sacrifice of believers in Christ now extended to Onesimus as well. Philemon’s gracious acts toward Onesimus would be as if he were doing it for Paul…a man whom he loved and respected immensely.

“If he has wronged you” — Paul now takes on the role of minister of reconciliation between brothers in Christ. We are natural ministers of reconciliation between the lost world and Christ. We share the gospel with those who are lost so they might come to Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and have new life in Him. But, we may also on occasion play the role as agent of reconciliation between brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul goes so far as to say he will right the wrong Onesimus cannot (remember fellowship in the new Testament church meant shared sacrifice). Onesimus had stolen some amount of money as well as time of service from Philemon..and as they say, time is money…so Philemon’s financial loss at the hands of Onesimus was great…If this is to be an impediment to the reconciliation between the two brothers in Christ, Paul was ready to assume the debt owed Philemon

After all, Onesimus was an escaped slave and certainly had no means of paying back any amount of cash he had stolen from Philemon…and there was nothing he could do about repayment of time lost in service to Philemon as his slave.

Paul reminds Philemon that he himself owes Paul a debt...his soul and eternal destiny! If Paul had not shared Christ with Philemon he would have remained lost and gone to hell forever. If money and time are to be held against Onesimus then Philemon should consider that he owes Paul an infinite debt in consideration of what he gained through Paul.

Paul says, charge to my account what he owes you…and considering that you really owe me everything…the amount owed on the part of Onesimus should be considered paid.

Let me be the beneficiary of the ministry so often associated with you…refresh me. Allow me to relax and feel peace because of your love for God and all the saints…on account of your love for God, me and…Onesimus.

Sometimes it is easy to use the gifts God has given us for His kingdom and at other times it is more difficult. Our feelings, fears and personal ambitions can get in the way of our gifts and the Lord’s intentions for our life.

A man once came to a preacher and said to him: 'I was filled with joy in the meeting yesterday, and now it has all gone—all—and I do not know what to do. It is as dark as night.' `I am so glad,' was the reply. He looked at the servant of Christ with astonishment and said: 'What do you mean?'

`I am so glad,' was the reply. He looked at the servant of Christ with astonishment and said: 'What do you mean?'

Yesterday God gave you joy, and today He sees you are resting on your emotions instead of Christ, and He has taken them away in order to turn you to Christ. You have lost your joy, but you have Christ none the less. Did you ever pass through a railway tunnel?'`Yes, often.' Did you, because it was dark, become melancholy and alarmed?' `Of course not.'`And did you, after a while, come out again into the light?'`I am out now,' he exclaimed, interrupting the servant of Christ; 'it is all right-feelings or no feelings.'

`Yesterday God gave you joy, and today He sees you are resting on your emotions instead of Christ, and He has taken them away in order to turn you to Christ. You have lost your joy, but you have Christ none the less. Did you ever pass through a railway tunnel?'

`Yes, often.'

`Did you, because it was dark, become melancholy and alarmed?'

`Of course not.'

`And did you, after a while, come out again into the light?'

`I am out now,' he exclaimed, interrupting the servant of Christ; 'it is all right-feelings or no feelings.'

This could not have been the most easy time for Philemon to exercise his spiritual gifts. He had felt himself wronged by the theft of both money and property at the hands of Onesimus…and now he is being asked to forgive on both counts…and to see Onesimus in a new light…an equal…a partner…a brother in Christ and partner in the ministry of the Gospel…and in the process to set Onesimus free!

Paul was encouraging Philemon but it would be the Holy Spirit who led him to right response to the challenge given him.

Paul is confident of Philemon’s obedience to God because Paul has seen his life and heart up to this point. He knew Philemon to be one who listened to God and followed His leading.

In fact, Philemon was the kind of person who sought to obey God to the fullest extent he knew how and even more…he would go the extra mile.

How do you see yourself in the world in which we live? If I ask you that question how would you respond? Husband, father, teacher, accountant, realtor, daughter, son, pastor, salesman…or would you go deeper?

We too often define ourselves wrongly…we define ourselves in terms of physical birth and what we do…things such as I am an American, firstborn of James and Donna…and the pastor of Harwood Terrace Baptist Church

God sees us in a much more profound way…a much deeper way. He sees us in terms of Himself, His life and call to be a part of who He is and what He is doing

So who are you?

Christian…follower of Jesus

Brother or sister in Christ

Partner in the sharing of the Gospel...an agent of God’s love.

Minister of reconciliation between the world and Christ…between brothers and sister within the church…an agent of God’s love.

Do you see yourself as person in fellowship/partnership with Jesus as well as your brothers and sisters in Christ?

How far are you willing to go in the call to fellowship/partnership with the body of Christ? To what extent will you live your faith? I think this is a question we have to continually ask ourselves because there is a constant temptation to put limits upon what we are willing to do for Christ and our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Paul expected Philemon to go all the way because that was his pattern as a believer...but there was no guarantee. Would Philemon forgive and receive Onesimus as a brother in Christ? Would he repent of owning Onesimus and slavery in general?

Would Philemon refresh Paul? Would he exercise this special gift of the Spirit when difficult to do so?

Are you and I willing to let go of our life, trust God and follow Him? No matter the cost?

Following Jesus is not always be easy. It will cost us in terms of our reputation in the eyes of the world..cost us financially…cost us in terms of time too. It will cost us our selfish ambitions, temporary pleasures, comfort, sense of security and sometimes even our life.

How far are we willing to go? What about this…are you willing to share the in the sacrifice required to share the Gospel with the lost? Are you willing to share the sacrifice required to love and minister to your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?

In the end it is really a question of how far are we willing to love.

Paul was asking Philemon to love Onesimus…a man whom Philemon regarded as a thief. Can we love those we deem hard to love?

Can we love even when we don’t feel like doing so?

Can we love when it involves sacrifice? Philemon was being asked to give up a great deal of property in his mind.

In the end it is really a question of will we love through our attitudes and actions when it involves sacrifice? Will we love Christ and others when it cost us something precious to us?

Shortly after the turn of the century, Japan invaded, conquered, and occupied Korea. Of all of their oppressors, Japan was the most ruthless. They overwhelmed the Koreans with a brutality that would sicken the strongest of stomachs. Their crimes against women and children were inhuman. Many Koreans live today with the physical and emotional scars from the Japanese occupation.

One group singled out for concentrated oppression was the Christians. When the Japanese army overpowered Korea one of the first things they did was board up the evangelical churches and eject most foreign missionaries. It has always fascinated me how people fail to learn from history. Conquering nations have consistently felt that shutting up churches would shut down Christianity. It didn't work in Rome when the church was established, and it hasn't worked since. Yet somehow the Japanese thought they would have a different success record.

The conquerors started by refusing to allow churches to meet and jailing many of the key Christian spokesmen. The oppression intensified as the Japanese military increased its profile in the South Pacific. The "Land of the Rising Sum" spread its influence through a reign of savage brutality. Anguish filled the hearts of the oppressed -- and kindled hatred deep in their souls.

One pastor persistently entreated his local Japanese police chief for permission to meet for services. His nagging was finally accommodated, and the police chief offered to unlock his church ... for one meeting. It didn't take long for word to travel. Committed Christians starving for an opportunity for unhindered worship quickly made their plans. Long before dawn on that promised Sunday, Korean families throughout a wide area made their way to the church. They passed the staring eyes of their Japanese captors, but nothing was going to steal their joy. As they closed the doors behind them they shut out the cares of oppression and shut in a burning spirit anxious to glorify their Lord.

The Korean church has always had a reputation as a singing church. Their voices of praise could not be concealed inside the little wooden frame sanctuary. Song after song rang through the open windows into the bright Sunday morning. For a handful of peasants listening nearby, the last two songs this congregation sang seemed suspended in time. It was during a stanza of "Nearer My God to Thee" that the Japanese police chief waiting outside gave the orders. The people toward the back of the church could hear them when they barricaded the doors, but no one realized that they had doused the church with kerosene until they smelled the smoke. The dried wooden skin of the small church quickly ignited. Fumes filled the structure as tongues of flame began to lick the baseboard on the interior walls. There was an immediate rush for the windows. But momentary hope recoiled in horror as the men climbing out the windows came crashing back in -- their bodies ripped by a hail of bullets.

The good pastor knew it was the end. With a calm that comes from confidence, he led his congregation in a hymn whose words served as a fitting farewell to earth and a loving salutation to heaven. The first few words were all the prompting the terrified worshipers needed. With smoke burning their eyes, they instantly joined as one to sing their hope and leave their legacy. Their song became a serenade to the horrified and helpless witnesses outside. Their words also tugged at the hearts of the cruel men who oversaw this flaming execution of the innocent.

Alas! and did my Savior bleed?

Alas! and did my Savior bleed? and did my Sovereign die? Would he devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?

and did my Sovereign die?

Would he devote that sacred head

Just before the roof collapsed they sang the last verse, their words an eternal testimony to their faith.

for such a worm as I?

Just before the roof collapsed they sang the last verse,

But drops of grief can ne'er repay the debt of love I owe: Here, Lord, I give myself away 'Tis all that I can do! At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away --It was there by faith I received my sight, And now I am happy all the day.

their words an eternal testimony to their faith.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay

the debt of love I owe:

Here, Lord, I give myself away

'Tis all that I can do!

At the cross, at the cross

The strains of music and wails of children were lost in a roar of flames. The elements that once formed bone and flesh mixed with the smoke and dissipated into the air. The bodies that once housed life fused with the charred rubble of a building that once housed a church. But the souls who left singing finished their chorus in the throne room of God. Clearing the incinerated remains was the easy part. Erasing the hate would take decades. For some of the relatives of the victims, this carnage was too much. Evil had stooped to a new low, and there seemed to be no way to curb their bitter loathing of the Japanese.

Where I first saw the light,

And the burden of my heart rolled away --

It was there by faith I received my sight,

In the decades that followed, that bitterness was passed on to a new generation. The Japanese, although conquered, remained a hated enemy. The monument the Koreans built at the location of the fire not only memorialized the people who died, but stood as a mute reminder of their pain.

And now I am happy all the day.

The strains of music and wails of children were lost in a roar of flames. The elements that once formed bone and flesh mixed with the smoke and dissipated into the air. The bodies that once housed life fused with the charred rubble of a building that once housed a church. But the souls who left singing finished their chorus in the throne room of God. Clearing the incinerated remains was the easy part. Erasing the hate would take decades. For some of the relatives of the victims, this carnage was too much. Evil had stooped to a new low, and there seemed to be no way to curb their bitter loathing of the Japanese.

Inner rest? How could rest coexist with a bitterness deep as marrow in the bones? Suffering, of course, is a part of life. People hurt people. Almost all of us have experienced it at some time. Maybe you felt it when you came home to find that your spouse had abandoned you, or when your integrity was destroyed by a series of well-timed lies, or when your company was bled dry by a partner. It kills you inside. Bitterness clamps down on your soul like iron shackles.

In the decades that followed, that bitterness was passed on to a new generation. The Japanese, although conquered, remained a hated enemy. The monument the Koreans built at the location of the fire not only memorialized the people who died, but stood as a mute reminder of their pain.

Inner rest? How could rest coexist with a bitterness deep as marrow in the bones? Suffering, of course, is a part of life. People hurt people. Almost all of us have experienced it at some time. Maybe you felt it when you came home to find that your spouse had abandoned you, or when your integrity was destroyed by a series of well-timed lies, or when your company was bled dry by a partner. It kills you inside. Bitterness clamps down on your soul like iron shackles.

The Korean people who found it too hard to forgive could not enjoy the "peace that passes all understanding." Hatred choked their joy.

It wasn't until 1972 that any hope came. A group of Japanese pastors traveling through Korea came upon the memorial. When they read the details of the tragedy and the names of the spiritual brothers and sisters who had perished, they were overcome with shame. Their country had sinned, and even though none of them were personally involved (some were not even born at the time of the tragedy), they still felt a national guilt that could not be excused. They returned to Japan committed to right a wrong. There was an immediate outpouring of love from their fellow believers. They raised ten million yen ($25,000). The money was transferred through proper channels and a beautiful white church building was erected on the sight of the tragedy. When the dedication service for the new building was held, a delegation from Japan joined the relatives and special guests.

Although their generosity was acknowledged and their attempts at making peace appreciated, the memories were still there. Hatred preserves pain. It keeps the wounds open and the hurts fresh. The Koreans' bitterness had festered for decades. Christian brothers or not, these Japanese were descendants of a ruthless enemy. The speeches were made, the details of the tragedy recalled, and the names of the dead honored. It was time to bring the service to a close. Someone in charge of the agenda thought it would be appropriate to conclude with the same two songs that were sung the day the church was burned. The song leader began the words to "Nearer My God to Thee."

But something remarkable happened as the voices mingled on the familiar melody. As the memories of the past mixed with the truth of the song, resistance started to melt. The inspiration that gave hope to a doomed collection of churchgoers in a past generation gave hope once more. The song leader closed the service with the hymn "At the Cross." The normally stoic Japanese could not contain themselves. The tears that began to fill their eyes during the song suddenly gushed from deep inside. They turned to their Korean spiritual relatives and begged them to forgive. The guarded, calloused hearts of the Koreans were not quick to surrender. But the love of the Japanese believers --not intimidated by decades of hatred -- tore at the Koreans' emotions.

At the cross, at the cross Where I first saw the light, And the burden of my heart rolled away ...

At the cross, at the cross

Where I first saw the light,

One Korean turned toward a Japanese brother. Then another. And then the floodgates holding back a wave of emotion let go. The Koreans met their new Japanese friends in the middle. They clung to each other and wept. Japanese tears of repentance and Korean tears of forgiveness intermingled to bathe the site of an old nightmare. Heaven had sent the gift of reconciliation to a little white church in Korea.

And the burden of my heart rolled away ...

One Korean turned toward a Japanese brother. Then another. And then the floodgates holding back a wave of emotion let go. The Koreans met their new Japanese friends in the middle. They clung to each other and wept. Japanese tears of repentance and Korean tears of forgiveness intermingled to bathe the site of an old nightmare. Heaven had sent the gift of reconciliation to a little white church in Korea.

Go

Will you be the one in our church family to lead us the way Philemon led his church family in Colossae? Will you step up and refresh us with your faith and sacrificial love for Christ, the lost and us?

Will You Be The One?

Fellowship/Partnership

Partner — Fellowship...Paul and Philemon were partners and more than that, brothers in Christ. Together, they participated in sharing of the Gospel with the world.

Fellowship in Practice

Minister to Me

Conclusions