A Refreshing Life is committed to God’s Family

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love and the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints,” (Philemon 1:4-5)
      Passage: John 13:1-35

       The Apostle Paul did not establish the church in Colossae. He never visited the city of Colossae. Yet, he wrote a letter to the church in Colossae, and he knew many believers who lived in Colossae. Philemon was one of those believers. I think it’s probable that he met Paul while Paul was in Ephesus for two years and the believers there shared the gospel around Asia Minor. He may have sought Paul out to inquire more about Christ. Wherever they met, Paul led Philemon to Christ and his life was transformed.
        In his opening to Philemon, Paul stated that he kept hearing about the love Philemon had for Jesus and all of God’s family. That love is the agape love of God. It is a commitment to give oneself to others in a selfless, sacrificial, serving way. It doesn’t depend on the worth of the receiver. It comes out the heart of the giver. It was that kind of love that would enable Philemon to forgive Onesimus and take him back as a brother in Christ, more than a slave. Jesus displayed that kind of love for us. It is the kind of love God wants you to give out to refresh the lives of others.

Apply - (2 1/2 minutes)
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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)