Paul's Letter to Brother Philemon Volume 3

Paul Prays for & Documents Brother Philemon's Love & Faith Part 2

Philemon 1:6-7 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. KJV Note: MKJV=Modern King James Version

After hearing of Brother Philemon's love for our Lord, Master, and Savior Jesus Christ and for all of those who belong to Him, Paul now continues acknowledging to him how he prays for him with these next words, "That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." (Philemon 1:6) (KJV). Paul's prayer for Philemon is that he is able to actively communicate, carry, and convey his faith in Christ Jesus our Lord to others in order that they might receive the greatest blessing any sinful human being can receive and that being their sins blotted out permanently as the Apostle Peter declared when he spoked these words recorded for us by Dr. Luke, "And you killed the Prince of Life, whom God has raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, this one whom you see and know, His name made firm. And the faith which came through Him has given him this perfect soundness before you. And now, brothers, I know that you did it through ignorance, as also your rulers did. But those things which God before had shown by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer, He fulfilled in this manner. Therefore repent and convert so that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:15-19) (MKJV). The English word 'effectual' is translated by the Greek word energēs meaning active, operative: - effectual, powerful. In other words, Paul's prayer is that Philemon's faith in Christ Jesus would be energized by God the Holy Spirit through him that its conveying to others would be powerful. When Paul writes, 'by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus', he means the graces that flow from our Lord Jesus Christ as He sits upon His Throne of Grace right now at the Right Hand of God the Father (Hebrews 10:12 & Hebrews 12:2).

One of these graces Paul wants to see fully being expressed in the life of Brother Philemon is that of forgiveness, for Paul wants Philemon to now forgive former sinner and runaway slave of his Onesimus (who stole from Philemon), but who is now a fellow saint in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is why Paul made a special point earlier to acknowledge his love for Jesus and all the saints. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say concerning this verse, "The grace of faith itself cannot be communicated from one to another; a believing parent cannot communicate it to his children, nor a master to his servants, nor a minister to his hearers; but an account of it, of its actings and exercises, of the joy of it, and of the peace a soul is filled with through believing, may be given to the mutual comfort and edification of saints; and it may be shown forth to others by the fruits of it, works of righteousness: but here it seems to design acts of beneficence, communicating to the necessities of others, as flowing from faith; and these words are to be connected with Philemon 1:4 as a part of the Apostle's prayers, as what is contained in the preceding verse is the matter of his thanksgiving. And his prayer is, that such a communication of good things, which springs from faith, that it 'may be evident'; that it 'may be fruitful in works'; or show itself in fruits of righteousness, in works of mercy and kindness; and the Apostle's sense is, that it might be more and more so: by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in you in Christ Jesus; the meaning is, that every good thing that is in the saints, or among them, should be acknowledged to come to them in and through Christ Jesus, in Whom all fulness of grace dwells, and from Whom all is imparted; and that every good thing that is communicated, or done in faith, which is effectual to any good purpose, should be owned as done by the grace and strength of Christ, and be done to His saints, as if done to Himself, and be directed to His glory."

Paul finishes his prayer and praise for Brother Philemon by acknowledging once again all the benefits to the saints that flow from or come from the worship of God in his home with these words, "For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother." (Philemon 1:7) (KJV). Paul, ever the expositor, expounder, and explainer of the Word of God gets even more joy when he hears of others who are doing the same thing among the saints and in the world at large. Philemon had turned his home into a shelter, a shrine, a sanctuary for the saints to meet and worship Christ Jesus our Lord and in so doing he would teach them (by the Holy Spirits Power) the Scripture refreshing their 'bowels' and this English word is translated by the Greek word splagchnon meaning their inner man or inner woman or their inward affections. Here is what Dr. John Gill had to say concernig this verse, "In the expressions and acts of it to the poor saints; for which reason the Apostle gives thanks for it before; and it is a pleasure and comfort to an ingenuous mind, though it is not in his power to do good to the poor saints himself, to see that others have both abilities, and a heart to relieve them: because the bowels of the saints are, refreshed by thee, brother; meaning, not only that their bellies were filled with food, for the phrase is used in Philemon 1:20 where that cannot be intended; but their hearts were filled with gladness, the load upon their spirits, the pressures upon their minds were removed, and they had an inward pleasure in their souls, and rest, refreshment, and comfort, through the liberal communications of Philemon to them; who did what he did cheerfully, that so it did their souls good, as well as their bodies; and in doing which, he acted the part of a brother in Christ."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...

Sincerely in Christ,

Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…