Philemon Bible Study Net 3 12 2017
Introduction:
The following outline is my consolidation of several commentators breakdown. It comes closest to the one you will find in the Liberty Bible Commentary put out by the Old Time Gospel Hour under Dr. Jerry Falwell’s leadership. I worked in the Telephone and Computer depart and was manager of iut for 17 years. I retired from there due to health reasons in 2004. Took a small church in Vermont and found even that was too much.
I will say much of my health issues were my own fault. I was working fulltime at the University. Full time or part time as a pastor, Doing electronics work for some radio stations and for 8 years the secretary for a fellowship of 32 Independent Baptist Churches. Then in my spare time I did Bible studies at some nursing homes. Then part time as a student at the University trying to further my Theological education. All of it more for the calling and love of the work than the money. Then just to top it off I tried to be the father to 4 children with an ailing mother. I finished my ministerial career as an associate pastor or Elder as they titled it in a church My son Terry Started in VT. I was there about 8 years after having been Sr. Pastor at 3 churches previously . Terry had a very busy schedule helping start several new churches and leading some to become Baptist churches and guiding new pastors in reaching their community.
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This is the shortest book written (430 words approximately) by the Apostle Paul. It is a personal letter in the most part, but I believe it is preserved here because the principles of Christian Love and Family relationship are the emphasis. I believe it is listed here as basically the end of his writing because it is the only one I recall where he did not emphasis Jesus and how to get saved, Family relationships of Christian living.
Paul is going on the assumption or maybe better the assurance the receiver has been saved already. The emphasis is on restoring a recently converted fellow Christian back into a relationship with his former owner. However, the restoration is back as brother in the family of God not just as a worker employee relationship as before. His request is just and God the father has received us all saved sinner back into His family for Christ sake. Paul ask Philemon to receive Onesimus back in the same brotherhood relationship as he and Paul have. Just as he would have received Paul himself.
Outline
- Paul’s Prologue V1-3
- Prayer and Praise for Philemon V4-7
- Plea for Onesimus V8-21
- Paul’s Prospects and Postscript V22-25