I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints; 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. Philemon 1:4-7
Again as we work through the Epistle of Philemon, we see the importance of the body of Christ, the community of believers. Don’t view Church as a building or something you do, understand the Church is You and your brothers and sisters in Christ. The Church is the family of God united by the Holy Spirit and our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not an organization you just become a member or run like a business. This is the living and breathing body of Christ.
The first thing we notice , as the Apostle Paul says here “making mention of you always in my prayers” it’s important that we pray for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the model of the early Church, are we still doing this today? While many will take the time to gossip about fellow brothers and sisters, do you pray for them? Do you make mention of their name before The Lord?
Another thing we notice is the encouragement and refreshing we get when we gather together as the body of Christ. As the Apostle Paul says here “hearing of your love and faith, which you have toward The Lord Jesus and toward the saints” It’s inspiring when you see a Church that truly loves one another and truly loves The Lord Jesus Christ. Many Churches claim Love, but do they demonstrate the fruits of Love? Remember Jesus said “Love God and Love Neighbor” (Luke 10:27) Do you love the Lord and love your brothers and sisters as you love yourself?
The next thing the Apostle Paul points out “that the sharing of your faith may be effective by the acknowledgement of every good thing which is in You in Christ Jesus” A true that truly loves God and each other, will be an effective Church to preach the gospel. A false Church will always preach a false gospel, as Jesus said “You will be known by your fruits” (Matthew 7:16) In order to be effective ambassadors of Christ, we need to live for Christ, we can’t be a hypocritical Church. The world is watching you, more than they are reading their Bibles. Be the Salt and Light you were called to be (Matthew 5)
When you see a real Church being led by the Holy Spirit it becomes contagious, its an encouragement to other believers. As the Apostle Paul says here “we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have refreshed by you” To be in the presence of true believers is a refreshment for our souls. May we continue to pray for one another, love one another as Christ has loved us, and be the Light and Salt in Christ, Amen
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