True Koinonia
We were looking at the book of Philemon last Wednesday and studying the themes that the short book has to teach us as believers. One immediate observation on this book is that this book seems to be very out-of-place amongst Paul's epistles which makes one wonder why this book was included in the canon in the first place. However, without going too much into the technical details of the canon, it suffices to say here that the inclusion of this letter allows us to catch a glimpse of what true koinonia or true fellowship in Christ really entails.
In Philemon, as Paul explains the situation pertaining to Onesimus, we see Paul reversing a few statuses with regard to the relationship between Onesimus and Philemon. Firstly, in verse 11, he reversed the status of Onesimus from being useless to Philemon to being useful to both Paul and Philemon. Second, he reversed, in verse 10 and 16, the status of Onesimus from being a property to being a family member. The third reversal happens in verse 16b when Paul reversed the status from being inferior to Philemon to being equal as a fellow brother in Christ.
In understanding the significance of these three reversals, one has to also bear in mind what transpired earlier in the letter, where Paul set the context of his discussion with Philemon by pointing out Philemon's act of refreshing the hearts of the Lord's people through his acts of love and his faith in Jesus Christ. There is thus a sense of fellowship which involves mutual participation in Christ (and resulting in the understanding of every good thing we have in Christ). Paul's subsequent three reversals thus add on to imply that the fellowship also means an overturning of all social distinctions created by social structure.
Reflecting on this, I just wonder how this is applicable in our own fellowship within the lifegroup. Certainly, one lesson to be learned in Philemon is the lesson of true forgiveness - the plea of Paul asking Philemon to forgive Onesimus for the damages he had done and going the extra mile, also asking Philemon to take Onesimus back not just as a slave but also a fellow brother in Christ. The act of forgiveness thus involves the acceptance of someone as equal in Christ. It makes one ponder what exactly it means to have true fellowship in the church and if our conception of fellowship - to meet our own need - is necessarily a biblical notion in the first place.
Moreover, in Philemon, true fellowship also involves the sharing and involvement of one's faith in the community. This has to be taken seriously in our consideration when it comes to lifegroup because I would think that it is this mutual participation that really sets us apart from any social group in the sense that it is in such a setting that we are not afraid to share our burden and hearts out with one another.
True koinonia, the more I think about it, the more I believe that we still have a long way to go.
Yet, as I end off, I'm just reminded of the empowerment of God's grace in our ministries. We may fail to attain such a standard in our fellowship but there is God's grace which empowers us and sustains us on a daily basis. And it is the understanding of God's grace that should continue to drive us towards such a true fellowship taught in the Scripture.
In Philemon, as Paul explains the situation pertaining to Onesimus, we see Paul reversing a few statuses with regard to the relationship between Onesimus and Philemon. Firstly, in verse 11, he reversed the status of Onesimus from being useless to Philemon to being useful to both Paul and Philemon. Second, he reversed, in verse 10 and 16, the status of Onesimus from being a property to being a family member. The third reversal happens in verse 16b when Paul reversed the status from being inferior to Philemon to being equal as a fellow brother in Christ.
In understanding the significance of these three reversals, one has to also bear in mind what transpired earlier in the letter, where Paul set the context of his discussion with Philemon by pointing out Philemon's act of refreshing the hearts of the Lord's people through his acts of love and his faith in Jesus Christ. There is thus a sense of fellowship which involves mutual participation in Christ (and resulting in the understanding of every good thing we have in Christ). Paul's subsequent three reversals thus add on to imply that the fellowship also means an overturning of all social distinctions created by social structure.
Reflecting on this, I just wonder how this is applicable in our own fellowship within the lifegroup. Certainly, one lesson to be learned in Philemon is the lesson of true forgiveness - the plea of Paul asking Philemon to forgive Onesimus for the damages he had done and going the extra mile, also asking Philemon to take Onesimus back not just as a slave but also a fellow brother in Christ. The act of forgiveness thus involves the acceptance of someone as equal in Christ. It makes one ponder what exactly it means to have true fellowship in the church and if our conception of fellowship - to meet our own need - is necessarily a biblical notion in the first place.
Moreover, in Philemon, true fellowship also involves the sharing and involvement of one's faith in the community. This has to be taken seriously in our consideration when it comes to lifegroup because I would think that it is this mutual participation that really sets us apart from any social group in the sense that it is in such a setting that we are not afraid to share our burden and hearts out with one another.
True koinonia, the more I think about it, the more I believe that we still have a long way to go.
Yet, as I end off, I'm just reminded of the empowerment of God's grace in our ministries. We may fail to attain such a standard in our fellowship but there is God's grace which empowers us and sustains us on a daily basis. And it is the understanding of God's grace that should continue to drive us towards such a true fellowship taught in the Scripture.
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