God has called the saved to be His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20), and as such, Christians are to take God’s truth to a lost and dying world. This message must be communicated. Due mostly to man’s ever increasing dependence upon technology, Christians have lost their effectiveness in communicating with others. This may seem insignificant, until one considers how it has weakened our ability to communicate our faith. Fewer people today will knock on a door and tell a stranger that he must be born again. Even fewer will stand upon a street corner and communicate the words of God to those who pass by. The saved must once again become willing to go forth and tell family and stranger alike that Jesus saves.
We communicate those things which we think are important. If we find something that we genuinely enjoy, we want others to know about it so that they too can enjoy it. Is there anything more important or better than knowing Jesus Christ? Apparently, Philemon communicated his faith to others around him, partly through his actions, but likely through his willingness to speak of his love for the Lord and faith in the Lord. As believers, the Lord has given us a tremendous opportunity to speak to others about our wonderful salvation and the many benefits experienced daily. Paul said of the believers at Rome that their faith was spoken of throughout the whole world (Romans 1:8). It is our duty and privilege to communicate what the Lord has done for us with others.
The epistle of Paul to Philemon was written to address the return of Philemon’s unfaithful servant Onesimus to his master. Paul and Onesiumus spent time together in prison. While in bonds together, Paul was able to lead Onesimus to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. After Onesimus got saved and learned the truth, he became a profitable servant of the Lord and a tremendous help to Paul’s ministry. Paul thought it wise to send him back to his master Philemon with a personal letter. Paul asked Philemon to receive him back, not merely as a servant, but as a brother in Christ (Philemon 15-16). Paul requested that anything owed by Onesimus to Philemon should be charged to Paul’s account. This was a difficult request, yet Paul knew he could count on Philemon to do right. In fact, Paul trusted Philemon to go well beyond his requests in the letter.
