A Personal Guaranty

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Don Merritt

So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand. I will pay it back—not to mention that you owe me your very self. I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.

Philemon 17-22

As he ends the main body of his letter, Paul takes the extraordinary step of offering to stand as surety for any financial loss Philemon cares to name in sending Onesimus to Paul. In doing this, Paul has taken the pen in his own hand to write out this guaranty, an action that would have had significance legally, for of course Philemon would be suffering loss financially since a slave was an economic asset in that place and time. How much of a risk was this really for a man awaiting trial and execution?

Let’s not forget that no one yet knew how that trial would come out, and Paul had been delivered several times before.

Even so, Paul did manage to slip in the fact that Philemon owed Paul a great deal for bringing him to Christ and eternal life: Paul has covered all the bases.

Persuasion again: I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask. (vv. 20-21) That is an interesting turn of phrase: “refresh my heart”. Clearly, Paul means “do what I ask”, and we see that because he speaks of his confidence that Philemon will do even more than he has asked and uses the word “obedient” for the first and only time in the letter.

There’s no way Philemon can gracefully refuse at this point!

Oh yes, one more thing old buddy, get that guest room ready, for I’m planning a visit soon.

Game, set, match. Paul concludes his letter in verses 24-25 in the customary way, sending greetings from his companions who are with him, but interestingly, they were also witnesses of the letter and would serve as witnesses to both Paul’s guaranty if necessary, and to Philemon’s refusal, should that be case; just a tad more subtle pressure.

As I mentioned before, the institution of slavery was not an issue in the first century. However, having a brother in Christ imposing slavery on another brother in Christ brought about a delicate dilemma, for how can we love one another in Christ, while holding them in chains?

Back in the mid nineteenth century in America, most preachers spoke out against slavery, but there were some in Southern states who cited this letter as proof that God was all for it. Maybe I’m crazy, maybe it’s the times I live in, but it seems to me that a person would have to work very hard in their effort to miss what is being said in all of this, very hard indeed.

We can’t know for certain what happened next in this story, for there is no record remaining. Honestly, a better question would be to ask why this letter was preserved in canon at all. Once again, we don’t have anything to establish absolutely how this came about. As I reflect on that, one little bit of historical minutia keeps coming to mind. I recall reading an old letter somehow preserved from the early second century written by a man named Ignatius of Antioch to the church in Ephesus. In the letter Ignatius mentions the name of a man who had served as bishop of Ephesus. His name?

Onesimus. Was this our former slave?

No one knows. But what were the chances that it would have survived otherwise?

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Paul Continues…

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Don Merritt

I am sending him—who is my very heart—back to you.  I would have liked to keep him with me so that he could take your place in helping me while I am in chains for the gospel.  But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do would not seem forced but would be voluntary.  Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—  no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord.

Philemon 12-16

Paul continues with his appeal; in these verses coming to his request: He wants Philemon to send Onesimus back to him to serve as Paul’s helper in spreading the gospel. It would certainly hae been more efficient had Paul kept Onesimus with him in Rome, and simply written to Philemon and told him what had happened and asked permission for Onesimus to stay. Instead, Paul sends Onesimus along with the requests. This not only might impede Paul’s work, considering his circumstances, but it also risked Philemon taking very harsh steps with Onesimus for being his runaway slave: Onesimus could have even been put to death.

Paul made a choice to place his trust in God, that Philemon would do what was right in God’s eyes.

Once again in these verses Paul’s humility in the situation in that he left everything in Philemon’s hand miles away and made no attempt to compel him to do or not do anything, submitting instead a humble request.

Of course, his humble request was not without its persuasive components:  Perhaps the reason he was separated from you for a little while was that you might have him back forever—  no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother (vv. 15-16a). Who knows Philemon, maybe God had a hand in this, for even though you might have lost a slave, you’ve gained something far better than just a slave, you’ve gained a dear brother and fellow worker in the Kingdom.  He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. (16b) Notice Paul writes as a man, and not as a slave.

So, if you were Philemon reading this, could you refuse Paul’s request at this point?

I couldn’t, and Paul has a little more to say…

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On the basis of love

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Don Merritt

Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love. It is as none other than Paul—an old man and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus—  that I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.

Philemon 8-11

Paul begins the main body of his letter of request to Philemon by linking it to the previous paragraph with the word “therefore”. So, he’s saying because of all of the things I’ve just mentioned in the prayer paragraph, I am appealing to you as an old man in prison for Christ, and not as an apostle who can issue commends (which he still is).

Paul was asking in humility, not demanding or commanding.

Notice he says that the appeal he makes is on the “basis of love”. It is important for us to have a good understanding of love, for all too often, we associate “love” with all of the wrong things, and often enough our use of the term is, well let’s just say a tad bit disingenuous. Paul is not using the word “love” to justify some kind of wrongdoing, as we so often see in our time. One time 20 years ago or so, I was in a church leadership meeting when a very hot topic was being discussed. A bit of a debate took place, and one or two tempers began to rub thin, and finally one of the men, a bit gruff usually, but a great guy, suddenly blurted out in sheer frustration “F*** you! And I mean that in love brother.”

You just can’t invoke love like that.

Another thing that happens periodically in Christian circles is the use of love to shame someone into going along with others in something they don’t agree with. “Don’t you love the Lord? Don’t you love your neighbor?”

Can’t you build a persuasive case with solid reasoning and facts?

Paul is not doing any of that in this letter. Instead he is humbling himself to appeal to his dear friend for the sake of a vulnerable servant for the sake of the Gospel of Christ. Notice the last part: Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me. (v. 11) With these words, Paul is appealing to a cause higher than the immediate problem of economics, the cause of Christ. Before Onesimus accepted Christ, he was of no use to the cause of Christ, even though he was useful for slave labor to Philemon. Yet now, as a brother in Christ, trained by the apostle Paul, he too, has a higher calling to serve the Lord they all loved.

This dear reader is what it means to appeal on the basis of love, for Philemon is being asked to make a financial sacrifice, Paul has sacrificed his freedom, being in chains for the cause of the Gospel, and Onesimus is leaving his post to become the servant of God.

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Paul’s Prayer for Philemon

Posted on February 27, 2018 by Don Merritt

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

Philemon 4-7

As was the custom of that time and place, Paul moves from his greeting into a prayer of thanksgiving for his recipient in vv. 4-6, and transitions into the main body of the letter in v. 7. In writing this the way he did, Paul shows extreme skill as he approaches his reader with a touchy subject. Notice how his prayer prepares the way for things he would say in the body of the letter… prayer in verses 4 – 22; love in 5 – 7,9; fellowship in 6 – 17; good things in 6 – 14; hearts in 7 – 12,20; refresh in 7 – 20; and brother on 7 – 20 (see also this passage cf. Col. 1:3-14).

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers (v. 4) If you are Philemon and you have found out, or are about to find out that your runaway slave Onesimus has been with Paul, you might wonder what he has been saying about you: Has he been telling Paul all sorts of lies about your treatment of him to justify his having run off? From this you can see that he hasn’t told Paul anything that would cause him to think ill of you, for Paul is always thanking God for you.

because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. (v. 5) Paul continues here from the preceding verse and gives the reason for his thankfulness, and in doing so, he has an opportunity to remind Philemon of what kind of man he is in the faith− one who truly loves God’s people and whose faith is in Jesus Christ.

I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.  (v. 6) Sad to say, this is the controversial verse in the paragraph with scholars debating almost every word and ending up with various interpretations. The genesis of the debates comes from the fact that the original Greek doesn’t have any words for “I pray that”. Thus, the NIV and many other translations, include those words as a matter of interpretation on the part of the translators to make the English work in the sentence. We are left with an unanswered question: Is this actually what Paul was praying for, or was he making a statement?

When I look at it, it doesn’t really matter. Whether Paul prays this, hopes this or knows this doesn’t really change anything for us, and I have to assume that Philemon caught Paul’s intent in a way we cannot so far away in time and culture. For our purposes, considering the reason for writing in the first place, notice Paul’s use of certain key words: “your partnership with us” “effective in deepening your understanding” and “we share for the sake of Christ”.

Paul is about to ask that Philemon share Onesimus the slave with him for the sake of Christ; his meaning seems a bit obvious to me.

Finally, the last sentence brings us the transition to the main body of the letter, which we will dive in to in the next section.

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Paul Opens His Letter

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Don Merritt

Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,

To Philemon our dear friend and fellow worker— also to Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier—and to the church that meets in your home:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon 1-3

In his customary manner, Paul begins this letter by saying who the senders are, and to whom it is written. Since we have inferred that it was sent at the same time as his letter to the Colossians, it is very interesting to compare the two openings:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

Colossians 1:1-2

Aside from the obvious difference in recipients, it appears identical… well, almost. Notice that in his letter to the Colossian church, Paul describes himself as “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God”, and in Philemon, he describes himself as “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus”.

Why do they differ?

As in most everything, people have their theories, but it appears to me that Paul takes a different tact here in order to do two things: First, he is not writing to Philemon as an apostle, someone who is to be listened to with an obedient ear in reverence. Instead Paul is writing this man-to-man, friend to friend, brother to brother; it is entirely personal as opposed to professional. Second, by mentioning the fact that he is in chains for Christ, and he will mention this four more times before he is finished, he is showing his friend Philemon that he is enduring a great personal sacrifice for Christ as he is asking Philemon for a sacrifice of his own.

Paul has also introduced some more characters, Apphia and Archippus, and all three have a description of their own given them by Paul. With so little to go on, there are more theories, but most scholars agree that Apphia is Philemon’s wife and that Archippus is his son, and I will continue under that assumption. Notice that the three descriptions indicate that each is a committed follower of the Lord, and that they all have a very close personal regard for one another.

Believe it or not, the biggest controversy in academic circles with these verses is whether or not Paul intends for this letter to be read to the entire church that met in Philemon’s house. Personally, I don’t see the point of the dispute: Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. At least they were to receive his warmest greetings.

As we continue, we’ll next have a look at Paul’s prayer- see you next time!

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An Introduction to Philemon

Posted on February 26, 2018 by Don Merritt

Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.

Colossians 4:7-9

Not a great deal is obvious about Paul’s letter to Philemon, yet a few things can be gleaned by the names mentioned by Paul in his letter to the Colossian church. It would seem from the Philemon text that Onesimus is a slave belonging to Philemon who ran away from involuntary servitude and somehow ended up in Paul’s presence and came to accept grace through Jesus Christ. In our day, we might have a knee-jerk reaction against Philemon when armed with this information, but we would misunderstand things a bit if we did. Remember that Paul wrote this letter in the Roman world of the first century, and that this world was based entirely upon a slave economy.

Historians give estimates of a slave population that made up from 25 to 50 per cent of the entire population of the Empire and for the people in the letter, it was not an issue.

You are probably aware that there are people in our time who claim that the Bible advocates human slavery and that Christianity is bad because it approves of slavery, and I suppose if all you are looking for is something to be critical of, and if you do not desire to understand what you are talking about, then this is as good an issue to bring up as any… but you would be missing the point entirely. Paul was not sending an Abolitionist rant to Philemon in this letter− what would be the point of that? Had he done so all he would have done was to anger him and have that anger taken out on Onesimus. Paul wrote to Philemon to ask him to forgive Onesimus and allow him to return, as a brother, to Paul.

In all likelihood, this letter was sent off to Philemon at the same time his letter to the Colossian church was sent to Colosse, and so we infer that Philemon must have lived somewhere in the vicinity of that church. Perhaps the group which met in Philemon’s home was directly associated with that congregation, or it was a close-by one. It is clear however, that Paul had gotten to know Philemon when he had been in that region on his third missionary tour.

The issue that makes this letter a valuable one for us is how Paul approached Philemon with his request. He did so with skill and sensitivity that we all need to take note of, for he approached the subject with love and without judgment− would we do the same under those circumstances?

Let’s move on, and begin our investigation in earnest…

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Sunday Sermon Notes: February 25, 2018

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Don Merritt

Title: The Image of God and Temptation

Text: Genesis 2:15-17

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Genesis 2:15-17

Temptation is a funny thing; it’s all around us, and takes a myriad of forms. Some things may tempt one person to stumble; while another may take no notice of it at all… yes it’s a funny thing. OK, I’ll confess right now, potato chips are my downfall! At my house an open bag is an empty bag; they own me… I just cannot possibly say no when they call my name; woe is me, for Satan has my number!

Obviously, the only thing I said about potato chips that is actually true is that I really like them and eat more than I should; the rest is nonsense, purely a justification to deflect my own irresponsible choice to eat too many of them. Could I walk right by and not have any? Yes, but I usually don’t. Could I eat one or two and then stop? Yes, but I usually don’t. Is there anyone else to blame for this? No, not on your life; it’s all me.

Well, there is temptation in a nutshell.

To be clear and fair, I understand that there are medical conditions that affect some people in one way or another; I am not including that possibility in my remarks here; that is different topic entirely, so let’s understand that I am not talking to people with medical, addiction or mental health problems in these remarks. Got it?

For most of us, when we fall into temptation, it was all our own doing; it was not necessary, and when we are honest with ourselves, we know that to be true.

With that said, then what is temptation really?

It is being presented with a choice to do or not do something that can harm us and/or our relationship with God. Yes, there are some lengthy systematic theologies on temptation, but when you sift out all of the unnecessary words, it comes down to making a choice, and no one is forcing us to choose the wrong one. We can blame this whole dilemma on the devil or this fallen world or anything you want, but temptation was present in the Garden of Eden when Man lived in perfect fellowship with God in a pre-fallen state, and Man made the wrong choice in spite of everything. Yes, the serpent was involved, but if he pointed a gun at Adam and Eve, that detail was omitted from the text.

No sir! Temptation is a consequence of free will.

God made us in His image, and one of the attributes that we have in common with God is free will. How do we use our free will to glorify God? Let’s go back to Genesis 3…

There are two trees that stood together in the center of the Garden; look, there’s Eve and the serpent having their little chat: The serpent asks the first question, Eve responds correctly. The serpent responds with a bald-faced lie. Eve hesitates, tempted, looks at the forbidden fruit; it looks really good, then she remembers who and what she is, and then she… grabs the yummy fruit from the Tree of Life and takes a big bite, and God is glorified.

Here’s a question: Who told you that you can’t do that?

When discussing this topic as I have, there is always a danger that the issue of temptation is simplified to the point where it isn’t taken seriously, for yes, my presentation here is simplistic.

I have been told in the past, that it cannot be that simple, that life is really so very difficult that we can’t possibly make the right choices…

I get that a lot.

It is as though people think I lead a charmed life, that I’ve never struggled, like everything was handed to me on a silver platter; “what do you know? It’s too hard…”

I have lived long enough to know struggle, and I have struggles and challenges and weaknesses and failure just like everyone else. I am neither perfect nor close to it; ask my wife, she’ll tell you that! I am a sinner just like you, I stumble and falter just like you.

And yes, it really is that simple.

When I was a boy in school, I was pretty good at arithmetic, but there was one thing I really had trouble with: Word problems; I just couldn’t work them, for the longest time. Then one day, I had an epiphany; most of the information they gave you in word problems was irrelevant, throw it out and you see the problem clearly and then it isn’t as hard as you thought.

Most of the great theological questions are just like word problems were in math class; throw out the irrelevant and the actual issue isn’t as complicated as we thought it was. Most of our struggles as Christians are neither as complicated as we think, nor as difficult as we make them.

When I was a teen, I would often hang out with my friends and sooner or later someone would say, “I’m bored, there’s nothing to do.” This would normally be followed by ideas for something to do, and nearly every time, we ended up doing the stupidest thing that was suggested, something that each and every one us knew to be wrong, and really didn’t want to do.

So why did we do it?

It wasn’t because of this evil world, nor was it because we were totally depraved and incapable of doing the right thing. It also wasn’t because we were stupid or bad kids; the group I used to hang out with grew up to be doctors, lawyers, professors, engineers, and professional athletes… no criminals or scoundrels. We did stupid things for one simple reason: Nobody wanted to be the one who wasn’t cool, the one who would be called a… (slang term for less than a man).

Peer pressure, the need to fit in with the gang.

At some point, teenagers are supposed to grow up and become adults and stop doing stupid things just to fit in, and most do. When this happens, we go from doing stupid things to fit in, and graduate to only doing silly things to fit in.

Christians are also supposed to grow up, but this is more than just being adults; we are supposed to grow spiritually into the likeness of Christ. Having said that, I am fairly confident in saying that none of us have arrived at that goal yet; I know that I have a very long way to go, that I am certain of. I can also say with certainty that we won’t arrive at the goal more quickly by giving in to being silly to fit in with the group.

We get there by relationship both with others and with our Lord.

When temptation comes along, of whatever sort, it is very helpful for me and many others as well, to sort out the stuff that isn’t helpful, things like personal bias, self-centeredness, baggage from the past, cultural trends and tradition to find the real equation that needs solving, and most of the time, the equation isn’t as hard as it first appeared to be.

I can’t say this often enough: Remember who you are in Christ! Ask yourself why you are tempted to do things that are not in accordance with what you know to be His teaching, ask yourself if you are showing your love for Christ by turning your back on Him…

I predict that whatever you are being tempted with will not seem so enticing.

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Random Ramblings: February 24, 2018

Posted on February 24, 2018 by Don Merritt

Carnage, Terror and Getting It Right

Quite a few things have gone on in recent days here in the USA, and sadly, much of it has been ugly. Chief among these was the horrendous attack at the high school in Parkland, Florida on Valentine’s Day last week.

I have 3 kids, grown now, but even so, I can’t imagine what the families of the lost are going through, and the families of the survivors, for that matter.

The whole thing is just too terrible to contemplate, yet we must contemplate.

Another thing that we must contemplate is how certain political individuals were so fast to try and use the terrible events for political advantage. An example, in case you missed it, can be found in the two Florida Senators: One of them was in front of the cameras demanding action and blaming his opponents only an hour or two after the events. The other one was caught in his office with reporters demanding to know if he was going to change his position and do the ‘right thing’ now that this had happened, and he replied that he wasn’t going to make any moves until he knew the facts of the case (which no one knew at that point in time).

Using the murder of children for political advantage… really?

Certain individuals and groups have been doing that for years now, and I wonder if that might not be one of the reasons we can’t seem to put an end to such terrible events.

Yet to be fair to all concerned, emotions run high in such times, and we don’t do our best thinking when this happens; that goes for all of us. With every day there are more voices calling for action on things that are knee-jerk solutions much like we have gone through so many times in the past. Yet where have these ‘solutions’ gotten us?

Apparently nowhere, but we all felt better when they became law. I don’t know about you, but passing ill-advised laws so we can feel better isn’t good enough this time. We actually need to settle down and think for a change.

I have a friend in the UK who says that we “colonials” are “mad” because of our “sick fascination” for guns. I saw another gentleman on a panel the other day who is British as well, but he had another view on the subject which I thought was quite interesting. He was once a member of Mr. Cameron’s team, when Mr. Cameron was Prime Minister. He said that he used to think we were crazy too, but now after being in the US for 6 years he realizes that this is unbelievably complicated with cultural issues. That gent hit the nail on the head.

If we decide that all of the guns need to go, there is no law you can pass to accomplish your goal, that will not be thrown out by the Courts- just ask the folks in Illinois and the District of Columbia who’ve had their laws overturned. The right to keep and bear arms comes from the Bill of Rights and is guaranteed just as much as your right to freedom of speech. You can’t outlaw either one− that requires a Constitutional amendment.

I would suggest that it is a very slippery slope if we want to repeal one of the Bill of Rights.

Having said this, I agree entirely: something must be done!

But what?

Maybe we could ban the AR-15… does anyone really need one? My pro-gun friends answer that question with a slogan, not a reason… but then so do my anti-gun friends so I conclude that they haven’t thought it through. Do you know the answer (without a slogan)?

By the way, did this most recent shooter need that particular model to visit carnage on the school in Florida, or could he have done just as much damage with a lesser gun?

We need better background checks. Probably, but how many of these events would actually be stopped; wouldn’t that just make it a little harder? We must raise the age to buy a gun to 21! Why not 35? We need to arm our teachers! Maybe, but then haven’t quite a few of these events ended with the shooter taking his own life? We need to lock up the insane! You sound insane to me… really want to go there? We need to ban movies with violence, video games too! So, you want to trash 20% of the Bill of Rights now… are you sure?

Well, you get the idea; there is no simple answer. My point is that we really need to get this right, and maybe we all need to settle down and actually think and listen. So far, only one person appears to be doing that. Maybe it’s just for show, but even if that’s all it is it’s a smart example to be setting right now. Well done Donald Trump.

If you’re a long-time reader here then you know I haven’t said that before, for normally if I venture into politics I’m being critical of his tendency to say ridiculous things… but not this time.

I’ve been amazed at how much Mr. Trump has been criticized for this. The day before, I saw a White House Press Briefing in which the correspondent from Fox News demanded to know why the President doesn’t have any ideas of his own… the sort of mindless nonsense one might expect from MSNBC or CNN… who’ve demonstrated their own style of stupidity in recent days.

Maybe these folks feel threatened because they fear we will notice that they are a big part of the problems we face in dealing with difficult issues as they exploit the Florida attack victims for all it’s worth in their mindless coverage.

That’s enough ranting for one post. May I make a suggestion?

We who are followers of the Lord Jesus Christ need to take a little break to think, to contemplate and to pray. We must pray for those who are in pain, for those who must live with the horrors they have experienced, and for our leaders who must deal with this issue… and so many more. Maybe we need to pray for those who cover the news while we’re at it.

Much has been said recently about “thoughts and prayers” not being enough. Since people say this so often without ever having any intention of actually praying, I kind of agree with those voices. However, what if we actually followed through with the prayers for peace and wisdom in dealing with this situation? What if large numbers of Christians did this, and also prayed that the Gospel would fill our land with God’s redemptive power?

What if we stopped being surprised when God keeps His promise to answer our prayers?

Wouldn’t you like to find out?

 

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“Reflections on Acts” Released

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Don Merritt

Today I have released  Reflections on Acts. As is the case with all of the documents in this series, this one contains the entire set of my posts on the book of Acts edited together into a book format in a single pdf document for anyone who might be interested in it. Since I began doing this four years ago, people have found these useful for personal study or devotions, teaching Sunday school classes and home groups, and for preparing Sermon series.

This is sort of a “Kingdom” project of mine. You are free to use these documents for personal use or for sharing with others. If you like, you may make them your own, and they are entirely free of charge. The only thing I ask is that you do not use them for commercial purposes.

When you click the link below, you can then simply download the text: there are no forms to fill in, and there is nothing on the site for sale.

To download,

Click here

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What’s Next?

Posted on February 23, 2018 by Don Merritt

Having completed our review of the book of Acts, I’ve been thinking about where to go next here on The Life Project. I want to write something relevant, something that makes sense of the world around us, the events that flood our minds every day; something that answers questions that people ask in the midst of troubled times. Ideas come to mind but each time I am constrained by the fact that the public arena of my former life is not my calling.

I came at my dilemma from a different point of view, and I came up with a different idea: Which book of the New Testament have I not written about here yet?

There are three I haven’t written about yet, at least not specifically. They are 1 and 2 Corinthians and Philemon so, I decided to take on these three. In doing so, I nearly skipped Philemon again… and then it occurred to me that maybe it is the one I should do fist.

The book of Acts ends with Paul held prisoner in Rome as he awaits his hearing before Caesar. During this period, he wrote a number of letters to churches that have been included in the New Testament canon and among these is one that hardly any notice is taken of in our age; it is only 25 verses long and doesn’t contain any great or memorable verses or passages, and doesn’t really seem to appeal to us. In fact, in a way it is a little quaint, since it deals with an issue that we don’t really deal with any more; an issue that is pretty much personal between Paul and Philemon.

To make it even more obscure, it is the only one of Paul’s letters contained in the New Testament that is written only to an individual, and that particular individual isn’t really known to us, since he isn’t mentioned anywhere else. In the letter, Paul is making a request of Philemon, a rather delicate one, as it turns out. In the process of making this request, Paul is giving us a practical example of how we should deal with others when a delicate issue is being resolved. He doesn’t make any threats, he doesn’t “pull rank” and lord his position as an apostle over anyone. Instead he follows the path of brotherly love in his appeal, and it seems to me that in our most uncivil of worlds, we can learn a great deal from his example, and comes to my mind as something that it is noting if not relevant in this world in which we live.

So, here’s the plan: Beginning Monday the 26th, I’ll introduce the book and we’ll begin our investigation. In the meantime, I’ll share a few other thoughts that have come to mind in recent days…

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