The You're going to do you.

Do you do you do you do you do

do you do Welcome to Truth for Life Weekend where today we begin a study in Phileiman, a short letter from

the Apostle Paul in which we'll learn how genuine faith

in powers seemingly impossible forgiveness and reconciliation.

Today, Alistirbegg is focusing on Paul's humble and encouraging greeting in verses 1 through 7.

Since Philemon may be unfamiliar material to Sun, let me give just the briefest of backgrounds

so that we're not coming to it completely in the dark.

This little letter is not so much a private letter as it may at first appear to be addressed as it is to an individual,

as it is, if you like, an apostolic letter that is dealing with a personal matter.

And the matter, as you will see, as you read through the letter for yourselves,

is that this individual by the name of Anesimus has been living as a slave in the home of his master,

Phileiman. He ran away, perhaps taking material goods with him, and ran away to Rome in the hope, presumably

of just melding into the crowd and

God had plans and purposes for this runaway slave and it was in Rome that he ran into

the arms as it were of the Apostle Paul and Paul then had the privilege of

leading him to Jesus. As a result of him coming to know Jesus his life was

changed and as he began to become a new man in Jesus he became

increasingly useful and helpful to Paul while he was in the jail. So much so that

Paul tells us that he was almost tempted to harbor this runaway slave

were it not for the fact that he felt a right sense of obligation to return

onesimus to his master Phileiman.

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