Paul's "Status" Request: Continued from yesterday
Verses 8 & 9
"Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do that which is proper, yet for loves sake I rather appeal to you - since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus ---"
Paul is getting ready to "lay a big deal" on Philemon and so he finds it necessary to declare his status with Christ, not wanting to order Philemon to do as Paul wishes but rather appealing to his love for the brotherhood.
Remember back in another devotion that I said that when you see the word "Therefore" you should go back and see what it is there for? Well, here we are again. In yesterday's devotion, Paul made it known that he was praying very strongly and emotionally that the church at Colossae would become an "effective" church, growing in the "knowledge of every good thing...for Christ's sake". So because he has explained to Philemon these things he has "confidence in Christ" even if he must order this done by Philemon to do the right thing.
But of course, Paul reverts back to the love of the fellowship which compels him and others to act as Men of Christ in these issues. Do we find ourselves acting as "men and women of Christ" within the body? Paul refers to himself as "the aged" or an ambassador and now "a prisoner of Christ Jesus".
Before he even considers asking this favor, he declared his position which allows the request to be made. And we are also "prisoners of Christ Jesus" for His glory and our advancement in the kingdom of God. Do you consider yourself an ambassador for Christ? You should. Perhaps you don't fit the apostolic mold, but you are, without a doubt, an ambassador of Christ, able to call upon the fellowship of Christ for the advancement of the church. Galatians 3:26 says, "For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." And then in verse 28 he says, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." That pretty much establishes your authority in Christ, wouldn't you say?
So here Paul establishes his line of authority for making his request and tomorrow we will jump right into that request.
TO BE CONTINUED
Dave
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