Running with the Giants · Philemon
Back from sabbatical, Pastor Mark English of Christian Life Church in Bensalem, PA, continues Running with the Giants with the life of Paul, as seen in the shortest and most personal letter he ever wrote. In just 25 verses, Philemon shows how to live out forgiveness in a world full of unforgiveness and chaos.
Key Highlights
What to Remember
If you make room for Jesus, He will always show up.
Faith isn’t confidence in your circumstances. It’s confidence in God’s character and purpose.
Don’t wait for perfect circumstances to start serving God. They’ll never come.
Grace can rewrite anyone’s story.
A Word from Sabbatical
Presence Before Practice
Sabbatical means rest. Pastor Mark left every other book at home and took only his Bible and a journal. We’re good at practice: going to church, doing ministry. But God also wants presence: being still and listening. God is always speaking. The question is whether we’re listening.
Our culture teaches us that presence doesn’t matter. Look around any restaurant at families on their phones. If we aren’t careful, that habit comes into the church too.
If you make room for Jesus, He will always show up. If you prepare a table, He will always sit at that table with you.
Philemon · Colossians 4:7–9
Paul’s Most Personal Letter
Hebrews 12 says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, cheering us on. Paul wrote 13 books of the Bible, planted churches, and was shipwrecked, beaten, and imprisoned. Yet the 25 verses of Philemon may reveal more about his heart than any other letter. It is practical, everyday theology.
- Philemon: a wealthy believer in Colossae whose home hosted a church, and the one who was wronged
- Onesimus: Philemon’s runaway servant, the one who was guilty
- Paul: the one standing between them to bring reconciliation
Someone offended, someone guilty, and someone reconciling them. That sounds a lot like Jesus.
Onesimus likely ran to Rome because it was a big city where he could disappear, and because Paul was there. Paul was under house arrest for two years (Acts 28), and there Onesimus met Jesus. Paul then sent him home with Tychicus, carrying two letters written at the same time: Colossians for the church and Philemon for Philemon.
Colossians is the doctrine.
Philemon is the application: this is how we live it.
“He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you.”
Colossians 4:9
Imagine Onesimus walking into the house church he ran away from. Before Philemon ever reads Paul’s personal appeal, the whole church hears Paul call him not a thief or a runaway, but “our faithful and dear brother.”
Philemon 22
Paul Trusted God’s Provision
“Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.”
Philemon 22
Paul is in chains, and he’s already planning his next visit. He was looking beyond his circumstances, because he’s the one who wrote that God works all things together for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28).
- Chained to a Roman guard around the clock
- Living in a house he had to rent himself (Acts 28:30)
- Depending on others for food and clothing
- No income and no way to travel
Yet we never read a word of panic, bitterness, or self-pity.
At the tomb of Lazarus, surrounded by grief, Jesus looked up (John 11:41). If you’re facing hard circumstances, lift your eyes above them. Jesus hasn’t abandoned you. He is in it with you.
Faith isn’t confidence in your circumstances.
Faith is confidence in God’s character and His purpose.
Philippians 1:12
Paul Never Stopped Serving
Paul couldn’t travel, plant churches, or preach publicly. Every moment, a guard was chained beside him. Imagine how many soldiers heard the gospel! Our calling never changes, but sometimes our assignment does.
- He discipled and mentored
- He encouraged and prayed
- He wrote Scripture
- He strengthened the church
- He shared Jesus with his guards
“What has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel.”
Philippians 1:12
Many people serve God when it’s convenient. But nothing of great consequence happens out of comfort and convenience. Paul served from his need instead of waiting for his need to disappear.
- Things settle down
- Our finances improve
- The kids are grown
- We’re healthier
But our hearts will still crave comfort.
One church has a “cancer club” of people facing serious illness. One woman in it is bedridden and needs care around the clock, yet every day she picks up the phone to disciple others. Solomon said that if you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done (Ecclesiastes 11:4). Is God using what you’re walking through right now for His purposes?
Philemon 10–17
Paul Invested in the Overlooked
It’s easy to invest in the easy cases. Paul invested in the hard ones. Under Roman law, a runaway like Onesimus could face severe punishment, even death. But Paul called him “my son” and told Philemon:
“So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me.”
Philemon 17
Paul put his own name on the line. He saw in Onesimus a brother, a co-laborer, maybe even a future leader. He didn’t define him by his failure but by God’s grace.
The name Onesimus means “useful.” Paul writes, “Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me” (Philemon 11).
Grace can rewrite a person’s story.
Pastor Mark challenged comfortable Christians to go see places like Kensington in Philadelphia, where the damage of addiction is visible, and to remember that Jesus can redeem and heal every person there. Discipleship isn’t a six-week class. It’s a lifelong journey, and we don’t give up on people.
Matthew 7:1–2
Grace Can Rewrite Your Story
People often quote “Judge not, lest you be judged” and stop there. Believers are called to hold one another accountable in love. But the verse continues: “with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2).
- Want grace? Measure out grace.
- Want forgiveness? Measure out forgiveness.
- Want mercy? Measure out mercy.
Without Jesus, we were all lost. He didn’t say, “You’ve failed too many times.” He said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
There is a difference between believing in God and following Jesus. Even the demons believe (James 2:19). Jesus invites us to follow Him. Many people say, “When I clean myself up, I’ll come.” But if we could make ourselves better, why did Jesus come? He doesn’t hand us a list of our failures. He says, “You are forgiven. You are new.”
“If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
2 Corinthians 5:17
Questions About This Message
Philemon Explained
What is the book of Philemon about?
Philemon is a 25-verse personal letter from Paul to Philemon, a believer in Colossae. Paul asks him to forgive and welcome back Onesimus, his runaway servant who had become a Christian, showing how the gospel works out in forgiveness and reconciliation.
Who was Onesimus in the Bible?
Onesimus was Philemon’s servant who ran away, likely to Rome, where he met Paul and came to faith in Jesus. Paul sent him home calling him “our faithful and dear brother” (Colossians 4:9). His name means “useful,” and Paul writes that he has become useful again (Philemon 11).
How are Colossians and Philemon connected?
Paul wrote both letters at the same time while under house arrest, and they were carried to Colossae by Tychicus and Onesimus. Colossians teaches doctrine to the church; Philemon shows how to apply it in a real relationship.
What does Philemon teach about forgiveness?
Paul stands between the one who was wronged and the one who was guilty, much like Jesus does for us. He asks Philemon to welcome Onesimus as he would welcome Paul himself (Philemon 17), showing that grace can rewrite a person’s story.
What does “judge not, lest you be judged” mean?
In Matthew 7:1–2, Jesus warns that the measure we use with others will be used with us. If we want grace, forgiveness, and mercy, we must extend them. This doesn’t forbid loving accountability among believers.
Trust His provision.
Keep serving.
See the overlooked.
Grace rewrites stories.
Life Group Discussion
Reflect and Respond
Use these questions to continue the conversation, reflect honestly, and let the message move beyond information into transformation.
Formerly useless.
Now useful. That’s grace.
