Craig

The bigger picture here is the witness of two Christians and the work they share in Kingdom building. Paul and Philemon must work this out in spiritual wisdom and understanding without division that could destroy the home church and relationship with Paul. Apparently Onesimus is the slave of Philemon thus having legal entitlement over him. I believe that Paul deems it the right thing to do in having Onesimus return to his master Philemon. The Christian witness here is important. I believe it is necessary for Onesimus to return to Philemon to resume his duties for however long as a witness for Jesus Christ as well as a brother Christian.

Reconciliation means if we accept Jesus the Christ as savior we can have peace and a restored relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Reconciliation is necessary because of Adam's sin. Adam's disobedience made humanity orphans -- fatherless and Jesus made a way for humanity to be restored to their Creator/Father -- God the Father Almighty maker of heavens and earth. We are being saved from eternal separation from God -- hell and from the destructive consequences of our sin. In the present Jesus is changing my heart thus changing my life, relationships, and eternal destiny.

It is important to embrace this truth in order to embrace Jesus Christ and to understand that Jesus died on the cross for human sin -- sinners. He went to the cross on account of human sin. He didn't go to the cross for sinless people. There is nothing we can do other than accept what Jesus did on the cross in order to be saved and receive a new life. Become new creatures -- new creations. Jesus died for us at our worst. This fact totally negates Satan's lies about us being too bad to be forgiven. In fact, Paul writes "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Rm. 3:23. He added, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ." Rm. 6:23

Paul is encouraging us to rejoice in our sufferings and tribulations because they help us develop endurance, strength of character, and hope of salvation. Perseverance enables us to have patience or endurance in navigating trials, developing spiritually, and working with others in building the Kingdom of God on this planet. Endurance enables us to develop spiritual understanding and wisdom. Endurance enables us to develop and take on the mind of Christ. Bottom line: without perseverance we cannot develop a Christ likeness. It takes time and patience to develop a tried character. Tried meaning you have been tested, have lived, and grown spiritually. Perseverance in living out the Christian faith/walk/way is living out our hope and expectation of eternal life in Jesus Christ like Abraham. Everything takes time, God's time. So we must have perseverance, character, and hope.

For Abraham the relationship between faith and justification was believing God. My thought is that the relationship between faith and justification is always believing God and acting on His words. We are justified or made right by accepting Jesus the Christ, the Messiah, as Lord and Savior. By claiming the blood Jesus shed on the cross for the atonement of our sins, thus making peace between us and God the Father Almighty. Again, by believing that God send His only begotten Son to die on the cross for our sin, thus becoming new creatures and gaining eternal life. This is done by believing the gospel presented through Jesus the Christ and the Apostles by God the Father Almighty.

He was singled out because he was the leader and Paul was encouraging him to finish the task God had given him to do.Why? How many quit and never finish the task and ministry given them? How many allow the world and it possessions and attacks to defeat them? Sidetrack them from the assignment God has given them. We do not know what the task Archippus was assigned. However, I believe he was leading and/or helping in building the Colossian church. I am a Pastor building a church in Live Oak, Florida.

He was singled out because he was the leader and Paul was encouraging him to finish the task God had given him to do.Why? How many quit and never finish the task and ministry given them? How many allow the world and it possessions and attacks to defeat them? Sidetrack them from the assignment God has given them. We do not know what the task Archippus was assigned. However, I believe he was leading and/or helping in building the Colossian church. I am a Pastor building a church in Live Oak, Florida.

We are to be devoted and persistent in prayer with a watchful, alert, and thankful mind or attitude. My thought is that if these habits are put into practice all who pray to the Living God would have a more effective and meaningful relationship with God and would be more spiritually attuned to the world and people around them. These habits would help correcting shallow, hurried, and meaningless prayers.

Obedience prepares children to be effective employees in the marketplace and military service as well as effective students throughout high school, college, and post-graduate work. Most importantly, obedience to parents prepares children to be obediant to God. In addition to wise and loving discipline fathers can exercise mercy, patience, and compassion in raising their children. Fathers must communicate openly with their children and love them.

Christian virtues are important to Jesus because they are His way and they change lives. They are counter-world (Satan's way). Christian virtues are healthy. They are important to the church because they make for a healthy Christian community. They are important to non-Christians because they provide an alternative way -- a way of hope, health, and completeness on all levels. All Christian virtues are spawned out of love, i.e. forgiveness, patience, mercy, compassion, etc. create healthy churches and families.

Amazing enough, the tongue is hard to control and the sins of the tongue are easy to slip into. Slander, gossip, etc. are the way of the world and most people are engaged in it. Sometimes words come out before you even think things through. Seemingly, people can't help themselves when it comes to controlling the tongue. My observation is that many people feel they have to gossip and slander other people in order to fit in with their friends and co-workers. Additionally, people gossip and run other people down in order to falsely build up their own self-esteem. We can break away from sins of the tongue by being sensitive to it; praying over it; and exercising self-control. Additionally, when we realize our position in Jesus the Christ, that we are children of God, we don't need to build our self-esteem at the expense of others.

Various studies indicate that males have a stronger sex drive and/or obsession with sex than females. Being a male I have found this to be the case. We can keep sexual desire from controlling us and causing us to sin through prayer and self-control. Self-control is one of the fruits of the spirit mentioned by Paul in Galatians 5. It is the result of a spirit filled life. If we are serious about our spiritual growth in Jesus the Christ and becoming more Christ-like, then we need to intentionally exercise self-control. We will never realize all that God has for us if we do not exercise sexual self-control. As Paul said earlier, we must keep our minds on things above in order to stay out of the gutter. As Paul noted to the Philippians - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

There are no divine elements involved. Legalism and asceticism are merely human efforts to make oneself religious, holy, acceptable to God, etc. Our alternative to this is the freedom and grace we have in Jesus the Christ and the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit in our life. The bottom line is that we have freedom from rules and a new life in Jesus the Christ. Jesus is the way, truth, and life and not legalism and asceticism.

Jesus' death on the cross fulfilled the demands of the law and in Jesus the Christ the believer is free from the law and anything outside of Jesus Christ. We are saved from the consequences of sin and are freed from the law and the world system by placing our faith and life in Jesus the Christ and accepting Him as the Messiah. This symbolizes the death of the law and man's slavery to it and allows the grace of God to work in the life of the believer. Jesus the Christ gave humanity an option be free in Him or be subject to evil spiritual forces. God freed us from evil spiritual forces through Jesus the Christ obedience to Him by dying on the cross for the atonement of human sin.