Philemon – Vision for Family Like No Other
Eph 3:14-15 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, (15) from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
VISION, Mission, Motto
• Vision – to know Him & make Him known being sent by God across generations & communities- Knitting together one family
• Mission – each reach one to be born again & belong again in one family across generations, discipled in cohesive midweek groups, celebrating on Sunday, sent out daily reaching out to family & work neighbourhood, discipling the city.
• Motto – Born again to belong again
• Joh 20:21 Then Jesus said to them again, Peace to you. As My Father has sent Me, even so I send you.
Rev 1:9 for the Word of God & the testimony of Jesus Christ.
• 2Ti 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit the same to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
Our Vision – Church is Family
• Vibrant Family
• Celebrate Unity
• Open Hands – Embracing Heart
• Passionate Heartbeat
• Engaged Leadership
Heaven Born House
Holy Habitation from Heaven to Earth
• Psa 68:5-6 A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, Is God in His holy habitation. (6) God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, Only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.
Family Sociology
• 1Jn 2:13 I write to you, fathers, because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father.
• Fathers – who made the values & sacrifices
• Young men – who do the work of defeating evil
• Children – bring them in to know the Father & attend on their needs
What Makes Family ? Spiritual Parentage
• 1Co 4:14-16 I do not write these things to shame you, but to admonish you as my beloved children. (15) For if you were to have countless tutors in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. (16) Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.
1 Vibrant Family members
• Phm 1:1-2 Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker, (2) and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house:
• Apostle Paul – prisoner – senior pays highest price – not perks + Timothy – apostolic son
• Philemon – rich slave owner but brother in Christ & fellow worker + Apphia – Sister – very involved
• Archippus – fellow soldier – enlisted 2Tim 2:4
• Son – brother – fellow worker – fellow soldier – prisoner
• Phm 1:23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets. Phm 1:24 as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.
All for Christ
• Phm 1:5-6 because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints; (6) and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.
• Unity comes from Vision & Mission – All we have is for Christ purpose
• Family Purpose – We have one purpose – Know Christ, make Christ known
Counter Cultural Mission for Family – Philemon & Onesimus
• Phm 1:7 For I have come to have much joy and comfort in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother.
• Paul knew His mission was to build a community who will become a family, live as family & reach out as a family for others to come in & grow together.
• They had to radically counter cultural
• Are you giving enough emphasis & time for what Jesus is building?
• Colonising Earth with God’s Family
Dislodging Principalities & Powers
• Eph 3:14-15 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, (15) from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
• Eph 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
• Eph 3:10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places
Vibrant Family Atmosphere
• We see our worship services, prayer gatherings and carecells as meeting points where people connect, accept & embrace each other as Family in deepening relationships – costly investment of time, heart, space
• God’s Presence becomes centre with life flowing & light shining – , attested by signs, wonders & miracles.
• In a vibrant atmosphere of worship, prayer, discipleship people discover their Call & Gift & are found space to engage & encounter Christ
• Acceptance – Trust – Accountability
First Church Family – Favoured – God First & Neighbour Fast
• Act 2:46-47 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, (47) praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.
2 Celebrate Unity
• We See Brookside as a Church practising covenant & integrity in our relationships, where carecells, ministries, families & individuals are flowing in corporate unity to fulfill God’s purpose & plan for the Church in this season
• Eph 4:3-4 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (4) There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
Settling Dispute
• Phm 1:23, 24 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.
• Mark – cause of contention. – Act_15:37 Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. Act_15:39 And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.
• Col_4:10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’s cousin Mark (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);
Unity Tested by Mistake Recovery
• 1 Accepting unacceptable Onesimus
• 2 Mistake Resolving sets Conservatives against Liberals
• Barnabas said “be liberal about Mark” – Paul said no we need commitment
• 3 Compromise – Paul said – Gentiles are free from Circumcision. Barnabas wavered
• 4 we are first said Jerusalem Jews – Greecan Jews felt neglected in daily food support at the hands of Hebrew Jews.
• Resolution – Godly from both sides were elected to committee.
3 Open Hands – Embracing Heart
• Phm 1:6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake
• Fellowship of faith – share with insiders & outsiders
• Faith & Knowledge
• Good thing in you – is for Christ sake
• 3 Open Hands & Embracing Hearts
Heartbeat of Paul
• Cross of Christ compels us to share His love to our oikos – contact world & our community with the word of witness, friendship, care acts – pray & win
• Born Again to Belong Again
• Act 20:24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.
Opening Hand & Heart
• Phm 1:10-12 My request is for my child Onesimus, the child of my chains, (11) Who in the past was of no profit to you, but now is of profit to you and to me: (12) Whom I have sent back to you, him who is my very heart:
• Paul’s fervour to win them to Jesus
• Open his hand – Embraced with Heart
• Recommend them to others – accept as you accept me
4 Passionate Heartbeat – How Deep is our Christianity?
• Phm 1:16-20 No longer as a servant, but more than a servant, a brother, very dear to me specially, but much more to you, in the flesh as well as in the Lord. (17) If then you take me to be your friend and brother, take him in as myself. (18) If he has done you any wrong or is in debt to you for anything, put it to my account. (19) I, Paul, writing this myself, say, I will make payment to you: and I do not say to you that you are in debt to me even for your life. (20) So brother, let me have joy of you in the Lord: give new life to my heart in Christ.
4 PASSIONATE HEARTBEAT
• Love God & Love Neighbour
• We see a people consumed with a vision to touch your immediate world for Jesus Christ and to see His glory displayed throughout the world.
• We see a church with a passionate heartbeat to fulfill God’s global agenda through Jesus sending men and women of faith into their neigbourhoods and to equip and empower assemblies and the body of Christ.
• Four Greats Never to Miss
• Greatest mistake is how much we delayed to receive Christ into our life
• Next is how we failed to share Christ with others
• Thirdly – what if we served other things more than Jesus’ cause. Never too late – start now.
• Fourthly – let’s never make the mistake of neglecting to train our children to serve the Lord with all their heart.
5 Engaged Leadership – Are You Engaged?
• Phm 1:8-10 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is proper, (9) yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you–since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus– (10) I appeal to you for my child Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my imprisonment,
• Order or Appeal
• Authority of authentic love
• Three generations – 1 Paul the Aged 2 Philemon – successful thriving senior 3 Onesimus – ignoble junior but now in the family of God
Everyone is a leader – Leadership is ownership
Leadership is our prosperity _ Lead out to Eternity
• Take on your Leadership from God – at home, at Church, at Work
• Sunday only is a consumer’s attitude
• Leadership is beyond Sunday attendance
• Cells makes family
• LCE – equips you for Leadership in God’s House
• Engaged Leadership – what will you lead?
Eden Mandate to Lead
• God Blessed them – senior to empower junior to have all
• Fruitful
• Multiply
• Fill your patch
• Steward to maximum potential
• Dominion over culture
• 5 Engaged Leadership
• We see a church where everyone’s gift & call will be developed to equip believers for the work of the ministry. God given Leadership is called to engage God, each other in yoke fellowship & the fraternity
• Joh 20:21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.
• Joh 15:16 “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.
• Four Areas of Error
• Heart errors – giving your heart for wrong desires – and being deceived – Jer 17:10 – David
• Soul errors – long haul journey of your life for eternity run it like a race – start to finish – training like an athlete – do not laze, do not waste. Do not loose your soul trying to win the whole world.
• Strength errors – never corrupt strength of life or body for sinful deviations. Give your strength only to God – e.g. Samson
• Mind errors – deception of truth, intellectual distraction, mind sets
• Process After Mistake
or Prevention of Mistake
• Rom 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
• (27) And He searching the hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit,
• because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
• Spirit refurbishes my heart according to God’s mind – 1 Cor 14:3