THE GOOD LIFE FROM BEHIND PRISON BARS
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Session One
Dilemma of Human Existence
2 Corinthians 4:6-5:4
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While a prisoner in Rome, bound with chains,
and facing the stigma of being a common criminal, Paul wrote powerful,
positive letters to individuals and to churches expounding the glory of
being a Christian. If negative physical circumstances were to be the
measure of his serenity and joy, he would have none. It seems that his
life was a constant mixture of troubles, perplexities, persecutions, and
humiliations.
Reading the events of the last few years of Paul’s life staggers our
imagination. In twelve days, in Jerusalem prior to being sent to Rome,
Paul suffered many perils in life: while in the Temple, he was overtaken
by an angry crowd and thrown out of the temple and the doors were slammed
shut behind him; certain Jews attempted to beat him to death; rescued by
the chief captain, he was bound with chains; he was believed to be the
leader of a band of 4,000 murderers; he was scourged, bound with thongs,
slapped on the mouth, and caught in a crowd who threatened to pull him to
pieces. A band of forty Jews swore an oath that they would not eat until
they had killed him.
Paul would have been killed by the Jews in Jerusalem had he not been a
Roman citizen. The local leaders of Rome found that he had done nothing
worthy of death or to be held in prison. Since he had appealed to Caesar,
however, he was sent to Rome.
After having sailed many days and Paul’s warning of dangerous seas being
ignored, the ship was caught in a tempestuous storm. For three days the
ship was tossed by the winds and the waves. In desperation, the cargo was
thrown overboard to lighten the ship. For days neither the sun nor the
stars could be seen and all but Paul lost hope that they would be saved.
Finally, fourteen days later the ship ran aground attempting to navigate a
small inlet seeking relief from the storm. The ship was destroyed but
those on board made it safely to shore by using the broken pieces of the
ship to keep them afloat.
If the perils of the storm were not enough, Paul’s ordeal was not over.
While gathering wood for a fire to warm himself, a poisonous snake bit his
hand. The people of the island thought that Paul surely was a murderer
having escaped the sea only to be bitten by a snake that meant certain
death.
Although Paul was delivered from the effects of the venomous snake on the
island of Melita, he was not spared the bonds of prison. When he finally
arrived in Rome, he was securely chained to a Roman soldier. He would
spend the remaining days of his life in prison. How could one man endure
so much suffering and yet continuously share uplifting words of
encouragement to others?
He was in prison, yet he experienced the good life from behind prison
bars. The secret of Paul being able to say, ". . . I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11)
is found in the simple truth of the essence of life. Is the contented life
determined by the flesh and blood circumstances of the physical
world--including the trying circumstances of the perils of Paul, or does
the contented life originate in the spiritual, heavenly realm --regardless
of the physical circumstances in which one might find oneself? What makes
the quality of life good?
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Session
Two
Making Known the Mystery of the Gospel
Ephesians 6:10-20
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| Caught
in a dead end job; trapped in an abusive relationship; prisoner to a
physical or mental handicap; or, it may be as simple as the current
circumstances seem to be stacked against you. At one time or another, we
all find ourselves behind prison bars--things over which we have no
control.
Paul finding himself in just such circumstances asks the believers to
pray for him. His request for prayer was not that the circumstances
might be changed, but that an utterance might be given him that he would
speak in those circumstances as he ought to speak. His witness--his
words and his life--was not to be controlled by those circumstances. By
the grace of God, despair would not come forth from his thoughts or
speech.
His desire in those troubling times was to make known the mystery of
the gospel. Under the normal conditions of this world’s order, much
trouble would produce much stress. Always being hassled eventually
causes a sense of hopelessness, and constantly being put down would make
most people feel destitute. But, Paul knew he was not of this world’s
order. He marched to the beat of a different drum. His request for
prayer was that he might experience and express--in spite of the
trouble, the perplexities, the persecutions, and the being put
down--peace, joy, and a sense of justice in the Holy Spirit.
It made little difference if he were a Jew or a Gentile, a prisoner
or a free man, a male or a female, a master or a servant, or any other
condition of life. The mystery of the gospel could produce in him that
which was beyond the physical circumstances. What better opportunity to
express the power of the gospel than in circumstances that could not in
themselves produce joy, peace, or a sense of fairness. The real witness
of the gospel is not the encountering of despairing physical
circumstances, but one who is experiencing the destruction of physical
circumstances around him, and is at peace.
Since we are physical creatures who encounter the experiences of life
through our sensing network, the temptation of life will always be to
control that life by our senses. The human dilemma--this treasure is in
an earthen vessel--dictates that the circumstances of life will not
always be favorable and that they cannot be controlled by man.
They are not only uncontrollable, they are destined to be eventually
troublesome in order that all honor and all glory will not go to the
vessel but to God. Or, as Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth
alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his
life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep
it unto life eternal" (John 12:24,25).
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Session
Three
Standing Against the Wiles of the Devil
Ephesians 6:10-18
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While
a prisoner in Rome, Paul shared the secret of being able to experience
the contented, good life. He closed his letter to Ephesus by a very
descriptive allegory of a soldier’s armor to illustrate the successful
life of a believer. In this admonition, Paul began with a definitive
statement of the source of the good life. He described the warfare in
which each believer must prepare himself and exactly where the believer
will have to fight the battle to be victorious. He makes it clear at the
beginning who actually does the fighting and the source of power for the
victory.
He told the first readers, "my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and
in the power of his might" (Eph. 6:10). With the verb "be
strong" being in the passive tense and not the active tense, he
is not telling the believer to be strong in his own power and action. In
the passive tense of a verb, the subject does not have the power to act
but something acts upon the subject (the believer) that enables him to
demonstrate strength. The more literal translation is "be made
strong in the Lord." The strength will come "in the power
[vigor--literal translation] of his might [forcefulness--literal
translation]. Paul would state shortly just how the believer experiences
this strength, power and might of the Lord.
He simply told them that they needed to be strong and to "put on
the whole armor of God, that [they might] be able to stand against the
wiles of the devil." (Eph. 6:11). By looking at the original
language of the New Testament, it can be seen that this putting on the
armor of God is not something the believer does, but something that God
does for him. The words put on, in the original language, means
"(in the sense of sinking into a garment); to invest with clothing
(literally or figuratively)." The believer can have on the whole
armor of God because he finds himself invested with it, as if he has
been let down into it.
The reason why the believer should have on the whole armor of God is
that he might "be able to stand against the wiles of the
devil" (Eph. 6:11). The first clue concerning the spiritual warfare
that all believers must face is found in this passage of Scripture. With
wiles meaning, "traveling over, i.e. travesty
(trickery)," the heart of the battle will involve deception (this
same word is also translated by the King James Version as "lie in
wait"). The traveling over of the events of life will be used in
such a way that will make a travesty out of the strength, the power, and
the might the believer should be experiencing in the Lord.
Nothing can limit God’s strength, power and might. God is always there
in all of His power and in all of His glory. Because of the trickery of
the believer’s own mind, he often lives as if God is not there.
This trickery would be the "wiles of the devil." With devil
being translated from a word meaning, "a traducer" with its
root meaning, "to throw," the deception that has the
possibility of overcoming the believer will be something that will be
constantly thrown at the believer. With the King James Version
translating this original word as "false accuser,"
"devil," and "slanderer," Paul is implying that the
warfare of every believer will be fought in his mind.
Who has not said, when coming face to face with devastating
circumstances, "Why, God?" "How could you let this happen
to me?" "Don’t you love me?" Because we often do not
understand the ways of life, we sometimes find it is our own mind which
falsely accuses or slanders God. We often play out the role of the devil
in our mind.
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Session
Four
Withstand in the Evil Day to Stand
Ephesians 6:10-18
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The
real essence of the existence of the good life does not depend upon the
particular circumstances of life in which the believer finds himself. It
depends solely upon what is transpiring in the believer’s mind. He can
rest in the faith and confidence that His God is in control of the
prison of any physical circumstance, or he can lose the control of his
mind by giving in to the fiery darts of doubt and despair and to
turn to something other than the life of God for hope to rescue him from
the current circumstance of life. Since the battle for his existence is
not the physical circumstance but what is transpiring in his mind, Paul
simply stated, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God,
that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day . . . to stand"
(Eph. 6:13).
In this powerful statement of victory, notice where Paul puts the
emphasis. The believer stands because he first withstands something. By
being invested with the whole armor of God, the believer will be able to
withstand, to stand, having done all. Standing for the believer is
not accomplished by his attempt to stand in his own might, but more
importantly, the battle of life is not even in the standing. It is in
the withstanding before the standing ever occurs. The battle is always
fought in the mind before any outward blows are ever encountered.
The believer’s warfare always takes place in his mind. Paul stated,
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places"
(Eph. 6:12). Paul knew that the real battle was not in the physical
circumstances that he had to endure, but in how he was responding to
them.
Although people were doing evil things to Paul, the real challenge to
experiencing the good life was more in what was going on in Paul’s
mind than in the physical circumstances that he was encountering. This
truth is clearly seen when the literal meaning of the word translated wrestle
is understood. The literal meaning of the word is, "I exist."
The real essence of the believer’s existence does not hinge upon
anything physical--flesh and blood. The good life depends upon the
perception in the believer’s mind. The struggle to experience the good
life will be fought not in the physical, but in the psyche of the mind.
Every battle will be a spiritual battle because the believer will be
tempted continually to fall from his complete dependency upon God for
his life. The good life will not be in the conflicts of the physical
domain. Every encounter should be fought in the strength, the force, and
the might of God flowing through the believer--the grace of God. The
real battle will always be in the mind of the believer for the control
of his life. There is nothing that can harm you unless you believe that
you have been harmed.
For example, a Chaplin in a mental hospital tells this story. New
patients had been committed to his ward. As he made his rounds for the
first time, after the arrival of these patients, he was being
introduced. A patient, who had never met the Chaplin, was asked,
"Have you met our Chaplin?" He quickly responded, "I sure
have, he cheated me out of my money playing poker." The remark did
not upset the Chaplin because his mind formed no opinion that he had
been harmed, because the remarks came from a mental patient.
When Jesus was being tried by Pilate, the chief priests stood and spoke
fiercely against Him. The people mocked and ridiculed Him. So many
things were said against Jesus that Pilate remarked, "Hearest thou
not how many things they witness against thee?" All the gospels
recorded the same response of Jesus, "And he answered . . . never a
word; insomuch the governor marveled greatly" (Matt. 27:14).
Regardless of how many things were being said, Jesus did not form an
opinion in His mind that He was being harmed. As Paul implied, Jesus was
able to stand because He withstood the persecution in His mind.
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Session
Five
Wrestling Not Against Flesh and Blood
Ephesians 6:12; 4:17; 1:21
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One
of the greatest mysteries of life is the simple fact that although
everyone is given the good life, few experience it. Most fall from the
good life because they fail to understand the simple essence of life.
Life will always be a struggle--the human dilemma--and failure to
comprehend the arena of the struggle will always produce the frustration
of God’s grace in the mind of the person.
Paul told the Ephesians that the struggle of life would be against
principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and
wickedness in high places. Earlier in the same letter, he told them,
"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth
walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the
understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the
ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart"
(Eph. 4:17,18). In this passage, the battle is lost first in "the
blindness of their heart." Then, this blindness produces an
"ignorance. . . in them," which brings about "being
alienated from the life of God." Finally, the alienation from the
life of God causes them to be controlled by a darkened understanding.
The good news of the gospel is that the believer does not have to fall
to this temptation because of ". . . the working of his mighty
power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and
set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far
above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion . . . "
(Eph.1:19-21).
With the phrases "principality, and power, and might, and
dominion" and "principalities, powers, rulers of darkness in
the world, and spiritual wickedness in high places" being
synonymous with "Having the understanding darkened, being alienated
from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of
the blindness of their heart," the essence of the struggle for the
good life is given by Paul. Principalities in the first two
phrases mean the same thing, "(properly abstract) a commencement,
or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or
rank)." In the process of falling from the life of God, there is a
commencement, something other than God begins in the life of the
believer.
Power, also, in the first two phrases mean the same thing,
"privilege, i.e. (subjectively) force, capacity, competency,
freedom, or (objectively) mastery (concretely, magistrate, superhuman,
potentate, token of control), delegated influence." Whatever
becomes the chief thing in a believer’s life other than the life of
God has absolutely no power within itself. Although it has no power
within itself, it becomes powerful in the believer’s life because the
believer gives it the privilege to have power over him.
Might in the first phrase and rulers of the darkness of the world
in the second phrase appear to be different, but the meaning is the
same. With the meaning of the first being "force (literally or
figuratively)" and the meaning of the second being "a
world-ruler," whatever the believer gives the privilege to have
power over him eventually forces the believer to let it rule him in this
world.
Finally, dominion in the first phrase and spiritual wickedness
in high places (literal meaning is spiritual depravity in the
heavenly) in the second phrase both have the same emphasis. The believer’s
life is now under the mastery (meaning of dominion) of whatever
the believer has given the privilege to rule his life. He is no longer
under the strength, the might, and the power of the life of God of the
heavenly realm. He has committed spiritual wickedness by turning from
the heavenly realm to something other than the life of God to control
him.
In summary, dominion and spiritual wickedness in high places occur
because the believer has his understanding darkened. The might
and rulers of the darkness of the world can control the believer because
he has become alienated from the life of God. This power has been
given the privilege to control the believer through the ignorance
that is in him. Something has become chief in his life, a
commencement of something other than the life of God, because of the
blindness of his heart.
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Session
Six
The Wiles of the Devil
Ephesians 2:1-3,13-15;5:6; Phil. 3:18-21
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If
the persecutions in Jerusalem, the tempestuous journey across the sea,
and being a prisoner in Rome are not the punishment or damnation of a
life apart from God, what is the expression of the consequences of evil?
With bad things happening to both good and evil people, what is the
"punishment" for evil deeds? What does the Bible really say
about hell?
Although the preaching and the teaching of hell, as it is often
understood today, has been extensive in the history of the visible
church, it was rarely mentioned by the early followers of Jesus. Of the
twenty-three times hell is cited in the New Testament, Paul, the author
of almost half of the New Testament, never makes a reference to it. In
the gospel of John, which many call the most spiritual of the gospels,
the term hell is also not found. James referred to hell only once. Peter
also used the term only one time, although in quoting David, he used it
two additional times. Apart from the gospels and the quoting of David,
hell is cited only six times. In all the letters written by the early
followers of Jesus that have come down to us, it is presented only two
times.
It is Jesus that does most of the teaching about hell. Of the
twenty-three times the English word hell is found in the New Testament,
sixteen of those twenty-three are cited by Jesus. In the three gospels
of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus made a reference to hell fifteen
times. Since Jesus did most of the teaching concerning hell, it should
be beneficial for all believers in Christ to understand what He meant by
the use of the term.
There are three distinct Greek words that are translated twenty-three
times by the one English word hell: Haides (ten times--meaning,
"properly, unseen, i.e. Hades"), Tartaros (one
time--meaning, "the deepest abyss of Hades), and Gehenna
(twelve times--meaning, "valley of [the son of] Hinnom; a valley of
Jerusalem, used [figuratively] as a name for the place [or state] of
everlasting punishment"). Jesus used Gehenna eleven out of
the sixteen times He made references to hell.
Gehenna is a Greek word that is of Hebrew origin and it has
reference to a valley south of Jerusalem. In the time of the kings, Ahaz
and Manasseh, of Judah, children were sacrificed as burnt offering to
the pagan god Molech in this valley. Jeremiah prophesied that God would
judge this practice and "the Valley of the Son of Hinnom"
would become known as "the Valley of Slaughter."
By the time of Jesus, the Valley of Hinnom was used as a garbage dump
for Jerusalem. Refuse, waste materials, and the carcasses of dead
animals were taken there to be burned. Fires continually blazed or
smoldered. Smoke from the burning trash rose day and night. The Valley
of Slaughter, or the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna in the Greek)
became a graphic symbol of woe and judgment where the fire is never
quenched and the worm (maggot) never dies.
Although Jesus used the term hell more than all the other New Testament
writers put together, it is James, the Lord’s brother, that gave the
most graphic description of hell (James 3). According to James, it is
the tongue of man being controlled by his mind dwelling as in the
garbage dump of the Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) that is "an
unruly evil, full of deadly poison" (James 3:8). The tongue out of
control will always defile the basic relationships of man. It is also
destructive to the individual’s body. As James would later say, the
weeping and the miseries of this hell shall "eat your flesh as it
were fire" (James 5:3)
James took his description of hell even further. He implied that as the
rider turns the horse by the bridle and as the captain turns the ship by
the rudder, the mind turns social interactions by the tongue. The bridle
is controlled by the rider, the rudder is controlled by the helmsman,
and the tongue is controlled by the mind. Out of a mind burning with the
fires of the trash bins, the mouth speaks destructive words that offend
and maim. It is also these raging fires of "bitter envying and
strife" (James 3:14) that speaks death to the body of man. The
piercing heat of jealousy and the burning anger of strife produce the
stress that eventually kills the body. Man’s mind living in the
garbage dump of envy and strife, the fires of hell, are deadly poison.
Jesus said, "And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and
cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members
should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell [the
Valley of Hinnom (literal translation)]. And if thy right hand offend
thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee
that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole
body should be cast into hell" [the Valley of Hinnom (again,
literal translation)] (Matt. 5:29,30). Jesus is simply saying that it is
better to go through life without an eye or a hand and live in the
heavenly realm of the kingdom of God, than to spend the days of your
life in a garbage dump. The mind that never gets out of the continual
fires of heated conflict and gnawing maggots of bitter envy never
experiences the abundant life of peace, joy and righteousness in the
kingdom of God.
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Session
Seven
Stand Therefore
Colossians 1:16-23; 2:3-23
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There
is a reason why one can stand against any circumstance in life. Paul
stated that the believer can stand because something has already
occurred in and to him. Notice, in Paul’s allegory of the armor, the
"having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the
breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of
the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God" (Eph. 6:14-17) are in the past tense. Paul is not telling the
believer to put the armor on himself so he can stand. He is stating that
the believer can stand because he already has the armor on.
The believer’s loins have been girted with truth. The capability to
produce new life must function in truth. The good life can only be
produced by Jesus, who is the Truth.
The believer’s heart has been covered with righteousness. Having on
the breastplate of righteousness is that the believer’s heart is not
of self-righteousness but of God’s righteousness. The righteousness of
the believer is the manifestation of Jesus in his life. Jesus is always
the righteousness of the believer.
The believer’s feet have been shod with the preparation of the gospel
of peace. Wherever the believer travels, he is prepared to encounter
people and share the gospel of peace. When he encounters destructive
behavior, the message of peace comes forth. He is enabled to bring forth
peace, not war, because Jesus is Peace. "For he is our peace . .
." (Eph. 2:14).
The believer’s persuasion is grounded in the sovereign power of his
Creator. Operating in that faith, he is able to extinguish hurtful darts
of contentious people. As Paul stated, "Above all, taking the
shield of faith" (Eph. 6:16). The struggle of life that the
believer will most often face will start with mean-spirited people. The
believer can withstand the onslaught of hurtful, fiery darts because
Jesus did. Living in the power of the resurrected Jesus, this warfare
can be won. Jesus is the Pacifier.
Finally, Paul stated, "And take the helmet of salvation, and the
sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God . . ." (Eph. 6:17).
As the first prophecy of the coming of Christ predicted (". . . it
[the serpent] shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel" (Gen. 3:15), the salvation of man always comes to his head.
It is the mind of man that needs the helmet of salvation. Jesus, the
"mind of Christ" (1 Cor. 2:16), is how man’s mind is
conquered, which is his salvation.
The conquering of man’s mind is a continual warfare. The Spirit of God
must continually reveal Jesus, the Living Word, to the mind of man.
Since the gospels and the letters of what we now know as the New
Testament had not been brought together yet (some had not even been
written at the time of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians), the reference
to the "word of God" does not refer to what we know as the
Bible. It is a reference to what the early followers of Jesus knew--the
Word of God made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth. They knew that the
continual hearing of Jesus Himself through the Holy Spirit was the
source of their strength, their power, and their might.
The challenge of life becomes simple, "Do we listen to Jesus, or do
we listen to man?"
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Session
Eight
Be Strong in the Lord, and in the power of His Might
Colossians 1:1-17
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The
mystery of the incarnation of the eternal Spirit of God into the
temporal body of man lies the mystery of the human experience--the
secret of the good life. The realm of the spiritual is incorruptible,
immortal, glorious and powerful. The tabernacle of the human body is
corruptible, mortal, earthly and impotent. The union of the two produces
a breathing creature--a flesh and blood body that lives by experiencing
the breath of God.
With the mind of man given the capability of intellectual thoughts,
emotional feelings, and willful acts, the human experience could be
grounded in the knowledge of God. Man could know, appreciate and worship
the God who created him. The magnificent sensory network of his body
allows him to experience the glory and the power of God, the heavenly
realm.
The same capability that allows man to experience the heavenly also
allows him to experience the earthly. In reality, the manifestation of
God to man can occur only in the physical. Remove the fleshly
tabernacle, and humanity does not exist. The ground of being for man is
a heavenly spirit and a fleshly body. The two cannot be separated.
It is the reality of experiencing the heavenly in the earthly that not
only enables man to know the spiritual with his mind, but it also
enables the fleshly to dominate the spiritual in his mind. The
same interaction of intellectual thoughts, emotional feelings, and
willful acts that makes it possible for man to know, to appreciate and
to worship God, also brings with it the possibility for the mind of man
to turn from God. The capability of knowing what the mind is
experiencing also gives the mind the possibility to interpret what it is
experiencing.
Being capable of interpreting what he is experiencing enables man to not
only know, appreciate and worship God, but also to misinterpret his
experiences. It is this susceptibility to misinterpret that gives man
the possibility to fall by perceiving that it is from within his senses
that the good life is experienced. He perceives that life is solely a
matter of flesh and blood. He often forgets the real essence of his
life.
The underlying theme of the prison epistles, the secret of experiencing
the good life from behind prison bars, is not the removal of
circumstances created by evil, but the revelation of the power of God
that dwells within each of us. Paul stated to the Ephesians,
"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the
power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against
flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the
rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all,
to stand" (Eph. 6:10-13).
He wrote to the Philippians, "For it is God which worketh in you
both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things
without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and
harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked
and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the
world" (Phil. 2:13-15).
Paul proclaimed to the Colossians, "Whereof I am made a minister,
according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to
fulfill the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid
from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of
this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of
glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man
in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ
Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working,
which worketh in me mightily" (Col. 1:25-29).
To Philemon, Paul simply wrote, "Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ,
and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and
fellow laborer . . . I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my
prayers . . .That the communication of thy faith may become effectual
by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus
. . . Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my
bowels in the Lord . . . The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with your spirit. Amen." (Philem. 1:1,4,6,20,25).
Notice, the secret is not the enhancement of the flesh and blood
circumstances (removal of the evil day, removal of the crooked and
perverse nation, removal of the status of being a slave). But, the
revelation of the essence of life--Christ in you, the hope of glory.
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