Bible Journaling: Philemon

In this short letter of Philemon, we will discover new ways to creatively journey through our Bibles. Pause for a moment and pray this prayer out loud: 

Holy Spirit, come

Breathe over me right now
Let me see something new about Your heart, God
As I read through this letter

Amen

For a broader view of this book of the Bible, we encourage you to watch this video:

Bible journaling tip: 

When we read the Bible, we can easily get bored, distracted, or just very confused by what we read. Have you ever considered that the location that you are reading in could have an influence? If you always read the Bible in bed it makes a lot of sense that you will fall asleep while reading. What is a space in your home or apartment that you can set aside as your ‘abiding zone’? How can you stimulate your other senses while you read? (smell: a candle, listen: worship music, etc.)

LOOK UP(information): encounter God through the Scripture 

Author:

This book has a unique backstory that is quite elaborate and intriguing. Paul is visited in prison by a person called Onesimus who tells Paul that he used to be a slave of one of Paul’s friends, Philemon, but he ran away. Paul sees this lays heavily on Onesimus’ heart so he does not only encourage him, and then shares the Gospel with him, but he also  promises to write a letter to Philemon. In the letter he would ask Philemon to forgive Onesimus and to take him back, not as a slave but as a friend and fellow believer.

Audience:

That means that the audience of this book is Philemon, and also all believers today. It teaches us about conflict resolution and Kingdom living in real tangible ways.

History:

1. Paul calls Onesimus his “son” in the faith. Where else in the Bible did we read a story about a prodigal son who ran away and who had to go back to ask for forgiveness and to set things right? 
2. Paul says that he will pay the price for Onesimus’ wrongs. Where else have we read about a Samaritan person who pays for another to stay at an inn and promises to cover their debts? 

Genre:

This is Paul’s shortest letter, but it is packed with deep meaning and revelation about the Gospel. The relationship between Philemon and Onesimus and Paul becomes a metaphor for our relationship with God and Jesus.

LOOK IN(revelation): contemplate / reflect on our own lives

Key verse:

Philemon 1:7 NIV

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord's people. 

Inspiration:

When we read this verse in Philemon, we can pause and ask ourselves what does it mean to have a refreshed heart? The opposite of it would be a tired, worn-out or troubled heart. When was the last time you experienced physically being refreshed by something? And, when did you feel refreshed after spending time with somebody? How can you leave people feeling refreshed after they’ve spent time with you?

LOOK OUT(transformation): respond with creative worship action  

Drawing prompt:

Philemon is the only letter of Paul where he does not explicitly mention the cross of Jesus, yet it is evident all throughout the letter because he is sharing the Gospel by his actions. In your Bible, using a light colour paint or pencil, create a cross that stands behind this letter. 

In that way, you will remember that the whole letter is built upon the cross and is a metaphor for the cross too.

Bible Journey with HolyJot:

Here are some questions / prompts provided by the HolyJot community. 

• What was Paul doing when he wrote this letter to Philemon? (Philemon 1:1)
• Where was the local group of Christians in Colosse meeting at for worship? (Philemon 1:2)
• In what way did Paul remember Philemon and the other believers? (Philemon 1:4)

Follow this link to dive into this book with an online Bible Study group.

Writing prompt:

Partnership (koinonia) is described by Paul in verse 6 - that is the key principle that the whole request in the book of Philemon is based on. “I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.” This word is also used in verse 17.

That we would not only think or dream as if we were partners in the Kingdom, but that it would be true in every expression of how we live faithfully to Christ’s message. For our writing prompt today, we are going to write down 10 ideas of what practical partnership with fellow believers can look like in our lives. Make sure to not write down hypotheticals, but only things that are probable and possible instead. 

Prayer:

God, I want to thank you for the book of Philemon. Teach me how I can show compassion and mercy like this in my daily life to those who deserve it because of the price you’ve paid for them! Let my response to this text be worship unto you!