When Paul sent the runaway slave Onesimus back to his master Philemon...

This is a letter of intercession from Paul regarding the return of the runaway slave Onesimus to his master, Philemon.

...If a runaway slave were found and sent back to his master, what severe punishment awaited him?

...Onesimus must have been truly terrified of being sent back.

...He fled out of fear of his master, but was caught... In prison, he met Paul... He was saved and changed.

...Saved, Onesimus served Paul as he would serve the Lord.
This must have been a great joy for Paul, who was imprisoned.
...He called him "my son Onesimus, born in prison,"
"He is my heart itself."
...Paul gave him his seal of approval...Onesimus had changed so much that he was trusted.

…Those who were once useless…were transformed into useful ones❗️
…God's gospel has the power to change people❗️
It has the power to make people humble❗️
It makes them want to serve others.

…Once…😥
We too were spiritually useless, but
we were saved by the redemption of the cross✝️ of the Lord Jesus Christ.

…Let us renew our hearts this morning and walk forward so that we may trust in the Lord❗️

Shalom😃

This page archives a Morning Word message shared by Pastor Peter Sunagawa on LINE. The English prose is a translation of the Japanese source message. For Scripture wording, use the BSB link above.