I do wish, brother, that I may have some benefit from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask. And one thing more: Prepare a guest room for me, because I hope to be restored to you in answer to your prayers.

--Parallel verses:
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭14‬-‭18‬
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4‬:‭3‬
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Paul now comes to his strong call for action. Earlier in this book, he has recognized Philemon as a refresher of people. He recognized his strong faith and faithfulness to the church. He also reminds him that he invested heavily in his spiritual growth and even saved his life. And he mentioned that Onesimus is a changed man with Jesus Christ, and has served Paul well.

It is not lost on me that Paul had a rift with John Mark for deserting him. Barnabus took him with him to minister. Later, we find John Mark back with Paul, presumably reconciled. God grew Paul in this process. And now he is the one encouraging the reconciliation he himself had to grow to experience. This may be why the reconciliation between these two men weighs heavy on the heart of Paul. And unreconciled relationships between brothers and sisters in Christ weighs heavily on the heart of God, as well.

New Testament scripture is chock full of commands to not repay evil for evil. We are called to be gracious and uplift those who have decided to turn to follow Jesus. Dealing with the owner/slave issue, Paul makes a strong case that the benefit Philemon will gain from Onesimus (being in his church) as a brother and fellow servant in Christ will be much stronger than the benefit he gained when he was a slave. Why? Because the unity of the Spirit of God in the church is a force-multiplier for good.

Paul realizes that both Philemon and Onesimus will grow in Christ as they grow through forgiveness of each other. So he closes this out with confidence that not only will his request be obeyed, but it will be exceeded!

Lord, thank you for this example by Paul of a strong call to action, expertly crafted. He calls out the strength of Philemon’s ministry and his gifts of ministry, and then makes a call to reconcile with those very same gifts. May I also be quick to forgive and reconcile!