Philemon 1:1-5 - To the church that meets in your home

1:1-3

Paul was, as was often the case when he wrote his letters, in prison. The letter also comes from Timothy. The letter is addressed to Philemon, and also Apphia and Archippus. There are varying views on who the latter two people are, but it doesn’t really matter as Philemon is the primary recipient of the letter. It also seems that a church met in their house. As is the case in all his letters, Paul blesses them with “grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. As a rough guide, we should see God as our Father and Christ as our Lord.

1:4,5

Paul has already called Philemon a “dear friend and fellow worker”, he continues the praise. He thanks God for him in his prayers. Why, because he has heard about his love for all God’s holy people, and his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. What are the things we value in people? What do we pray for them? There is an awful lot that we can learn from Paul’s prayers.