If Paul were to live today.......
Paul's personal care and love for a single person!Though Paul wrote epistles to many churches, he wrote epistles to individuals like Timothy, Titus and Philemon. This shows the apostle Paul cared for individuals in the same manner as he cared for the churches of God. These days, we find that many evangelists and other ministers did not care for individuals because they have had their big establishments where they engaged staff to scan their letters, emails, etc. The staff would decide for themselves which letters or emails should be put up to their boss. If they received letters enclosing cheques or offerings for their ministries, the staff would immediately acknowledge such communications and inform their bosses; then their bosses would sign the replies to such donors. If the staff received letters seeking financial help or any other prayer request, they dispose of such communications at their level because probably they have received such instructions from their boss. Then the staff on their own send out printed letters with some standard messages to those who have sent merely prayer requests. In his epistle to Philemon, Paul reveals his love for this single person who had refreshed the bowels of the saints including himself. Philemon ministered to many saints of God including Paul for which Paul acknowledged with gratitude the ministry of Philemon "toward all the saints"(Vs.4&7). Paul in his epistle commends his son in Christ, Onesimus, whom he had begotten in his bonds. Onesimus, a servant of Philemon, had defrauded the latter and forsaken him. Then Onesimus was saved through the ministry of Paul. Paul now sends him to Philemon beseeching the latter to accept his spiritual son, "not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh and in the Lord?" (Vs.16). Paul asks Philemon to count "me therefore a partner" and to "receive him as myself" (Vs.17). According to Paul, Philemon must receive Onesimum in the same manner as he received Paul. In other words, there should not a different yardstick of treatment for a person who had defrauded a minister of God like Philemon.
Paul tells Philemon that he was prepared to restore to him whatever was defrauded by Onesimus. "I will repay it; albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides" (Vs.19). According to Paul, Philemon was dearer to him than his money.
How much Paul loved Philemon and Onesimus! Paul, though in his prison, chose to write a personal letter of comfort and of edification to Philemon, a single person by his own hand.
Today, the establishments of various ministers stand in the way of their reaching out to the individual sheep whom they are supposed to tend for. In fact, the establishments with all its modern communications have not brought these ministers very close to their sheep but have separated them from their fellowship. The establishments of such ministers have become corrupt thesedays because the Babylonian system has pervaded their establishments. They are more interested in selling their products to their sheep.
The ministry of the Holy Ghost is perfect but the establishments through which they perform their ministries have become corrupt.
If Paul were to live today, he would have raised up many Ephaphras's, Timothys, Philemons, Titus's, etc. Paul would have thus raised up an army of soldiers of Christ in every town, in every nation, in every continent, by making use of the modern transport and communication facilities. Paul or his fellow laborers (and not any "subordinate staff") would have been always available to the people they ministered. They would not be needing any staff to dispose off the communications they received from the people to whom they ministered. Each communication would be read and personally attended to. No standard reply would be sent to them. Thesedays, we find the T.V. ministers place their hands on the bunch of letters received from the people and pray without opening these precious letters sent to them.
- Job Anbalagan