Learn about Christ by giving to others

Paul concludes his description of Philemon with words that simply are inspiring, about what God's grace can do in the lives of people like you and me. He says, The hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you (Philemon 1:7). What a thing to be said of someone. Now, you know, the saints are all God's people, the holy ones set apart by God's grace to a life of sanctification through the indwelling Holy Spirit. And what a wonderful description of any of us that their hearts should be refreshed through us. Now, the word refresh literally refers to a physical rest from arduous work. But spiritually, Paul is talking about alleviating distress, about encouraging those who are downcast. Is there a more lovely description to which we should aspire than that holy hearts are refreshed through us?

Now Paul may be referring to how Philemon has opened up his home, maybe at some risk to himself, certainly to his social standing, in order that spiritually needy people can hear the saving good news of Jesus Christ. Or maybe Paul is referring to acts of generosity from Philemon and that have relieved anxiety or distress or suffering. The circumstances vary. But each of us can so live that the hearts of people around us are refreshed. Where are the weary? Where are the discouraged? Where are the downcast, the anxious and the lonely, my friends— they are all around us. The best way of course, to refresh the weary is to tell them, or remind them if they already know, of God's love for us in Jesus Christ, and then to act on that love. It is interesting that the very word Paul uses here of Philemon saying the hearts of the saints had been refreshed by you is the word that Jesus used to say, Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28): I will refresh you . Well, because Philemon has refreshed the hearts of the saints, that is why Paul is so confident that he is going to go on and live more fully in light of the gospel. That tells us that when we not only profess the message of Jesus, but we actually internalize its truth into our hearts into our thinking, our actions, we begin to start living according not to the world's rules, but according to the rule of love and the grace of God in Christ, you know who the first one who is blessed is us. That is what is going on with Philemon and he is going to be blessed. If he thinks again, in light of God's grace, William Barclay comments on what it will mean for us, if we live out the fellowship of faith so as to grow in the knowledge of the good things of Christ. Let me conclude with these words. He says that it means that we will learn about Christ by giving to others. It means that by emptying ourselves, we will be filling ourselves with Christ. It means that by being open- handed in generosity, we are finding the surest way to learn more and more the wealth of Christ.¹

Richard D. Phillips