My Onesimus

It was few months ago that the Lord spoke to me concerning Onesimus and the beauty of the New Man wherein all the believers in Christ are equal. In the book of Philemon we see what Paul said about Onesimus to Philemon.

Verse 10: I entreat you concerning my child, whom I have begotten in my bonds, Onesimus,

The name in Greek means profitable, useful, helpful; it was a common name for slaves. He was Philemon's purchased bondslave, who, according to Roman law, had no human rights. He ran away from his master, thus committing a crime punishable by death. While he was in prison at Rome with the apostle, he was saved through him. Now the apostle sent him back with this Epistle to his master. 

Verse 11: Who formerly was useless to you but now is useful both to you and to me.

Then in verse 16: No longer as a slave, but above  a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

This short Epistle serves the special purpose of showing us the equality, in God's eternal life and divine love, of all the members in the Body of Christ. In the semisavage age of Paul, the life of Christ had annulled, among the believers, the strong institution of slavery. Since the sentiment of the love of the Christian fellowship was so powerful and prevailing that the evil social order among fallen mankind was spontaneously ignored, any need for institutional emancipation was obviated. Because of the divine birth and because they were living by the divine life, all the believers in Christ had equal status in the church, which was the new man in Christ and in which there was no discrimination between free and bond (Col. 3:10-11). This was based on three facts: (1) Christ's death on the cross abolished the ordinances of the different ways of life, for the creating of the one new man (Eph. 2:15); (2) we all were baptized into Christ and were made one in Him without any differences (Gal. 3:27-28); and (3) in the new man Christ is all and in all (Col. 3:11). 

There had been a consideration within me for many months when one brother had to be substituted of his service as he would be trained in truth and life for at least two years. This gap could be filled not so easily by anyone as most of the services are very down to earth minial, domestic, and mostly like a daily household chore type. And to bring in a trained person in truth may not be very wise when there are so many need for such ones to be in the propagation of the Lord's move. 

My first consideration was one of the brothers who used to lived with me and did not have much positive testimony. However, knowing some of the things he had been into in the past, I myself was restrained. Nevertheless, I brought this matter before the Lord in prayer again and again. My main concern was that this might be the best opportunity for him be be fully recovered back in life and in service.

I made the proposal initially indirectly, but it did not work out. At one point of time, my heart ached as I reckon this as a disqualification to him. But last month when I was in the North East, Guwahati, for the propagation of the minsitry of the Word, he was there too. I waited and prayed for the proper time to fellowship with him. One dinner, I finally got to fellowship with him, and mentioned to him my burden for giving him one more chance which he could grasped and take it positively for his recovery in life and service. Though he did mention his concern about his past life and how would the saints or other brothers feel as he did not lead a good testimony, my impromptu reply was, "I will take the responsibility upon me, either for good for bad", I just said it by faith. For by this time, I have learnt that one must be able to take risk, bear responsibility for the sake of the weaker saints, that they may be encouraged, strengthened and be recovered fully for the Lord's testimony. Neither him nor I made any decison, but we prayed and left the matter to the Lord. I only told him to pray, fellowship with his family and confirm later. With all sincerity and purity, I left the matter to the Lord. If it is truly of the Lord, it sill transpire.

Days and weeks had elapsed since then, and finally he called me to say that he had decided to come. To me that was the Lord's mercy. I fellowshipped with my wife the arrangement for him to stay with us and be a part of our family, which she gradually agreed. Then he came, and indeed he is becoming a blessing, to fill the gap officially and also to be a part of our family. 

Like Onesimus to Paul and Philemon, so far, he has been so profitable. Only the Lord has to grace all of us to be profitable to one another. In fact, when I was considering him before he decided to come, the Lord personally spoke to me twice concerning him. First time was when I ministered on the book of Philemon to the serving ones in our literature office in Gurgaon, and then when I ministered again on the same topic to our propagation team in Guwahati. The inner speaking of the Lord to me was, this brother is an Onesimus to me, and I must recommend him as Paul did, and receive him as Philemon did. I functioned as a double role of Paul and Philemon concerning this brother, who is now my Onesimus. 

God bless my Onesimus and make him profitable, useful and helpful as the name is. And that, "Who formerly was useless to you but now is useful both to you and to me."