Share Your Faith

A new year brings a fresh calendar and the possibility of improvement. Many of us will find our minds drawn to areas of our lives that we’d like to spend time developing in the coming year. I believe this reflection process should always begin by examining personal faith.

As we look into God’s Word with this message, we’ll consider ways that we share the faith with others. This is not a message about evangelism. We’ll study a letter from the Apostle Paul to a believer named Philemon about how to treat a slave named Onesimus who had come to faith after running away.

Paul was sending Onesimus home and wrote to prepare Philemon to receive him based on the faith they had in common rather than the differences in their social status. If he followed the cultural norms of the day around the master/slave relationship these differences allowed Philemon to punish Onesimus. Paul wanted Philemon to show a living faith and treat Onesimus as a respected brother.

We’ll see that our belief in Jesus as Lord and Saviour must define the way we relate to others, particularly those who also submit to Christ. This is what sharing in the faith requires from each of us, and this message will address issues at the heart of the uncommon community that God desires his church to experience.

Sermon Notes

Living Faith
Share Your Faith
Pastor Dwayne Francois
Philemon 1

December 29, 2019

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For the sake of Christ, share your faith by…

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acknowledging ministry (v. 1–7)

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seeking agreement (v. 8–9)

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mediating reconciliation (v. 10–16)

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anticipating adoption (v. 17–20)

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exceeding obedience (v. 21–25)