Borgman, D. (1990). Philemon. S. Hamilton, MA: Center for Youth Studies.

OVERVIEW

This discussion attempts to apply the book of Philemon to real struggles for today's kids.

Imagine that you have made some serious mistakes in your life. Perhaps you harmed someone and committed a capital offense. You may have burglarized someone and left them severely injured. Were you to become a Christian, what do you think you would do? You have witnessed to someone about Jesus Christ, and they have accepted Him. Then, you find out that this person had raped a friend of yours, or had robbed and injured someone in your family. How would you react?

A STUDY OF PHILEMON

• Why was the book of Philemon written?
• What kind of literature is this book?
• What does St. Paul say in Philemon 1-3? Philemon 4-7? Philemon 8-22? Philemon 23-25?
• How did Jesus Christ change the relationship between Paul and Onesimus? Paul and Philemon? Onesimus and Philemon?
• Describe a useless person. How could someone prove as useless to you as Onesimus was to Philemon?
• How can Christ make such a person useful or beneficial to you? (Note that the name Onesimus means useful or beneficial. Also consider how Paul plays on the meaning of the name in Philemon 11 and Philemon 20.)
• What is the main lesson from the book of Philemon for you? What specific lesson can you apply to your own life these days?