Verse of the day: The church in your house. (Filemón 2)
Is there a church in your house? Are they all parents, children, friends, staff members of this church? Or are some still unconverted? How a father would rejoice intensely and a mother’s eyes would fill with holy tears, if all the people in her household were saved, from young to old. Let us pray for this great mercy, until the Lord grants it to us. Perhaps Philemon’s greatest desire was to save his entire family. However, this wish was not fully fulfilled at first. Philemon had an impious servant, Onesimus, who, committing an offense against his master, fled from his service. But Philemon’s prayers accompanied the servant; and, as God willed, Onesimus was led to listen to Paul’s preaching. His heart was transformed; He returned to Philemon, not only to be a faithful servant, but also a beloved brother, thus adding another member to Philemon’s house church. Are there still any unconverted family members away from home? Make special calls on your behalf so that you can return home, rejoicing all hearts with the good news of what God’s grace has accomplished! Is there an unsaved person in the house today? Oh! May she be the target of these pleas! If there is a church in your house, put it in order. Do the ordinary activities of life with holiness, diligence, kindness, and sincerity. However, a church involves more than normal family activities. In this case, the family worship should be more dedicated and sincere. Love between family members should be more intense and firm, and conduct outside the home should be more sanctified and Christlike. We need not fear that the small number of our members will remove us from the list of churches, as the Holy Spirit has inscribed, in this case, the family church in the inspired memorial. As a church, let us draw near to the great leader of the one church and ask for the grace to shine before men for the glory of his name.