[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_text _id=”4″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”5″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”6″ ][cs_element_image _id=”7″ ][cs_element_text _id=”8″ ][cs_element_line _id=”9″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”10″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”11″ ][cs_element_image _id=”12″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”13″ ][cs_element_text _id=”14″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”15″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”16″ ][x_gap size=”100px”][cs_element_text _id=”18″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”19″ ][cs_element_image _id=”20″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”21″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”22″ ][x_gap size=”100px”][cs_element_text _id=”24″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”25″ ][cs_element_image _id=”26″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”27″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”28″ ][x_gap size=”100px”][cs_element_text _id=”30″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”31″ ][cs_element_image _id=”32″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”33″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”34″ ][cs_element_button _id=”35″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”36″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”37″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”38″ ][cs_element_content_area _id=”39″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”40″ ][cs_element_content_area _id=”41″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”42″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”43″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”44″ ][cs_element_text _id=”45″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”46″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”47″ ][cs_element_video _id=”48″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”49″ ][cs_element_video _id=”50″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][cs_element_section _id=”51″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”52″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”53″ ][cs_element_content_area _id=”54″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][cs_element_layout_row _id=”55″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”56″ ][cs_element_content_area _id=”57″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”58″ ][cs_element_text _id=”59″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content][cs_content_seo]Bible Story

 Brothers in Christ
Paul was a prisoner under house arrest in Rome when a man named Onesimus (oh NESS ih muhs) came to visit him. Onesimus was a slave who had run away from a wealthy man named Philemon. As it turned out, Paul was a friend of Philemon. So when Paul told Onesimus the good news about Jesus and Onesimus believed, Paul desired forgiveness and reconciliation between Onesimus and Philemon—now brothers in Christ.
So Paul wrote a letter and told Onesimus to take it to Philemon. The Book of Philemon is the letter written by Paul to Philemon. Though Onesimus had become dear to him and Paul wanted Onesimus to stay with him in Rome, Paul sent him back to Philemon with his letter.
In the letter, Paul urged Philemon to show kindness to Onesimus and treat him as a fellow brother in Christ. Paul even offered to pay Onesimus’s debt for him. Though Paul could have used his authority as an apostle of Christ to force Philemon to do what he wanted, Paul instead appealed to him as a friend and a fellow believer. He urged Philemon to treat Onesimus as if he were Paul himself—with love and kindness.
Paul offered to pay Onesimus’s debt to make peace between him and Philemon. In this way, Paul acted like Jesus, who makes peace between God and humanity. Jesus took the punishment we deserve for our sin, paying our debt so that we can be forgiven and welcomed into God’s family as brothers and sisters of Jesus. (See Heb. 2:11.)
Paul’s letter serves as a reminder to us that everyone is equal before Jesus. People from completely different backgrounds—like Paul, a former Jewish leader; Onesimus, a runaway slave; and Philemon, a Gentile slavemaster—are brought together by the gospel under the lordship of Jesus Christ. In light of God’s love for us, we can be loving, kind, and forgiving to our brothers and sisters in Christ for the glory of God.
Paul offered to pay Onesimus’ debt to make peace between him and Philemon. In this way, Paul acted like Jesus, who makes peace between God and man. Jesus took the punishment we deserve for our sin. He paid our debt so that we can be forgiven and welcomed by God.
 

 
Brothers in Christ
(Philemon)
Paul offered to pay Onesimus’ debt to make peace between him and Philemon. In this way, Paul acted like Jesus, who makes peace between God and man. Jesus took the punishment we deserve for our sin. He paid our debt so that we can be forgiven and welcomed by God.
 

STORY POINT:

KEY VERSE:

BIG PICTUREQUESTION:

CLICK HERE To Watch the Story

Family Discussion Questions

Who can join the family of God?
How should we treat believers?
Why does God want us to treat one another with love?

Worship

Game Idea

Glow In the Dark
 

 -Provide a variety of glow-in-the-dark objects you can find around the home.
-Invite the kids to play with the objects.

-Occasionally dim or turn out the lights so the kids can see how brightly the items glow and how quickly they fade.

 
CONNECTION:
Glow-in-the-dark objects cannot shine unless they absorb the light-energy of other sources of light. Even after absorbing that energy, they quickly give off all the light they were able to store. In a way, these objects can help us think about the way we“shine” for Jesus. We cannot give off any light apart from Jesus. In our story, Jesus showed His glory to Peter, James, and John, and it shone as bright as the sun. When we believe the truth of the gospel, it transforms our lives so that we become lights in the world. But how brightly we shine depends a lot on how much time we spend with Jesus, the source of our light. We study our Bibles, pray, and fellowship with other believers to help us grow in our relationship with Jesus, so that we can shine His light onto everyone we meet.[/cs_content_seo]