July 2000 chaplain's corner

The Chaplain's Corner is a monthly message for chaplains.

For the next three or four Chaplain's Corner messages, I want to speak to you correctional chaplains from the letter of Paul to Philemon about how to

disciple a Christian inmate.

Apart from the general call for all believers in Christ to proclaim the gospel message to society (Matt. 28: 19,20 / Acts 1:8), and the Christian Minister's call to evangelize (2Tim.4:5), what biblical basis do we have for a prison or jail chaplaincy?

We must do what we do because the Bible says to do it. If there is no biblical direction or example, it isn't Christian ministry. I believe the emphasis Luke put on the Lord's love for and redemptive ministry to the outcasts of society, and then how Paul worked with Onesimus, as we shall see in the letter to Philemon, are the New Testament reasons for a ministry to civil lawbreakers.

It is important that we understand the Holy Spirit inspired letter of Paul to Philemon in it's historical and ministry context. We need to understand Paul was imprisoned for preaching the gospel. His imprisonment was in the capital city of the Empire, Rome. He was writing a man named Philemon, whoaccording to verse 19, he had led to faith in Christ. Philemon lived in the city of Closse, near the eastern end of the Empire.

He was writing Philemon to secure the forgiveness of his run away slave, aman that had also stolen something of value from him. The run away slave'sname was Onesimus. After his theft and departure from Colosse, he ended upin Rome as a fugitive. There, according to verses 10, 11 he had also beenbrought to spiritual life in Christ by God's Spirit through Paul's ministry - while Paul was chained to a Roman Praetorian Guard.

Rarely will any of us as a correctional chaplain even know both the criminal and their victim, much less, have been used to lead both to true faith in Christ. Yet, the way Paul worked with Onesimus as a new convert,does give us a pattern for a discipleship ministry in the life of those that have broken the law, and then, come to faith in Christ.

The letter to Philemon, just 25 verses in our Bible, has 3 parts:

1) verses 1-7 An introduction, stressing Paul's thankfulness for Philemon's

genuine faith in Christ.

2) verses 8-21 Paul's request to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus.

3) verses 22-25 A conclusion, with instructions, greetings and a blessing.

For the next three or four Chaplain's Corner messages, I want us to consider Paul's request in verses 8-21.

8 Therefore, though I might be very bold in Christ to command you what is fitting,

9 yet for love's sake I rather appeal to you - being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ -

10 I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains,

11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.

12 I am sendinghim back. * You therefore receive him, that is, my own heart,

13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel.

14 But without your consent I wanted to do nothing, that your good deed might not be by compulsion, as it were, but voluntary.

15 For perhaps he departed for a while for this purpose, that you might receive him forever,

16 no longer as a slave but more that a slave - a beloved brother, especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.

17 If then you count me as a partner, receive him as you would me.

18 But if he has wronged you or owes anything, put that on my account.

19 I, Paul, am writing with my own hand, I will repay - not to mention to you that you owe me even your own self besides.

20 Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord.

21 Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.

* verse 12 - NU text reads: "I am sending him back to you in person, that is, my own heart."

In discipleship, all new believers need to be taught about God, they need tobe taught to study and memorize the word, to develop a prayer life, to properly relate to others in the true body of Christ, and to be a witness for their Lord. But beyond that, and in considering the special circumstances of inmate that has professed saving faith in Christ as Lord, this letter to Philemon teaches they need to be shown God's love through your God-like love for them.

As we shall see in more detail in our next Chaplain's Corner; if at all possible, an offender needs to go back and make things right with those he or she has offended. I mention that now because it connects to this matter of love. You see, in Onesimus' case going back was extremely difficult. That's because in Roman law, the penalty for being a run away slave was death by crucifixion. Philemon could legally prosecute Onesimus and have him crucified. It didn't happen, but Onesimus didn't know for sure that it wouldn't happen. Some one said later, "Onesimus was probably the first man saved from a cross, by the cross."

I'm sure one of the things that encouraged the fugitive to follow Paul's instructions and turn himself in was the fact that he was sure Paul loved him and had his best eternal interests in mind. Look at verse 10 again "... my son, Onesimus." Although the primary meaning of those words is that Paul had begotten Onesimus in the faith, and that he was his spiritual son, comparison with verse 12 shows us Paul loved him as if he were a physical son. In verse 12 Paul called Onesimus "my own heart." Paul was always loving new converts that way. I Thess.2:7,8 states that Paul and his partners in ministry loved the believers as if they were their own newborn children.

1 Thess.2:7,8

7 But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes (lit. 'warms with body heat') her own children. 8 So, affectionately longing for you, we were well pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God, but also our own lives (or 'souls'), because you had become dear to us.

Loving the inmates doesn't ever mean condoning their sin, or helping them get away with crime. Proverbs 27:5,6 tell us: Open rebuke is better than lovecarefully concealed. Faithful are the wounds of a friend (one that loves) but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

We are to mirror God's love, which always seeks the best for His child. When they are out of line, God's love goes after them and brings them back tothe right way. So understand the first principle in discipling inmates we get from the letter to Philemon, is to love them to the point they know we do, and always seek their best. Ultimately their best means that they would have a pure and true walk with the Lord.

The second principle for discipling inmates from the letter to Philemon comes in verse 13.

13 whom I wished to keep with me, that on your behalf he might minister to me in my chains for the gospel.

We are to give the new believer ever increasing responsibility, or a ministry for the cause of the gospel. One word of warning: this does not mean giving them a title or an office in some sort of inmate church, like deacon or elder.

Too often chaplains have given certain inmates an office. Biblically they are not qualified yet for any New Testament office. The basic requirement for church leadership is that one be "above reproach" or "blameless" (1Tim.3:2). The word literally means "Having nothing for which he can be laid hold of, or arrested for." Obviously this is not talking about slanderous charges, but reality. Furthermore, 1 Tim.3:6 warns against a new believer being instated in office and then, being overcome with pride. Pride is one of the sins incarcerated men in particular struggle with the most. In the prison and jail culture any way to get "one up" on the other inmates is a great temptation.

But it is obvious from verse 13, that Paul had given Onesimus some responsibility, some tasks to perform, some service to render for the gospel cause. All God's born again children are saved to serve. In commenting on the conversion of the pagan people of ancient Thessalonica, Paul wrote: " A...you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God."(1Thess. 1.9)

In the Bible, all ministry for God is to be seen as an act of worship to God. Giving the inmate you are discipling ever increasing ministry opportunities strengthens their new identity in Christ and helps them feel beneficial and truly useful for a good cause. Paul even used a play on words to describe Onesimus' new life of service. Look at it in Philemon 11: 11 who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me.

You see the name Onesimus literally means "profitable or useful, beneficial." In his unsaved state Onesimus had been the opposite, he'd been "unprofitable" even hurtful and a liability, but after Christ came into his life, everything changed and he could actually be what his name meant, "profitable, helpful, beneficial and useful" for good.

Note those two little words "but now" in verse 11. They center on the new life found in Christ alone. Those two little words look back to the point of conversion and new birth, and the sure aftermath. Someone has rightly said- "There had better be a 'but now' in your life, or else you are still in your sin."

Before he knew Christ as his own Lord and Savior, Onesimus was incapable of not sinning, BUT AFTER Christ began to reign within, or as Paul wrote in the present tense from his own prison, BUT NOW, Onesimus with Christ as his Lord, was able for the very first time to do true righteous works for the glory of God and the advance of His gospel.

In Christ, even the vilest offender is completely made new. Apart from Christ living as Lord in the life, no real change for good can happen. Criminals can't be rehabilitated but they are re-created and regenerated and made new by the life transforming power of the resurrected Christ through Holy Spirit baptism into Christ at the point of their spiritual birth. 2 Cor. 5:17 says "...if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new."

And just like Onesimus was valuable for ministry after Christ dwelt in him, so too is any truly saved inmate. The chaplain must teach them this truth and give them opportunity to serve the gospel. Using God given wisdom and spending time with the inmate showing them how to perform a task that has spiritually beneficial effects, is very important.

This principle of giving them a ministry responsibility to perform coincides with the biblical teaching of sowing and reaping. Saved inmates often get discouraged and feel bad because they are reaping bad things from the bad seeds of sin they have sowed in the past. They need to be taught that with Christ empowering them for good, they can now sow new seeds by the Holy Spirit, in Christ-centered service, and reap God's reward in the future.

So we are reminded from the word of God in discipling Christian criminal offenders to: 1) Love them as our own dear children to the point they are assured of that love and 2) Get them involved in service for the furtherance of the gospel of Christ.

In our next Chaplain's Corner we'll see more from Philemon 11 - 16 on how correctional chaplains must also teach believing inmates to seek to make restitution and or a reconciliation with those they have wronged and, how they must be given a new identity.