Philemon is a Gentile believer in Colossae and is a leader of the house church (Phm. 1:1; cf. Col. 4:9). Onesimus was a runaway household slave who is being returned to Philemon by Paul, and is travelling together with Tychicus who carries the letter to the Colossians from Paul (Col. 4:7-9), and possibly the letter to Philemon as well. One of the purposes of the letter to the Colossians is therefore to prepare the church to receive Onesimus back into the community. Philemon, on the other hand, is a highly personal letter to Philemon about receiving his runaway slave back to his household. It deals with a delicate private matter with “explosive social consequences,” and is a classic case study on how personal relationships can be restored and renewed by the reconciliatory work of Jesus Christ, of the subsequent impact to the community, and to worldly customs and values.