PAUL MEETS THE PRODIGAL Salvation of a runaway slave (Preached in Tavistock FPC, 8th Nov '09) In this little epistle written from prison Paul gives us some details of himself. He says that he is Paul the "aged" and that he is a "prisoner" of Jesus Christ (verse 9). Many miles had been covered by Paul as a gospel preacher. Even in his old age he is still the soul winner, v10. In this verse we meet the central character of the epistle - ONESIMUS. In Luke's gospel chapter 15, the Lord tells us the parable of the prodigal. (How accurate are the parables.) Paul here writes about a real life prodigal. Onesimus was a slave belonging to Philemon, the friend of Paul. A careful study of what Paul tells us gives us the full story.