Just a Member
Notes
Transcript
Just a Member
Philippians 2:25-30
In chapter two Paul gives three examples for the church to follow.
The first is Christ- He is our Savior. He is the ultimate example for the believer.
The second is Timothy. He was a pastor. He was a young man who genuinely cared for the church.
The third example is Epaphroditus. We don’t know a lot about this man. It appears he was not an elder. He was not a deacon. He was not an evangelist. There is no title attached to his name. He was just a member of the church.
As Baptists we believe in the priesthood of the believer. That means we believe every Christian can be used by God in a great way.
That’s important because I have heard people use the phrase “I’m just a member” to excuse themselves from being part of the solution to a struggling church.
Too often we give a preacher too much credit or too much blame. Find a church where the members take their relationship with God seriously and you will see a church that is filled with the Spirit of God.
Committed church members can make a mediocre preacher seem like a great one.
Uncommitted church members can make a good preacher seem like a bad one.
In the average church there is only:
One preacher
Few deacons
There are a lot of folks who are “just a member”. This morning I want to show you four characteristics of an excellent church member from the life of Epaphroditus.
1. A servant in the local church (25).
A. The church at Philippi wanted to help Paul.
Paul had needs. He was under house arrest over 600 miles away in Rome. He was having to pay rent for this home as well (Acts 28:30).
I don’t know what would have happened if he couldn’t pay the rent but it’s possible he would have been moved to a Roman prison. For two years he had to pay for this house. The church at Philippi helped Paul out financially. In fact, at one point they were the only church helping him (4:15).
They also knew Paul needed ministering to on an emotional and spiritual level. He was a man. He got frustrated. He needed to be encouraged.
Notice what Paul calls Epaphroditus at the end of verse 25 “your messenger and minister to my need.” Word had traveled to this church that Paul had needs and they planned to help him.
B. They elected Epaphroditus to be their representative.
We’re not sure how this happened. Maybe there was a committee. I don’t know. But somehow the church elected Epaphroditus to be their representative to Paul. No doubt there would have been qualifications.
Spiritually mature enough to minister to Paul. What a humbling thing to minister to him!
Healthy enough to make the trip. This is over 600 miles away and he’s going to have to cross the Adriatic Sea as well.
Trusted enough to carry money.
C. Epaphroditus was willing to meet the need of the church.
He had to be willing. They couldn’t make him go.
Listen to me:
Every coach needs a team
Every general needs an Army
Every church needs members.
We can have all the buildings in the world but we’ll get nothing done without servants in the local church.
What Epaphroditus signed up to do wasn’t easy. It would take months.
He would walk the roads.
He would sail the seas.
He would be in danger of the elements and robbery.
You think about that. What if we put up a sign-up sheet and said “We need someone to carry a package on foot 600 miles to a guy in jail.” How many spots you think we need to put on that sheet?
20?
10?
5?
1?
The good news is it’s not nearly that difficult to be a servant in your church. There are simple things that need to be done.
2. A blessing to spiritual leaders (25).
A. Epaphroditus was saved.
That’s important. He had a radical salvation. His name means “Beloved of Aphrodite.” His parents named him after a false goddess. They were committed pagans.
Aren’t you glad the grace of God can find you no matter where you were born?
What does it take to be an excellent church member?
All it takes is Jesus. When God saves you, He transforms you and He fills you with His power.
It’s important that we have the example of Epaphroditus because the other examples in this book might seem unattainable for us.
We obviously can’t be Jesus.
You might think you can’t be like Paul because he was an Apostle.
You might think you can’t be like Timothy because he was a pastor.
But Paul would have been nothing had he not been saved.
Timothy would have been nothing had he not been saved.
Epaphroditus has no title, no degree, no rich Jewish culture to lean on. He’s just an ordinary old pagan until Jesus shows up and saves him.
I’m glad Epaphroditus is mentioned because it reminds us that we are what we are by the grace of God.
Are you saved?
If you are you can be an excellent church member.
Do you know what goldy church leaders are looking for in church members?
They are looking for saved people. That’s all the need to have a great church. They just need people have been saved by the grace of God!
B. Epaphroditus was a brother to Paul (25).
“My brother”
Paul had likely just met him.
Paul was Jewish Epaphroditus was Greek.
Paul saw him as his brother.
In Christianity there are no cousins, aunts, uncles, nephews,
nieces, grandparents, just brothers and sisters.
We share the same Father.
“Brother” is a term of endearment. When I call you brother or sister, I’m saying I love you.
It is imperative that as Christians, we treat one another like brothers and sisters. We are to have that kind of love for one another.
You know what I think Epaphroditus called Paul? I think he called him brother.
I don’t think Paul said, “When you address me call me The Apostle Paul”.
Paul’s ego wasn’t that big.
Brother or sister means we are equal in Christ.
This is a key to being an excellent church member. Treat your church family like brothers and sisters and treat them equally. Love them and honor them as family.
C. Epaphroditus was a fellow worker (25).
Paul recognized Epaphroditus was not lazy. He worked. Paul was a worker himself. He respected a hard worker. Notice again the language of equality “fellow worker”.
These two men worked alongside one another.
They were digging the same ditches.
They were hoeing the same ground.
They were planting the same seeds.
They worked together. This is what an excellent church member does.
We’re not trying to dream up some new thing to do for God.
We are working together with the people of God for the glory of God.
An excellent church member seldom says “I”. The excellent church member says “We”. If you’re working alone, you are doing it wrong. Christianity is a together religion.
The Bible describes us as:
A body
An army
A kingdom
A family
We are called to work together with the people in our church for the glory of God.
D. Epaphroditus was a fellow soldier (25).
The Christian faith is a battlefield.
We’re fighting our own flesh.
We ‘re fighting the forces of darkness.
We’re fighting worldly ideologies
Thou therefore endure hardness as a good
Soldier of Jesus Christ. 2 Tim. 2:3
I have fought a good fight I have finished
My course I have kept the faith. 2 Tim. 4:7
Epaphroditus was fighting side by side with Paul.
We’re not called to fight one another. We are called to fight alongside one another. An excellent church member:
Fights the flesh!
Fights false teaching!
Fights the devil!
He was a blessing to spiritual leaders like Paul.
He was saved!
He treated church members like family!
He worked hard for the Lord!
He fought the good fight!
3. An example of sacrificial love (26-27).
A. After Epaphroditus left Philippi he became deathly sick.
It could have been on the journey to Rome or after he arrived. We don’t know what was wrong with him. All we know is he was a very sick man.
Three times Paul says he was sick.
He was ill (26)
He was indeed ill (27)
He was near to death (27)
Here this man is hundreds of miles away from home and probably the sickest he’s ever been in his life.
Not just a cold
Not just a stomachache
Paul was a witness to how sick this man was. Paul tells them that Epaphroditus was at deaths door.
This reminds us that you can be right in the center of God’s will and still get sick. Being sick doesn’t mean God is mad at you. Being sick doesn’t mean you’re in sin. Sometimes sickness is for our own growth and to teach others something.
Epaphroditus had no idea that his story would be recorded in the Bible and he would be an encouragement to believers of all generations.
His devotion would not inspire Paul, the Philippians. It inspires us this morning.
B. Epaphroditus concern was the church.
Look at verse 26. “He has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.”
He didn’t even want the church to know he was sick because he didn’t want them worrying about him. He may have even thought they might demand he come home. This man cared more about the church than he did his own life.
How did the church find out he was sick? Epaphroditus didn’t tell them. Someone got word to the church.
Let me give you a couple of thoughts on why Epaphroditus may have been so secretive about his sickness:
1) He had been entrusted with a job and he planned to finish it. This was the type of man he was. The church trusted him to do something, and he would do it or die trying.
2) He didn’t want the church to spend time worrying about him. Some folks like you to worry about them. They tell you everything that is wrong with them and everything that might be wrong with them.
When Epaphroditus found out the church knew he was sick he was upset. Verse 26 says “For he has been longing for you all and has been distressed BECAUSE you heard he was ill.”
The word “distressed” is the same word used of Jesus when He was anticipating His crucifixion and said “My soul is greatly grieved to the point of death. (Matt. 26:37)”
It’s a strong Greek word used to describe emotional turmoil. It truly broke his heart they found out he had been sick. He was more concerned about them worrying about him than he was his own life.
That fellow loved his church!
C. God healed Epaphroditus.
He didn’t heal him through a miraculous touch by the Apostle Paul. Paul was worried the man would die. Paul said when God healed Epaphroditus the Lord had mercy on him too.
That means Paul was worried he would die. The healing was not immediate. I can imagine Paul praying for this man.
“O Lord don’t let him die! This church has been good to me! This man came to my aid!”
If he died in Rome he probably wouldn’t have a proper funeral. The ocean separated him from his family and his church. Paul would have written a totally different letter to the Philippians had Epaphroditus died.
“I have bad news! The great man of God you sent has died!”
We lost a brother!
We lost a worker!
We lost a soldier!
Paul said if Epaphroditus had died he would have had sorrow upon sorrow.
Thank God the Lord healed him. Can you imagine the story this worker had to tell when he got home? He would give God the praise for sparing him.
The important thing is had God not healed him, Epaphroditus would have still praised Him. This man didn’t blame God when he got sick. He didn’t scream “Not fair!”
But God did heal him. Paul seems to be happier than Epaphroditus that he did. What an example of sacrificial love from this church member.
4. He was willing to go the extra mile (28-30).
A. He is sent home.
What’s amazing is Epaphroditus didn’t throw in the towel. He is ready to die in the ring. Paul has to send him home. Look at verse 28.
The church sent him to Rome
Paul had to send him home
Most of us would be ready to jump on the first flight back to Philippi. Not this man. He would have stayed longer but Paul insisted he go home. Paul insisted for a couple of reasons:
So that the church would be relieved. “that you may rejoice at seeing him again.”
So that he would be relieved. Paul felt bad because he knew the church was worried about him. “that I may be less anxious.”
Neither of those reasons were for Epaphroditus sake. This shows how selfless he was.
The church said go and he went.
Paul said go back and he returned.
This is a selfless man.
He is a model to every:
Sunday School teacher
Committee member
Deacon
Pastor
Ministry leader
If the church entrusts you with a job, do it for the glory of God until the church has to stop you!
B. He nearly died for the work of Christ (29).
There are people who say they would die for Christ. I’m not so sure how many would. Epaphroditus did not almost die as a martyr. He almost died because he was so committed to the work of Christ.
The average Baptist doesn’t do enough work for Christ to work up a sweat much less die of exhaustion.
If this man had died when he stood before the Lord he could have truly said “Lord, I did what I could for you.”
He risked his life. He could have quit. He could have said he couldn’t do anymore. No one would have blamed him.
Notice the end of verse 30: “to complete what was lacking in your service to me.”
What does that mean?
The church gathered the money. Without this great man of God they couldn’t get the money to Paul and they couldn’t personally minister to him.
It’s good to have buildings.
It’s good to have money.
But we must have people to do the work of the ministry as well.
That’s the hardest part. It’s easier to give than go.
In the early church there were a group of people called The Parabolani. The word comes from the Greek word translated “risking” in verse 30. In English the Parabolani translates to “The Gamblers”. Here’s what they did:
They visited prisoners and ministered to those who had dangerous and contagious diseases. They put themselves in immediate danger for the work of the Lord. They risked their lives for the work of Christ. This group used Epaphroditus as their example.
That is commitment.
C. He was to be honored.
Paul said, “honor such men”. That means Epaphroditus and people like him.
I’ve seen the church elevate people they shouldn’t.
We put their name on a plaque because they gave some money.
We put them in an office because of who they are and not how they serve.
Who should we honor in the church?
Who should we follow in the church?
Those who go the extra mile!
It’s not what you do in the church but how well you do it.
God doesn’t hand out warm body awards.
Whatever we do we are to do with all our might!
Jesus said if someone asks you to go one mile, go two!
More than looking to a man like Epaphroditus we are to look to Jesus!
He didn’t almost die for the church. He did die for the church!
He was chosen and sent by the Father!
He made the long journey to this earth!
He ministered to us!
He brought us the riches of heaven!
Just before He was crucified, He said “Weep not for Me!”
He died for our sins!
He rose again!
He did what no one in the church could do!
One day He will return to us and we will rejoice!
Just a member! Yes, you are just a member. But you can:
Be a servant in your local church.
Be a blessing to spiritual leaders.
Be an example of sacrificial love.
Go the extra mile.