Servant Leadership: Epaphroditus

This morning we are continuing our series in the book of Philippians. This is a letter from the apostle Paul to the church that he started in the city of Philippi. They were so grateful for bringing the gospel to them, that they faithfully supported him so that he could bring the gospel to others.

About 4/5 years after planting the church in Philippi, Paul was arrested for preaching about Jesus. Because of their relationship, the Philippians felt burdened to help Paul, so they decided to send him some money to help with his expenses as well as Epaphroditus to be of service to him.

Today we pick up in the part of the letter where Paul is informing the Philippians of why he is sending Epaphroditus back to them. It’s instructive for us because Paul recommends him as a faithful servant worthy of honour. We learn what it means to be a servant leader as we look at the life of Epaphroditus.

Let’s begin by reading Philippians 2:25—30.

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Philippians 2:25–27 ESV

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need, for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

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Philippians 2:28–30 ESV

I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

The first thing we will see in our text this morning is…

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The Faithfulness of Epaphroditus

Epaphroditus is a godly example of service and submission. We see his faithfulness in verse 25.

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Philippians 2:25 ESV

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,

EXPLANATION

Paul expressed his desire to come and see the Philippians but he could not because he was in prison. He also couldn’t send Timothy because he still needed his help.

Now Paul tells them that he has sent Epaphroditus back to them. Epaphroditus very likely carried this letter back with him and delivered it to the Philippians himself, so they would have seen him before they would have know why Paul had sent him back, but the letter explains why Paul chose to send Epaphroditus back to them.

But first he affirms Epaphroditus as his brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier.

Paul didn’t want them to think he was sending him back because he was unhappy with his work. So he seeks first to mind their minds at ease.

Let’s look a little closer at how Paul affirms the faithful example of Epaphroditus.

First Paul calls him…

“my brother”

The word “brother” here, is the same word used to describe two children who have the same parents.

Here Paul is using it to describe the close bond between believers in Christ.

This bond is based on our affection for Jesus.

Children born as the result of the same parent or parents, are siblings by blood.

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As Christians, we too have a relationship with one another by blood… the blood of Jesus Christ.

Paul refers to Epaphroditus as his brother in Christ.

Then he refers to him as…

a “fellow worker”

During his ministry, Paul had those whom he had to part ways with because they had abandoned the faith.

Epaphroditus was not like that. He was a faithful worker for the cause of Christ, and Paul here commends him as a fellow worker, striving together for the same goal of making Christ known.

Lastly, Paul calls him…

a “fellow soldier”

A soldier is someone who serves in an army; someone engaged in military service.

Why would Paul use example of a soldier?

Later in Paul’s life, after being released from prison, he would leave Timothy in Ephesus to lead a church. In our Bibles, we have two letters that Paul wrote to Timothy to encourage him as he served that church, and in the second letter, which is called 2 Timothy, Paul uses the example of a soldier as well. He says…

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2 Timothy 2:3–4 ESV

Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

A soldier does not concern himself with civilian pursuits, because that would be to seek his own growth and advancement. A soldier’s only aim is to please the one who enlisted him.

ILLUSTRATION

This week I read an article on Career Trend, explaining the duties of a soldier in the United States Army. Mike Parker shares these 5 basic duties of a soldier:

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Basic Duties of a Soldier

Obedience to Orders

All soldiers have a moral and legal obligation or duty to obey the lawful orders of the officers and leaders appointed over them.

Performance

All soldiers have a moral and legal obligation to perform each task assigned by those in authority over them to the best of their ability.

Teamwork

All soldiers have a moral and legal obligation to work as a part of the team to accomplish all assigned tasks. They must be willing to assume leadership responsibilities when called upon to do so.

Appearance

All soldiers have a moral and legal obligation to maintain a military appearance, to keep their minds and bodies physically fit, and to keep their equipment and clothing at standard levels.

Oath

All soldiers upon entering the service of the United States Army solemnly swear (or affirm) that they will "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Soldiers willingly give up the right to seek their own gain, to become part of something much larger than themselves. They serve and obey orders from their superiors for the good of the American people.

This is what Paul compares believers to, referring to us as fellow soldier for Christ.

In our passage this morning, he is complimenting Epaphroditus as just such a soldier, who does not get wrapped up in his own desires, but lives only to please Christ.

Paul makes it abundantly clear, through the words he uses to describe Epaphroditus, that he is extremely happy with the work that Epaphroditus has done with and for him.

Paul then acknowledges that it was the Philippians who sent Epaphroditus to him in the first place.

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Philippians 2:25 (ESV)

I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need,

It was you that sent him to me. To be an encouragement to me, and to bless me with provisions.

I think he is seeking here to praise the Philippians for their act of generosity and concern in sending Epaphroditus; and he also wants to let them know that Epaphroditus was faithful in completing the task.

APPLICATION

Epaphroditus was a faithful example of a servant of Christ.

He obeyed the elders in his church in Philippi, who asked him to bring a gift to Paul, as well as to minister to his needs.

He also obeyed Paul as he worked by his side as a soldier for the cause of Christ and His gospel.

Epaphroditus is the last of 4 godly examples Paul is calling the Philippians to model themselves after.

Paul began chapter 2 Paul by looking at Christ as the perfect example of humble obedience, to the point of death on a cross.

Paul then spoke of his own willingness to die for the Philippians’ faith, pointing to himself as an example of obedience.

Last week we saw how he commended Timothy as an example of someone fully devoted to interests of Christ.

and today we see Epaphroditus.

When we look at and think about these godly examples, it should cause us to really examine how devoted we are to Christ and His mission.

Are we as devoted as they were?

Would you and I be willing to die so that someone else wound put their faith in Jesus Christ?

Would you and I be willing to give up our jobs, our careers, our lives and our pursuits to spread the good news about Jesus?

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Am I a faithful soldier, who is fully committed to pleasing Christ and not tangled up in worldly pursuits?

Epaphroditus was a faithful example of how we ought to live for Jesus, and we should aim to model our lives after him.

The next quality that Paul praises is…

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The Heart of Epaphroditus

The words that we speak, as well as our actions, speak to the character of our heart. And we see the heart of Epaphroditus as we continue reading in…

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Philippians 2:26–28 ESV

for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.

EXPLANATION

Either on his way to Rome to help Paul, or while serving him there, Epaphroditus contracted an illness that brought him very close to death.

News of this reached the church in Philippi, and they were greatly concerned for him.

The news of the Philippians’ concern for him made it back to Epaphroditus, who had been healed, and now he was distressed because of their concern for him.

The word here for distressed means: to be troubled; to have great anguish; to be depressed.

This is the strongest of 3 Greek words used in the NT for depression.

Epaphroditus couldn’t bear to think that the Philippians were concerned for him, thinking that he might die.

Remember, they didn’t have cell phones. They couldn’t instantly communicate the way we can today. Knowing that his church had such a love and concern for him, and that they were praying for him, deeply affected Epaphroditus.

This caused him to have a deep sense of longing to return to them, which is why Paul wants to send him back.

What’s interesting in this passage though, is that nobody is concerned about themself!

The Philippians…

sent Epaphroditus to Paul, giving up one of their best to minister to his needs, and now they are deeply troubled because they heard that Epaphroditus was ill, near to death.

Epaphroditus...

is distressed that his home church is so concerned over him, and longs to go and see them.

Even Paul…

is not only willing to lose Epaphroditus, but EAGER to send him back so that they can be reunited and rejoice together. Paul says that this will make him less anxious. As he sees their concern for one another, it’s as if he feels guilty that he’s the one keeping them apart, and so he wants to reunite them.

The Philippians, Epaphroditus, and Paul all are exemplifying a Christ-like love. They are more concerned for one another than they are for themselves.

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This is Christ-like love: being more concerned for others than ourselves.

We are most like Jesus when we live with a greater concern for others than ourselves.

This is exactly the kind of life Paul calls them to earlier in the letter when he says, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humiliity count others more significant than yourself.”

Paul shows this deeper concern in another way in verse 27 that I want to focus on for a moment.

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Philippians 2:27 ESV

Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.

We have been mentioning from the beginning that the major focus of Paul’s letter to the Philippians is one of joy. We’ve already seen, and will continue to see Paul’s joy and contentment throughout the letter… but here is the first time we read of him having sorrow.

Paul speaks of how serious Epaphroditus’s illness was, but that God had mercy on him.

In his commentary on the book of Philippians, Gordon Fee, speaking on the phrase, “God had mercy on him” says…

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This is… “a clause probably read much too casually by those of us who have the benefits of modern medical science. Far fewer people in antiquity recovered from death’s door. In saying “God had mercy on him,” therefore, Paul probably does not mean simply that in God’s good mercy Epaphroditus simply got better, but that God had a direct hand in it.”

God healed and spared Epaphroditus, and by doing so, spared Paul from having sorrow upon sorrow.

It would have caused Paul great grief for Epaphroditus to die, and Paul says it would have added to his sorrow.

This suggests that Paul has some sorrow, which again surprises us since the letter is so joyful.

What sorrow is Paul talking about.

Again, Gordon Fee is helpful here… he says…

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We can only guess what Paul is referring to by the first level of “sorrow” upon which additional sorrow would have been piled; it probably picks up the recurring motif of suffering, of his continually being poured out as a drink offering (v. 17), especially in his present imprisonment.

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This little phrase should also be regularly kept in mind when in this letter we repeatedly hear Paul speak of rejoicing: Joy does not mean the absence of sorrow, but the capacity to rejoice in the midst of it.

Paul had joy, but that doesn’t mean that his circumstances were enjoyable.

He was in prison, unable to go about freely.

He had to depend on others, rather than being able to take care of things himself.

He was facing the possibility of death for spreading the gospel.

In all these instances Paul was able to rejoice knowing that God was using it for good. But even still, these were not ideal circumstances. Paul would not have chosen them.

Even though Paul has this sorrow, he is grateful that God did not add to that sorrow, but instead chose to save Epaphroditus.

Death brings sorrow, especially when we love much.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the sorrow that many of you have faced with the loss of a loved one or a friend.

Some of you have lost loved ones recently, whether that’s this year, or in the last few years. We’ve all experienced the loss of loved ones… including losing those that we felt died too soon.

We feel their absence at a much deeper level as we come up to the Christmas season.

During times where the whole family should be together, their absence is felt.

God spared Paul the sorrow of losing his beloved brother Epaphroditus, but has chosen to allow us to experience the sorrow of the loss of those we love.

Nicholas Wolterstorff lost his twenty-five year old son, Eric, in a mountain-climbing accident in Austria. In the weeks and months that followed, Nicholas wrote down the pain and emotion that he experienced in the wake of his sons sudden death. He eventually decided to publish it as a book, hoping that it would help others give voice to their grief. The book is called, “Lament for a Son.” At the beginning of the book he says…

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Rather often I am asked whether the grief remains as intense as when I wrote. The answer is, No. The wound is no longer raw. But it has not disappeared. That is as it should be. If he was worth loving, he is worth grieving over. Grief is existential testimony to the worth of the one loved. That worth abides.

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So I own my grief. I do not try to put it behind me, to get over it, to forget it. I do not try to dis-own it. If someone asks, “Who are you, tell me about yourself,” I say—not immediately, but shortly—“I am one who lost a son.” That loss determines my identity; not all of my identity, but much of it. It belongs within my story. I struggle indeed to go beyond merely owning my grief toward owning it redemptively. But I will not and cannot disown it. I shall remember Eric. Lament is part of life.

As we think about losing a loved one, especially during the up-coming holiday season when their absence feels so much more profound, how do we handle the sorrow? How do we answer the question, “Why didn’t God save them? Why did God choose to allow them to die, and so allow us to face the sorrow that has come as a result of their death?”

I do not pretend to have the answer for that pain and suffering, but later in his book, Nicholas Wolterstorff gives us a glimpse…

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God is not only the God of the sufferers but the God who suffers. The pain and fallenness of humanity have entered into his heart. Through the prism of my tears I have seen a suffering God. To redeem our brokenness and lovelessness the God who suffers with us did not strike some mighty blow of power but sent his beloved son to suffer like us, through his suffering to redeem us from suffering and evil.

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Instead of explaining our suffering God shares it. But I never saw it. Though I confessed that the man of sorrows was God himself, I never saw the God of sorrows. Though I confessed that the man bleeding on the cross was the redeeming God, I never saw God himself on the cross, blood from sword and thorn and nail dripping healing into the world’s wounds. What does this mean for life, that God suffers? I’m only beginning to learn.

God does not remain cold, distant, and removed, but:

He entered into our world to be tempted in every was as we are, yet without sin...

He entered into our world to suffer and die on a cross, for the punishment that we deserved...

He entered into our world to defeat the power of death, so that we could have the hope of eternal, free from sorrow and sadness forevermore.

Though we may not understand how God works all of our suffering out for our good, we can have the confidence that He is with us in the midst of it.

APPLICATION

This is where the church can be such a blessing to those who suffer and mourn.

Epaphroditus, Paul, and the Philippian church were so consumed with others that they forgot about themselves. They were filled with worry, concern, and longing for one another.

This is what the church ought to be like now. We are the body of Christ, and when one part suffers, we all suffer.

Yet we do this imperfectly. The body of Christ is made up of sinners, and we do not always get it right.

Some of you have not experienced the support that you should have from the church, and for that I apologize.

We are growing as a church, and we’re learning how best to minister to the needs of those who call this church home.

This is why it is so vital for each and every one of us to be involved.

If you’ve ever felt like people don’t notice you, or haven’t taken the time to be there for you, then you know how important it is for you to seek to be that to someone else.

This sort of support and presence in someone’s life does not come about by accident. You won’t stumble your way into it.

This involves you being intentional to be plugged into the lives of the people in this church.

Once we really know one another is when we can truly love and care for one another.

As we’ve looked at Epaphroditus, we’ve seen his faithfulness, his heart, and lastly we see…

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The Sacrifice of Epaphroditus

He was willing to give it all up for the sake of Christ.

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Philippians 2:29–30 ESV

So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

EXPLANATION

Paul instructs the Philippians to receive Epaphroditus back in the Lord, with all joy.

Remember that Paul wanted to inform them of how pleased he had been with Epaphroditus, so they wouldn’t think Paul was sending him back because he was unsatisfied with his work.

We have already seen how Paul praises the work, and faithfulness of Epaphroditus, so here he encourages them to welcome him back.

Paul then says, “honor such men.” To honour is to respect, to celebrate, to praise, to give recognition.

Paul is so satisfied with the work of Epaphroditus, and has been so convinced of faithfulness to God, he says, you should honour him.

This is incredible! This has go to be the highest praise that a person can receive. In effect, “You all should do as he does. Follow his example. And give honour to anyone who does.”

Before we see Paul’s reason for why they were to honour Epaphroditus, maybe it’s good for us to reflect on the sort of people we tend to honour.

Our world tends to give this sort of attention to:

People who are smart;

People who are talented (sports, writing, music, etc)

People who are wealthy or successful;

People who are beautiful;

How about in the church? What sort of people do we tend to honor?

The musicians who can play and sing really well;

The ones who can speak and teach well;

Who are wealthy and can give a lot;

The ones who know a lot of about the Bible;

Please don’t misunderstand me, I am not saying that any of these things are bad. On the contrary, when they are done with a heart that is focussed on the glory of God they are exactly the sort of example that we ought to honor.

But in our own minds when we compare ourselves to others, and are at times envious of them, we are not thinking about their heart, instead we are usually only thinking about outward appearance.

So why does Paul tell the Philippians to honour Epaphroditus…

“For he nearly died for the work of Christ”

Epaphroditus wasn’t worthy of honour because he was really smart, had leadership ability, or could teach really well…

It was because he was willing to lay down his life for the sake of Christ.

Paul goes on to say…

“risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.”

Remember that the Philippians had sent Epaphroditus to bring a financial gift to help Paul during his imprisonment. This was one way they could minister to him from far away.

But Paul says here that Epaphroditus was completing what was lacking in their service to him.

What was lacking was being together in person. A face to face relationship. Worshiping together, singing together, encouraging one another, working together.

Epaphroditus was able to fill some of that gap with his presence.

Obviously not fully, but as a representative of the church.

ILLUSTRATION

When we lived in Kentucky, we had a number of visitors from this church who stopped in to see us.

Andy and Margaret Fehr were making a trip in their plane to Virginia to visit their daughter, then to Tennessee, and on their way back to Canada they landed in Louisville to visit us.

John Fast was trucking down to Florida, and he parked at a nearby mall and we spent the afternoon visiting.

This was a beautiful way for us to be reminded of and feel ministered by you all as a church.

We got to visit with them personally, and yet they were extensions of this church.

There were others who visited us as well, who reminded us of our church back home.

This is the sort of blessing that Epaphroditus would have been to Paul, serving him in a way that the whole church physically could not.

APPLICATION

Paul instructs the Philippians to honour those, who like Epaphroditus, are willing to risk their lives for the work of Christ. These people look strange to the world, because they give up a lot of their free time to serve the church.

We ought to honour people like our youth leaders, who plan games, snacks, devotionals, and events for the youth, and then give up their time on a Wednesday and Friday night to lead them, helping them to see the importance of a relationship with Jesus, as well as one another.

We ought to honour people like our mens and womens ministry leaders, program and food committee, who plan events where men, women, and families can come together to share in fellowship and a meal, and spend hours serving us, and cleaning up after us.

We ought to honour people like our Sunday School VBS leaders, and Daycare leaders, who plan a Bible lessons, crafts, snacks, and games, taking the time to invest into our children in hopes that they will one day choose to follow the Jesus they learned about as a child.

We ought to honour people like our sound techs, video techs, musicians, and ushers, who come early on a Sunday morning to serve us all so that we don’t have to worry about anything but enjoying worshiping Jesus, talking with our brothers and sisters in Christ, and having a coffee.

There are many more people that I could take the time to honour here this morning, but we see you. We see the time, effort and energy that you are putting into this church, and what I want you to know this morning is… THAT YOU ARE DOING THE WORK OF CHRIST! YOU ARE WORTHY OF HONOUR AS YOU SACRIFICE TO BRING GLORY AND HONOUR TO JESUS.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU DO AS YOU PARTNER WITH US IN BUILDING GOD’S KINGDOM HERE ON EARTH THROUGH MAKING DISCIPLES.

Another sacrifice worthy of honour is financial giving. The Philippians were so grateful for the grace of God being poured out on them as a result of Paul’s ministry to them that they willingly supported him.

They did this because they wanted to help him spread the gospel to others, and so by supporting him they became partners with him. The world doesn’t understand these people either, who give their hard-earned money to the church.

We ought to honour people who faithfully partner with us as a church in making disciples who love Jesus, and follow His command to go into all the world making Jesus famous by making other disciples.

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KEY TAKEAWAYS

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How is God prompting you to grow in faithfulness as a soldier of Jesus Christ?

Are you a faithful soldier who obeys the Bible and the leaders God has placed over you?

Are you a faithful soldier who performs the tasks given to you?

Are you a faithful soldier who works together with your brothers and sisters in Christ?

Are you a faithful soldier who has the appearance and character of one who follows Christ?

Are you a faithful soldier who is willing to do whatever the Lord asks you to?

In what area of your life is God calling you to greater faithfulness to Him?

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Who are you more concerned about: others, or yourself?

Do you rejoice with those who rejoice?

Do you weep with those who weep?

Do you know what’s going on in the lives of others in this room this morning, so that you can love them, pray for them, text, call, or meet with them throughout the week to be godly source of encouragement?

What practical steps can you take this week to put the needs of others first?

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Where can you sacrifice more, for your Saviour who sacrificed it all?

Do you really not have the time?

Do you really not have the money?

Do you really not have the gifts or talents?

Where can we exercise our faith in Christ, by giving more of ourselves to Him?

What riches of kindness He lavished on us

His blood was the payment His life was the cost

We stood 'neath a debt we could never af - ford

Our sins they are many His mercy is more

Let’s Pray.