Christ & His Church Needs You

As we continue to look at Philippians 2 and the examples of others above self given, first Jesus, then Timothy, and now Ephaphroditus there are two words that keep coming to my mind. sacrifice and service. Jesus the ultimate example of sacrifice and service, Timothy and example of sacrifice and service and now Ephaphroditus an example of sacrifice and service. It begs us to ask the question this morning. What about us? What are we sacrificing for the cause of Christ and his church and others? How are we serving Christ, His Church, and serving others? This is what we have been called to do. This what true Christianity looks like, it is what being a christian, a follower of Christ is all about. I want you to think about this for a moment. Are we a church that is full of people who sacrifice and serve or are we a church that everyone seeks after their own personal interest. Which one do you want to be?

The Philippians church had many great examples of people who shined as lights and examples of this others above self attitude, those who lived lives of sacrifice and service but at the top of that list had to Ephaphroditus. I think Ephaphroditus life can be summed up in the three terms that Paul used to describe him. My brother, my fellow worker, my fellow soldier. When describing Ephaphroditus one commentator said that he was a balanced christian.

“Balance is important in the Christian life. Some people emphasize “fellowship” so much that they forget the furtherance of the Gospel. Others are so involved in defending the “faith of the Gospel” that they neglect building fellowship with other believers. Epaphroditus did not fall into either of these traps. He was like Nehemiah, the man who rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem with his sword in one hand and his trowel in the other (Neh. 4:17). You cannot build with a sword nor battle with a trowel! It takes both to get the Lord’s work accomplished.” He cared about the relationships he had with people and he cared about accomplishing the Lords work. I love the words that used for his care and concern for the church longing , distressed - worn out and over powered by grief, concerned. He genuinely cared. When talking about Ephaphroditus Paul called him...

My Brother

We see right of the back that Ephaphroditus ministered to the needs of Paul. We don’t know exactly what this means, but there are a lot of ideas put forth. did he feed him and help cloth him while in prison in prison? Did he take care of Paul when his thorn in the flesh forced him to bed? Did he keep Paul company when he was lonely? Did he encourage him in the faith? Did he deliver messages and run errands. We simply do not know.

The word minister here is fairly significant Gk. leitorourgoi were men in ancient Greek cities who because of their love for their cities, at their own expense they undertook certain great civic duties. so Ephaphroditus out of his love for Christ his church and Paul he ministered to his needs whatever it may have been.

What about us do we have true genuine love for one another, Christ , and his church that we would sacrifice at our own expense to minister to Christ His church and those who are in need?

My Fellow Worker

As far as we know Big E was not a preacher or teacher yet Paul calls him his fellow worker. He attended to the needs of the Lords worker and need of the church. So often we focus on preaching teaching and leading, at least they get the most attention and notoriety. But what about encouraging the down trodden, comforting the broken hearted, serving the needy, helping the helpless. what about showing up and supporting the work of the church what about cleaning, maintaining the building and worship grounds, what about phone calls and cards and hugs and hand shakes, etc

Brothers and sisters you want to know the church is hurting and struggling. Because the workers are few. Luke 10:2 “And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Brothers and sisters the Lords church needs workers like Timothy and Ephaphroditus. And we need lots of them. You don’t have to be a teacher a preacher or a leader to be a worker in God’s kingdom but you have to do something. You can’t sit on the sidelines, and only look after your own interest. Christ and his church must be priority in your life. There are entirely too many spectators and not enough participants. Ephaphroditus didn’t just give and offering, he gave himself to help carry that offering.

Would Christ or even Paul for that matter consider you a fellow worker?

My Fellow Soldier

Ephaphroditus was a soldier in active duty. He was aware of the battle for the souls of mankind and he chose to be a soldier in the Lord army. And part of that service required him to pay a price. to sacrifice. Our text tells us he risked his life, in fact we are told that he was close to death because of his work for Christ. The word that is translated risking in our text literally means - throwing himself into a dangerous situation. You see he cared more about the cause of Christ than his own personal safety.

brothers and sisters we need soldiers like that. That’s the kind of soldiers that will set the world on fire for the Lord. That’s the kind of soldiers that will help the church to grow and be spiritually healthy. What kind of soldier are you? are you willing to sacrifice and care more about Christ than your own personal interest?

We Need More Timothy’s and Ephaphroditus’s

Brothers and sisters the church is hurting. and if we are going to not only survive but grow and help the kingdom of God expand we need to be fellow brothers, workers, and soldiers for the Lord and his church. Notice what Paul says in verse 29. We are to hold men like these in high regard. Why because of their work. 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13 “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another.” One of the things that I think we do very poorly in the church is recognize and thank those who work for the Lord and His church. I think we often feel like that we are patting ourselves on the back and we are worried about the pride that might creep up in that persons life. Sometimes we are even worried because someone might be left out and their feeling may get hurt.

I like how one wise man once said. I have never heard of a church that was harmed by too many thank yous or affections showed but I have seen many dried up and dead churches because of a lack thank yous and affection showed.

Are you a fellow brother, worker, and soldier this morning? Are you following in the footsteps of our savior Jesus? Are you following the example of Timothy and Ephaphroditus and serving and sacrificing for Christ, the church, and others? If not then why not. There is no better army to be in and there is no better cause to serve than Christ cause. You are needed and you begin by giving your life to the Lord this morning thru belief, repentance, confession, and baptism and you will be added to the Lord’s body and you will be in the Lords army and you will be used by God to do some powerful and incredible things for Him. If you are here this morning and your and you have not been following in the footsteps of Jesus, maybe the world has worn you down and caused you to loose focus will you consider coming to Jesus this morning in repentance, confession recommitting your life to serving and sacrificing for Christ. Will you come while we stand and sing?