Character of a Disciple Maker

Maybe it’s a Sunday School Teacher who faithfully taught the Word of God week in and week out and you were able to see how precious Jesus is through the way they taught and poured into your life.

Maybe it’s a Pastor who invested in you and not only taught the Word of God in a powerful way but modeled a life that loved the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind.

Possibly it’s a friend who loved you in a time where you felt broken and ashamed and discipled you through that tough time in your life.

I hope and pray that you can think back to someone or a group of people who have made an impact on your life.

This morning, we are going to look at two men who faithfully lived out their walk with Christ and set a good example for how followers of Christ should live, think, and act in regards to a following Christ and serving others.

Philippians 2:19–30 ESV

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. 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. 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.

Philippians 2:

Last week, we covered what it looks like to live out our faith in Christ and how to be a light in a dark world. Paul lovingly exhorted the believers at the church at Philippi to work out their own salvation, meaning to pursue Jesus even in the midst of trials and tribulations and that God was working in them to cause’ them to be effective for the mission.

Philippians 2:15 ESV

that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Philippians

We’ve established that Paul is writing this letter to the Church at Philippi from prison and it was not possible for the apostle Paul to come back to the church he helped start in Philippi, but we come to V. 19-30 and see Paul highlighting his travel plans.

It’s interesting to note that in Paul’s other letters, the travel plans normally come at the end of the letter, but Philippians is an exception.

Reading 19-30, you will not see any quotable passages or memory verses, but Paul’s desire through giving details about two men he is sending to the church is to give concrete examples to what he had just spent time talking about.

One of the best ways we can explain it is the fact that Paul is highlighting the faithfulness of these men to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and wanted to give the church concrete examples for what he just talked about in the previous two chapters on what it looks like to live the Christian life.

Remember that Paul had just commanded the church to walk in humility and live a life serving others just like Jesus served us on the cross. Paul wants the church to know of these two men who are coming to them and how they are going to model the humility that he was teaching about earlier.

Thinking back to the question I asked at the beginning. I know you probably have had or currently have someone in your life that has helped you in your walk with Christ but what is it about that person that sets them apart?

I think of my parents and the godly example they set for me growing up in the way they dealt with one another and situations that came up in our life and I am thankful that they set that example for. me.

When it comes to ministry, when my family moved to Powell my Jr. year in high school, I was blessed with the opportunity to have a couple elder’s pour into my life and invest in me when it came to my walk with Christ.

These men not only taught me the word of God but they walked alongside me as I served him in ministry in the local church.

Without them, I would not be where I am today. What sticks out to me about these men is not the fact they were good teachers or nice guys. They were both of those, but they exemplified who Jesus was.

Our mission statement at First Baptist Alcoa is “The First Baptist Church of Alcoa is a family of rescued sinners called to be disciples of Jesus Christ that make disciples of Jesus Christ.

I don’t know about you, but I love examples. Examples are often used to help us learn and grow. Paul provides examples of two men who pursued the Lord and how it affected their life.

We are going to take an in-depth look at Timothy and Epaphroditus this morning and see what sets them apart as servants of the Lord. As we follow Christ, we know that Jesus is our ultimate example of a true servant but it’s also good to see other examples of servants and my hope today is that we will dive in to this text and learn some characteristics of a servant.

Timothy

Philippians 2:19–24 ESV

Philippians 2:19 ESV

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you.

Philippians 2:19–21 ESV

As Paul is writing this letter, he highlights his beloved disciple Timothy.

We know that Timothy was Paul’s right hand man in ministry and Paul poured his life into Timothy to help him grow in his ministry.

Notice Paul’s statement in V. 20 “For I have no one else like him.” We see from that statement alone that Timothy meant the world to Paul because he was not only one of Paul’s disciples but he would have been trusted by Paul to continue the work he had started.

Paul discipled Timothy and Timothy grew in his walk with the Lord and made disciples for Jesus Christ and was trusted by Paul.

Timothy would have shared Paul’s mind and heart because he spent so much time alongside him in ministry.

That is a picture of discipleship because when we are discipled, we want to be close to the person who is helping us in our walk with Christ and we should also have people in our live’s that want to spend time with us because we are encouraging them in their walk as well.

Timothy would have helped Paul plant the church at Philippi and people would have known that Timothy was Paul’s right hand man.

Paul

What was it about Timothy that set him apart from others?

Timothy had compassion for others.

Servants have compassion for others.

Philippians 2:20 ESV

For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.

The phrase “who will genuinely concerned for your welfare.” tells us a very important lesson in not just serving the Lord but simply living out our faith in Christ in making disciples.

Servants of the Lord genuinely care about others.

We cannot and will not be effective in loving others if we don’t genuinely care about them.

Colossians 3:12 ESV

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,

As Paul is giving an example to this church of exactly what he is talking about in the previous verses, we see an example of a man who genuinely loves and cares for others.

The word “concerned” in V. 20 can be translated as anxious, but Timothy’s anxiety was not sinful but his anxiety was one of deep concern for the well being of the church at Philippi.

Anxiety when it relates to oneself is sinful but when it says’ Timothy was concerned it refers to the well being of the church.

May we look at Timothy’s compassion and be encouraged to be concerned for other’s well-being so much so that we move to action.

The question today is do we have compassion and concern for other’s or are we simply going through the motions of life and don’t even think about other’s needs.

I want to be vulnerable for a minute but I oftentimes feel ashamed for not having this type of compassion for other’s.

Isn’t is so easy to get into a routine of life where we are not even making time to show compassion or care for others.

Think of this scenario. When asked how you are doing, how do you normally answer? For me, I normally answer “good, just busy.”

There are times in my life that are busier than others, but my prayer is that I’m never to busy to love others and serve others in the name of Jesus.

When showing compassion to others, we have to be intentional and available:

Intentional because someone is not going to pop out at us and say “I’m right in front of you and I’m ready for you to love and serve me, give me a hug.”

When it comes to serving others and making disicples, we must be intentional in finding people to pour into and love in a way that will help them grow in their walk with Christ.

That’s often difficult in a culture that is private and individualistic.

I took Isaiah to the mall Friday to pick something up and one of my favorite things to do at Malls is people watch. One of the things I notice is that people will go out of their way not to have to talk or even make eye contact with others.

Maybe you’ve been hit up by the guy that works at the Kiosk in the middle of the aisle. He says’ sir, sir, sir, sir, sir, sir. or ma’am, ma’am, ma’am, ma’am, ma’am while chasing you with some hair product and people go full robot mode or pretend they are talking on their phone to avoid the person.

Oftentimes, that’s how we live our life, we try to stay away and avoid other’s and simply keep to ourselves, but in order to make disciples we must be intentional.

Another good example of this is the way houses are built. Many years ago people spent time on their front porches. People in the neightborho

We must also be available.

How many planners do we have in the room this morning? You may be one of those people that has every minute and every hour planned to a T.

I want to challenge all of us this morning to simply be available for others. I know there will be seasons in our lives’ that may be busier than others, but I know there are things in my life I can cut out to simply be available to serve others and disciple others.

For us to be effective servants, we must be intentional and available.

Philippians 2:23 ESV

I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me,

Philippians 2:22–24 ESV

But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

Philippians 2:23–24 ESV

I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

Paul compares his relationship with Timothy as a father-son. Timothy was like a spiritual son to Paul.

Paul was not only highlighting Timothy’s companionship but he was also saying that it was difficult to send Timothy because they were so close and Timothy was with Paul helping him through a difficult time.

Paul shows his own example of Christ-likeness by promising to send Timothy because he needed Timothy but knew the importance of Timothy going and helping this church in a difficult time. Paul thought of others above himself.

Disciple Makers build relationships.

So a servant has compassion on others.

Disciple Makers build relationships.

Epaphroditus

Philippians 2:25–30 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. 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.

Philppians 2:25-30

Epaphroditus is a great name isn’t it. I’m trying to convince Katherine to name our next child Epaphroditus. I can only imagine what teachers would think when calling role.

The names comes from a Greek Goddess and means “lovely” or “charming.” That is interesting to note because his family more than likely worshiped that goddess which would have made Epaphrodotis a converted Gentile.

Epaphroditus was one of Paul’s very close companions and partners in ministry and was the messenger to the church at Philippi bringing them the letter that Paul had written them.

What we need to know about Epaphroditus is that the church of Phillipi sent him to send gifts to the Apostle Paul as he was in prison.

Skipping ahead notice what 4:18 says.

Philippians 4:18 ESV

I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

The church at Philippi partnered with Paul in his missionary journey and sent support through Epaphroditus.

Paul encourages the church to welcome him back with joy and honor.

The church may have wondered why Epaphrodotis was returning because his mission was to stay with Paul and encourage him on the church of Philppi’s behalf.

However, Epaphroditus was extremely sick to the point of being on the verge of death but he remained faithful in the calling to serve the Lord even amidst his illness.

Servants sacrifice for the needs of others.

Paul wanted the church to know that Epaphroditus’ faith led him to continue pushing forward to minister to Paul’s needs in the face of death.

We aren’t really told what illness Epaphroditus was suffering from but we know that medicine and technology were not advanced enough at this point to heal him and as V. 27 says’

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.

“But God had mercy on him” refers to God healing Epaphroditus and sparing his life.

Disciple Makers

Because of that, the church was encouraged not to think of this man as a failure but as a hero.

The culture during this time placed significance on honor and shame and without Paul’s explanation on why this man was returning so early, they would have felt embarrassed that they sent him in the first place.

So that is the situation, but what I want us to look at closely is the fact that this man was willing to sacrifice his life to serve the Lord.

Philippians 2:20 ESV

For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.

Philippians 2:30 ESV

for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

As Paul gives this concrete example of a true servant, it’s essential that we understand that serving the Lord requires a life that is willing to sacrifice for the glory of the Lord.

This one hurts because in all reality, we avoid and stay away from suffering at all costs. We are blessed to live in a country that we have freedom to worship and gather together this morning without worrying about being put into prison or dying for our belief in Jesus.

Not all areas of the world have that blessing. As we gather this morning, we must understand that there are persecuted Christians around the world that fear for their life on a daily basis.

Through their suffering though, they realize that Christ is enough and Jesus will sustain them until it’s time for them to leave this earth.

When we talk about making sacrifices I want us to look at the example that Epahroditus was modeling.

2 Corinthians 12:7–10 ESV

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We boast in our weakness because when we are weak Christ is strong.

The Lord works in and through us during some of our hardest and most difficult times in life.

This gives more meaning to the verse we studied last week that talked about God working in us as we work out our salvation.

When we are willing to suffer and make sacrifices for the Lord, we paint a picture of how glorious Christ is and the good news of his great sacrifice on the cross.

Epaphroditus modeled this type of faith. He nearly died for the sake of ministering to Paul. He is the perfect example of a servant who is willing to sacrifice.

Which leads to our final picture of a Disciple Maker.

A servant reflects the character of Jesus.

It is important to know that there was absolutely nothing special about these two men other than they give us an example of someone who has been given new life in Christ then walked in that new life as they served others.

1 John 3:16 ESV

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.

When we look at Jesus death on the cross, we have the perfect example to look to when it comes to making disciples.

As we minister and serve others in the name of Jesus, we have the cross to guide us and direct us.

We have to consistently remind ourselves of who Jesus is and what he did for us on the cross. When we do that, we will model his character to other’s and make disciples.

Servants of Jesus follow Jesus’ example and put others before themselves as they walk in humility.

Philippians 2:

Philippians 2:21 ESV

For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

Paul drives home the idea of humility that he has written about already and lifts these men up as examples of those that put other’s needs before their own.

I can guarantee you that the person or people that have made a difference in your life have invested in you in a way that puts you before themselves.

I know for me, the people that have helped disciple me in my walk with Christ have modeled compassion, made sacrifices, and most importantly have reflected the character of Christ to me.

You see, there is nothing great about us. There is nothing good in me that qualifies me to be an effective disciple maker. It’s only Christ living in me that makes me affective for Kingdom work.

If we want to make disciples and make a difference in other’s lives’ it begins with us recognizing that we are nothing without Jesus and we need His strength and power to serve and disciple others.

I pray for myself to have a heart for others even when it’s difficult, because if I don’t genuinely care about others and have compassion, I will not make sacrifices and I will not reflect Christ to others.

If we as a body of believer’s want to be effective in Springbrook, Alcoa, Maryville, Blount County. It begins with having a heart to love others and be willing to make sacrifices to make disciples.

I believe the best days are ahead for FBA because with God all things are possible and as we get on our faces and knees before the Lord, he will use us in spite of our sinfulness and brokenness.

I want us to look at these servants of the Lord and ask ourselves: “Who are we currently serving?” “Who are we discipling?”

I want to encourage you to find someone if you don’t already have someone that you are pouring your life into for the glory of God.

Maybe that looks like finding someone God has placed in your life. Maybe that looks like you getting involved in our children’t ministry or first impression team, or one of our many ministry teams we have.

Most importantly be in prayer. Pray for opportunities to minister to someone this week. Pray that God will give you compassion and strength as you make disciples for His glory.