Sanctifying Surroundings

Introduction

I have shared on a few occasions that I grew up nearly having no friends. I wasn’t very well liked and didn’t really like the options of friends that I had. Regardless, I struggled a lot with loneliness and not having any friends. I was in danger of just doing things to want to fit in and often poured my heart out to God as to why He has kept me from having any friends.

One day, I shared all of this with my mentor and the stresses I was having with being so lonely and thinking that I was incapable of having friends or even being a friend to someone. He nodded for a little bit, processing the information before he turned to me and asked, “Which one of them would you actually want to be your friend?” I sat and thought about it and remembered the bullying and insults and the poor character of these people. I answered him, “Well… not really any of them.” My mentor nodded approvingly of my answer and talked through with me the reality of waiting even on companionship. I had learned that it was better to be the odd one out than to fit in with a bad crowd.

Come around to my freshman year of college, the day I moved in I met a guy named Jake. He was my new roommate. He shared the same passion for Jesus and other nerdy stuff as I did and shared the same major as I did. In fact, we had a few classes together. Little did I know at that time that he was going to be closest friend I have ever had, my roommate all throughout college, and play a roll in my wedding.

Our relationship formed me into a lot of the person I am now. He challenged my thinking and helped me form an idea of what it means to even be a friend. He sought to live his life from a biblical perspective and challenged me to do the same. He wasn’t afraid to confront my error and asked for me to do the same with him. He was eager to learn and eager to teach. By the example of his friendship, I learned a truth that we will be talking about today.

Good company produces good fruit.

1. Good Company Allows For Trust

English Standard Version Chapter 2

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

-Phil. 2:19-24

Paul has explained that he isn’t able to come and visit the Philippians due to his imprisonment. He longs to be there and is offering his best in supplement: Timothy.

Let me explain the Paul and Timothy relationship - Paul is essentially Timothy’s mentor. They have more than a mentorship though, they have a deeply connected friendship. A teacher may trust a student to write a paper, but a teacher will not allow their student to represent them with that kind of relationship. To have a willing representation, there has to be a deeper relationship that allows for trust.

We know as we read through Paul’s letters to Timothy (1 & 2 Timothy) that Paul has a deeply rooted relationship with him. They have made good company with each other and have developed a trusting relationship with each other.

Have any of you ever trusted someone before?

You had better say yes, you’re all trusting me to teach truth! Just the same, I am trusting that you’re coming ready to learn truth.

Paul even gives Timothy an exhortation as to the fact that he has proven himself. Timothy is also a young guy! We don’t know exactly how young, but enough that there was a point made about it. It is true that even in your young age, you can be entrusted to carry out missions for the Gospel. Paul actually compares their relationship they have together as that of a son and a father. For such a mission as the one Paul wants to have done, he sees no one better fit than Timothy.

There is a cooking show called Hell’s Kitchen. In this show, two teams compete against each other in intense dining challenges. One problem that seems to occur over and over again is that nobody trusts anyone else to take care of their part in the kitchen. So instead of each person keeping to their part, you often have a group of people all trying to everything. Instead of order there is chaos. The fact of the matter is that there will be only one winner. Everyone is out for THEIR OWN INTERESTS. And so there is no trust. There is no good company. There is only chaos.

God designed the human being to trust. It is in our nature to want to trust. It is a popular term to toss around; having “trust issues”. I hardly think that it is that trust has hurt us. We do not truly have trust issues. We have people issues. If we wish to walk in unity and experience joy in togetherness, we must surround ourselves in good company that we might trust and be trusted.

2. Good Company Requires Investment

English Standard Version Chapter 2

25 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, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 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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The Scripture here seems to indicate strong bonds between Paul and Epaphroditus and Epaphroditus to the Philippian Church. It is highly likely that good ol’ Epaph was one of the people who helped plant the church in Philippi. So there is a personal bond between all of them. There is a sense of camaraderie between all of them. Those bonds dig deep that they are longing for each other. Paul writes to ease their minds of Epaphroditus’ sickness and expresses his own relief.

All in all, they had invested deeply in each other. I know it is popular to hold the belief of instant friendship and falling in love at first sight, but that is simply surface level. Good friendship and genuine love require investment from each other.

Paul writes to ease their minds of Epaphroditus’ sickness and expresses his own relief.

I have shared the importance of what we invest our lives into. What we invest will return. You reap what you sow. If you invest into bad company, then bad company will return. If you invest into good company, good company will return. If you want your bonds with each other to go deep with each other, you must be willing to go deep yourself.

I know we all long for this form of relationship. We long to have deeply rooted bonds; bonds so deep that we see each other as brother and sister. C.S. Lewis points to this reality.

"We are born helpless. As soon as we are fully conscious we discover loneliness. We need others physically, emotionally, intellectually; we need them if we are to know anything, even ourselves." -Lewis, The Four Loves

-Lewis, The Four Loves

We long for togetherness, but togetherness does not just happen. It requires investment.

3. Good Company Rejoices in Each Other

English Standard Version Chapter 2

28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all joy, and honor such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

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Those bonds that went deep… the investment they had in each other… it brought about a surreal joy. The church in Philippi thought they were going to lose a dear friend and the Lord worked miraculously and had mercy on Epaphroditus. And out of it comes celebration.

I taught on this last week. We need to celebrate with each other and share our wins! Paul is SUPER eager to share his joy and the victory of Epaphroditus with this church. They rejoice in what God is doing through one another and in the reality that their good company can continue.

There is a quote from Richard Foster that talks about the importance of celebration and it applies very well to this:

“Without joyous celebration to infuse the other Disciplines, we will sooner or later abandon them. Joy produces energy. Joy makes us strong.”

Richard J. Foster; Celebration of Discipline

So the same, as we encourage one another and lift each other up and rejoice in one another, we invest joy into them that will produce more fruit. It keeps them going. Friends don’t want other friends to crash and burn. We want to see them keep pushing on. We want to see perseverance. We want to see them have joy and joy abundantly.

In fact, they were told to honor Epaphroditus’ sacrifice… and all those who suffer for the sake of the Gospel.

It is good to honor each other and rejoice in each other. Nobody wants to be around those who will tear them down. Everyone wants to be around someone who will encourage and build up.

Conclusion

We live in a world that is well accustom to loneliness, emptiness and broken company. We live in a culture where homes are left broken at an all-time high and the self is just as glorified as ever.

We also live in a generation that still worships the Lord and wants to live as He would have it.

So in a world where good company is hard to come by, I encourage you all, be that good company for someone. Be trustworthy, be ready to invest in one another, and have joy in your peers. Celebrate together and walk in unity.