Side by Side Ministry

I want you to think about a person in your life whom you have really admired… [get them in your mind]...

What is it about them that you admire?

Maybe it was their skill… maybe their character… maybe it was their knowledge and their ability to convey that knowledge… maybe it was simply how they loved and cared for you and loved and loved and cared for others...

I can think of a number of those types of people in my life over the years…

Men and women who showed me what resilience in ministry looks like...

Men and women who have showed me how to love my family better...

Men and women who have showed me what it looks like to love the vulnerable and outcast...

Even now as I think about people, joy comes into my heart of my memories of them.

Having examples to follow is SO essential to life.

Now the thing that probably makes a certain person come to mind is that they were an example to you of how to live out a certain VALUE or SET OF VALUES that you hold…

They aren’t perfect people… but they DO put flesh and bones on what it looks like to pursue a certain goal that you share with them.

Today we are going to see two examples of people who put flesh and bones on the values Paul has been writing about in this letter to the church in Philippi.

As he challenges them to partner together in the pursuit of knowing and proclaiming Jesus, he’s going to set two men forward as examples of what that looks like.

As we set our hearts on that same goal, these are examples we get to follow… because this is preserved for US in Holy Scripture.

So if I was to deliver the point of this sermon to you in one sentence, it would be this:

Big Idea: Imitate the virtues of ministry servants who have proven their love for Christ's church.

Just to remind you of the context, Paul is writing this letter to the church in Philippi while he is under house arrest in Rome...

He’s writing to them because they sent a guy named Epaphroditus to deliver a financial gift and to encourage Paul as their representative…

But as he ministered to Paul’s needs, he apparently shared some concerns about what was going on back home.

There were little tensions starting to arise...

Some selfish ambition and conceit was showing up in some of the church members’ hearts.

People were starting to get inward focused and only pay attention to their own needs...

There was some grumbling and disputing going on...

And the church was also concerned about PAUL’S situation… how can Paul minister if he’s stuck in jail.

And so Paul writes this letter... and sends it BACK WITH Epaphroditus... to encourage the church to keep moving forward: side by side with each other… side by side with him… for the advancement of the gospel.

Do you think in our current cultural climate that maybe a book that addresses how to stay unified in a divisive culture is a good one for us to study?

So Paul has addressed a lot of these primary concerns already...

He has used his report of his OWN current situation as an example for the perspective they need in their own differences and sufferings...

He has used Jesus as an example of the HUMBLE SERVANT mindset they need in order to stand side by side...

And now he is going to use Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples too… even as he shares his plans to send each of them back to Philippi...

Read Philippians 2:19-30.

Paul is giving these customary details in his letter commending the messenger and telling them of his plans...

But he doesn’t waste the opportunity to set these two forward as examples to imitate… and even today we can...

Imitate the virtues of ministry servants who prove their love for Christ's church.

This is actually one of our goals for this Fall… that each of of us would SERVE Jesus in regular ministry… Timothy and Epaphroditus are GREAT examples of what that looks like.

The first virtue we see in Timothy in verse 19 is this...

1) Relationally Invested (v. 19)

“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… [stop there] (Philippians 2:19–20, ESV)

Explain: Paul is setting the foundation of sending Timothy by pointing out he is RELATIONALLY INVESTED.

This is the second time Paul has mentioned Timothy in this letter...

He wrote his greeting from himself AND Timothy in chapter 1 verse 1…

It’s possible Timothy is physically writing the letter as Paul dictates it to him, but it’s clear that Paul is the author.

Back in 1:1, he identified Timothy as a SERVANT (or SLAVE) of Christ Jesus alongside Paul.

That’s a key theme of this book… that our perspective as believers is that we are all BOND-SERVANTS of Jesus Christ.

We belong, body and soul, to Christ.

Our lives are meant to serve him and him alone.

Timothy understood that. And the Philippians knew it.

You see, the Philippians would have been deeply familiar with the Timothy.

They would have met Timothy when he was an older teenager (like Natalie or maybe Daniel’s age)…

A few months before they met him, Paul had picked Timothy up in Lystra on his second missionary journey.

He had likely been converted, along with his mom and grandma, on Paul’s first missionary journey when he came through Lystra.

And by the time of Paul’s second missionary journey, he had been discipled by these godly women to the degree that the elders of that church commissioned him to travel with Paul as part of his missionary team.

It’s probable that Timothy’s dad was not a believer (the way that Paul talks about the family situation in his letters)

And so Paul became like a Father to Timothy.

And that cost Timothy a lot.

The first act Timothy had to do to join Paul’s team was to get circumcised in order to better witness to Jews… as a guy in his late teens.

That’s commitment.

And so they left Lystra and started encouraging some of the churches that already existed… but they were looking for an opportunity to plant a new church...

They had hoped it would be in Asia (what is modern day Turkey)… but the Holy Spirit clearly led them to Macedonia instead… specifically to Philippi.

the church in Philippi was the first church Timothy had helped Paul to plant.

He worked alongside Paul and Silas and Luke to Proclaim Jesus… and to Equip Servants…

They all invested themselves relationally… they made sure the work would continue, likely by appointing elders...

And as they left, they demonstrated the value that every church must send witnesses to make disciples of all nations.

Philippi would keep partnering with Paul and Timothy in the pursuit of knowing and proclaiming Jesus.

And Timothy would continue to be relationally invested with Paul.

The phrase, “I have no one like him,” is literally, “I have no one of equal soul”… no one who shares my heart for you more than Timothy.

No one on Paul’s team, no one else in Rome, could Paul trust more.

And so Paul would send Timothy to Philippi after Epaphroditus…

Timothy would see how the words of this letter had taken root… and then he would return to Paul with an encouraging report.

Timothy was the exact right person to send to Philippi because he was relationally invested both in the Philippian church and in Paul’s team.

And as we think about following Timothy’s example as a ministry servant, we see the need to be relationally invested.

You understand this: I mean, imagine you are dealing with some intense internal struggle in your heart that nobody knows about...

And someone who you don’t even know walks up to you and says, “Why don’t you smile more?”

How likely are you to tell them the real reason?

But if someone who knows you and has been consistently there for asks you a similar question, “Hey, I noticed you aren’t smiling much lately… is something going on?”

You are MUCH more likely to open up to them.

Or maybe someone is hearing our weekly challenge to join a Gospel Community...

And they see that Dwight’s Gospel Community meets on Thursdays… and that’s the day that works best for them...

Do you think they will be likely to go if they’ve never met anyone in that Gospel Community?

Do you think they will feel a TON more comfortable if you introduce yourself and get to know them over a few weeks in a row and then invite them?

We need to be investing in relationships with others in the church for the sake of the gospel.

Alden says this often: The gospel is ALWAYS relational.

Jesus didn’t deal with you from a distance. He stepped into our existence by becoming HUMAN.

He took on our experiences… our limitations… our pain… so that we could have RELATIONSHIP with him.

That’s the grace you have experienced in Christ… which meas that to share him with others means that you need to show them that relationship.

Maybe you are thinking, “But I’m an introvert… being relational is HARD for me.”

I get it. I’m an introvert too. I have to psych myself up to talk to people.

Even Jesus had to find times by himself to pray...

But ultimately it’s not about me… it’s about Christ IN me. And Christ is all about relationship with his people.

So start with the people in your Gospel Community.

Develop the kind of depth where you can know and be known by them and help one another hold fast to the gospel.

Have them for a meal… get to know their story...

Learn how they like to have fun and just ENJOY time together.

Or perhaps in your ministry area...

Like, say you are a greeter...

What if you welcomed a guest to Oak Hill… but instead of just shaking their hand BEFORE the service, you sought them out AFTER the service to talk to them and get to know their story a little.

Or maybe you serve in children’s ministry...

It’s one thing to just teach the bullet points on a curriculum...

It’s another thing to care about the lives of the kids you are teaching...

To pray with them…

To care about what they care about.

Let them know you truly love them in Christ and have their best interest in mind.

Timothy was relationally invested with Paul and with Philippi… which led to this next virtue of a ministry servant in his life… he was:

2) Genuinely Concerned (v. 20-21)

“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.” (Philippians 2:20–21, ESV)

Explain: Timothy shared the same heart and mindset of Paul… the same mindset of Christ: that the Church is worth giving your life for.

Now maybe you are thinking: sure, but he’s on Paul’s team… he’s a missionary… he’s like a superstar Christian. We can’t all be that concerned for the church.

But notice… Paul contrasts him with these other people in the church… probably the same ones he talked about in chapter 1 who “preach Christ out of selfish ambition.”

He says, They all seek their own interests.

They all are selfish and self-focused… not caring really about YOU… the church… which is the interest of Christ.

That language is not an accident… that language, “seek their own interest,” should sound familiar: he uses it at the HEART of what he calls them to in this letter…

It’s the EXACT mindset he called the Philippians to just 17 verses earlier.

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 2:4–5, ESV)

Timothy is an EXAMPLE of what it looks like to be GENUINELY concerned for the interests of Christ… who gave himself up for the interests of Christ’s church.

Remember… the church does not belong to any one leader or group of leaders… we TOGETHER belong to Christ.

He gave HIS OWN BLOOD to rescue us from the just punishment of God and to make us part of his family.

And Timothy KNEW that his work wasn’t about him… it was about Jesus... because Jesus had already FINISHED the work of his salvation.

Timothy wasn’t volunteering to check a box off his Christian “to do” list.

Timothy wasn’t volunteering to appease some sense of guilt for his sin.

Timothy wasn’t leading to gain the approval of others or to feel important in the church.

Timothy wasn’t working just to punch the clock and get the paycheck.

Timothy was GENUINELY CONCERNED for the interests of Christ’s church.

This word “GENUINE” has become such an important word in our culture...

Many sources cite being “genuine” or “authentic” as the number one value of the Millenial Generation and Generation Z.

The next generations coming can spot a “fake” a hundred miles away.

They can see when the church is just going through the motions and the “interests of Jesus” are not really driving us.

It’s one of the main reasons why the next generation is cited as leaving the church in masses… because they look at their parents’ generation and say, “I’m not really sure this matters to you.”

Which makes Timothy’s example of “Genuine Concern” all the more urgent for us today.

We can’t manufacture “genuine concern.” Our ministry to Christ has to flow from our love for Christ and our love the people he places in our lives.

And WE need to be the examples to the next generation of what it looks like to GENUINELY CARE for the interests of Christ… who GAVE HIMSELF for his church!

We need to be the ones who show what it looks like to live out our faith in our SAVIOR...

Our Savior who took on flesh… and humbled himself… and became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Who purchased... by his blood… a people for himself from every tribe and language and people and nation???

What if we showed the next generation what it looks like to live out our faith in our LORD...

Who conquered the grave and ascended to the highest place...

Our Lord upon whom the Father bestowed the highest name so that every person in every generation would have to confess him and bow at his feet???

If we really believe these things… and meditate on what they mean… they will produce GENUINE CONCERN for Christ’s churhc in our hearts

Maybe you don’t feel like you have an example of that “Genuine Concern” in your life…

I do believe you could look around our church and easily find some examples of that…

But I would also commend you: look at Timothy and Epaphroditus… and look at Christ’s work in them… imitate it… and then be an example to someone else.

This portion of God’s inspired and preserved word gives us Timothy as an example of a ministry servant who is relationally invested, genuinely concerned… and third:

3) Reliably Proven (v. 22)

“But you know Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the gospel.” (Philippians 2:22, ESV)

Explain: Timothy isn’t the green, inexperienced teenager like he was the last time they saw him.

He’s got 13 years of experience on Paul’s team at the time of the writing of this letter…

13 years where he saw his mentor beaten… and run out of town… and imprisoned… and shipwrecked…

He’s seen and experienced some of the worst ministry can throw at you… and he’s still in it.

That word for proven worth, according to Gordon Fee, means "To put to the Test" (Fee, 268)

His character has been refined… tested… and he’s grown even more mature than the last time they saw him…

Like a son beside his father, apprenticing for the family trade, he’s proven himself to be an exemplary ministry servant.

Like father, like son.

And if we looked at what his Spiritual Father modeled for HIM, he would have seen in Paul this resolve to do what it takes.

Remember, Paul said in chapter 1, “To live is Christ… and to die is gain.”

He said in v. 17, “I’m willing to be poured out as a drink offering.”

As I thought about that imagery of our lives being poured out in a consistent way… I thought about the splash pad over at Muddy Run… [show pic]

They have this big water wheel thing that the kids love to stand under and get dumped on...

And it dumps every 5 minutes or so… like clockwork...

A bucket in the wheel fills up with a ton of water… and then it reaches its tipping point and gets dumped out on their heads…

And then it needs to get filled up again...

So while it’s filling up, the kids go play with smaller fountains… but they know… as soon as that bucket is filled up, it’s going to pour out on them again.

And so they RUSH to get in place and they wait… and then they experience the joy flooded all over their heads.

I think that wheel is a great picture of the reliably proven ministry servant.

Ministry servants are abiding with Jesus… they are consistently getting filled up with his power and presence through prayer and the word by the power of the Spirit...

Listen, you can’t be a TRUE ministry servant if you aren’t filled with Jesus.

It’s HIS power that works within us.

It’s HIS character that is proven in us.

But just like that wheel, we aren’t just getting filled up to keep Jesus in… we are getting filled up to be poured out again and again.

When it’s time for true ministry servants to show up and pour themselves out, they are there. You can count on it.

They’ve been there every five minutes before, they will be there every five minutes again… because they are filled with Jesus.

So let me ask you: are you reliable? Can people count on your service to Christ like Paul counted on Timothy?

At the very least… like baseline level... when you are scheduled to serve in ministry… do you show up when you say you will or find someone else to replace you if not?

How about this one: Do you click “Accept” or “Decline” on you planning center requests when you are scheduled to serve… even clicking decline is helpful and reliable.

Reliability IS a character issue.

Beyond that, can people count on you because you consistently show up when the going gets tough?

Has your character been proven to be the same when you are under pressure or when you are at ease?

If you are going through a trial, do you remain faithful, or do you see that as your cue to check out of relationship or ministry?

I’m not saying there is never a time to take a break… or to be ministered to… you need to find the freedom to do that.

But we get filled up so that we can pour out again… because we have a never ending source in Jesus.

Ministry Servants are reliably proven.

Timothy was reliable, he was also...

4) Readily Available (v. 23-24)

Look at verse 23… Paul says: “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)

Explain: As part of Paul’s team, Timothy was ready to go wherever Paul sent him.

In our highly individualistic culture, I think this kind of language sounds really foreign to us.

Timothy was about 29 or 30 at the time this was written… Today, most 29 year old’s would say, “SEND me… what do you mean SEND me??? I am my own person, thank you very much. I will go where I want to go. I will serve how I want to serve.

But not Timothy.

Paul’s like, “Timothy, you are going to Philippi as soon as we hear the verdict in my trial.” And Timothy’s like, “Sure thing.”

Timothy believed that his life belonged to Christ… he was readily available to go wherever the Lord called him to go…

and he trusted the leaders God had put in his life to help him see where that would be.

I remember when I was 22 years old.

I was an intern at NewSong Fellowship up in Lancaster… finishing my last semester of college… and my pastor called me into his office and said, “Do you want to go with the new church plant we are hoping to start?”

And being fresh out of college, I was available. So I was like, “SWEET… SURE!!!” And he was like, “Great, we don’t know where it was going to be… maybe Lititz where I grew up… maybe Ephrata…”

And then they hired Pastor Nate and he was like, “We’re going to Quarryville!”

And I was like, “WHERE? Are you SURE?!?! I’m not sure I WANT you to send me there! (Just because I had really never been there)”

But Katy and I believed that God works through the leaders he places in our lives…

and that this was where God had called us because this was where the need was…

And 12.5 years later, we have no intent of going anywhere else unless the Lord were to work through leaders in OUR lives to clearly call us.

We LOVE raising our kids here… we LOVE this church.

And there has been great blessing to us because we were available to the Lord’s calling.

And maybe it’s not as extreme as moving to a town you’ve never lived in before… maybe being readily available is as simple as building enough margin into your schedule to serve in weekly ministry...

Or maybe it’s having the willingness to step out of your comfort zone and disciple a younger believer.

Maybe it’s simply the availability to pick up the phone when someone from your Gospel Community is calling to catch up for a few minutes.

Or to serve in a ministry opportunity that isn’t your favorite.

Maybe you want to ask one of our deacons how you can serve in the ministry they are leading… or how you can come alongside them as an apprentice to help them lead.

The ministry opportunities are plentiful if you make yourself readily available.... Imitate ministry servants who are readily available.

At this point, Paul has sufficiently expressed his desire to send Timothy, but because he can’t do that until LATER, he wants to commend the person he is sending NOW (who carried this letter to them): Epaphroditus.

Timothy was part of Paul’s team… a ministry servant who would be with them temporarily.

Epaphroditus was one of their own. He was sent out by them and was now coming back to them.

And so Paul wants to make sure they understand the gift that they have in Epaphroditus… he’s not second-rate believer to Timothy. He’s just a different kind of servant.

So as he commends Epaphroditus, we see two more virtues of a ministry servant:

5) Sacrificially Dedicated (v. 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,” (Philippians 2:25, ESV)

Explain: That’s quite a description! Paul uses 5 phrases to describe Epaphroditus (I wish I had time to dig into them all)

But if you put these 5 phrases together, you get a picture of someone who is sacrificially dedicated.

Ministry cost him something.

He left his home that he knew… he left his comfort… he may have even left his job… and he did what he was asked to do.

If someone were describing your ministry service, what five phrases would they use?

Would their description paint a picture of someone who was sacrificially dedicated to the cause of advancing the gospel?

What sacrifices might serving Jesus cost you? What sacrifices has it already cost you?

One of the sacrifices that it cost Epaphroditus was his health… somewhere along the way, he got sick.

So Paul continues in v. 26, “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.” (Philippians 2:26–28, ESV)

I really love this guy, Epaphroditus. He sounds like the kind of guy we all like to be around… one who is:

6) Relentlessly Encouraging (v. 26-27)

Explain: Sometime during his trip to Rome, Epaphroditus got sick.

He picked up some bacteria.... he caught a virus… and he almost died.

It makes you think… especially in our current situation as a society... if he would have just stayed home… if he would have maintained his distance from people… he probably wouldn’t have gotten sick… maybe he shouldn’t have gone!

But that’s not the way Epaphroditus thought…

His primary concern is that the people back HOME would be worried about him because somehow they heard he was ill.

He’s LONGING for them… and distressed that they might spend energy worrying about him.

And so now they can see: GOD preserved his life… GOD is the one who gives life and who takes it away.

You didn’t really get up from your deathbed very often back then.

But God HEALED HIM out of the abundance of his mercy: mercy to Epaphroditus, but not only him… out of mercy to Paul.

PAUL would have been EXCEEDINGLY SORROWFUL and ANXIOUS if he didn’t have Epaphroditus in his life.

You see, it seems that Epaphroditus embraced Paul’s perspective: to live is Christ, to die is gain!

If he was going to die, he just wanted to make sure Christ’s church was well-cared for… he had a LONGING for them.

And if he was going to live, he was going to serve Jesus… in this case by ministering to Paul’s needs and encouraging him.

Epaphroditus was relentlessly encouraging.

A little obstacle like a near-death sickness couldn’t stop that.

When YOU face sickness… or other things that might make ministry uncomfortable… do you maintain your concern for Christ’s interests?

Do you keep encouraging others… OR do you get self-focused and grumpy?

I know I can tend to the latter.

But Epaphroditus is an example to us of one who is RELENTLESSLY encouraging.

The descriptions of these two men are great opportunities to hold up the mirror of God’s word and see… am I imitating the common virtues of ministry servants who prove their love for Christ’s church.

But it’s possible we also see their reflections in OTHER people in our own church.

We have some WONDERFUL ministry servants here who embody these virtues.

And so as we finish out these last two verses, I want us to see...

Three things to Do when you See a Ministry Servant

If you see someone who is serving in an exemplary way in our church… do these three things.

1) Receive them (v. 29)

Paul writes in v. 29, “So receive him in the Lord...” (Philippians 2:29, ESV)

Explain: The idea here is that Epaphroditus, as a ministry servant, is a gift.

They are to accept him… to cherish him… to welcome him back in and realize what they have.

This could have included caring for his needs… showing hospitality to him out of gratitude for his service to Christ’s church.

Receive them. Second:

Rejoice that you have them (v. 29b)

Paul writes, receive him in the Lord WITH ALL JOY.

Faithful ministry servants are the work of God and the gift of God to a church. Spend time thanking God for exemplary ministry servants. Rejoice over them.

Thank God for the person who greeted you and the usher who showed you to your seat.

Rejoice because the tech team got here early to make sure the music was well-mixed and the lyrics were on the screen.

Express joy to God for the Worship Team who show up early week after week to help us sing praise to God.

Thank God for the communications staff who put sermon notes together and organize schedules and run our livestream and tend to countless other details...

Rejoice that there are youth ministry workers who love our teens and invest in their lives.

Express joy that there are people who set up special events where we can build relationships with one another and people in our community.

Thank God for the people who count our money manage our financial books.

Rejoice that there were nursery workers holding our babies and praying over them.

Express joy that there are children’s teachers who teach our kids truth in a safe environment.

Thank God that there are women who pour out their lives for others in AROMA… and men who are coming alongside to serve in Care Connect.

Rejoice that there are people sharing their faith with their neighbors.

Express joy that there are people sacrificing time at Solid Rock Youth Ministries and at Good News Clubs.

Thank God for your Gospel Community leader and his wife.

Rejoice for the family who open their home every other week to host your Gospel Community.

Express joy that the Lord has provided us elders who put in untold hours in shepherding God’s flock.

Rejoice… first to God… and then tell that person that you are thankful to God for them.

Ministry servants are a gift from God meant to be received with joy.

When you see an exemplary ministry servant, Receive them, Rejoice over them… and then finally...

Respect them (v. 29c-30)

Paul says, “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.”

By that Paul means, “You had more work that you wanted to partner with me in… you saw that your job wasn’t finished… financially… relationally... and so you sent Epaphroditus.

And I just want you to know that he accomplished his mission at great cost to himself. Make sure you honor him… make sure you show him respect.”

Can I just tell you, the greatest form of honor is imitation.

You copy the people you respect. You get into the trenches with them.

They are to hold Epaphroditus in such honor that they let his concern for the gospel become their own.

They stand side by side for the gospel in faithful ministry with him and with Timothy and with Paul.

And we are too...

Look at these six virtues of a ministry servant again...

1) Relationally Invested (v. 19)

2) Genuinely Concerned (v. 20-21)

3) Reliably Proven (v. 22)

4) Readily Available (v. 23-24)

5) Sacrificially Dedicated (v. 25)

6) Relentlessly Encouraging (v. 26-27)

How is God calling you to grow as a ministry servant today?

Maybe you are like, “I see what I need to grow in, but I’m not sure how.”

The thing that all these guys shared: Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus… was this: Christ had taken over their heart… that’s how we grow.

Christ had changed their selfish, sinful hearts into hearts that lived for him and his kingdom.

They had repented of their self-centeredness and self-righteousness… and experienced his grace…

Jesus had died for them… so how could they not live for him?

So I would urge you… don’t try to produce these things through guilt. Look upon the GRACE of Jesus in your life.

Look around you for people in whom his grace is evident. And then imitate them as they imitate Christ.

Make Christ your all… and you will never lack what you need to serve him.

Let’s pray.