Joyful Completion VI

Read Philippians 2:19-30

This story reminds me of a time whenever I was asked to preach a DNOW at the last minute. The youth pastor had no idea who I was.

Paul would have done anything possible to return to Philippi, a church that he planted, to spend time equipping and encouraging the believers.

But he was serving a prison sentence that could result in his execution or eventually release. At this point, he didn’t know what that ending would be but he knew that the ministry in Philippi would not end if he was unable to make it there.

Philippians 2:19-30 provides us instruction on how the church can exist in a healthy way whenever the body can support multiple leaders.

A pastor is not the only person who provides spiritual leadership to the church. Paul knew he couldn’t be present with the believers at this time but he could insure that the believers had a strong sense of security.

Timothy

Timothy was an example of humble servanthood.

Paul shared the same love of this church that Paul did. He was there when the church was founded and established. He could serve as an extension of Paul himself toward the believers.

Paul was concerned with their well-being enough to send Timothy as follow-up. Paul knew that everything in his life was unsettled but he cared more about the churches union with God than he did his own well-being.

Timothy going to be with the believers would benefit him too because Timothy would be able to report back about their progress.

Why was Timothy valuable?

He was Paul’s most trusted colleague and his right hand man.

“like-minded” - lit. “like-souled” close human friendship. He carried Paul’s deep concern.

There were genuine Christians in Rome with people, but none were as self-sacrificing as Timothy.

Few people come to Lord’s service just to honor Him. Many want something else.

Paul had to send man who would have no other agenda than increasing God’s kingdom.

Timothy was not a stronger to the Philippians. He was there with Paul and Silas when they first visited Philippi.

Timothy knew Paul deeply and had a prior relationship with the church.

Also, he would be able to bring more news about Paul’s condemnation or release from prison.

In football, one of the most difficult challenges a team can face is when their starting quarterback goes down with an injury. In the NFL, there are a few guys that are known for being skilled backup QB’s (Colt Mccoy, Case Keenum, Jason Garrett). A good backup is not known for lighting up the scoreboard with amazing plays. In these times of instability, a great backup will know the plays well, manage the game, and not commit turnovers.

In the kingdom of God, He is not looking for leaders that will run outside of His will no matter how charismatic they are. God will not hand the leadership of his church to self-seeking men and women. He is calling leaders to be obedient, consistent, and dependable.

We often hold ourselves back from serving Jesus, because don’t think we match the world’s expectations of leadership.

Don’t be a leader according to the world’s standard. God has a better way.

Faithful, Available, & Teachable.

Timothy is a strong reminder that God is looking for people that will do anything he tells them to do.

Epaphroditus

His name means “charming” or “handsome”. A very common name in the Graeco-Roman world.

Epaphroditus was a local leader in Philippi sent to Paul to give him a monetary gift and offer physical support. The idea was for Epaphroditus to remain with Paul as another resource to help his ministry.

The plans changed whenever Paul realized that his situation was so uncertain. To return could have implied shame upon the messenger.

Instead, Paul spoke in glowing terms.

“messenger” lit. apostle

“fellow soldier” in the good fight of faith.

Epaphroditus had experienced suffering.

The church heard of a life-threatening illness and Paul wrote to relieve their minds of the anxiety. They would have thought that entire plan to bless Paul was derailed.

This was poor church. Their gift was a sacrifice.

Epaphroditus loved these people and wanted to be with them. If he would have died, Paul’s grief would have been difficult to overcome especially since Epaphroditus had put his life on the line for Paul.

It brought relief to Paul to know Epaphroditus would make it back safe and sound to help the church.

He deserved the respect of his church family.

Believers who take risks and endure suffering for the sake of God and for others are worthy of great respect. This man had followed the leading of Jesus.

Gary Witherall was a missionary in Sidon, Lebanon when an extremist shot and killed his wife Bonnie, who was working as a nurse.

Following her death, Greg Kernaghan paid the following tribute. It also serves as a challenge to our ‘cushioned-Christianity’ in the West:

Some people talk about being on the cutting edge; some actually live there. Fewer choose to dwell on the bleeding edge of humanity, where nothing is humanly certain except great need, where risk defies other definitions, where light shines the brighter for the enveloping darkness. Sidon in Lebanon is such a place, and Bonnie and Gary Witherall were some of those few.

I was privileged to stay with them just four days before Bonnie was murdered. They lived close to an area so fanatical and violent that it is off limits even to local police. They knew the risks, the potential cost, but they also knew that God had placed them there. Their daily life was defined by numerous friendships they had made in every level of society. They embraced the Arabic language and culture, yet made no effort as foreigners to hide. They were visible, available, approachable.

I know this, because the short time I spent with them was given to walking the streets and visiting people. It seemed that every few hundred metres a shopkeeper would rush out to greet them with kisses and proffer hospitality. We spent part of one evening in sidewalk cafes where, in retrospect, all of us were easy targets. Yet Gary and Bonnie were focused not on their own security but on embracing and helping others.

In the middle of Ramadan, Gary and I walked through the city until near sunrise. (He had already completed a prayer walk throughout the length of the country that took one week). If we weren’t visiting his friends one after another, he would be telling of other contacts he had come to love and was helping in practical ways. Some of these people had dangerous associations, but again Gary and Bonnie saw them as people in need. Bonnie was committed to saving and improving lives. Her work at a church-run pre-natal clinic catering to Palestinian women was the joy and drive of her life in Lebanon. She felt honoured to have such an opening into families through this service. Only God knows how many lives of women and their babies have been literally saved through this work (infant mortality among Palestinians is four times that of the USA). Gary and Bonnie came to Lebanon to bring life-not take it.

It is difficult to understand who would despise such loving service enough to fire three bullets point blank into her head. Bonnie was killed for being who she was, for refusing to run from hatred and for bringing dignity to a suffering people that the world has ignored. It would be easy, even natural, for us to draw back from this atrocity; to lash out in hate against whole nations or peoples; to seek revenge; to stereotype one-fifth of mankind. But Bonnie and Gary would, I believe, call us to something perhaps difficult yet supernatural: to be different because God’s way is different. To increase our concern, prayer and action on behalf of all the peoples of the Middle East. To refuse to accept the status quo either in the Middle East or in our own comfort zones. To step forward and stand in the heart-breaking gap Bonnie has left. There will never be a better time.

I heard Gary share his testimony about his wife on a podcast a few months ago. Once I knew of his suffering and his willingness to continue ministering to people through tragedy, I gained great respect for his life and allowed his influence in me to grow.

There are people in this world today who are completely sold out to Jesus and serving His kingdom.

They deserve our respect.

Beyond our respect, they are the people to follow because they understand the message of Luke 9:23

“If anyone desires to come after me, he must deny himself daily, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Paul knew that Epaphroditus was a man who spent his life serving and following Jesus to the point that he was willing to suffer.

If Paul was not going to be able to make it back to Philippi, he wanted the church to follow men such as Epaphroditus.

Who in your life and in our church make you a better person when you follow their influence? Look around. The church has people who we can look toward for leadership in times of uncertainty and instability. We are not hinged on the leadership of one pastor. We are a priesthood of believers.

We must practically look about our church and allow the faithful and dependable people to lead us.