Reality of Gospel Ministry

July’s Passage: Philippians 2:19-30

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 for 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 in 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. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Reality of Gospel Ministry

When I (Pastor Ken) first felt called into the ministry, I was told by my pastor to search my heart and life and my pastor said, “Ken, if there is anything - ANYTHING - you can think of that you would rather do, then don’t follow this calling.” 

This was not meant to discourage me from wanting to be a pastor, rather, it was a dose of clear and unflinching honesty, that pastoral ministry was going to be the hardest thing I would ever undertake. And, while I do give this same talk to people who come to me with a felt call into the pastorate, I also think it is wise to lay out the truth to every person who enters into the ministry - not just pastors.

In another letter, The Apostle Paul makes it clear that every saint, meaning EVERY CHRISTIAN (including YOU), is supposed to do the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Pastors and teachers and other people whom we usually talk about as “Ministers” are simply equippers of the family of ministers - Or, as The Apostle Peter calls the church, the "priesthood" of all believers (1 Peter 2:5 & 1 Peter 2:9). 

The truth is that YOU are a minister of the Gospel. And the reality of Gospel Ministry is that it is not easy on this side of eternity. It is the best calling anyone could have. It absolutely is. But it won’t always be easy. It is physically, emotionally and spiritually tough at times. In fact, it will be impossible unless you have the Holy Spirit to help you, to direct you and to sustain you.

That’s what we see in Epaphroditus. A man, called of God to be an ambassador of Christ, who found great joy and great pain to be the two sides of the coin of Gospel ministry. 

Who was Epaphroditus 

Epaphroditus wasn’t likely in the forefront. Both Timothy and Epaphroditus were servants in the church, but while Timothy served as a leader, Epaphroditus was a delivery man. The church needed teachers who were there with the family in Philippi day in and day out. Epaphroditus’ journey would have taken him away for weeks - even if he had not become ill. And it seems Epaphroditus was pleased to fill this role of a messenger sent back and forth between the Apostle Paul and this young church that Paul had planted. 

Epaphroditus was tasked with bringing material and possibly financial blessings from the church family to Paul to help him in his imprisonment. He also to carried word as to the triumphs and struggles that the young believers were having. Then, Epaphroditus was sent back to Philippi with this letter of teaching and encouragement. 

The church is served by such people as Epaphroditus. So many people only want to be in the ministry if they can share in the spotlight: to preach, to teach, to sing or to administrate. But the church needs more than mouthpieces and organizers. But we also need those who will never stand behind a microphone.

Epaphroditus didn’t just work as a pack mule for supplies, he carried the Gospel encouragement along with the material blessing to Paul. He was such an encouragement to Paul that the Apostle said that he would have had sorrow upon sorrow if Epaphroditus would have died from his illness. Also, we are not sure if Epaphroditus only “risked his life” because of his illness or if he also faced danger because of the hostility that other people had for Christians. Either way, Epaphroditus was willing to continue on through any trial or challenge to complete the work God gave him to do. 

But, it wasn’t only physical danger that Epaphroditus faced. He also knew the burden of truly loving a family of believers. He was “distressed” because he heard that the church had known about his illness. 

Epaphroditus was troubled in his heart when others were troubled about him. This is a reality of living in Gospel ministry. Your heart will break when others are hurting -EVEN IF THEY ARE HURTING BECAUSE YOU ARE HURTING. This seems strange unless you remember that we are one “BODY” as a church. There is not any part of us that should be in pain, without all of us feeling it. We weep with those who weep and we also rejoice with those who rejoice. To be in Gospel ministry is to be so in love with and loved by others that it hurts when they hurt. 

Many people are not willing to be that close to one another, but it is your call IF you are a Christian.

I believe it also distressed Epaphroditus when he heard the church was concerned about his health because as a minister of the Gospel, Epaphroditus wanted to keep all eyes on Jesus. There is a false humility that always pushes attention away so that people will love us more for our selflessness, but there is also that jealousy for God that honestly grieves when people think about us more than they think about the One who matters most, Jesus. Epaphroditus may have felt distressed as he wrestled with that tension. 

But, the suffering was not without cause. There was a goal that made it worth it for Epaphroditus.

Because of Epaphroditus’ courage and steadfast faithfulness, the Apostle Paul said Epaphroditus was due to be honored. The honor that we receive as Christians, always comes with some form of hardship. We can be encouraged by the fact that Jesus’ honor came with hardship as well, more than we could imagine, more than we take. No matter what you are called to endure in or out of the “spotlight roles of ministry,“ remember that any suffering is merely a light and momentary affliction compared with the immeasurable joys that are waiting for us in glory. 

Go. Serve. In All Things, Point to Jesus.

Sending Timothy

July’s Passage: Philippians 2:19-30

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 for 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 in 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. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Sending Timothy

Paul, writing from prison, says that he hopes to send Timothy to Philippi as soon as he can. To learn more about Timothy, you can look back to the article, “Who is Timothy” from January. 

That article talked about Timothy as a model that was set for us in the early church. A pattern of Christians discipling the next generation of Christians in a way that expects the new disciples to go and do the same thing with yet another generation of Christians. That is the model of discipleship that has made it possible for us to become Christians almost 2,000 years later. It is the model that we are to follow if we desire to see the church continue to grow and spread and reach into all the nations as Jesus directed. 

Today, we will unpack a couple of ideas from the passage that shed a little more light on Timothy and that reinforce what we know about Jesus. 

“…no one like him…”

Paul highlights Timothy’s good quality, that Tim is, “genuinely concerned for your welfare.” by comparing them to the bad qualities of some other people, who, “seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ…” 

Timothy has a genuine concern for the welfare of the Philippian church. He has a biblical love for them that is not based on emotion. It is based on commitment to their betterment and a commitment to the Gospel. 

This is the kind of love that you want your ministers to have for you, church. The Bible warns leaders against being domineering toward their church. Jesus tells His disciples not to be like worldly leaders who lord their power over others. 

Yet, some leaders do rise up in each generation of the church who are in it for the wrong reasons. They may do many things right if you are looking at the surface level, yet, if/when their heart motives are investigated, they reveal a commitment to self instead of a commitment to others. A desire to glorify their own names, instead of a passion to glorify Jesus. Paul is likely referring back to the leaders he wrote about in Philippians 1:15-18.

Timothy, is the right kind of church leader. Focused on the good of others and the Glory of God. He is good for the Philippians. Paul is eager to send Timothy, and the Philippians would do well to be eager to receive him. 

“Timothy's proven worth…”

Paul doesn’t tout Timothy as a beneficial minister to the church because of a couple of good words he has heard Timothy say, or because of a couple of good deeds that he has seen in Timothy’s life. No, Paul is confident to vouch for Timothy because like, “a son with a father he has served with me in the Gospel.” 

Timothy isn’t an “employee” in the church, Timothy is family. This is such a key idea to grasp and cultivate in our own church today. We cannot look at equippers and ministers as “hired hands” who simply come in and perform a service. Your pastors/elders and deacons, your children ministry workers, your praise team, and many others who serve you - the church - do so primarily because we love you and we have a passion to lead you into an ever deeper love for, and trust in, and obedience to Jesus Christ. We are your brothers and sisters. That is why we do what we do. That is why we stick with the work even when the work is difficult. We are propelled by the Gospel and by our love for you and our love for the not-yet-believer. 

And that is why, just as Paul and Timothy are so eager to come together and gather with the Philippians as soon as they are able - we too are eager and rejoice at every opportunity to gather with you, the saints at Warsaw. 

Look to Jesus

But, we would fall short in this article if we stopped by looking at Timothy or looking at ourselves. If you remember the article when we talked about living as Christ, we said that this was an idea that Paul would unpack from a lot of different angles. First in his role as a leader of the early church. Then in the life of an individual Christian, then in the life of the Church as a people, then in the living examples of two servants of the Church, Timothy and Epaphroditus. And in-between all of that, Paul talked about the best example - Christ Himself in 2:5-11. 

Timothy surely gives us a great picture of living in a way that should point your heart to Jesus. 

Just as Timothy did not live for His own interests (or comfort or ease), how much more did Jesus lay down His right to be worshiped and instead allowed Himself to be mocked, spit upon, beaten and killed because of a concern for YOUR welfare - your eternal welfare. 

And, just as Timothy proved by His life how he served the church like a spiritual son to Paul - How much more did Jesus, our King, prove His worth as our Spiritual brother, making a way for us to be reunited into the Family of God. 

We pray that when you look to Timothy today and when you look to any of the servants at your church, that you will see a little bit of the brilliance of Jesus in them and praise the Father today. 

Heroes in the Faith

July’s Passage: Philippians 2:19-30

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 for 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 in 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. (ESV)

If you are new to this reading plan, follow the instructions on the right side of this page or click here to read the "Why Just One Letter" introduction article.

Throughout each month, we will post short articles to give some depth of understanding regarding our text (see the archive links on the lower right of this page for review). Today we will discuss...

Heroes in the Faith

It is good to have heroes. When we are children, many of us looked up to firemen, soldiers and police officers as our heroes. Some looked to professionals like scientists and doctors who worked tirelessly to help the sick and suffering in the world. A few of us were even able to look up to our parents. 

For example, my (pastor Ken’s) dad is still a hero to me when I look back at his life and when I look at him still today. He married my mother when I was very young and took us in as his own. He was in the Navy, but it wasn’t his military service that garnered honor from me, it was his selfless, hardworking devotion to us. He surely got tired from his work, but every morning, he got up, got dressed and went out and took on the day. His work ethic - to support his family - was heroic to me. And I have tried to follow in his footsteps in order to provide for my family to the best of my ability. 

No matter who you are, there is someone that you see as heroic. A person you look up to. A person you aspire to be more like. And, that is a good thing. 

The Bible supports this idea, of looking up to heroes in this month’s passage and several in other places as well. Before we get to today’s portion of Philippians, I would encourage you to read through the “Hall of Faith” chapter in Hebrews 11:4-40. The writer of Hebrews talks about all of these people who held onto their faith through the good and bad of this broken world and then in 12:1-2, the writer tells us to let these Heroes in the Faith influence us to live like them - and ultimately allow the heroes to point us to Jesus. 

In Hebrews 13:7, the writer continues in that thread of thought and says that we can also look to our leaders in the family of Christ:

“Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.” (ESV)

The writer doesn’t say to simply look at their words, or to simply look to their actions. He says to study their entire life. And, where their Faith-filled talk matches up with their faithful walk, imitate that. 

That’s the idea we want to grab hold of in this passage as a whole. Paul commends Timothy and Epaphroditus for their life of selfless service to Paul and to the Church through their faith in Jesus. 

Specifically, in verse 29, Paul says to “honor such men.” 

To honor means to hold them in high regard, to prize your ability to know them, to see them as precious and to consider their reputation as something to be duplicated and worth striving for yourself. 

We will talk about their specific honorable qualities in other articles this month. Today it is enough to encourage you to seek out Christians whom you can look up to and strive to live more like them in whatever honorable qualities they have. 

Whom to Honor:

Look at Christians in your home, school, workplace, the public square and in your church who speak the truth in love and who live out what they talk about. Look also to our rich 2,000 year history of the Christian church and study the words and read biographies of those who have gone before us. 

How to Honor: 

Honor them by learning from them, (if they are still alive and in your daily gatherings, ask them questions, seek advice and form Christian bonds). Honor them by taking what you see that is good and figure out how you can apply it in your own life. Honor them by encouraging and correcting them (with love) if and when you see areas where they are not living in light of the Gospel. 

A Warning about Honoring Heroes in the Faith:

Remember that we are dangerously prone to take a good thing and make it into an ultimate thing and so it is possible - if you are not careful - to turn a hero in the faith into an Idol whom you worship. Heroes in the faith are to receive honor. Heroes are NEVER to receive worship. We don’t pray to them. We don’t set them up in our minds as perfect or infallible or sinless. They are Saints in the same way we are Saints. The only good that we see in our heroes is Christ in them. If you are ever at risk of hero worship - run away and seek Christ. If your heroes ever encourage you to worship them - run away and seek Christ. They are men and women just like us. They are not worthy of worship, nor can they stand under the weight of your expectations for them to be faultless. 

The Reason for Heroes in the Faith:

God gives us heroes in the faith for one ultimate reason, to point your heart to Jesus. Unlike the world who idolizes a person’s looks, talents, intellect, humor, power, etc… Unlike the world who never looks past the giftedness of a person to see the Glory of Jesus, the giver of those gifts - We instead, look to Jesus, the giver and thank Him for allowing these heroes to point our hearts and minds to him. 

When you look to your heroes, take time this week to tell them (if they are alive) how they - through their life - showed you some truth about Jesus. In that way, you will honor them indeed.