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)
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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.
