Sending and Serving

 Philippians 2:19-30

Welcome! Today we resume our study of the wonderful book of Philippians. I want to start by giving a recap of some of the things we have discussed over the past few weeks. In Chapter 1, Paul gives thanks for the Philippians, calling them his partners in the gospel. And he says that, because they are his partners, he “prays with joy” for them. He then tells them his prayer, that their love “may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.”

Paul then talks briefly about his chains, as he is in prison, but he then says he rejoices. With Christ’s help, he expects and hopes not to be ashamed, but to exalt Christ, whether he lives or dies. He then calls on the Philippians to conduct themselves in a manner worthy of the gospel, contending for the faith without fear, even if they are persecuted or suffer.

In Chapter 2, Paul then calls on them to have the love of Christ, being one in spirit and purpose, and he says that this will make his joy complete. You can see how joy is a major theme of Philippians; Paul has joy as he thinks of the Philippians, he rejoices as he thinks about his personal situation, in prison, chained to a soldier at all times, and he says that seeing the Philippians living together in love and unity and purpose together will be, in effect, the icing on the cake of his joy.

He also calls on them to imitate Christ’s humility; as Christ made Himself nothing, taking on the role of a lowly servant, so should they, avoiding complaining and arguing. Regarding humility, this is a quote I really like:

“I used to think that God's gifts were on shelves one above the other and that the taller we grew in Christian character, the more easily we should reach them. I find now that God's gifts are on shelves one beneath the other and that it is not a question of growing taller, but of stooping lower and that we have to go down, always down to get His best ones.” – F. B. Meyer

Paul concludes this section in Chapter 2 by saying even if he is being poured out like a drink offering, he is glad and rejoices because of what they are doing in faith, and he calls on them to rejoice with him. This brings us to the start of today’s passage which begins with Phil. 2:19.

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. – Phil. 2:19-21

I want to start off by looking closely at that first phrase – “I hope in the Lord Jesus to…” This is not what most people today mean when they say they hope something or other will happen. For example, you may hear someone say “I hope I get an A,” or if it is a hard semester, “I hope I get a C.” What do they really mean when they say this?

I think they really mean three things. First, they are hoping in themselves. They are hoping that they have the right stuff to perform at the level they desire. For they are the ones taking the test; they are hoping that they can pull it off. Second, they are hoping in their professor or teacher. Specifically, they are hoping that the author of this test has made a fair test, a doable test, or maybe, to be more blunt about it, an easy test. Finally, they are hoping for a bit of good luck, that where they have to guess, they guess right.

Do you think Paul means anything like this? When Paul hopes in the Lord to send Timothy to the Philippians, do you think he is hoping that he, Paul, will be clever enough to find a way to pull this off? Or do you think he is hoping that Timothy will be clever enough? Or that Timothy will have some good luck during his perilous travels? No, Paul is hoping in the Lord. He is asking the Lord to make this happen, to make circumstances work out so Timothy can go, to protect Timothy’s health, to help Timothy to make it there safely, and so on. He is asking the Lord in prayer to make these things happen.

Now, can you hope “in the Lord” to get an “A”? Maybe, maybe not. Is your grade centrally tied in to seeing the Lord accomplish His will through your life? Do you think this way about your life? I don’t mean just on Sunday morning, but throughout the week. Your daily, normal life, your job, your classes, your chores, whatever you do during the week, is this purposeful? Does the purpose in some way tie into seeing the Lord accomplish His will through your life?

It can. If you are a stay-at-home mom, your purpose may be to help bring your children up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Eph. 6:4) Your hope “in the Lord” is that God will use this time you spend with your children to help them grow to love God and serve Him with their lives. If you are a student, you may have a number of purposes. One may be that you are equipped to one day provide for yourself or for a future family. Another may be that during this time God uses Christians in your life to help you grow into maturity so that He can use you in other people’s lives, including perhaps a future family, for the rest of your life. If you have a full-time job, your purpose may be to be a light to others at work as well as to responsibly provide for yourself and your family (if you have one).

My point is that thinking purposefully in this manner helps you to see what is important versus not so important. It is less important that you get an “A” than it is that you competently learn the material, especially if it conveys knowledge and skills you will need to bring to your future career. Rather than hoping just to do well in a class, to think like Paul thinks is to hope in the Lord that God will use your time and school and your future career to bring glory to Himself.

And one last comment on this kind of purposeful thinking: there is nothing like it for finding joy in your life. It is hard to have joy if you feel like you are only just surviving, if you are doing what you have to do, or what you are expected to do, but that it is devoid of any higher meaning or calling, any godly purpose. But if you can discover a godly purpose to how you spend your days, or if you can adjust what you do so as to have such a purpose, you will find joy because you know that you are working unto the Lord. And if you feel trapped in your position, I remind you that Paul wrote this letter in prison while chained to a soldier, and yet he found a godly purpose in it. So I would say that your perspective is far more important than your circumstances.

And so, here, Paul hopes “in the Lord” to send Timothy to the Philippians because Paul loves them and wants to see them continue to grow in faith and in partnering with him in the gospel. And by paying attention to other details in the book of Philippians, you can figure out that he is concerned about how they handle opposition and persecution, that he is concerned about how they resist false doctrine, and he is concerned about their unity in the Lord. Paul has some question marks concerning the Philippians, and he looks forward to hearing Timothy’s report once he has made it to be with them.

Paul mentions that Timothy, like Paul himself, has genuine interest in their welfare. Just who was this Timothy? From elsewhere in Scripture we know that he was a native of either Derbe or Lystra, both small towns in Galatia, that his mother was Jewish and that his father was Greek, so that Timothy had, in effect, one foot in each culture, Jewish and Greek. He was circumcised as an adult, which meant that growing up he probably lived more as a Greek than as a Jew. We know that his mother Eunice and his grandmother Lois taught him the Bible and specifically, the gospel. Paul took him to be with him in Acts 16, and later in Acts 16, Paul went to Philippi, so it seems that Timothy had been there from the beginning of the founding of the Philippi church.

The phrase “there is no one else like him” is translated a little loosely; in the Greek the word used is isopsuche, which means one-souled, or of identical spirit. More than “no one else like him,” what Paul means is that Timothy has the exact same heart and spirit towards the Philippians as Paul himself does. He “takes a genuine interest” in their welfare. This verb is very strong in the Greek – a literal translation would be that he will feel deeply burdened for their welfare. The word elsewhere is translated as “anxious.” That burdened.

We are all called to this, by the way. Being the church, loving one another, is not just about warm feelings. It’s also not just about serving. Both of these things are obviously part of it. But another part of it is to have deep concern for one another, to pray for one another without being told, to call one another up and see how a problem or trouble is today, to gently and humbly offer counsel when you see someone’s blind spots, and so on. Paul was not sending Timothy as an outsider, but for the time he was to be in Philippi, to be a member of the body, to do these things for them, things that all of us should do for one another if we truly want to be the church body that God calls us to be.

And then Paul comes the closest to making a jaded remark I can find: For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.What did Paul mean by that? It is a form of idiom. He doesn’t mean every single person of all time, but he means that this is normal. Normal is to be helpful to a point, but when things get complicated, or stressed, or difficult, to go back to putting yourself first. We have the vivid nautical idiom “fair-weathered friends” that captures some of the same idea. These are the guys that abandon ship when the storm comes.

And Paul had experience in seeing “everyone” looking out for their own interests. In 2 Timothy 1:15, Paul writes, “You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.” He gives those two by name because it is shocking; these were known to Timothy, and apparently they were people one would never think could do such a thing. And in 2 Timothy 4:16, Paul writes, “At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me.” In my experience, there are few things more painful than being “deserted.” Sometimes when people ask me for a verse that has given me encouragement, I quote 2 Timothy 1:15. People look at me very strangely, but I mean it. It gives me encouragement because it reminds me that I am not alone and because Paul models to me how to go on despite such disappointments. And of course Christ has lived the ultimate example of this when he went to the cross; there is nothing we can go through that He Himself does not sympathize with, that He does not understand intimately, and we can go to Him with whatever we are going through.

But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. – Phil. 2:22-24

Timothy had proven himself; the Greek means that he had shown his proven worth in trials and challenges. In I Timothy 3, among the qualifications of a deacon, it says that let them first also be tested. This is the same Greek word. Timothy was like the opposite of a “fair-weathered friend;” he had proven that he was both willing and able to help in the midst of the storm.

I love the phrase “as a son with his father” – this shows how special Timothy was to Paul; multiple times in Scripture Paul refers to him as a son. What did he do like a son? He served. The Greek word for served has the root douleuo which is a slave. Note that it doesn’t say he served as a slave to Paul; it says he slaved with Paul in the work of the gospel. They did their work together, like father and son. We have mostly lost this concept in our modern culture, because it is so rare that sons take up their father’s work. But back then sons often continued their father’s work, apprenticing under them and taking over when the father no longer could work. This was Paul and Timothy’s relationship with respect to serving as laborers of the gospel. And in a way this really reveals the depth of Paul’s love for the Philippians – he was willing to send away his “son” for them.

As for Paul’s imprisonment, was Paul released? Did he get to go to Philippi as he hoped “in the Lord” (there’s that phrase again) to do? We don’t know for certain, but many commentators think that Paul was released after his two-year period in Acts 28 where it says “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.” The implication is that after this he was free for a time; otherwise if he had immediately died, why wouldn’t it say so?And so Paul may have visited Philippi after this imprisonment. Like many details like this, we just don’t know.

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. – Phil. 2:25-27

All we know about Epaphroditus is from this book of Philippians. He was from Philippi, and the Philippians had sent him to Paul to “take care of his needs.” This likely means that the Philippi church collected funds and sent them with Epaphroditus for Paul, who was imprisoned and yet the Romans expected him to pay for his needs. Beyond this, the Philippians meant for Epaphroditus to stay there, helping Paul not just with money but to serve Paul in any way that came up.

His name was very common at that time. It literally means “a favorite of Aphrodite,” which is not something a Christian would name their child, so he was almost certainly raised as a pagan Greek. He was obviously a very sacrificial person, willing to leave his home, his career, his friends, his church, to go into Rome, a dangerous place, and affiliate himself with Paul, an affiliation that could also have become quite dangerous.

Paul calls him brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier. Let’s look at each of these. The Greek word is adelphos, this is a brother in terms of love, comaraderie, close friendship, etc. The fellow worker in Greek is synergos, from which we get synergy, the idea that two things working together can produce more energy or output than the sum of each working alone. Central to this word, as to our word synergy, is that they are not only doing the same thing, but they are doing the same thing together. And fellow soldier in Greek is the mouthful systratiotes, from which we get the words strategy and strategist. The word doesn’t imply a foot soldier obeying orders, but instead a military co-leader, co-planner. In each of these words Paul puts Epaphroditus as an equal. This is high praise, and while Paul is being gracious in his speech, we can also be sure that Paul really meant it.

Now it is obvious that Paul greatly loves and respects this man, and yet he is sending him back to Philippi. Why? Because he is distressed (deeply distressed, in turmoil, the same Greek word is used to describe Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane!) over the fact that they have learned that he has been very ill. My first reaction to thinking about this is, “Huh?”

To understand this you first need to remember that this is first century Rome, not twenty-first century America. He can’t call or Skype, he can’t send a detailed email or update his Facebook account. None of that exists. He knew how much the Philippians loved him and he loved them just as much. And he didn’t want to distress them over his brush with death. And it sounds like more than just a “brush.”

Make sure you understand this, and you will begin to understand the kind of love Christ calls us to. Paul feels awful because Epaphroditus feels awful because the Philippians feel awful because Epaphroditus had felt awful when he was sick. Got it? We can read Romans 12:15 which says “Rejoice with those who rejoice and mourn with those who mourn” and scrunch up our fists and say “Yes, I’m going to do this better,” but these guys are doing this without being told to do so. One of the most amazing and wonderful consequences of accepting the gospel and becoming a Christian that people don’t talk enough about is that you are actually going to really learn what love is. Sometimes a young teenager falls “in love” with someone and what is the most common parental response? It is to say that they are too young to really know what love is. They have it half right. The truth is that nobody knows what love is until they begin to really comprehend and become transformed by the incredible love of Christ, agape love. Sappy people sometimes say that “love is the greatest force in the universe,” and by this they mean something shallow, syrupy. But their statement is right, if by it you mean the agape love of Christ. This kind of love we too can experience as we earnestly seek Him and ask Him to transform us.

Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me. – Phil. 2:28-30

So Paul wants to send Epaphroditus on, because then the Philippians will feel better, which will make Epaphroditus feel better, which will make Paul feel better. Again, there is almost humor in this, and possibly Paul even intended there to be humor in the way he put this.

But behind the possible humor, notice the humility and especially the willingness for self-sacrifice in all of this. Everyone is thinking of someone else. The Philippians gave up their beloved Epaphroditus for Paul. Epaphroditus willingly gave up his wonderful church home for Paul. Paul now willingly gives up his right-hand man Epaphroditus for the Philippian church. It is a beautiful picture and a strong call to examine our own lives, our own relationships, and even our own selfishness, which is every bit as much an opposite of humility as is pride.

And I love that Paul instructs the church on how to welcome him. He is not returning as a failure, but as a hero. After World War II, but not so much with any war since, we welcomed the returning soldiers as heroes. Paul is saying to welcome Epaphroditus and others who return from “mission” as heroes, for that is what they are. I encourage you to welcome missionaries whether they go overseas or work right here (even Great Commission staffers here at Clemson) as heroes, because they do give their lives to the work of the gospel.We too should welcome such people with great joy and with honor.

I need to mention one more Greek word. It is paraboleuomai, and it is the word the NIV translates as “risking.” It could also be translated as “regarding not” or “hazarding” or “heedlessly taking no account of.” What does it say Epaphroditus risked? His life! He regarded it not. He took no account of it. That certainly fits any definition of hero.

From what I have read, some groups of early Christians called themselves paraboleuomai. The term was originally used as a gambling term, meaning to risk it all, which is at the essence of gambling. Dice or betting stones or bones came to be called by this name. The early Christians who called themselves paraboleuomai did so because they saw themselves as betting it all on Christ. They were willing to die for the sake of the gospel. They counted their lives, not to mention their comfort, as not of any account compared to knowing and serving Christ.

Paul was certainly paraboleuomai. I think of what Paul said as he was leaving Ephesus for Jerusalem in Acts 20:

And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. – Acts 20:22-24

And I think of Paul later living this out, chained to a soldier, under arrest, writing this letter to the Philippians, not knowing what will happen to him, paying no regard to his own situation, sending away his dearest friends and support to a church whose needs didn’t even begin to compare to Paul. As all this was going on, he was still carrying on the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. Everyone within earshot of Paul was hearing the gospel, was being prayed for, was being approached, encouraged, challenged, with the truth of the gospel. Paul was certainly paraboleuomai.

Are you willing to beparaboleuomai?Are you a little scared? So am I. What must we do? The answer I see again and again in Scripture is a willingness to obey God in every area. One of these areas, as Paul describes here, is in sharing our faith, as Paul puts it, “testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” I encourage you to take risks! Gamble a little! Risk possibly losing a friendship or damaging a professional relationship over the gospel. Risk being ridiculed or embarrassed because someone asks you a question you cannot answer. Risk it!

It is ironic that Paul called Epaphroditus paraboleuomai because the name Epaphroditus, as I mentioned earlier, meant “friend” or “favorite of Aphrodite.” Well, Aphrodite was the goddess, of, among other things, luck, that is, she was the gambler’s goddess. When the superstitious Greeks rolled the dice or stones or bones in a big bet, what do you think they said? Yes, they said, “Epaphroditus.” That is, they were calling out to Aphrodite as their friend in hopes that she would give them good fortune.How ironic that the man named Epaphroditus did not call on Aphrodite at all yet risked much greater loss (in the world’s eyes, anyway) betting it all on God.

Let me wrap up with the first verse of Chapter 3.

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you. – Phil. 3:1

I probably don’t have to tell you this, but understand that joy is not happiness. Happiness, generally speaking, is based on our circumstances, our situation. Look at Paul or Epaphroditus. Their situations are not happy. Paul is in prison and may die, and he is sending away his support, his best friends. Epaphroditus nearly died and is now being sent away from Paul. But they have joy. You find joy not in circumstances but in the Lord. You find joy when you think with an eternal perspective rather than on your current situation. You find joy when you reflect on the goodness and kindness and love of God rather than on your own failings and weaknesses. And there is joy when you are in personal communion with Christ and with His body, the church.

I want to close with a poem by Amy Carmichael:

Many crowd the Savior's Kingdom; few receive His Cross.

Many seek His consolation; few will suffer loss

For the dear sake of the Master, counting all but dross.

Many sit at Jesus' table, few will fast with Him

When the sorrow-cup of anguish trembles to the brim.

Few watch with Him in the garden who have sung the hymn.

Many will confess His wisdom; few embrace His shame.

Many, should He smile upon them, will His praise proclaim.

Then, if for a while He leave them, they desert his Name.

But the souls who love Him truly, in woe or in sweet bliss,

These will count their truest heart's blood not their own, but His;

Savior, Thou Who thus hast loved me, give me love like this!