Epaphroditus: Steadfast in Service

Are you willing to do whatever it takes to advance the cause of Christ? What sacrifices would you make to serve Christ and His body? Epaphroditus remained so steadfast in his dedication that he risked his very life. In Phil. 2:25-30, Paul calls to our attention a man “behind the scenes” working in a “small” way to show us there is joy in even the unrecognized acts of service.

Part 11 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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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, ²⁶ for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. ²⁷ 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.

Who Was Epaphroditus?

Epaphroditus was the believer selected by the Philippian believers to carry their monetary gift to Paul. This gift was to help defray Paul’s daily living expenses (food, clothing, medical care). Certainly we can guess that, given the roughly 800 miles a trek from Rome to Philippi covered, this man was likely in good health at the outset.

Timothy: A Christ-Like Example

Do you have someone in your life who seems to represent to you what it means to be a godly man or woman in Christ? Someone who encourages you to keep pressing forward in the faith? And someone in whom you trust for wisdom?

In Phil. 2:19-24, Paul gives the believers at Philippi the first of two godly role models in a show and tell of Christ-likeness.

Part 10 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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Paul spent the first part of chapter 2 laying the foundations of what it looks like to be like Christ, beginning with Christ Himself and continuing on with Paul’s exhortations to Christian life.

This passage begins a section where Paul gives us human examples: people who live out the gospel, the humility, and the service of Christ. Essentially, Paul is saying to these believers (and to us), you want to know what being Christ-like looks like in a believer? Look at Timothy. Look at Epaphroditus (we’ll get to him next time).

Shine Like Lights

Have you ever seen a searchlight at night, playing back and forth across the sky? Your eyes are invariably drawn to its path and you wonder, what’s it there for?

As believers, we’re here in the darkness of this world to draw people to that light — the light of God’s truth in Christ. This study in Phil. 2:14-18 covers characteristics of believers and ways we are light in the midst of darkness.

Part 9 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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How we walk in our daily lives – and particularly how we relate to each other as believers — strongly influences how the world sees us.

Complaints and Arguments

¹⁴ Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 

It is easy to complain. I find myself doing it without even thinking. We complain about tangible objects, about people (especially their driving), about circumstances, about the weather. We complain about having to do things, from grocery shopping to weeding — even to the service we may do in the church or community.

Saved By Grace, Living By Grace

Christ’s obedience and humility spur us to a closer walk with God, but do you think you have to do it alone, in your own strength? Study through Philippians 2:12-13 for more insight.

Part 8 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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Obedience Modeled on Christ’s

¹² Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

The saying goes, “When you see a ‘therefore’ in scripture, you need to ask what the ‘therefore’ is there for.” This is a good example of how important it is to read your bible in context. Paul makes a slight shift in subject, but what he is talking about in these two verses is based upon what he has just finished with: Christ and his obedience.

The Humble Servant

Christ’s life of joyful, humble obedience gives us an example to follow. Phil. 2:5-11 is full of rich theological “soil” that will deepen and enrich your understanding of Christ and your walk with Him.

Part 7 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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Today’s passage of scripture takes the form of what many frequently call a Christological hymn. This means it has as its central object Christ, and speaks to His nature and to facets of His work of redemption. Other scripture likely to be thought of as Christological hymns can be found in Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:2-4, John 1:1-14. I will not be addressing whether Paul penned this content or inserted an existing hymn.

Verses 6-11 summarize the eternal Son in describing His pre-existence, constant and present divine nature, eternal equality with God, incarnation, humility, and exaltation. There is such a depth here that I will walk through it quite slowly as there is much to be learned and much to stand in awe of. I felt utterly inadequate to do full justice to these verses, but with God’s help have done what I can!

Walking in Humility and Truth

You are connected with other believers in the truth of Christ. But how does this walk itself out in your daily life? Today’s study in Phil. 2:1-4 shows how. We look at how being in Christ affects our behavior, especially with regard to being humble.

Part 6 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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Since these believers are sharing in the same suffering that Paul himself is enduring — opposition to the gospel — he exhorts them to reflect on what it is that motivates and fortifies them in that struggle. They must remember what it is that binds them together.

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, ² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 

Here in the first two verses of Philippians 2, Paul sets up a conditional argument. If these first four pairings (verse 1) are true in you, then the following will also be true (verse 2): you will be of the same mind, have the same love, and work together in truth- and Christ-centered unity.

Living Like Christ in a Hostile World

What does it mean to strive for the gospel and live as a believer in the face of a world increasingly intolerant to Christ? Paul exhorts us in Phil. 1:27-30 to push past our fear and remember our joyful privilege of truth-telling.

Part 5 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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Today’s study begins a section of Philippians in which Paul addresses the qualities of our behavior as believers, beginning with the spread of the gospel. I’ve split up the discussion, which extends to Philippians 2:11, in the interest of keeping post length relatively short and will continue this subject in subsequent posts.

A Life That Speaks of Christ

 ²⁷ Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, ²⁸ and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God.

Although Paul hopes, as we saw in the last study, to be freed from his imprisonment, he exhorts the believers at Philippi to press forward in the gospel. Whether or not he is there with them or away on a subsequent apostolic journey, he says, he expects certain news of them. If you believe in the gospel, he tells them, then live like you do. Walk according to what you have been taught in Christ.

In Life, Christ. In Death, Gain.

Paul writes in Phil. 1:18-26 of his conflict between bearing fruit for God in this life and departing to be with God for eternity. He rests in God’s sovereignty with joy and hope, encouraging us as believers to live a life set apart for Christ in all circumstances.

Part 4 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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¹⁸ What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, ¹⁹ for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, ²⁰ as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. ²¹ For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

I included the entire verse 18 so that you could see where Paul has come from and where he is going next. As we saw last time, he rejoiced that in spite of opposition, imprisonment, and self-seeking preachers, in all ways the gospel was proclaimed. We have both a present rejoicing (I rejoice) and, at the end of the verse, a future rejoicing. I will rejoice, he says, because he is certain of deliverance.

In All Ways, The Gospel Preached

What motivates you in your walk with Christ? Do you hold on to that motivation no matter what? The central driving goal of Paul’s life was to see Christ preached. Philippians 1:12-18 covers Paul’s joy at the spread of the gospel in spite of and because of his circumstances.

Part 3 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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 ¹² I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, ¹³ so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. ¹⁴ And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

It’s so clear from these verses the centrality of the gospel in Paul’s life.

The Gospel Advanced

Normally we might think that if someone was a minister of the gospel as Paul was and had been imprisoned that his ministry had come to a screeching halt. Paul didn’t see it that way, but instead sees how it has turned out for the greater progress of the gospel as the NAS translates verse 12. This means Paul actually compares the progress of the gospel in his current circumstances with how it might have progressed had he remained at liberty — and sees it as better!

Rather than chafing at his imprisonment, his perspective is one of encouragement and rejoicing. In fact, he points out that his circumstances have two surprising results:

Joyful Prayer and Thanks

Paul’s heartfelt love for the church at Philippi is evident in this part of the study (Philippians 1:3-11) as he recounts their partnership with him in the gospel and God’s ongoing work in them. Because this is primarily a letter of encouragement, Paul is effusive in his exhortations as he prepares these believers for what he will go into in depth further into the letter.

Part 2 of a whole book study series called “Joy in Christ: A Study Through Philippians.”

Find the whole series in Philippians here.

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³ I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, ⁴ always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. ⁶ And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.

Following his greeting of grace and peace, Paul then thanks God, the source of all favor and blessing. The Philippian body of believers were used as instruments of God’s favor to Paul in the fellowship of his sufferings and in meeting his life/financial needs.

Joy in Prayer

It is a joyful thing for Paul to pray for them. We get the idea here that he does it frequently. They are close to his heart so his prayer pours out naturally and sincerely. We see from this that praying for someone is a way to express our love for them. To go before God and lift their needs up and to ask God to work in their lives is not a small thing.