Imitate Those Who Serve Others
19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send
Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have
no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they
all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22But you know
Timothy’s proven worth, how as a son with a father he has served with me in the
gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go
with me, 24 and I trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also. 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. 28 I am
the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him
again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So receive him in the Lord with all
joy, and honour such men, 30 for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking
his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me. (Philippians
2:19-30)
The cult of celebrity
We live in a
celebrity driven world. Our TV’s are
saturated with ‘celebrity’ shows from ‘Celebrity Bake Off’ to celebrity quiz
shows. Of course, what passes as a ‘celebrity’
is questionable – with most of us thinking “Who?...You’re famous for what?”. However, it does illustrate the need we all
have to look up to someone – which is not wrong in itself – if we are looking
up to someone for the right reasons. In
the passage above Paul asks us to do just that, however he provides us with the
qualifiers with which to do so.
The qualities of those worthy of
imitation.
First, those
who serve others have a caring heart. Paul was under house arrest in Rome. He
was awaiting the outcome of his appeal to Caesar. He could receive visitors,
but he was not free to leave his house. He wrote in verse 19, “I hope in the
Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of
you.” Timothy was a young pastor, and Paul was going to send him to Philippi so
that he would receive news about how the Philippian Christians were doing. The
reason Paul wanted to send Timothy to Philippi is because Timothy had a caring
heart, (vs 20-21). Timothy really cared about the welfare of God’s people. The
second person we read about is Epaphroditus.
We know very little about him, he was not a pastor or an elder or a
deacon. He was a simply member of the Philippian Church. However, at the time
Paul wrote this letter, Epaphroditus was ill, yet he was not distressed over
his own illness. He was distressed because the Philippians had heard that he
was ill. In other words, he was concerned about their concern for him! Let us
be people who are concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of others.
And second,
those who serve others have an excellent character. Over the course of time,
Timothy had proven himself faithful in his service to Christ and the people of
God. Paul viewed Timothy with great affection, as a father viewed his son, and
commented that Timothy had served with Paul in the advancement of the gospel. He
was hoping to send Timothy soon, and Paul himself was hoping to come to the
Philippians as soon as his legal case was resolved. Timothy was a pastor with
an excellent character. He had, in the words of Paul, “proven worth.” Likewise,
Epaphroditus (vs 25) was a brother, a fellow worker, a fellow soldier, a
messenger, and a minister to his need. In other words, Epaphroditus was engaged
in advancing the gospel. Neither man was a “armchair general” they both ‘served
in the field’ for the advancement of the Gospel.
Thirdly both
men suffered hardship for the sake of the Gospel. Paul’s missionary journeys were not easy and we
read of his sufferings and persecution in Acts.
Paul calls upon Timothy to endure suffering in 2 Timothy but added to
this there were physical illness to endure.
We know that Timothy had constant stomach illnesses and here we read of Epaphroditus
(vs 27) being ill to the point of death.
Paul writes to the Philippian church (and us by extension) that those
who suffer hardship for the sake of Christ have a proven track record. They
serve Christ and his gospel in various ways. They show a real concern for the
wellbeing of others. And they are willing to suffer for the sake of the gospel.
Summing it up (and a word of warning)
Paul clearly
hold up these two men as examples for us to imitate and it is right for us to
hold them in high esteem. There is
nothing wrong with having role models in the Christian faith yet we are not to
turn them into ‘celebrities’. We are all
sinners, but some forget that and if their ‘celebrity Christian’ should fall it
causes them to doubt the faith. Paul
holds up these men because the Philippian church knew them and knew their
character.
Therefore,
having analysed the concept of imitation in Philippians 2:19-30, let us keep
your eyes on those who walk according to the example of Christ. We can find Christian
contentment knowing that there are Christians within our own fellowship who are
living a Christlike life even through difficult times. Furthermore, we grow in contentment and
Christlikeness when we imitate worthy Christians. Let us imitate those who
serve others. Let us imitate those who have a caring heart and have an
excellent character.
Prayer for the day.
Our Father,
We thank you
that you have given us examples of Godly men and women throughout the Bible. We bring before you the men that faithfully serve
in our church, may your Holy Spirit constantly guide them and uphold them as
they seek to serve you and the Gospel.
We pray that you will protect them and their witness. Lord. Let us be encouraged by their character
that we may imitate them as they imitate Christ.
For we ask in
Jesus’ name
Amen
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