Havasu Christian Church
March 23, 2025
Study in Philippians
Philippians 2:19-30
“Even Paul needed Companions”
INTRO: From horseyhooves.com: How Much Weight Can Two Horses Pull?
“When it comes to pulling a large amount of weight, it is better done together. You would assume if one horse is capable of pulling 6,000 pounds, then an equal pair is able to pull 12,000 pounds.
However, they would actually be able to pull upwards of 18,000 pounds, as horses are able to pull more together than apart individually. Pairing horses actually improves their load capability.”
I read elsewhere, that when a pair of horses work together for a long time, they can pull even heavier loads.
We all need help now and then. We can accomplish more if we are a part of a good team than we could ever hope to do alone.
The Apostle Paul was an amazing man, but he needed a team too! In this passage we will hear him speak to the Philippian Church about two members of that team!
Philippians 2:19-30 But I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition.
20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare.
21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.
22 But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.
23 Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me;
24 and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly.
25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need;
26 because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.
27 For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow.
28 Therefore I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less concerned about you.
29 Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard;
30 because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.
FIRST LET’S LOOK AT TIMOTHY!
- Philippi was where Timothy “cut his teeth” as a Missionary!
- At the beginning of Acts 16, we see Paul recruit Timothy to travel with him.
- Timothy travels with Paul, Luke, and Silas through a number of cities where churches have already been established.
Acts 16:4 Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe.
- Job #1 is to tell these Churches what was revealed by the Holy Spirit to the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem.
- Gentiles are welcome in Christ’s Kingdom without being subject to the Jewish rules and regulations!! THIS IS GOOD NEWS!
Acts 15:28–29 “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”
- They shouldn’t eat things that had been sacrificed to idols.
- Don’t drink blood.
- Don’t eat animals that have been strangled.
- Don’t have sex with anyone but your husband if you are a woman, or wife, if you are a man.
- Why did the Elders & Apostles stress these things in particular?
- All of these things were VERY common in the Roman world.
Acts 16:5 So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.
- They visit them and share news and teaching.
- Their teaching Strengthens the Churches they visit!
- They are going to be able to Worship God without
This was all a good start to Timothy’s training, but….
- Philippi is where Timothy gets his first taste of helping to plant a new Church!
- This is going to put the Philippian church in a category all of its own for Timothy!
- He cares about this church, more than anyone currently with Paul on the team!
- The Philippian Church knows Timothy!
- They know his “proven worth.”
- He doesn’t need to prove anything to the Philippians.
- They know he does whatever Paul tells him, like a good son.
- Paul is going to send him sooner, rather than later!
- Paul is concerned about them.
- Paul knows the Philippian church is also concerned about him.
In the meantime, this letter needs to be delivered, and who better than Epaphroditus?
NOW LET’S LOOK AT EPAPHRODITUS!
- Who is this man with the very long name?
- From Easton's Bible Dictionary: fair, graceful; belonging to Aphrodite or Venus.
- His name tells us he is a gentile man whose parents were certainly pagans.
- No Jew or even a person who was seriously learning about the One True, Living God, would use a name like this for their child.
- He is a convert from Philippi.
- Paul calls him “Your messenger and Minister to my needs.”
- He is someone Paul values very highly.
- Paul calls him a brother.
- There is that closeness because of Christ, that Christians share.
- Paul calls him a fellow worker.
- They are teammates!
- Paul calls him a fellow soldier.
- They are both serving in “the Lord’s army!”
- Paul doesn’t throw words like these around lightly!
- Epaphroditus is a special man.
- Why did Paul send Epaphroditus back to Philippi?
- Epaphroditus misses home!
- “he was longing for you all.”
- Epaphroditus knows the folks back home are worried about him.
- They have heard that he’s been Very, Very sick! “Sick to the point of death.”
- He almost died. he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me.
- Epaphroditus is serving with Paul on behalf of the Philippian Church.
- The Philippian church sent him to Paul with an offering.
Philippians 4:18 But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.
- Sent = Chose, prayed for, and financed
- There’s an obvious question here that I don’t have an obvious answer for. “Why didn’t Paul just heal Epaphroditus?”
The Scriptures reveal that God’s intended purpose for miracles can be broken down into 4 reasons:
- To prove that Jesus is God
John 20:30-31 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.
- To confirm God’s word to the hearers
Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.
- To verify a true apostle
II Corinthians 12:12 The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.
- To fulfil prophecy Matthew 8:16–17 When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”
My personal opinion is that The Holy Spirit PROMPTED Jesus, and the Apostles to heal who He wanted them to heal, when He wanted them to heal.
- Paul sends Epaphroditus home to be an example!
- He has proven himself faithful!
- He successfully came (about 800 miles) and brought the offering
- He served as a helper to Paul.
- He has stayed faithful even when so ill that he almost died.
- His main concern isn’t for himself.
- I’m sure he WAS concerned about his own welfare…. But,
- His main concern is that the “folks back home” are worried about him.
- So Paul sends him back.
- To be received with JOY!
- To be held in high regard!
- There is to be no doubt that he is to be given a hero’s welcome for what he has done, and to be treated with “high regard” ever after.
- There will be no “why didn’t you stay” conversation.
- It will be recognized that Epaphroditus has rendered Paul, the Philippian Church, and most importantly God, a great service!
Conclusion: What can we learn from these two great men?
- Timothy was already serving when he met the Apostle Paul.
- He was known in his home-town, and the town nearby as a servant of God.
- There are things we can do for God, even when we are still learning the basics ourselves.
- Mentoring makes a huge difference!
- Paul sought out Timothy to bring him with him as a helper.
- Being a helper accomplishes a couple of things.
- More gets done! And the helper learns!
- As we serve God, we too should seek out people to mentor.
- Someday, we’ll all be dead!
- We need to leave someone behind that can continue the work we are doing.
- From Timothy we learn that it’s a good idea to learn something before we do something.
- “Give me 6 hours to cut down a tree and I will spend the first 4 sharpening my ax!” Abraham Lincoln.
- You need to know something before you can teach it!
- A 10 year old may want to become a mechanic, but it’s probably not wise to open the hood for him and let him “learn by doing.”
- Timothy went along to established churches before he helped plant one.
- Timothy remained faithful to God, and to his service with the Apostle Paul.
- We may have a long life in which to be faithful, or it may be a shorter one than we have planned… But BE FAITHFUL with whatever time you are given!
- From Epaphroditus we learn that where you start does NOT determine where you will wind up!
- We don’t know much about Epaphroditus, but his name tells us that unlike Timothy, he didn’t grow up in the faith!
- That’s ok! In fact, it can be very useful!
- The person who comes to the Lord with “baggage” is better able to teach others how to deal with that “baggage.”
- From Epaphroditus, we also learn about Faithfulness.
- Faithfulness looked different for Epaphroditus than it did for Timothy.
- But he lived faithfully, even when it meant an 800 mile journey.
- From Epaphroditus, we learn that whatever happens to us helps us to grow in maturity, to be more and more like Christ!
- Even being nearly killed by an illness was useful to him and to us.
- He learned to trust God more fully, even when God doesn’t give instant healing.
- We learn from his example.
- Epaphroditus teaches us to have a servant’s heart!
- Until he was too sick, he served.
- After he got well, he served.
- He served wherever God wanted him.
- With Paul, and back home.
- Epaphroditus finally teaches us that we should honor those who serve!
- It might be a visiting Missionary, or a Missionary who has come home.
- It might be an Elder, or a Deacon in our own church.
- It might be a leader from a sister church.
- It might be that Sunday School teacher that taught you so much!
- Treat them as the example they are!
- Jesus is the ultimate example!
I Timothy 1:15–16 It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.
