Fellowship of Humility

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. For I have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father. Therefore I hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; and I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. 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; because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 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. 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. Receive him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; because he came close to death for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was deficient in your service to me. Philippians 2:19-30

Paul had many close friends in the faith, but there were two he was particularly bonded with: Timothy and Epaphroditus. These were men he could totally trust to convey correct information to the Philippians and share Paul’s teaching without compromise. That is not always the case, even among Christians. Some have personal agendas or hang-ups about certain doctrines and may distort the message. Some were jealous of Paul’s authority and might have been capable of abusing the privilege of representing him. Some have not yet developed the humility needed to be faithful servants of Christ. Yes, we are to love all the brethren, but the fact is some of the brethren have more in common with us than the rest. Some are what we refer to as “like-minded” in their love of Bible doctrine, for example, as opposed to just grooving on the feel-good emotionalism of many congregations. Emotions cannot think, and we will frequently experience circumstances that music and platitudes will not fix. That’s why doctrine is so important, above every other aspect of our Christian growth. Once we learn the Mind of Christ, it’s in there, and it cannot be taken away, but we must keep learning; precept upon precept, so as not to grow dull and rusty in our knowledge of God's Word. The Word of God does not change. Church practices do change through the generations. The Word is our stability in the devil’s world.

In his lecture on humility, Paul gave the supreme example of Jesus Christ first, then he referred to his own training in humility as the means of great joy in himself and for the Philippians. Now he offers the examples of his close friends and associates in the ministry, who are serving as liaisons between the imprisoned Apostle Paul and the Churches he served.

He mentioned Timothy first. He wanted to send Timothy right away, to take news of himself to the Church at Philippi and to bring back their current information to him. Paul knew he could trust Timothy with anything. Paul had led Timothy to the Lord when Tim was very young and had mentored him in the faith, as they travelled and ministered together. He felt about Timothy as a father does a son. Paul also seemed to know he could trust the Philippians to treat Timothy with brotherly respect, even though he was very young and others might not have seen his humility as the sign of Christian maturity that it was.

Epaphroditus had been sent to Paul with monetary and other aid as soon as the Philippians learned he was imprisoned. They did this more than once, and Paul was deeply grateful to God and to them for that benevolence to him in his need. He assured them that it was service to Christ, and they were partners with him in his ministry and in his sufferings. After delivering the help to Paul, Epaphroditus became very ill, to the point of death, but God had spared his life, and Paul was thankful for the recovery of his dear, personal friend.

Paul knew the Philippians would be happy to see Epaphroditus well again, and to hear his reports about how Paul was getting on. It gave Paul pleasure to know of the relief and joy his dear friends would share, and to tell them he, himself expected to see them soon. Paul encouraged the Philippians, and us, to take special note of men like Epaphroditus. He had pure motives from a love of the Lord and of Paul and of the work of preaching the gospel. A real sense of responsibility to see the mission through.

This is the Godly fellowship and brotherly love that is shared by true believers in our Lord Jesus Christ, as we serve together in the world. Koinonia: a sharing in common, of faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, a thirst for the teaching of His perfect Word of Truth, a commitment to fulfill our mission to share the gospel message with all who will hear, and an ever-growing love for Jesus and for the brethren as we continue our journey in this world.