Philippians :: Week 7 :: An Ordinary Guy

Today’s post is a guest post by Rusheika. I have loved getting to know Rusheika in the #HideHisWord stream, as we have been memorizing Philippians together. I appreciate her love for the Word of God. Enjoy!

Are you ever tempted to put certain people of the Bible on a pedestal and think that you could never be like them? You may think, “Well of course Paul can “give thanks continually”… he’s Paul, an apostle, he wrote half the New Testament…!” So God gives us another example to follow. Timothy, others focused, Christ- centered. You may say, “But he was mentored by Paul, a gifted man who had a praying mother. He has 2 books of the Bible named after him! He has a lot going for him.” God keeps going…Epaphroditus. “Epaphro WHO? Never heard of him…!”

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. 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: 25, 29-30

This is the only book in the Bible that we read about Epaphroditus. There is nothing to suggest that he was anything more than an ordinary guy. Nothing that states that he held any office in the church, no other ministry was spoken of. We don’t know his back-story. BUT Paul calls him a brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier. A messenger. A minister. One who almost died doing the work of Christ!

What can we learn from this ordinary person doing extraordinary things? Paul considered him:

Brother

His name, loved by Aphrodite (the goddess of love and sexuality) suggests that he was Greek. He was probably a native of Philippi. Paul therefore was not referring to him as a relative or even a fellow Jew. He was esteeming him as a member of the body of Christ. In spite of their differences they were part of one family… the family of God. The same family WE are a part of when we accept Christ -no matter our nationality, our back-story, who the world says we are, we are in God’s family!

Fellow Worker

The Greek word is sunergos from sun meaning closely identified together, and ergos- to work. It is doubtful that Paul would have considered Epaphroditus a fellow worker if Epaphroditus wasn’t working whole-heartedly, if he was not fully committed to the work God had for him. He was working with Paul, side by side, in one spirit. Can the same be said of me? Am I labouring with my fellow brothers in unity, fully committed to the work of Christ?

Fellow Soldier

In whatever capacity Epaphroditus served with Paul, there was a battle. He was a fighter, a warrior; he almost gave his life for the cause of Christ. Do you see yourself as a soldier? We are in a battle, it gets hot, and it gets rough. Are you prepared to fight?

Messenger

He went on behalf of the Philippians carrying a gift for Paul. Philippians 4:18 gives us the sense that it was a generous gift. Epaphroditus was trustworthy. The church relied him to be their messenger, to represent them. Are you reliable? Can you be trusted? Do you represent your church well? Do you represent the body of Christ well?

Minister

He didn’t just make his delivery and leave. He was sent to minister to Paul’s needs. He left his own life, his comforts, to minister to someone under house arrest. The word in the Greek is leitourgos and it carries the sense of priestly service, or service given to others at one’s own expense. Epaphroditus was willing to minister to the needs of Paul even at the expense of his own life. His actions were sacrificial and he showed immense humility. As you minister to others are you concerned about what it costs you?

I have been challenged this week to be selfless in serving others, to fight hard and to be trustworthy in the roles God has given me.

What about you? How does Epaphroditus’ life challenge you?

Rusheika is married to Joseph and a homeschooling mom to three boys and one girl. She seeks to be intentional in her walk with Christ and encourage others to do the same. She shares her journey at Hide and Seek.

Thank you, Rusheika!

Comments

lara says

July 1, 2011 at 6:57 am

Great post, Rusheika! I’m teaching from the same text on Sunday and was also encouraged by Epaphroditus’ example. It’s our calling as well — sister, worker, soldier. Blessings to you, friend.

- Rusheika says
  
  July 1, 2011 at 10:13 am
  
  Thanks Lara… this study is such a blessing to me. I am sure your teaching on Sunday will be encouraging :)
  
Laura says

July 1, 2011 at 1:01 pm

Thank you for explaining this reading. I was very confused with what we were supposed to get from it. It means much more to me now. I really appreciate it. Thank you.

- Rusheika says
  
  July 1, 2011 at 8:09 pm
  
  Laura, i am so thankful that this helped you. This is why I like to study the bible with others… We can learn from each other and help each other to grow. Blessings to you as you continue the study.
  
Joyce says

July 1, 2011 at 6:09 pm

My younger daughter is going through some transitions right now so our nights have been tough. I have not been able to maximize my mornings this week to get into the Philippians study, but I’m glad to get a summary of it through your words, Rusheika. It’s great that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary work for His kingdom!

- Rusheika says
  
  July 1, 2011 at 8:12 pm
  
  Joyce I pray that you will be able to maximize your mornings again soon and that all will be well with your daughter.
  
Lisa says

July 2, 2011 at 12:10 am

Rusheika,
I really appreciate your focus on telling us more about Epaphroditus and relating it to our own lives. I love getting the backstory.

Some observations I made in my studies this week:

Timothy and Paul were like-minded because they were Christ-centered, not self-centered. Paul was saying most people wouldn’t be that way. Men like Timothy are rare. We should all try to be like Timothy.

God had compassion not only on Epaphroditus when he healed him, but also on Paul. God didn’t want Paul to have too much sadness at once. We can trust God to handle our pain levels appropriately.

Paul wanted people to be treated respectfully. And he was excited to think about reunions between people who loved each other and loved Christ. He definitely valued relationships highly. So should we.

I’m really enjoying this study!

- Rusheika says
  
  July 2, 2011 at 1:08 pm
  
  “We can trust God to handle our pain levels appropriately.”
  
  Lisa that is a great reminder! God truly is in control and knows what we can handle.
  
- Caroline says
  
  July 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm
  
  I was struck by how Paul pointed out God’s healing mercy on not only Epaphroditus, but also on Paul himself, too. I also found verse 28 interesting, in that Paul, as prime of an example as he is, still experienced anxiety, but he still leaned on and confided in God for all of his wants and plans (verse 24).
  
  Rusheika, I love how you broken down Epaphroditus’ characteristics here. Such a great example in such an “ordinary” man!
  
  - Rusheika says
    
    July 6, 2011 at 5:52 pm
    
    “I also found verse 28 interesting, in that Paul, as prime of an example as he is, still experienced anxiety, but he still leaned on and confided in God for all of his wants and plans (verse 24).”
    
    Caroline, I too found that interesting…and encouraging!
    
Katie @ Imperfect People says

July 5, 2011 at 3:37 pm

This is great stuff! Glad to find this blog and thank you Rusheika for this post!

Crystal says

July 14, 2011 at 3:39 pm

Thank you SO much for breaking this down for me. I, like Laura, was also kind of scratching my head as to what I was supposed to get out of this passage. This post and the comments that followed really opened my eyes. Thank you thank you!

“God didn’t want Paul to have too much sadness at once. We can trust God to handle our pain levels appropriately. ”

I love love LOVE this. Thank you Lisa for sharing that thought!

I actually have a couple more days left to read this passage (I’m a bit behind), and I can’t wait to look at it through new eyes.