Scripture: Philippians
1:3-6
A Pastor’s Prayer
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always
pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day
until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
I thank my God every time I remember you. How often do you pray for your Oikos? How
often do you pray for your church leadership? How often do you pray for the
unsaved? More importantly than how often
– simply: HOW do you pray for those people?
Do you begin each prayer for your parents/children/neighbors/pastor and
ministry leaders/the unsaved BY thanking God for them? If you do, then there is a guarantee that God
is with you in your prayer: Psalm 22:3 “God
inhabits the praises of His people.”
The other thing that happens – if the person you are praying for is not
in your top 10 favorite people, when you thank God for them it is more
difficult to see them in a bad light that you might otherwise do. Mostly it says that they have value to you. I
thank my God every time I remember you.
Paul takes it
beyond thankfulness - In all my prayers
for all of you, I always pray with joy. If
you are thankful and have joy when you are praying for people, that means they
not only have value but that you have a love for them and are glad they are in
your life. WHY does he have that
joy? because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, As a pastor, it does my heart good to reflect
on those who have partnered with me in ministry and those who do so even
now. I am not talking about those who
also do ministry in the same location – I am talking about those who partner
with me – who have a desire to fulfill the same vision – that brings more joy
to the work of a pastor than just about anything – when you know there are
people pulling hard on the oars with you going in the same direction.
Beyond
thankfulness and joy Paul speaks a word of faith: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. The day of Jesus Christ is the second coming
of Jesus – when he returns to rapture His church. Confident that God is working in ministry
partners and will not grow tired, will not sleep, will not lose interest, will
not become overwhelmed, will not be distracted, will not lose energy, will not
stop working in you until the work he called you to is finished. That means there is an end to what we do here
– but not till he has completed it!!!
If we look at
others this way we naturally grow into Paul’s verses at the beginning of
chapter 2 - Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain
conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your
own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Paul
illustrates what all of this looks like through the most unlikely
character. A name that Sunday School and
Bible study students will say, “Yes, I think I know who that is” when really
they don’t, they just know they have heard it at some point in the bible. That name is Epaphroditus. I want the people of this church to always
remember the name of Epaphroditus and more importantly, know who he is and what
he did. His name is only mentioned twice
in ALL of scripture and both times by Paul in his letter to the church at
Philippi – or the book of Philippians.
It is important, in this case not to say his name is in the book of
Philippians, rather in Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi because that
context is important as to who Epaphroditus is.
Often,
people in the pew love Peter, Paul and Mary – the big names. Pastor’s love people like Epaphroditus. As
much as we need the big personalities to cast vision and rally the troupes, it
is the Epsphroditusies of the world that get the work done. With big personalities come big conflicts as
well. Epaphroditus type people are the
ones who rarely argue for an idea, they are good listeners and quiet
encouragers – mostly they are workers and have little care for encouragement or
approval because they live out Colossians 3:22-25 Slaves,
obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is
on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for
the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the
Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the
Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Let’s look at the Unique Journey of Epaphroditus
Philippians 2:25-30
But I think it is necessary to send back to
you Epaphroditus,
(Who is writing this? PAUL! Then “E” is with Paul. And who is Paul writing to?
The church at Philippi – so “E” is form the city of and part of the church in
Philippi. BACKGROUND CHURCH AT PHILIPPI After Paul and Barnabas split ways,
Paul took Silas and: Acts 16:9-12 During the night Paul had a vision of a man
of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help
us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for
Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. From
Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on
to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading
city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
During those
several days, Lydia and her household became Christians, A woman who made money
for her masters by prophesying bugged Paul enough that he called the spirit out
of her, thus losing money for her masters who had the officials arrest Paul and
Silas and throe them into jail and told the jailer to guard them closely. In
jail in the stocks Paul and Silas sang some praise and worship songs and an earthquake
rocked the jail and freed the prisoners and as the jailer was about to take his
life Paul stopped him and said we are
not leaving – ultimately the jailer and his household became Christians. The church in Philippi was the first church
planted in Europe, the only church to serve as an example to others, the only
church to support Paul financially, the only church that seemed to bring Paul
joy without all the problems the other churches had – much like Epaphroditus
himself. Who – getting back to his unique journey was: my (1) brother, (2) fellow worker and (3) fellow soldier, who is also (4)
your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 26 For he longs for all of you and is
distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died.
But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me
sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I
am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be
glad and I may have less anxiety. 29
Welcome him in the Lord with great
joy, and honor men like him, 30
because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up
for the help you could not give me.
Philippians 4:15-18
in the early days of your acquaintance with
the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the
matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16 for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again
when I was in need. 17 Not that I am
looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18 I have received full payment and even
more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant
offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God.
The Unique
Journey of Epaphroditus
We are not the
church at Philippi – it had its own Unique place and part in the history and work
of the church of Jesus. FirstB has its
unique work – equal in value to that of the church in Philippi. Some think church is a place to go to. NO-Church
is the work of God in the world – life saving - eternal life proclaiming –
gospel illuminating – work of God and we are participants in it, just like
Epaphroditus.
BUT, we are not
Epaphroditus, we are individuals, equal in value to the work of God in the
world. But the characteristics of
Epaphroditus are something we all can ascribe to - Work as though we are working for the Lord
– don’t argue and complain – don’t grow weary – don’t just give yourself to the
Lord but live yourself to the Lord. Stop
going to Church – be the church. Live out your unique way of being for Christ
in the work of His ministry for His kingdom’s sake!
Philippians
1:3-6 A Pastor’s Prayer
I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always
pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day
until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
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