A pastor-friend of mine spoke of a church in Santa Fe, New Mexico, that had only one door to the sanctuary. Above it was a sign that said “Servants’ Entrance.” There was no way in or out of that church except through the servant’s entrance! That’s a good reminder that every believer is called to serve the Christ, and to serve like Christ! That is the main point of Philippians 2:1-11: Imitate Jesus by humbly serving others.
In the last part of this same chapter (Phil. 2:19-29), Paul talks about two choice servants who model Christlike character and behavior in their relationships with others. Their names are Timothy and Epaphroditus. As I read the biblical description of these men, certain characteristics stood out:
Genuine Concern
Paul, writing from Rome, tells the church that he hopes to send Timothy to them soon. Then in the very next verse Paul makes this shocking statement: “For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare” (Phil. 2:20).
In all likelihood there were hundreds of believers in Rome around this time. Paul mentions twenty-six of them by name in the last chapter of his letter to the church at Rome. Perhaps Paul wasn’t talking about the whole church but only those he had access to at the time. Whatever the case, Paul wrote, "they all seek their. own interests, not those of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 2:21).
Sadly, many Christians serve with insincere motives. They may serve out of guilt, or to look good in front of others, or to feel good about themselves. But when the stakes are high and the cost is great, those who genuinely care for others rise like cream to the top.
Timothy was such a person. So was Epaphroditus. He was the second person Paul was going to send. Paul describes him as “my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my need” (Phil. 2:25). Epaphroditus had travelled more than 800 miles from Philippi to Rome to deliver a gift to Paul on behalf of the church (see Phil. 4:18). This arduous trip took such a toll on Epaphroditus, that he almost died. In Philippians 2:26-28 Paul writes,
For he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and no only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious.
Did you catch that? Epaphroditus was “distressed” knowing that the church had found out about his illness. The word “distressed” is the same word used to describe Jesus in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:37). Epaphroditus was in agony, not because of his condition, but because he didn’t want others worrying about him!
Over my thirty years of pastoral ministry, I can recall many times when church members got upset that people didn’t pay more attention to them when they were sick, had surgery, or were laid up for some other reason, but I can probably count on one hand those who were distressed at the thought of people worrying about them! Yet such was the case with Ephaphroditus — even though he was so sick that he nearly died!
Roger Ellsworth said that Paul’s words regarding Epaphroditus “are like a splash of ice cold water in the face.” It should wake us up to our tendency to put ourselves at the center of the universe and have everything revolve around us. But Timothy and Epaphroditus show us that because God is at work in us (Phil. 2:12-13), we can imitate Jesus by humbly serving others.
Tomorrow we’ll look at some more admirable traits of these two men. In the meantime, what can you do to set aside your own interests and show a genuine concern for others today?