Crystal Sparks' Podcast

192. [Philippians Study] The Five Roles of a Faithful Servant

• Crystal Sparks

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What makes someone willing to risk their life for people who don't even appreciate them? This powerful examination of Philippians 2:25-30 unpacks the extraordinary example of Epaphroditus, a man whose faithful service nearly killed him—yet he was ready to do it all again.

The passage reveals five critical roles that define authentic Christian service: brother (shared identity), coworker (shared purpose), soldier (shared fight), messenger (shared message), and minister (shared burden). These distinctions aren't just theological concepts but practical guideposts for how we relate to one another in ministry contexts.

Epaphroditus exemplifies extraordinary commitment, carrying on his ministry despite knowing the Philippian church might have preferred Paul or Timothy instead. His story challenges us to examine our own motivations. Do we serve for recognition and appreciation? Or are we willing to persist faithfully even when it costs us dearly? Most importantly, we learn that joy isn't the absence of sorrow but can exist alongside it when we remember who we ultimately serve.

Whether you're feeling unappreciated in ministry, wrestling with difficult relationships in your church, or simply trying to understand what faithful service looks like, this message offers profound encouragement. Share this episode with someone who needs the reminder that their service matters to God, even when others don't see its value.

My hope is that this podcast helps grow your faith and equips you to accomplish your dreams and goals!

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to another part of my Philippian study that I have been doing with our staff at Staff Chapel. If you haven't listened to the other parts, you might want to go back deeper into my podcast. Check out those episodes and catch yourself up to join where we're at today. Check out those episodes and catch yourself up to join where we're at today. So, to sum it up again, we've got the whole Bible is summed up in this way we start out with God's law, then it's God's people, then it goes into God's wisdom, then we have God's prophets calling back his people it's God's son. Then we talk about God's church and then, finally, revelation is God's prophets calling back his people, it's God's son. Then we talk about God's church and then, finally, revelation is God's coming back, and so we are still in God's church, and so we're going to be in Philippians, chapter 2, verses 25 through 30.

Speaker 1:

I do think I'll get through this whole entire part, please, god, all right, let's read it all together, and then we'll read all of the verses, and then we'll read all of the verses. And had heard that he was sick, for indeed he was sick, almost unto death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I send him the more eagerly that when you see him again you may rejoice and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him, therefore, in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem because the work of Christ. He came close to death not regarding his life to supply what was lacking in your service towards me. If you want to build out a little chiasm for a Friday night fun, this one's a great little ditty. You can build that out on your own, but there's a mountain here. You can discover it.

Speaker 1:

So there's three different times that Paul talks about people coming or going in the section between 19 through 30. And it almost kind of seems a little bit off because he starts out in 19 talking about Timothy coming soon and then he transitions to Paul's hope to come, and so he thinks about it and he's like this is gonna be a miracle that it would happen, keeping in mind that Paul had. I often wonder what it was like for Paul, because Paul previously was miraculously delivered out of prison and now here he is in prison again. Isn't it interesting how we see God do a miracle in one season and then next season, it feels like he's absent sometimes. You know, I often think about what it was like for Paul. I want to ask him when I get to heaven was there any disappointment there of like, did you expect at the midnight hour that God was going to deliver you and he didn't? You know what that must've been like. And even just reconciling that, because he continuously points to that it would be the Lord that would bring him there.

Speaker 1:

So he talks about Paul, timothy coming soon, his hope to come to them, but then he talks about Epaphroditus is now coming and so Epaphroditus. He talks about five roles that are worth mentioning to us, and there are three that are in relation to Paul and two that are in relation to the church. The first way that he describes Epaphroditus is as a brother, and in other words, we all share the same identity, and so he's pointing to Epaphroditus is as a brother, and in other words, we all share the same identity, and so he's pointing to Epaphroditus as a brother and thinking about this familial language that we began the entire book of Philippians, that theme is just continuously woven through and thinking about, even for us, that we are called first and foremost the family of God, like we are all. We all began not with our titles, not with what we do, but on the very basic, most basic level. You're my brother and my sister in Christ and and I think sometimes if we don't get that like, uh, groundwork first, then everything else kind of starts to fall apart, and so he leads them.

Speaker 1:

This Paul calls him my brother, reminding that before we do anything in the church, we belong to one another. Our first identity is that of a family sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters in Christ. The next way that he describes himself is that they're a coworker. He's his coworker, meaning we share purpose, like we have the same purpose. Guys, let me just say like he's not just family, he's a fellow laborer.

Speaker 1:

Though our roles may differ, our mission is the same Advancing the gospel and building the kingdom side by side. And, yeah, all of our roles look different, but remind yourself, when the enemy tries to bring in a division and attitudes and different things, remind yourself we're all building the same thing. Like I'm not against Thailand, I'm not against Pastor Perla, I'm not against Seafig. Like we're all building the same wall on the kingdom and it looks a little different and your stone and your hand may be shaped a little different, but we're all putting together the same thing. And so he's reminding them and I think, if we keep that in mind, that at the end of the day, no one's greater than the other, because there's no greater brother, greater sister. We say things jokingly sometimes about there being greater, but in the kingdom there's not a greater brother, greater sister. And so if we start out on that base of identity of we're, all the same, doesn't matter how long you've been saved, we're all brothers and sisters, we're all co -laborers, we all, at the end of us people may make bad choices, but I truly believe at the end of the day, we all have the same purpose and our job is to believe the best about people. And so believing the best about one another, believing the best about people on our team. They didn't show up late to make you mad or to put you out. It's not like they're giant, like giving you the big trucker middle finger, like they're not trying to do that, like they just they're doing the best they can. And so we're going to lead from identity of we're all brothers and sisters and then we're going to lead with we share the same purpose, like I know, at the core of them. They signed up for Dream Team because they want to build what God's building, and so I'm gonna have that in my mindset.

Speaker 1:

Number three as a soldier, we share the fight. Paul rarely uses military language, but here he calls Epaphroditus a fellow soldier. Why? Because ministry isn't a vacation, it's a battle. We fight the same enemy and we fight it together. He uses this language one other time, in 2 Timothy. He talks about that of a soldier, a farmer, and I just lost the athlete, thank you. So the three things that he pulls up in 2 Timothy, which is towards the end of his life as well.

Speaker 1:

So this, this mindset, so I want to, okay, so think about this. We've got building blocks, we got identity, we're all brothers and sisters, we're family. Like you don't get to break up with family, we're all family. And yeah, I could go off there, but we'll just leave it there. We're all family, we all have the same purpose, we're co-laboring together, we have different roles, but we're all building the same thing. And then, on another level, we're all soldiers in the same army. Okay, how foolish would it be to kill other people on your army, like there's only one enemy, and it's not the person that you're frustrated at. It's not the person you're offended at. We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but powers and principalities. And he's going hey guys, what we're in we're in a battle, and you know where the battle oftentimes starts is right here, and what he's doing is I've read so many things about Epaphroditus, because he's so affirming to him and there's belief that the church would be disappointed because they didn't get Timothy and they didn't get Paul.

Speaker 1:

It's like they had somebody they wanted, not Epaphroditus. Bro nearly died doing what God's called him to do, and he's going. Hey guys, just to let you know, epaphroditus might not be your favorite preacher, speaker, whatever, but he's your brother. He just to let you know. Epaphroditus might not be your favorite preacher, speaker, whatever, but he's your brother. He's building the same thing you are and, secondarily, he's fighting the same battle you're fighting, and so can I just implore you to consider are you wounding the very people that are called to fight alongside you? And our job is to keep the ranks tight.

Speaker 1:

I found a quote a long time ago I couldn't find it in preparing for this, but it was basically like Christianity is the only army that kills its own, and it really is true. And he's going. Guys, we're in a battle, let's keep this. And I'll just say, if I was the devil, the way I would stop the move of God at one church is I would get. I would get staff offended at each other. I would get them thinking that they're not brothers and sisters, that they're titles, that they lead from positions. I would. I would get them to have attitudes. I would get them to think that everybody's got their own purpose, their own mission, and their mission is to destruct your mission. I would get them to start fighting amongst each other, killing each other. Does this make sense? And he goes hey, guys, like we're all, we share the same fight. Number four is the messenger, and so we share the same message.

Speaker 1:

Epaphroditus delivered Paul's letter to Philippians. I love what Pastor Brian said on Sunday. He's like I didn't write the Bible, I'm just preaching the Bible. I was at a Theos conference and it was one of the only good things I've ever heard Gabe say. But it was really good. And he said this he goes sometimes. I think. We think we're trying to like cook up this new thing for God to serve the people, and he's like really we're just waiters. God's the chef. He's already prepared it. Our job is to serve it. And he said, when we started getting in the kitchen and cooking stuff, we make weird stuff. And Epaphroditus. He's basically saying Epaphroditus is just reading the words that I'm having him send.

Speaker 1:

You may be mad at the messenger, but the message is from God. Can I just have you consider that sometimes truth comes in really crappy packages and for us, like keeping in mind okay, god, what are you trying to say? Like, what's the message? What's the message I've been entrusted with? Am I carrying it with honor? His job wasn't to edit or improve the message, it's just to carry it faithfully. That's our role too, is to carry the truth and not to tamper with it. Like we carry a message that's been handed down to us for thousands of years. May we carry it well. And so we're all messengers. You're messengers to your team. You're messengers to your family. You're messengers in the people in your lives. Number five a minister.

Speaker 1:

I think this is so sweet because he says he's the one who ministered to my need and we all share the burden. We all share the burden, though the scripture is silent, exactly how Epaphroditus served and ministered to Paul. We know that it mattered to Paul and he served quietly but he's remembered eternally. Small deeds done in love may be unseen by man, but are always remembered by God and we all share the burden. Like we all share the burden, and when we start looking at it like ugh, and I'll just say Epaphroditus, he nearly died doing what God's asked him to do. Anybody here nearly die just trying to show up for your serve.

Speaker 1:

Like Epaphroditus nearly died and he's going to go make the same journey again, like which is mind blowing to me and he's doing it with joy. He's like, glad to do it, and he's going to a church that doesn't even want him there. Can you imagine? You know that you're about to walk in and everybody's going to be disappointed because it's not paul and you nearly died doing the journey and you're like, hey guys, sorry I didn't die, but he's still doing it with joy. Is this good? But we all share the burden. Like we all have a part to play there. We all have somebody that we're called by god to minister to, and let's not do it with resentment, but let's do it with joy. And so in 26 and 27, called by God to minister to, and let's not do it with resentment, but let's do it with joy. And so in 26 and 27, it says since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.

Speaker 1:

I think it's so sweet that Epaphroditus even though they believe that this church didn't even want him, he missed them I'm like that's sweet. I think, about Jesus. He says that anybody can love people that love them. Can you love the people that don't love you? Can you imagine showing up and you're the team lead on Sunday and everybody's like it's you and you're at home and you're like I can't wait to be with them, my heart longs, like that makes my heart burn. I don't know that I'm as good as Epaphroditus y'all.

Speaker 1:

So, as usual, paul can hardly speak without reflecting on everything from his theological perspective. The God he serves is faithfully full of mercy, rather, both in healing the sick and sparing the heavy laden from sorrow. Because he says since he was longing for you. But he says but indeed he was sick almost unto death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. I think that's so precious because, even though Paul got what he needed.

Speaker 1:

It's believed that Epaphroditus we're going to find out in Philippians 4, that he brought a sizable gift to Paul that helped him get what he needed to make it through the winter. Even though Paul had already received the gift from Epaphroditus, the goal wasn't just to get the gift but to spare his life. And how many times, as leaders, do we get the gift and don't spare their life? But he cared about both, not just receiving the gift that he had that he was carrying Are we okay but about sparing who he was, and I love that he cites that it was God who had mercy on him.

Speaker 1:

Again, I read so many things because the text is silent. We don't know if it was a miraculous healing or if it was a little by little, but it doesn't matter because Paul gave all the glory to God, setting up this theological perspective about God's sovereignty and his goodness In verse 28,. We say, therefore I sent him the more eagerly that when you see him again, that you may rejoice and I may be less sorrowful. So we're on joy count number nine. And so Paul just talked about heavy stuff, but still has rejoice as the central theme. His own life is about to be taken, but still rejoice.

Speaker 1:

Epaphroditus life nearly ended, but still rejoice. Joy is not the absence of sorrow but is present in the midst of our sorrow. And I think that this perspective, a lot of times we're like I'll be joyful when the problem goes away and Paul's like I can be joyful in the midst of the problem. And that is beautiful. Verse 29, it says Receive him, therefore, in the Lord with all gladness and hold such men in esteem. It says his ultimate concern is that Philippians themselves appreciate Epaphroditus for what he has done on their behalf for Paul's sake. And so then, in verse 30, it says Paul points to Epaphroditus and his main reason was God.

Speaker 1:

I think it's so beautiful because he says because the work of Christ he came close to death, not the need of Paul no-transcript it was the offering of the Philippian church that necessitated Epaphroditus' journey. No, he says it's because of the work of Christ. May we all remember that we're here to do the work of Christ. It's not the work of Pastor Brian, it's not the work of C-Fig, it's not the work of Pastor Perla, it's not the work of KK, it's not the work of Pastor Jimmy. But we're doing the work of Christ. And he points back and he's like he's not my servant, he's God's servant and he submitted his life unto the Lord. I love this because Christosom says he nearly died.

Speaker 1:

Says Paul, not on my account, but for the work of Christ. This makes Epaphroditus all the more worthy of trust. He submitted himself as one who looked after me, whatever he had to suffer. I love that and I don't know about you guys, but I would be a little bit slow on my role if I was Epaphroditus to make the journey again. And yet he did it anyways. And I'll just say, just because you've been hurt doing the ministry doesn't mean you stop doing the ministry, like, ultimately it's the call of Christ. Just consider for a second because we know later that the church of Laodicea also read this letter, which one of their letters got lost and we don't know what happened to it. This is the only one that we know that they got, which Laodicea shows up in Revelation, chapter 3, I believe it is.

Speaker 1:

But imagine if Epaphroditus wouldn't have been faithful with the message he had been entrusted. There'd be a whole book missing out of our Bible. And I know sometimes when we've been wounded in ministry, been hurt, we've been disappointed, we've gone through things, it's easy to be like I'm going to lay out now, but what books is God wanting to write through the testimony of your life? You can't quit now. You can't quit now, and ultimately, our cause is Christ. And so may we remember that, the precious privilege we have when we hold our Bible Like this, those books that we have, they've been handed down to us, and even Epaphroditus was risking his very life to hold what we hold so casually.

Speaker 1:

May we not take it lightly. Armies have tried to silence it, kings have tried to crown themselves above it. May we be more like Epaphroditus. I think if I was going to name a kid a weird name, it would be Epaphroditus, because this bro is the real deal, and I want to exhibit this kind of trait that I don't have to have everything go right to be faithful, but I'll be faithful even when everything doesn't go right.

Speaker 1:

I don't have to be popular to be faithful. I'm going to be faithful with the message I've been given. I don't have to be well-loved, I don't have to be celebrated, I'm just going to be at Epaphroditus and so can I pray for you, jesus. We just thank you so much for who you are, lord. We thank you that every time we come around your word, we're changed, we're shaped, we're molded by it.

Speaker 1:

Father, I thank you that this week, lord, may we be faithful messengers, lord, with what's been given to us. May we look at one another as our brothers and our sisters in Christ. May we see each other as co-laborers and not as enemies. May we see each other as fellow soldiers. That, god. I thank you that every single one of us have a call on our life, that we have something that you've entrusted us to do for the work of Christ, not for the work of man. And so anytime that we get our eyes off of you, jesus, would you just bring our hearts back north? That Lord, it's you we serve, it's you we love, it's you that we're giving our lives to, in Jesus' name. And every person who believed it said amen and I'm done early. Yes, and we made it through chapter two.

Speaker 1:

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