BACKGROUND:My back is still out of whack. I apologize for the brevity of the blogs.
With Epaphroditus’s unexpected return, the church might think that his mission to minister to Paul had failed. They might be concerned that Epaphroditus was leaving Paul alone in Paul’s most desperate time of need. Instead, Paul took full responsibility for Epaphroditus’s return to Philippi and encouraged the believers to rejoice that he had come back to them.
As he planned to do with Timothy, Paul willingly sent away those closest to him, if their ministry were required elsewhere. Epaphroditus had certainly been an encouragement to Paul, as Paul’s description of this brother indicates. Yet Paul knew that the Philippians needed to see Epaphroditus for themselves. This would ease Epaphroditus’s distress and lighten Paul’s cares.
While Epaphroditus had not been able to remain in Rome to encourage Paul as the Philippian church had hoped, Paul wanted the believers to welcome him back and give him great honor for what he had done. Paul let the Philippians know that Epaphroditus had not failed in his mission, and that he should be given great honor. Epaphroditus had risked his life for the work of Christ by helping Paul on behalf of the Philippian church. Paul needed personal encouragement; the church couldn’t give it because they were far away. But Epaphroditus had taken that responsibility and had risked his life to help the apostle in his time of need. Epaphroditus had done his work so well that he could report back to Philippi and bring Paul’s letter of thanks and encouragement along with him.
SO WHAT? (what will I do with what I have read today?)
Do you want to have joy on the job? You’ve got to risk.
Part of joy is risk. Work without risk is work without joy. Christians, you and I as believers in Christ, we’re not called to just play it safe. Jesus didn’t play it safe, did He? Paul didn’t play it safe. Epaphroditus didn’t play it safe. Epaphroditus went to see Paul and possibly on the way there or after he arrived there he became ill. It says in verse 27 “He was ill and almost died but God had mercy on him.” In verse 29, “Welcome him in the Lord with great joy. Honor men like him because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life...”
Let’s talk about risk. Here in the United States we don’t have to take a lot of risks for our faith. You look at a brother or sister in Christ who’s in China or Russia and sometimes their faith causes them to be thrown into prison. Their faith causes them to lose their livelihood or to be separated from their family. We don’t face that here. Look at believers in Christ who live in Muslim countries and oftentimes their faith causes them to lose their life. I know a lot of believers in Christ if we talked honestly about that would say, “I feel a little embarrassed about that. I don’t have to risk like people in the rest of the world have to risk.”
But we don’t live there. We live here. So how do we handle this issue of risk? There’s an easy answer. You say to Jesus Christ, “Jesus, I’m willing to take whatever risk You ask me take, whether it means moving or letting go of this or doing that. Whatever You ask me to do I’m willing to do that.” Open your heart and willingness to risk it for Him.
Sometimes in the United States we don’t have to risk our lives. We do have to risk our jobs in order to be faithful to Christ. We have to risk our jobs in order to be the witness we know we should be or to have the integrity we know we should have. The moment you start thinking, “I’m going to do this even though I know it’s wrong, I have to do it to keep my job, the moment you cross over that line you just tear joy right out of the dictionary of your life. It won’t be there any more.
Some of you have crossed that line a while back. You’ve got to go back and retrace your steps and say I’m going to put joy back in. Even if it means I lose that job, even if it means I lose that position, it’s worth the risk to be a witness for Christ. Who know who that might win to Christ?
Let me share a few things about risk taking: 1) Risks have to be made by faith. Sometimes the reason we like to risk is the adrenaline rush. There is an adrenaline rush which comes from jumping out of an airplane with just a parachute on. At our jobs sometimes there’s an adrenaline rush. You don’t risk just for the adrenaline. You risk based on faith. Not the thrill but the sense of God's in this. God's asked me to do this.
2) Risks might have to be paid with consequences. Epaphroditus almost died. Never take a risk without being aware of the fact that it might turn out as bad as you thought it would. And could that happen you still go on and live for the Lord. There are sometimes when you take a risk and exactly the bad thing you thought was going to happen does happen. At that point would you still be able to be faithful to Christ? If you say, No that wouldn’t work at all. Don’t take the risk. It’s not a gamble, throwing the dice. It’s trusting God when you don’t want to. It’s trusting God when it’s tough. There is a sense of risk to that.
Notice the Bible says Epaphroditus almost died. It doesn’t say that Paul laid hands on Epaphroditus and said, “Heal this man. I demand by the power of the Holy Spirit to heal this man.” He just simply states, “He almost died. But God had mercy on him.” There’s a whole wave in the United States that says if you’ve got somebody that’s sick, you should just lay hands on them, demand that God heal them and He’ll do it. Paul didn’t feel that way. He had a best friend who almost died and when that man got well he just said, “It’s God's mercy. He could have died but God mercifully let him live.” That should be our attitude. If God has healed you, it’s God's mercy. He could have said, “Time to go home.” But God has mercifully given you a few more years for a purpose. That’s why He does it.
Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men.” Whatever you do... I love that part of the verse. Anything that you do can be done for the glory of God. I love what Martin Luther said about that. He said, “The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the mom who prays. Not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors.”
The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on his shoes but by making good shoes. Because God is interested in good craftsmanship. Whatever you’re doing, do it for the glory of God.
C. S. Lewis said, “The work of a Beethoven, the work of a janitor becomes spiritual under precisely the same condition. That of being offered to God, being done humbly for the Lord.”
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.
There’s the key to experiencing joy on the job - really joy anywhere. If I get that one thing in place on Monday when I go into work, “I’m working for the Lord. Other people might give me assignments but really the truth is, I’m here as Your ambassador. I’m working for You, Lord.” It can change everything.
I heard a story this week about a retired man who liked to go to the mall. They were remodeling a part of the mall and he was fascinated by this one crane operator as he worked, the energy he worked with. Just about every day he’d stand there and watch the man work just amazed. Finally the man came down at the end of the project and he was able to talk to him. He said, “I’m retired. I have a chance to come by here everyday and watch you work. I’m just amazed at how much energy you put into your work. The guy looked at him with wide eye and said, “You’re retired? I thought you were the supervisor.”
How often do we work for men? How often are we looking over our shoulder trying to decide who is it that’s watching? But when we’re working for Christ, He’s always there. He’s not just watching us. He’s there to strengthen us in the work that He wants us to do.
Hebrews 6:10 says, “God is fair. He will not forget the work that you did and the love that you showed to Him helping His people. And He’ll remember that you’re still helping them.”
I love you guys. Stay Faithful. Stay the course.
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