Examples Worth Following: Epaphroditus

Kids connection there.

Can go all the kids' connection.

Once again, good morning.

Let's pray.

Father, thank you for your word.

Thank you.

We get the awesome privilege to go through it today.

And I just pray, Father, that you would draw us close to you.

Draw us near to you.

Father, the nearness of you is our good.

Help us, Father, to draw near.

We thank you for Jesus.

We thank you for what he's done.

And help us to live from his example.

And all God's people said, Amen.

We're continuing our series, Joy in the Journey.

And the book of Philippians, if you have your Bibles, we're going to be in Philippians chapter 2.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

We're going to be wrapping it up today.

And we're going to be looking at verses 25 through 30.

And a couple things with this.

Have you ever noticed whenever you go to a concert, everyone goes up to the person who sings.

I used to do a lot of music gigs in my past, and they are always infatuated with trying to get to know the artist.

Sometimes they want to get an autograph.

They want to really get to know the person.

And I don't ever see anyone at a concert say, you know what?

That concert was amazing.

I'm going to go find the tech guy and figure out how he did all of his cables for the concert.

And just congratulate him on how he coiled his cables or put the cables together.

Nobody buys tickets to go talk to the cable guy.

They go and they buy tickets to hear the person sing.

Same thing with church.

Pastor, that sermon was fine, but whoever filled up those communion cups, where do we get those communion cups from, Pastor?

Those are amazing.

Like we want some more information on that.

But nobody really does that.

But in this morning, there are people who come in early.

They unlock the doors.

They turn the lights on.

They make coffee.

They change the diaper that nobody wants to change.

They go through and they count the offering.

They clear off the sidewalk so you don't have to walk through the snow.

Maybe someone needed a visit in the hospital.

Somebody had to make that hard phone call, or somebody quietly saw a knee and said, I can help.

I can help with that.

Most of the time, nobody applauds for something like that.

Nobody puts their name on the screen and nobody knows what they did, but there's someone who does.

It's God.

And that's really a story of the man we're going to meet today.

Last week we looked at Timothy.

And this man, he was an example worth following.

He traveled with Paul, he taught, he led.

Paul wrote two letters of the Bible directly to Timothy.

But today, Paul introduces us someone very different.

He's not famous.

He's not an apostle.

We don't have any of his sermon.

Scripture never clearly identifies him as a pastor.

He's basically a guy who saw a knee.

And he says, you know what?

I'll do it.

I'll do it.

His name is Pathroditis.

Say that ten times real fast.

Apathroditis.

Now, first, his name.

Nobody in our house ever looked at a newborn baby.

You know what?

I think a good name for this baby would be a pathroditis.

I have Hudson, Maverick, Rocky, and Gibson and Callie, and I can tell you we're getting ready for baby number six, and none of the names have gone to you know what would be a good name?

Pathroditis.

You know, the more I look at a pathroditis, the more I think it's like some sort of sickness, you know?

Like, oh pastor, I couldn't make it to church.

They wouldn't have an had any Panthridis.

I don't want to mess with that, you know?

Oh man.

It's been a rough today that aparthydis got to me, you know?

And back in that time, though, it was a common name.

It was a name that meant fair.

It was graceful, it was charming.

It was a normal uh Greco-Roman name.

So apparently, when somebody in the first century heard Apathroditus, they didn't think of it like that.

They thought, well, what a charming name.

This is a really nice name.

We hear and think we probably should wash your hands.

But they liked the name.

But don't let the unusual name distract you from the man.

Because Hepathroditus may be one of the most important ordinary Christians in the New Testament.

Because Hepathroditus, he did some things that a lot of people don't even know about.

We don't know much about him.

That's what makes his story so interesting.

We didn't write, he didn't write a book of the Bible.

We don't know of any of his sermons.

He wasn't one of the twelve apostles.

He wasn't an elder or pastor.

And he was a messenger.

He was a messenger for the church in Philippi.

He delegated the messenger.

And so Paul doesn't introduce Epathroditus by saying, Let me tell you about his title.

There was nothing about his title.

He says, Let me tell you what kind of man this man is.

Remember what Paul has already said in this chapter.

He has said in Philippians 2, 3, he says, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

And followed by verse 4, let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also the interests of others.

Then Paul says, You want to know what this looks like?

Look at Jesus.

He humbled himself, became obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

And he's like, You want to see a living example?

Let's look at Timothy, for he says about Timothy, I have no one like him who will ever be genuinely concerned for your welfare.

And now Paul says, Let me give you another one.

Epathroditus.

Paul wrote Philippians while in prison in Rome, and Epathridus was in the church of Philippi, and he had to travel 729 miles to visit with this man Paul.

You think about the journey.

This man, he traveled about 600, or sorry, 368 miles by land before he gets to the sea.

And he sees the sea, the Andriatic Sea, and he has to cross the sea, and then he has to go another 300 some miles.

This journey took about 57 days, just short of two months.

Just a long time.

He didn't walk out of church and say, you know what?

I'm getting my SUV, I'm going to type in the Apostle Paul in Rome and just go.

I mean, this man had quite the journey.

We're talking hundreds of miles of travel, trying to find food, trying to figure out where to stay, a sea crossing, potential danger, and he's carrying something valuable from the church of Philippi.

So why was he going?

We find out in Philippians 4 and verse 18, I have received full payment and more.

I am well supplied, having received from Apathodias the gifts you sent.

So he's sending the gifts from the church to the Apostle Paul.

The Philippian church wanted to support Paul financially, but they couldn't Venmo him.

They didn't have anything like that back then.

They had to send a messenger to go all that way.

And a pathroditus was the only one in the sanctuary.

He says, you know, I'll go.

I'm willing to go.

And that's where the message begins.

And by the time we finally gets to Rome, his job isn't over.

He's there to serve the Apostle Paul and help him in anything that he needs help with.

And Apathorites didn't say he was, he said he was available to God.

He put miles on his availability.

And his life, this morning I want to argue, teaches us three things.

When we look at this man's life, the first, if you're taking notes, give what you have to the mission.

Give what you have to the mission.

And looking at Philippians 2, 25, it says, I have thought it necessary to send to you A Pathroditis, my brother, a fellow worker, a fellow soldier, and your messenger and minister to my knee.

You look at how the Apostle Paul describes this man.

He says, first, he's my brother.

He's my brother.

That relationship, before Pathroditas does anything for Paul, he says, This is one of my brothers.

And it belongs to Jesus.

Ministry began there.

Our identities begin with what we accomplished.

It begins with who we belong to.

We're brothers in Christ.

We're completely brothers.

And then he says about Pathroditas, he says, my fellow worker.

I love that.

Paul doesn't say my assistant.

He doesn't say the guy who brought the money.

Paul, the apostle Paul, looks at Pathroditas and says, We're in this together.

Think about that.

Paul's preaching, he's planning churches, Paul's writing letters and eventually becomes scripture.

And yet Paul looks at an ordinary believer delivering a practical message, and he says, That's my fellow worker.

My fellow worker.

Ministry wasn't something the pastor does while everybody else just watches.

I love this verse in Ephesians 4 and verse 11.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and the teachers to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for building up the body of Christ until we all attain the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood and the measure of stature of fullness of Christ.

So we look at that verse and we think, who does the ministry?

It's the church.

The church, the people of God.

My job isn't to do all the ministry here.

We as a church, collectively, we do the ministry because Christianity is not a spectator sport.

It's not something where we sit in the pew and say, Oh, that's a great sermon, Pastor.

About it's gonna go.

We have to help each other.

We have to be in this together.

And then he says, My fellow soldier.

A brother shares the family, a worker shares the labor, but a soldier shares the battle.

Fellow soldier is more like fellow worker.

Why?

Because you can work beside someone when life is comfortable, but a soldier stays when life gets difficult.

When it's difficult, there's sacrifice, and when serving costs something, apathyis wasn't just present for the easy part.

He shared in the hardship of what was going on with the Apostle Paul.

And he calls him your messenger.

Your messenger.

This underlining means one who is sent the Philippian church couldn't all travel to Paul, but someone could.

Apparently, they tried, they trusted Apathroditus the most.

You represent us.

You carry the gift to the Apostle Paul for us.

You carry it with love and our encouragement for him.

And apathy is like, yeah, I'll do that.

You send me, I'll go.

And finally, he says, Minister to my need.

And Paul had a need.

Apathitis, he meant it.

Sometimes ministry looks like preaching, sometimes it looks like carrying a gift.

Sometimes ministry simply means noticing there's a need and saying, I can help.

I can help.

Don't miss what Paul is doing here.

He's saying he's a brother, he's a worker, he's a soldier, he's a messenger, and a minister.

Paul doesn't celebrate apartitis because of his status.

He celebrates one key word, his faithfulness.

This man was faithful.

This scripture informs this progression of this brother, a worker, a soldier, this relationship, labor, and sacrifice.

We have no reason to think that aphroditus participated in Paul's distinct apostolic ministry.

His service may have been largely practical and material, yet Paul calls him the work of Christ.

The work of Christ.

God can take ordinary work, ordinary resources, ordinary ability, ordinary people, and use them for eternal purposes.

How many of you have ever heard of the book, Gospel Patriots?

Anyone here?

No one's heard that book.

Alright, how many of you have ever heard the name?

I'm going to try to say it, Humphrey Monmouth.

Does anyone know this guy?

Maybe someone may have heard his name before?

I love this.

Someone's series going off because of it.

She's trying to answer the question right now.

Yeah, maybe she gave us the answer.

But I would like to argue, this man, if we did not have this man, I don't think you guys would be holding the Bibles you have today.

You see this book, The Gospel Patriots, it tells us stories all throughout church history whose names we ought to know well.

We remember the preachers, we remember the missionaries, we remember the reformers, we were the Bible translators, but very few of them remember the people who supported them.

So they could do these things.

And what God has given me is available for the gospel.

One of the greatest examples is William Tyndale.

How many know that name?

Without this man on the screen, William Tyndale would never have been able to translate the Bible.

This man was a successful cloth merchant.

He had a great business, and he saw talent in William Tyndale, and he says, I want to support you to translate the Bible.

And so he comes alongside of William Tyndale, and basically between the two of them and their resources that God had given both of them, Tyndale's talent with translation, his talent with being a businessman, they were both collectively able to put together and distribute 3,000 English New Testaments in 1526.

You look at that.

This man didn't know how to translate anything.

And the book, the Gospel Patriots, talks about all these evangelists, all these preachers that we know about, and they are financially supported by these kind of men that we've never even heard their name.

And I would argue he's one of the richest men in heaven because no one knows his name, and great is his reward in heaven.

And looking at what William Tyndale did, we have our Bibles right before us.

This man helped translate the Bible and everything.

One translated, one supported, different roles, same mission.

And so we can look at oh, everyone knows the Apostle Paul.

Very few know the name Epathroditis, both of which are important.

Without Epathroditis, Paul would not have had the support.

Paul had his assignment.

And Apathroditis did not spend his life complaining that he didn't have Paul's assignment.

He took what God had given and said, Use me.

Anything that I have, use it for your glory.

I don't care if they know my name.

I don't care if they know me.

Whatever it is.

Maybe God has given you a business, a beautiful house, a truck, a workshop.

Maybe it's time.

A word that now normally doesn't exist in America.

Retirement, experience, whatever it is that God has given you.

Do you use it in the same way that Pathrodis says, you know what, God?

Use me.

Use me.

Whatever I have.

I don't care if they know my name.

Use me.

I love what Spurgeon once said.

He said, remind his congregation, our life is made up of little things.

And those little things become significant when placed in the hands of Jesus.

You realize everything that God's given you can be used for him.

Everything.

What has God put in the hands that can be used for his kingdom?

Because you don't need a title to make a kingdom impact.

You don't need a pastor in front of your name to make a kingdom impact.

God can use anyone.

And he used this man apathy.

And the apostle Paul uses this man as an example.

Give what you have to the mission.

Give what you have to the mission, whatever it is.

And I would argue this morning, Apathyas, he did that.

He wasn't a preacher, but man, he could walk a long ways and deliver a message.

And he used that.

Number two, give your heart to the people.

Give your heart to the people.

Give what you have to the mission, the first point.

And number two, give your heart to the people.

Continuing the story of Philippians 2 and verse 26, for he had 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.

Not 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.

So we see the Apostle Paul continues, for he has been longing for you all, and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill.

Then he was ill and near to death, but God had mercy on him.

Now you think about this, Apathridis almost died.

He says, God use me, and this guy almost dies.

And what is bothering Apathroditis in the moment where he's about to die, he's distressed.

Not because he's about to die.

The Philippians are worried about him.

That's what brought distress upon him.

This guy, whose name sounds like an illness, is literally dying from an illness, right?

And instead of saying, somebody, please pay attention to me, he's saying he's more worried about what's happening in the church in Philippi.

Paul uses this strong word distressed.

It isn't casual.

It's a word used elsewhere in the New Testament of deep anguish, where Jesus experienced that same thing in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Pathorias isn't saying, Oh, I feel kind of bad that they're worried.

No, this man is hurt.

He is troubled, he is distressed because he loves.

His loves are hurting.

They're worried about him.

His body has been sick, but his heart is still focused on other people.

This is this is no light thing towards loving.

That's exactly what love is.

This is Philippians 2 4 with skin on it.

When the Apostle Paul says, let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

And we see it through Jesus, we see it through Timothy, and now we see it through apathy.

He's giving them people to watch.

This is how you do it.

This is how you die to yourself, and this is how you live this out.

Christian maturity changes the direction of our attention.

And I'd argue the example of a pathroditis gives us that example.

Maturity asks, who am I noticing?

Or immaturity will ask, does anybody notice me?

Our natural tendency says, why hasn't anybody called me?

Or maturity would ask, who should I call?

Who should I call?

Our natural tendency says, nobody thanked me.

Maturity says, Who haven't I thanked?

Jesus begins, changing the question to, how can I serve?

That's a spiritual maturity.

And sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is just notice somebody.

Somebody walking in church alone.

Notice them, somebody who hasn't been around lately.

Call them, somebody who lost someone they love.

Sit beside them and just sit and be available to them.

You don't need an ordination to do that.

You don't need to be able to preach to do that.

You don't need a seminary degree, a microphone.

You just need a heart for Jesus.

And that's what a Pathrodist had.

People are not interruptions to ministry.

People are the ministry.

And when he was about to die, he noticed that.

He's like, oh, my church is worried about me, and I'm more worried about them than my own health, and I'm about to die.

We can become so focused on accomplishing something for Jesus that we forget to treat people like Jesus.

He cared.

Pathrodias, he cared for about the mission.

He cared deeply for the people too.

You know, made me think of Spurgeon.

He was in England and there was this chora outbreak all throughout.

And this man, he you know, he's a famous preacher.

He was going around England and he was getting calls from different churches.

We would love for you to preach.

He's 19, could have been full in his ego, and he says, you know what?

I don't think I should break away from my church right now.

The chora started outbreaking, and families were in need of hope.

They were in need of saying, We don't know what to do with this.

It's killing us, literally killing us.

And he would go late at night to families, pray with them, and then he would wake up early in the morning, go with families and pray with them through this chora outreak uh outbreak, and he just kept on going and going, and he himself began to be exhausted in the ministry.

It talks about how his heart, he was sick at heart.

Not because he was struggling, because his people were struggling from this disease.

He had allowed the pain of the people around him to become his pain because he cared so deeply.

That same word distress, he was so distressed because his people were dying from this disease.

Their grief became his grief, their fear became something he carried, their suffering interrupted his schedule.

That's what love does.

And that is exactly what we see in a Pathrodita.

He isn't simply aware that the Philippian church are concerned about him, he feels their concern.

Their burden has become his burden.

Knowing somebody is hurting and allowing their hurt to touch your heart.

Christian love moves towards people.

It says, I know you're hurting.

And I'm not going to let you hurt alone.

So here's a question: whose burden has become your burden?

Have you ever cared for someone so deeply that it becomes your burden in some ways when they're facing trials?

Not whose situation do you know about, but who has brought you that distress in your life?

Who are you praying for by name?

Who are you checking on?

Who are you making room for?

Because love that never cost us anything probably isn't the kind of love the Apostle Paul is describing here.

Spurgeon gave up engagements, he gave up sleep, he gave up time, he gave up his strength because people weren't interruptions to his ministry.

They were the ministry.

Christ's likeness isn't preaching a sermon, it's showing up, it's sitting down, it's listening, it's remembering, it's carrying somebody else's burden with them alone enough to.

And they realize that they're not alone.

And that's Philippians 2.

That's what Pathroditas saw, and that's the heart of Jesus.

Give your heart to the people.

Give your heart to the people.

Last but not least.

Give your life to the work of Christ.

Give your life to the work of Christ.

Philippians 2 and verse 29.

So receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor, such men, for he nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

Now we reach the summit.

Paul says, So receive him in the Lord with all joy and honor for such men.

Honor such men.

Paul's teaching the church who their heroes should be.

Looking at these men, these are the heroes you should have as heroes.

Every culture has a people that celebrates power, success, fame.

And Paul says, Let me tell you who you ought to honor.

The servant, the faithful, the sacrificial.

Honor the Christians who quietly give themselves or herself to Jesus.

Why should they honor this man, a Pathridis?

For he nearly died for the work of Christ in verse 30, risking his life to complete what was lacking in your service to me.

There it is.

Remember, where we started 700 plus miles earlier, Pathridus said, Yes, I'll go, I'll carry it, I'll help.

And now Paul tells us that yes, almost cost him his life.

At mile zero, Pathroditis said, I am available by Rome.

His availability had nearly cost him his life.

Sometimes we talk about sacrifice in theory.

I'll do that eventually, but Apathoditis measured his sacrifice in miles.

Hundreds of them.

He nearly died.

It became costly.

He died almost for the work of Christ.

McLaurin taught something important here.

Alexander, he said, point out that the apostle Paul has no hesitation calling the practical help right Epathoditis gave him, the work of Christ.

Don't miss that.

Epathyis, he served Paul, but Paul says Epathritis was doing the work of Christ.

That's how Jesus sees service.

You can receive it, you can serve the person, Jesus sees it.

You give, Jesus sees it.

You visit, Jesus sees it.

You quietly do something for somebody else that nobody notices.

Jesus sees it.

Pathyrdis had that at the top of his mind.

Following Jesus will cost him something, but Jesus was the one that was always watching.

There's a version of Christianity that makes Jesus sound primarily like a way to make life comfortable, but Jesus said, take up your cross and follow me.

Don't make your life more comfortable.

Pick up your cross and follow me.

And sometimes faithfulness isn't dramatic.

Sometimes we're praying, God, give me something huge to do.

And God urges you put the next act of obedience directly in front of us.

Make the call.

Teach the class.

Give the gift.

Serve your family.

Do the thing God has placed right in front of you.

You don't have to chase significance.

You chase faithfulness.

I don't think we're going to enter heaven one day and say, hear God say, Well done, good and successful servant.

He's going to say, Well done, good and faithful.

Faithfulness often travels further than we'll ever see.

You think about this man, apathyis, who probably had no idea that 2,000 years later a church in Pentwater, Michigan, was going to talk about him.

And all the times that he had traveled and tried to serve and give up his life for the work of Christ.

Philippians 2.5 says, have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.

Don't let apartis steal the show.

Ultimately, he's using him and Timothy as an example to point to someone even greater.

Jesus Himself.

Jesus Himself, who was obedient even to the point of death on a cross.

But Jesus actually died for apartitis and for us.

That's the gospel.

He risked his life serving Jesus because Jesus had already given his life to save apathy.

And before Apathitis ever gave anything, Jesus gave himself.

Grace creates people like Apathyrdis.

Jesus gave himself to us, and suddenly we can say, What I have belongs to you.

Everything that I have, it belongs to you.

Jesus, help me use this.

Help me lay down my life just like aparthitis did.

This isn't look at how impressive guy and try harder.

This is look at what the gospel can do in an ordinary person.

I would argue this morning the church needs aparthyitis.

People that don't care about the title, people who don't care about the applause or being on a screen.

They know what they need to do.

People who simply say, Where can I help?

Because it isn't about me, it's about Jesus, and I want to serve him.

And I don't care if I'm recognized, I want to serve him.

I want to give my all to him.

Give your life to the work of Christ.

You could be in full-time ministry or you cannot.

And then Patrick Dice, I love it.

He wasn't.

He's just an ordinary man who was trying to do things for the Lord, and I would argue this morning he did extraordinary things because he's willing to say, Lord, send me, use me.

I'm willing to go.

So in conclusion, we've got to ask these questions.

What has God placed in my hands?

What has God placed in my hands?

Your abilities, your resources, your experiences, your opportunity.

What has God put in your hands?

And what are you doing with it?

Is it for the work of Christ or is it the work of your life?

Who has God put around me?

The second question, who's God put around me?

Who needs this compassion that they've never experienced before?

You know, sometimes I heard a man say, the only Jesus they ever see is the Jesus in you.

Who do you have to be Jesus to?

Show that compassion to?

Who needs your encouragement, your time?

Who has God put around you?

Number three, what am I willing to give for the work of Christ?

You know, if he were to come to you right now and say, I want you to give your all, would you be able to do it?

Would you be able to give up your time?

Would you be able to give up your comfort, your resources, maybe even your preferences?

What am I willing to give for the work of Christ?

Apathyroditis was willing to give his life.

He almost lost it.

For most of us, the question this week probably isn't, would I die for Jesus?

Maybe it's a much more revealing question.

Am I willing to be inconvenienced for Jesus?

Today, this afternoon, whatever it is that God places before me, am I willing to be inconvenienced for Jesus?

I love Epathydis.

Even if his name still sounds a little bit like some disease.

This man definitely shows us that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

And because of Pathroditis, it reminds us that you don't have to be a Paul, you don't have to be a Timothy, you don't have to be a pastor, a missionary, have a platform.

You just got to be willing to go before the Father and say, use me.

Here I am, Lord, use me.

So looking at this, looking at aparthridis, give what you have to the mission.

Give your heart to the people, give your life to the work of Christ.

I'd argue this morning, if you can do this, God will use you.

He'll use you just like he used this man aparthidis.

Father, we thank you for your word.

We thank you for the example of this man apartitis.

We thank you that you use this man from the church in Philippi to do extraordinary things, this ordinary man who is willing to say yes.

Father, may that be true of us.

Some of us you've given many resources to, some of us you've given many abilities to.

Whatever it is that you have given us, Father, may we say the same thing.

No matter the title or position, may we be able to say, Here I am, Lord, use me.

Father, may we not lose the example that you gave in Philippians chapter 2, your very own Son who is willing to leave his throne, come down to this earth, humble himself, serve, die, even death on a cross for our sins.

Philippians 2 · chapter mention

Father, may we not lose sight of that.

May we not lose sight of what you are willing to do for each of us.

And if there's someone in this room today who has never accepted you as their Savior, Father, they would not leave this place without receiving you.

Father, I know we have a prayer team, and if you're on that prayer team, I encourage you to come forward.

Maybe you're carrying some burdens in your life.

And maybe there's someone else in your life you've been carrying those burdens.

I'd encourage you to come forward and pray with our prayer team and just lay it down at the foot of the cross.

Father, we thank you that you do come and you come and you carry our burdens.

And we don't have to carry them, Father.

We thank you for that.

We thank you for this man, Apatharditus, Lord, and how you used him.

And I pray, Father, that you'd use all of us to do extraordinary things because we simply said, Here I am, Lord, send me.

We pray all in your name, and all God's people said.

Amen.

Let's all rise, please.

Take my