The Fellowship of the Gospel

A Mutual Concern

Philippians 2:17-30

While the entire book of Philippians deals with the various phases of the gospel fellowship, much of it is given to a doctrinal approach of the subject. However, in this section we leave the doctrinal excerpt for pattern and enjoy its highly personal element. One gets the real heart throb of the book here. Paul loves these people! He loves them in Christ! He is willing to make any sacrifice necessary for their faith! Without this burning passion for souls, Paul would cease to be Paul, the loving apostle. The Philippians respond to Paul's affection and send to him a man who shares his spirit of sacrifice in the care of another. Epaphroditus gives himself so fully to the care of Paul's physical needs that he becomes ill through self-denial and draws near death's door only to be spared by God's mercy through Paul's intercession.

This mutual concern is true to the gospel pattern of God's provision for those to whom He has entrusted the gospel. Where lives are really open to His direction, God places upon His messengers the responsibility of the spiritual development of His people and then in turn cares for the physical needs of His messengers through the gifts of those who have been benefitted spiritually. All this will be seen as we move though the verses of this section.

Paul opens in verse seventeen with a statement that conceals nothing as to his purpose among the Philippians:

"Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith,

I JOY, and rejoice with you all." This is the spirit which marks the true servant of Christ. If my sacrifice leads to your faith, I rejoice! Can anyone who has had this experience read these words dry-eyed? The joy of attainment makes the cost look insignificant. Dr. Geo. W. Truett used to tell the story of preaching each year to a great audience of Texas cattle men. (I relate the story as accurately as possible from memory.) One year after he preached to the men, one man wanted him to go with him to dedicate some property to God. He took him far up a canyon and as they went the man would point out first land and then cattle saying with a i wave of the hand, "all this is mine." ' When they were far up the canyon,. the man said to Dr. Truett, "I want you to kneel right here beside this rock and dedicate all this to God, and when you have finished, just wait, I have a word I want to say." Dr. Truett began, "Dear Father, this man would have me tell Thee he wants to dedicate all this land and cattle to You to use it as You direct. . ." Then he concluded the prayer by saying, "And now, Father, he has something he wants to say." The man began to sob and then started, "Father, now that I've given all this land and cattle to You, there's nothing that stands in the way between us. I bring you our boy. Mother and I have never been able to lead him to Jesus. Won't you save him?" More of that day was spent in prayer, and that night in Dr. Truett's meeting, the young man was saved!

Paul's burning passion for the spiritual development of those to whom he ministered is not limited to Philippians. We see it in the letter to the Corinthians.

"And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved" (II Cor. 12:15).

Again in I Cor. 9: we have two examples of Paul's sacrifices in his preaching to them. In verses seven to fifteen, he tells of his sacrifice of his right of support and then in verses nineteen to twenty-three, he tells of his sacrifice of his right of freedom. Even his God-given rights of support and freedom were sacrificed to bring the gospel to them in a way they would receive it. How this shames many of us workers today. What terrible feelings ofttimes exist if the budget committee fails to recommend an increase in salary at the annual meeting.

Again we see Paul's burning desire in the letter to the Galatians. "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you, I desire to be present with you now, and to change my voice; for I stand in doubt of you. Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?" (Gal. 4:19-21) Think of it! His intense agony over their spiritual condition described in the language of the maternity ward! He was suffering "birth pains" for them until Christ be formed in them. It can never be said that this man was a hypocrite —that he said things for effect. In the first chapter of Philippians, we saw him praying for the spiritual development of souls and his manner of life bears out the earnestness of that prayer.

Now the next great heart throb is the spirit in which he made those sacrifices. He said, "I joy and rejoice!" It is the same language which is used to describe Jesus facing the cross. "Who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame" (Heb. 12: 2). Paul just turned a noun into a verb and said, "I joy." So great was this man's joy that it echoed in the camp of the Philippians. "For the same cause also do you joy, and rejoice with me" (Phil. 2:19).

That Paul's mantle should fall upon others and that they would share his spirit is no surprise. That is exactly what we would expect. His words that Timothy was likeminded would indicate just this. Now this letter to the Philippians was written from prison and when the apostle could not come to them the logical move would be to send the most likeminded person he could find. Notice, however, that in verse twenty-four Paul indicates that he does have hope of coming to them himself. Until he is able to come, however, he will be satisfied to send Timothy for he cannot be of good comfort until he knows how they are doing.

He says that he wants to know their state. Now this word "state" stands in contrast to the word "stand" in Rom. 5:2. Our "standing" is our position "in Christ." In our standing we are described as being complete in Him and as being identified with Him. Our standing never varies or fluctuates for it depends upon Him. Our state, however, is the life we are actually living at any given moment. It does vary and fluctuate for it depends upon us. No one is ever concerned about our standing for it is maintained by God but there is constant concern about our state, even as there was about the state of the Philippians.

Thus far in our study we have seen only Paul's concern for the Philippians. From here on to the end of the chapter, we shall see their care for him. Their response to his devoted care for their spiritual needs was to send someone to care for his physical needs. The one they chose did such a marvelous job that Paul uses the most endearing terms in describing the man and his work.

"Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants" (vs. 25).

My brother. . . my companion. . . my fellow soldier. . . your messenger. . . he that ministered to my wants! That was Epaphroditus! He was much to Paul but back of it all he was their mesenger! They had sent him! He represented them! He gave himself without reserve, not regarding his own life to supply Paul's needs. Listen to Paul in Philippians 4:18:

"But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God."

They had cared for Paul though much of the care had fallen upon their messenger who has taken with a great illness when he had tried to make up their lack.

"Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply you lack of service toward me" (Phil. 2:30).

The section closes much in the same manner in which it opened with someone making a great sacrifice in his care for the other. Only love is unselfish and sacrificing. We find a real reluctance to leave this section of the book and perhaps would not do it were it not for the fact these same gospel fellowship continue on down to the present hour. Reader, we trust that you know from experience the things We are talking about. If you do not, determine today that you are going to have a part in a real gospel fellowship, whether it is of two or ten thousand! You can if you will.