Truth Today Newsletter: Philippians 2:30

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Paul is still talking about Epaphroditus. He was a man who took great risks for the work of Christ, and Paul equated serving him with serving Christ.

This is an echo back to the words of Jesus where He said, “just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me (Matthew 25:40).”

When Paul persecuted the church, Jesus said he was persecuting him (Acts 9:4-5). We are the body of Christ, and whatever service we are doing for members of the body, we are doing it to Him.

As a side note, Christ purchased the church with his blood, and so we are His precious possession. Peter reminded the church leaders of this when he said they should not lord it over the church but rather express care (1 Peter 5:1-4).

That Epaphroditus almost died shows the level of sacrifice involved in the work of Christ. It demands some effort. Not everyone would be in a similar situation, but the work of God is a call to some form of dying.

You may have to die to human prestige and accolades.
You are called to carry our cross (Matthew 16:24).
Paul said he died daily (1 Corinthians 15:31).
He said he bears in his body the death of Christ, so that life will flow through him to others (2 Corinthians 4:10-12).
Fasting is a form of death that leads to a flow of life. You are, in my opinion, deliberately depriving yourself of natural life from food, to have the flow of divine life.

The point is that serving God demands some form of sacrifice at some level.

This makes no sense to the natural man, but it does to the spiritual man —the regenerate. It takes time, it takes effort, it takes commitment, it takes focusing on the things that Christ prioritizes, and not man’s. It demands listening to God and not to man, and that demands some sacrifice.

The point I am making is that the work of Christ is serious work, demanding the expenditure of energy, time, and maybe not much reward in this life.

The focus verse offers an interesting perspective on service.

Paul was the one who presented the word of God to them as an apostle and teacher of the New Testament.

So in what way do they serve Paul? By providing for his physical needs. So the service that God recognizes is not just the one who ministers the word, but there are also other forms of service done in the context of the church that God regards as the work of Christ.

While Peter said he would devote himself to prayer and the ministry of the word, others contributed to the needs of the saints and managed the distribution (Acts 6:1-7). The point is, there are all manner of services for Christ. We need to keep that in mind.

And the service of Christ on our behalf was the ultimate sacrifice. Never forget that.

God became man and dwelt among us (John 1:14), giving His life for us so that we can walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4).
And we are supposed to walk in His steps (1 Peter 2:21).
We have the Spirit of Christ in us (Romans 8:9-11). And we are motivated by what motivates Him, which is service to others.
He said What manner of love does a man have for his friends that he gave himself for them (John 15:13).
So we are motivated by love, and based on that, we serve one another. Our devotion to Christ spills over to our devotion to his church.
In all this, we are empowered by the Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ poured out on us, so that we can be energized by Him.

Paul says the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). We are energized by the Holy Spirit, motivated by the love of God, and have consistency by the spirit of self-control. We are enabled to be faithful.

Paul wrote that it is required of stewards that we be found faithful (1 Corinthians 4:2), meaning we deliver on our mandate deliberately and consistently.
We are laborers in God’s field and builders in his kingdom (1 Corinthians 3:9). We want to do our part consistently and in an ongoing fashion.
We live a life of obedience, and being filled with the Holy Spirit, we are going about delivering a divine message to people (Acts 1:8).
We are mouthpieces of God and spread the fragrance of the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 2:14-15).
We do not stop, but move on in the power of God.
Again, we are enabled to serve God by His Spirit and driven by love for God.

That is key because it means something is moving us that is not available to the ordinary person. But we are spiritual people, having been born again into a new life.

LEARN ABOUT THE SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT SCHOOL STARTING NOV. 3.pdf