Honor your gospel servants
Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.
After Epaphroditus had recovered from his illness, Paul thought it best to send him back home to Philippi, for several reasons. The Philippians had heard about Epaphroditus’ brush with death and were concerned about him. Epaphroditus, in turn, was concerned about their concern. He wanted to assure them that everything was fine again. Having recently been at death’s door, he also was anxious to see and to be with his loved ones once more. So, to relieve Epaphroditus’ anxiety and to ease the Philippians’ concerns and to bring them all joy, Paul sent Epaphroditus back to them, no doubt carrying this very letter.
Once again Paul showed his unselfish concern for others. The needs of Epaphroditus and the Philippians meant more to him than the personal services he could still have received from Epaphroditus. If the Philippians and Epaphroditus were happy, then Paul would be happy too. Paul had truly learned from Christ the secret of unselfish generosity and loving concern for others.
As he sends Epaphroditus back to them, Paul encourages the Philippians to welcome him warmly. There should be no criticism of the fact that his mission had been cut short. Epaphroditus had been a faithful servant. He had done all that he could. As those who had commissioned him, therefore, the Philippians should welcome him home joyfully and honor him for his faithfulness. As their servant as well as the apostle’s, Epaphroditus had done what the rest of the Philippians could not do. He had personally gone in their place to serve the apostle in Rome, and in that service he had risked his very life. So, even though his mission may not have turned out exactly as anticipated, the Philippians owed Epaphroditus their gratitude and their respect.
Paul’s encouragement to the Philippians to honor Epaphroditus as one who served in their stead encourages us also to honor those who serve for us. Our called pastors and teachers—as well as those who serve on boards and committees or voluntarily serve our congregations and the church at large in so many different ways—all represent us. They work in our place.
Think also of our world missionaries. Not many of us— and this author includes himself here—possess the courage to leave family, friends, and possessions behind to start life anew in an unfamiliar land and culture in order to bring the gospel to lands in which it is not being proclaimed. Not many are able to endure all kinds of physical hardships and deprivations in order to share the good news of the Lord Jesus with those who would otherwise be lost. All the missionaries our church supports, together with their families, and the courageous nurses in our medical missions as well, have gone where they are and done what they are doing in our place. Some of these mission workers will return in a relatively short period of time, for their health or other reasons. Others spend whole lifetimes doing the Lord’s work for us in faraway lands. We owe them all our respect, our gratitude, our prayers, our personal encouragement, and our generous support.