John Burnett: 19 But
I hope [a]in the Lord Jesus to send
Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your
condition. 20 For I have no one else of kindred spirit
who will genuinely be concerned for your welfare. 21 For they
all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus. 22 But
you know of his proven worth, that he served with me in the furtherance of the
gospel like a child serving his father. 23 Therefore I
hope to send him immediately, as soon as I see how things go with me; 24 and
I trust in the Lord that I myself also will be coming shortly. 25 But
I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow
worker and fellow soldier, who is also your [b]messenger and minister to my
need; 26 because he was longing [c]for you all and was
distressed because you had heard that he was sick. 27 For
indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on
him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore
I have sent him all the more eagerly so that when you see him again you may
rejoice and I may be less concerned about you. 29 Receive
him then in the Lord with all joy, and hold men like him in high regard; 30 because
he came close to death [d]for the work of Christ,
risking his life to complete [e]what was deficient in your
service to me.
Paul is being abandoned by some of his disciples who were
seeking their own interests instead of furthering the gospel. In verse 22
Paul talks about Timothy’s proven worth and how it is tied directly to the his
furthering of the gospel of Christ. Our worth is directly related as
well. Epaphroditus was a Phillilipian who was a fellow warrior who almost
died for the sake of the gospel. Paul, Timothy, Epaphroditus and the
Phillilipians all loved each other very much and took much joy in hearing one another’s
stories.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Allen Michaels: 19 I hope in the Lord Jesus
to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news
about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show
genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for
their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. Paul
observed that most believers are too preoccupied with their own needs to spend
time working for Christ. Don’t let your schedule and concerns crowd out your
Christian service to and love for others. Last night I picked up an old Bible
that I bought in 1986. Even though there were several books that I have read
multiple times, there were at least 3 (Numbers, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles,
and 2 Chronicles) that I never really started. Numbers I started at one time
but never really got into it. Now I want to read it. How many times could I
have read this entire Bible in the past 28 years? 22 But you know
that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served
with me in the work of the gospel. Paul was preparing
Timothy to carry on the ministry in his absence. We should all be mentoring
someone for God’s work. 23 I hope,
therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. 24 And
I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.
25 But I think it is
necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow
soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. Epaphroditus is mentioned only in Philippians 26 For he longs for all of you and is
distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill,
and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me,
to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 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 So then, welcome him in the Lord with
great joy, and honor people like him, 30 because he almost died
for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you
yourselves could not give me. The world seems to honor only
those who are intelligent, beautiful, rich, and powerful. What kind of people
should the church honor? Paul indicates that we should honor those who give
their lives for the sake of Christ, going where we cannot go ourselves. Our
missionaries do that for us today by providing ministry where we are not able,
or unwilling, to go. “The Voice of the Martyrs” http://www.persecution.com/
is an excellent example of doing God’s work in places where there is a good
chance that you could die simply because you believe in Jesus the Christ.
You have probably thought “when will I ever need math when I read
my Bible?” Bear with me;
In 2:22
Paul states, “But you know of his proven worth, that he served with me
in the furtherance of the gospel like a child serving his father.” (NASB)
Timothy has demonstrated his worthiness as a servant of Christ and of Paul for
more than ten years. He had served as the apostle’s fellow worker and as his
protégé. This description of Timothy is fitting since his name in Greek means
“he honors God.” Timothy’s consistency is evidenced over time as he has worked
with Paul like a son with his father, serving together to see the good news of
Christ go out and touch lives.
Before we leave 2:22 it is important to recognize that “proven worth”
doesn’t happen overnight. Too many people want instant spirituality (the ah ha
moment) and overnight maturity. God doesn’t work that way. Producing Christian
character takes time and effort. Here’s a simple equation to determine our
growth:
T + D = G.
Let T = Time,
Let D = Discipline
Let G = Growth = Personal Worth
Therefore Our Time plus our Discipline will equal our
growth (personal worth).
Note that the formula is addition, so by doubling our Time OR
doubling our Discipline will not result in doubling our personal worth. We must
double BOTH our Time AND our Discipline if we want to double our Personal
Worth. In other words, we must be very dedicated if we want to increase our
personal worth, and it’s going to take time. This kind of rules out my “ah ha”
theory.
No comments:
Post a Comment