LESSON 16

Classroom Goals of this time together:
* here to see and meet and learn of Jesus; to grow in each one of our own personal lives/relationships with Jesus
* to grow in our daily day-to-day JOY IN Him
* to grow in our vision /understanding of Jesus as our SAVIOR and REDEEMER everyday in the midst of our lives in a pagan world

ROE: 
* all questions are encouraged all the time
* TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER THROUGHOUT OUR TIME TOGETHER, WHETHER WE AGREE OR NOT WE MUST LOVE EACH OTHER

SUMMARY:
1:1-11  Greetings and Gratitude

1:12-26  "Pauls Personal Circumstances: the Preaching of Christ"

1:27-2:30  "The Pattern of Christian Life: The Humility of Christ"
1:27-2:4  The Exhortation to Humility  HERE is the Goal; How do the things he presented in this section become a REALITY in the life of a Church and it's believers?? ONLY THROUGH HUMILITY, ONE TO ANOTHER. 
2:5-11  The Epitome of Humility  Jesus - here is the Divine Example; He was presented as the totally unique and DIVINE One who HUMBLED Himself absolutely and to the utmost: "...emptied Himself...", and "...unto death...even...the cross"; 
2:12-18 The Exercise of Humility  
In vs12-13, Paul taught them (and us) WHO and WHAT our Saviour has BEEN and DONE in our lives
In vss14-18, Paul showed them (and us) that because of that we MUST SEEK this Grace of our Lord to LIVE in a way THAT ONLY POINTS OUT JESUS TO A DYING DESPERATE AND DARKENED WORLD; 


2:19-30  The Examples of Humility  Timothy and Epaphroditis; NEW section; Having given the Philipians the above, Paul wanted to show them in REAL WORLD TERMS what such a Christ Empowered Life LOOKS LIKE; 
2:19-21  1st, Timothy
2:19  What was to be Tim's mission? A F/U of Paul's appeals to the Phil's for unity and steadfastness, humility and mutual love; 
"...in the Lord Jesus..."; Nowhere else in Paul's other references to his proposed journeys does he use this phrase; He must have been MUCH more aware of just HOW unsettled and unclear his future really was at this point; 
HOW OFTEN it is for us, that a really "uncertain" future forces us to again become aware of WHO REALLY IS IN CONTROL OF OUR DESTINY AND THAT IT IS NEVER "WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN" THAT IS OUR PLACE OF HOPE FOR THE FUTURE, BUT RATHER "WHO WILL HAPPEN" THAT IS OUR PLACE OF PEACE; 
The ultimate purpose of Tim's visit is seen in (KJV): "that I may also be of good comfort..."; The pronoun is EMPHATIC in the Gr, and the "also" precedes it, so that the real impact of the Gr better reads: "...not only will YOU be encouraged, but I too shall be heartened..."; BOTH he and the Phil's will be encouraged from the mutual exchange of news that Tim will bring; 

2:20  He is making a point here: View Tim as you would ME; Paul is trying to establish Tim's credentials for what could be a pretty bumpy ride: Have you ever been in a situation where folks were expecting or at least WANTING the BIG GUY and ended up with YOU instead?? 
"naturally" better trans "genuinely"; The NAS better trans the KJV "care" as "concern"; Of all Paul's Christian friends there with him at prision, NO-ONE shares so intimately Tim's deep concern for the Phil church; Does this contradict 4:6 where Paul says don't be anxious about "anything"? NO, Paul did not want them to be so worried about themselves, with their own interests; Tim's "concern", his BURDEN was for the spiritual welfare of others; 
HOW IRONIC: much more often the opposite is true for us; We become SO anxious about ourselves that ANYONE ELSES problems get ignored by us; HOW OFTEN I spend MORE time praying about MYSELF that about OTHERS; 
how easily we can become distracted by our OWN lives problems, so that any "concern" we might have is only superficial, lacking the real heart and burden that a "genuine" issue would produce; NO ONE has to TRY to worry about their OWN problems, INCLUDING spiritual problems; 
We WRONG each other when we let our own burdens weigh us down so unnecesarily that we find no strength or time left for each other; 
OH THAT THIS VERSE COULD BE SAID OF ME; OF EACH OF US; The WORLD sees this; They understand our selfishness, recognizing it in themselves; WHAT THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHEN THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAUSES AND ENABLES US TO ACT LIKE TIM DID HERE; And it is that very "PUZZLEMENT" that attracts them to the Lord IN US; 
What did the Lord say in John 13:35? It's how we LOVE each other that the world uses to JUDGE US AND OUR GOSPEL; 

2:21  WHAT WAS PAUL TALKING ABOUT HERE?? WAS THERE NO ONE ELSE?? What about those he spoke of in 1:14 and 17?? 
Clearly, he was talking about of those who were AVAILABLE to him NONE had the needed spiritual growth and maturity to undertake the mission to the church at Philippi; 
AND HERE WE CAN SEE THE RESULT OF SUCH SELF-CENTERED THINKING as described in vs 20; Paul had other Christians around him, BUT apparantly their concerns were more for their OWN spiritual growth and it's problems than for some OTHER churches needs; 
AND THIS was in spite of Tim's OWN spiritual growth needs: he was young (1 Ti 4:12), he was NOT of the best health (1 Ti 5:23), and not exactly the most DYNAMIC kind of guy, either (2 Ti 1:6-8; and 1 Co 16:10). AND YET HE IS THE ONE PAUL WOULD CHOOSE; 
So, the criteria for usefulness to Paul was NOT what WE might think; TIM WAS NOT EXACTLY THE JOHN WAYNE OF CHRISTENDOM; Paul wasn't looking for Billy Graham or some other "great" leader; HE WAS LOOKING FOR A PERSON WITH A HEART THAT WAS ABLE TO BE BURDENED WITH SOMEONE ELSES NEEDS, ABOVE THEIR OWN; AND TIM WAS THAT SORT OF MAN, IN SPITE OF HIS OWN WEAKNESSES AND FLAWS; 

If we would be great in the Lord, if we would see Spiritual Growth and Life in us and among us, WE MUST SEEK FOR THE LORD TO POUR OUT INTO AND AMONG US THAT CHRIST-LIKE "OTHER-CENTERED" HEART OF LOVE AND CONCERN FOR EACH OTHER AND FOR THAT DARKENED AND FRIGHTENED WORLD OUT THERE; 
Remember Jesus at the outskirts of Jerusalem, on that final and fatal journey into that troubled city? HE WEPT FOR THEM!! THE VERY SAME ONES HE KNEW WERE GOING TO ACCUSE AND TORTURE AND FINALLY SLAUGHTER HIM, MOCKING HIM ALL THE BLOODY WAY ALONG TO HIS DESTRUCTION; HIS BURDEN WAS FOR THEM, FOR US!! That same Spirit LIVES IN US EVEN NOW; WE CAN BE EVEN SO TOWARDS EACH OTHER AND THE WORLD; 

2:22  KJV: "...ye know the proof of him..." better trans as : "you KNOW how he has stood the test and shown himself to be a man of sound character and worthiness"; 
Then Paul talks of his "father and son" relationship with Tim; NOW THAT'S AN ENDORSEMENT! Filial obedience was a very POWERFUL concept in the 1st century, a duty of profound force then AND THIS IS SEEN IN the word trans "served": IT LIT MEANS "SERVED AS A SLAVE"; BUT NOTE: Paul does NOT say Tim served HIM as a slave, BUT RATHER, "SERVED WITH ME AS A SLAVE FOR THE EXTENSION OF THE GOSPEL"; 
In the Lord's church, the only claim to position and honor is BASED ON SERVICE TO THE CAUSE OF HIM WHO CAME TO TAKE THE FORM OF A SLAVE (2:7), and among those who were His own that he was "he that serveth" (Lk 22:27); 

2:23  The KJV keeps the original word order; It was meant to give emphasis to the fact that it was TIM that Paul wanted to send; 
"presently" really better trans "immediately", BUT THEN WITH THE QUALIFIER: as soon as I see how things are going to turn out; 

2:24  (KJV) "BUT I trust in the Lord..." here Paul is trying to give the balance of the world view vs the Lord's point of view; After expressing the issues of the "uncertainty" Paul AND the Philipians felt, Paul wants them to know where his REAL CONFIDENCE ULTIMATELY LIES: IN JESUS; 

So here's the summary: Paul awaits the judge's verdict. When that is known, he will commission Tim to make the Pastoral journey to the church at Philippi. If the verdict goes against him, Tim will be Paul's envoy to act in his name as one sent "in the Lord Jesus" (vs19). If the verdict is favorable, and he is released, Paul says he'll follow "shortly", i.e. soon after Tim.

2:25  And now we get to Epaphroditus; most commentators believe he was the deliverer of this letter; 
His name is derived from Aphrodite, and means "charming"; This apparantly is a common name in ancient literature; 
This is the ONLY place in scripture that he is mentioned; HOW WOULD WE WANT TO BE REMEMBERED? We never find out what he did for a living, whether he was a "pillar of the community", whether he was a member of the "right" social and political organizations (and don't kid yourselves, they had those THEN, too), what degrees he had earned; NOTHING EXCEPT THESE WORDS; 
(KJV) "...my brother, and companion in labour, and fellow soldier...messenger and he that ministered"; WHAT an epitath!! The word trans messenger is the SAME word as "apostle" better meaning "SPECIAL messenger"; He was that: he brought the Churches money gift to Paul, BUT EVEN MORE, HE CAME TO STAY INDEFINATELY WITH PAUL AS HIS COMPANION IN CAPTIVITY; 
The Gr phrase trans as "he that ministered to my wants" lit means "minister of the need of me"; the noun trans as "minister", leitourgos really means "servant", BUT THIS word carries a DEEPER meaning: in fist century lit it was used to convey associations of sacred and solemn work undertaken for religious purposes; it is a word THAT PAUL USED OF HIMSELF (Rm 15:16) and also of the collection of the Jerusalem poor in Rm 15:27 and 2Co 9:12. WHAT A GROUP TO BE COMPARED TO!! This is the word from which we get our word "liturgy", refering to the special offering of ourselves in our "Worship SERVICES"; 
AND JUST WHAT AMAZING MARVELOUS AND IMPOSSIBLE TO REPEAT "SERVICE" DID EPAPHRODITUS RENDER??? DID HE lead millions to the Lord?? NO! Did he write widely published books of Christian theology or popular advice?? NO! He went to go help take care of a brother in Christ; EVERYTIME EACH OF US GOES TO HELP OUT ANOTHER ONE OF US WE ARE DOING EXACTLY AS HE DID, RENDERING THE SAME "LEITOURGOS"/SERVICE; Nothing fancy, nothing profound, JUST PLAIN LOVING HELP AND SERVICE; 
[GIVE EXAMPLE OF CHURCHES CARE FOR EACH OTHER] 

2:26  The plans of the Philipian Church to send a minister apparantly went awry; He fell ill and somehow the news of this got back home and upset alot of people there; This could imply that E. was greatly loved by the Church and his sickness would be upsetting to them; Given the tremendously tender heart of E., as seen by his willing desire to stay in prison to care for Paul, his churches concern would have been a deep burden; REMEMBER, COMMUNICATION WAS CHANCEY AT BEST, AND LONG TIME COMING; It is possible that LONG after he was recovered his church would STILL not know and would continue to hurt for and worry about him; 
And he was REALLY upset, too, given the word Paul used; The word trans "longed after" was also used by Paul about himself in the first chapter (vs8), and conveys a meaning of a deep and ardent yearning, and is a word that Paul uses for how he feels for his precious spiritual frends in all his letters (Rm 1:11; I Th 3:6; 2 Tim 1:4); Imagine E's distress at knowing how upset they would be for him, and his yearning to be there to reassure them and to "minister" to them as he was to Paul; 
BUT it didn't end there; The word trans in the KJV as "full of heaviness" was the SAME USED TO DESCRIBE THE LORD'S AGONY IN THE GARDEN, and denotes great mental and spiritual distress and discomfort; It is used to describe the "distress which follows a great shock...which may be worse that the sharp pain of a fully realized sorrow"; 
We never DO find out just what his illness was; 

2:27  Well, he really WAS sick; "...but God had mercy..."; Lest we get TOO cocky about all our amazing medical miracles, UNDERSTAND THIS: ALL HEALING IS REALLY THE DIRECT RESULT OF GOD'S MERCY; Sometimes He lets us participate, or maybe even be the INSTRUMENTS of HIS mercy, BUT NEVER FORGET THE REAL AND TRUE SOURCE OF ALL HEALING: THE LORD GOD OF OUR SALVATION; 
"Sorrow upon sorrow"; The Gr phrasiology implies motion, as in "SORROW COMING UPON SORROW", as wave after wave;
SEE?? EVEN THE WORLD'S GREATEST APOSTLE CAN GRIEVE AND HURT AND SORROW IN THE LORD!!; The Christian life is NOT "bullet proof" against the hurts and sorrows that are sometimes the strongest portion of our lives; NO!! We do NOT differ from the pagans because somehow God gives us "charmed" lives, BUT RATHER WE DIFFER IN THE SOURCE OF OUR COMFORT AND HOPE, IN THE PLACE OF OUR PEACE AND EVEN JOY; 
Some believe this was another reference to the same troubles Paul refered to in 2 Co 1:8ff.
God does NOT prohibit us from such hurting, it does NOT mean we are 2nd rate Christians, BUT HE DOES LOVINGLY CALL TO US TO COME RUN TO HIM WHEN WE HURT; [Give example of how often Annie will NOT do this and so prolong her hurt]

2:28  The KJV "...the more carefully..." is better trans "...the more eagerly...", and even seen as a superlative usage "I am VERY eagerly sending..."; WHY WAS PAUL MAKING SUCH A BIG DEAL ABOUT HIS SENDING E. HOME??
Stop and think about it: E. had been sent with some fanfare to go and STAY with Paul, to be a source of COMFORT and SERVICE to him, and what does E. do instead?? HE GETS SICK "UNTO DEATH", BECOMING A BURDEN INSTEAD OF BEARING THEM, REQUIRING CARE INSTEAD OF GIVING IT; AND NOW HE'S RETURNING INSTEAD OF STAYING!! Alas, I can imagine the talking and waggling of tongues about E., calling into question his spiritual credentials, maybe even his courage and dedication; DON'T LOOK SO SURPRIZED! How often we seem so willing to assume the worst about each other; 
HOW EASY it would be to assume E. had failed in his mission, I mean, after ALL, didn't Paul send him BACK?? HOW PAUL UNDERSTANDS HIS PRECIOUS PHILIPPIANS!! He makes a premptive strike against ANY such wrong and hurtful accusations; HE tells them, DON'T view this as if I have sent E. back on the bus with a dead rat in his mouth, RATHER VIEW IT AS THE TRIUMPHAL RETURN OF A HEROIC BROTHER IN CHRIST, BACK FROM THE FRONT LINES; 
And it is THIS that will make Paul "less sorrowful"; Paul could ONLY have his own sorrows intensified if he should hear that E. had been attacked as a deserter and weakling on his return; He's telling them: LISTEN UP!! I DECIDED THAT E. NEEDED TO RETURN FOR ALL OF OUR SAKES; HE DIDN'T LEAVE ME, I SENT HIM BACK TO YOU; IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO SO ACCEPT IT AS THE LORD'S WILL AND A DIVINE OVERRULING OF YOUR OWN PLANS; 

2:29  What does it mean to recieve someone "in the Lord with all gladness"?? It could mean recieve him "as the Lord would recieve him", OR it could mean recieve him "with the undiluted joy that should characterize a welcome in the Church of our Lord Jesus"; BOTH SHOULD APPLY!! 
"hold such in reputation" better means and Lit trans "Hold such men as valuable" [READ THE AMP]; HOW SAD THAT WE SHOULD HAVE TO BE TOLD TO DO SUCH, BUT WE DO; How easily we fail to hold precious and deserving of honor those who labour and struggle for the Lord in the world; We more often view them as objects of curiosity for the odd and many sacrifices they willingly make, than as MEN AND WOMEN HIGHLY DESERVING OF HONOR AND ACCOLADES FRO US ALL; Alas, often the ONLY time they seem to merit our attention is when they have problems and make mistakes; 
[talk about how the world eagerly makes movies about pastors who cheat and commit murder, but NOT about the thousands who every day, day in and day out, quietly care for and labour for their precious flock; NO BIG BUCKS BRIGHT LIGHTS AND GLORY HERE]

2:30  Here Paul seeks to turn E's "failure" to stay well into a testimony to his willingness to sacrifice ALL for the Lord Jesus; 
The Gr word paraboleusamenos trans in the KJV as "not regarding his life" MUCH better trans as "hazarding his life"; IT IS A GAMBLING TERM; Literally Paul is saying E. "STAKED HIS LIFE FOR THE SERVICE OF CHRIST" and for Paul and on behalf of the Philippian Church; It is ALSO used to describe the BRAVERY of people who "EXPOSED THEMSELVES TO DANGER"; 

The brotherhoods of the ancient Church who cared for the sick at the risk of their own lives were called parabolani, or reckless persons; 
The KJV " to supply your lack of service toward me" is an unfortunate trans that sounds pretty harsh, like Paul was slamming them for neglecting him; NO!! The expression was complementary and affectionate, saying, in essence, that ALL that had been lacking in the matter of theri service to Paul was their ministration IN PERSON, which had been supplied by E.; He's just saying that he knew (and wanted THEM to NOT forget) that E. had been there to COMPLETE their service to Paul;