INDISPENSABLE :25-30 8/20/17 – Pentecost 12 Living Word, Montrose Who’s Epaphroditus?

It’s hard not to admire the apostle Paul. He truly was one-of-a-kind! The things he did, the sermons he preached, the man he was amazes us and inspires us still today. He was a guy who constantly shared the with everyone he met even when he knew his life was on the line. He was a guy who survived multiple beatings, three different floggings, a stoning, a shipwreck, numerous plots against his life, and a whole lot more. He was bold, he was passionate, he was loving, he was patient…. He wasn’t afraid to die, but he wasn’t afraid to keep on living either. He founded more Christian congregations in the early decades of the Church than anyone else. He authored more books of the through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit than anyone else. He was looked up to as the leader of mission efforts around the world more than anyone else. The apostle Paul did things and saw things and suffered things that most of us will not even come close to experiencing in our lives. Paul is easy for to admire. But even the great apostle Paul needed help. Even the apostle Paul needed others around him to lend a hand and pitch in and do their part. During his first missionary journey his right hand man was an experienced pastor named . During his second missionary journey he took along with him and then picked up Timothy along the way. Luke worked with him, , a married couple named Ananias and Saphira, and many others whom Paul mentions by name in his letters. But out of all the people who were involved with the work that Paul did over the years, the one whom Paul speaks of as highly as almost anyone else is a man named Epaphroditus. And if you don’t ever remember hearing about a guy named Epaphroditus before this morning, that is nothing to be embarrassed about. He is only mentioned twice in the Bible – and only in one letter: the letter to the Philippians. He seems to have taken on the role of one of Paul’s letter carriers, a personal mailman of sorts. But Paul considered him much more valuable than a nameless face sent to deliver a message. Paul thought Epaphroditus was invaluable to his ministry. Listen to how Paul describes Epaphroditus to the Philippian congregation: But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 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. 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. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of , risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me. Epaphroditus was a brother in Christ to Paul, his fellow worker in the monumental task of spreading the gospel, a fellow soldier in the fight for the faith, a messenger of the Good News about , a servant of Paul’s every day needs, and later in the letter Paul refers to a “yokefellow” that could also be referring to Epaphroditus: someone who is side by side with Paul, like oxen are side by side with a wooden bar across their shoulders, pulling the load together. Paul valued Epaphroditus, especially since he had risked his life to do what Paul needed him to do. He risked his life for the “work of Christ” Paul says, in fact, he almost died. We don’t know exactly what it was that Epaphroditus did that put his life in danger, but to Paul, this letter carrier, a man who was not an apostle, a man who is not mentioned outside of this letter of the Bible, a man we know very little about, was indispensable. Calloused to the Effects of the Gospel

Today we are in the middle of the three week theme: “We’re All in This Together.” Last Sunday we focused on the bond and the fellowship we have with one another because of our mutual confession of faith in what the Bible says. Next week we will see how we are all running this race together, striving for the finish line while helping each other out along the way. This morning though, we have a chance to explore how each of us is an integral part of this body of believers and an important component to what we do as a congregation. No matter who you are: young or old, long time member or first time visitor, you are indispensable. Epaphroditus understood that. Even though he wasn’t called to be a missionary throughout the world like Paul was, and even though he probably didn’t have the miraculous gifts from the Holy Spirit like Paul had, and even though he might not have been known to anyone else except that local congregation in , Epaphroditus used the talents he had been given and the situation he was in to do whatever he could for the “work of Christ.” Even to the point of risking his life. And because of that Paul calls him a brother, a coworker, a fellow soldier, a messenger, a servant, and one with whom Paul was proud to carry the load. Epaphroditus couldn’t help but make himself indispensable in the unique ways he was able to. Epaphroditus was almost without a doubt a Greek adult convert to Christianity. He probably heard the message about his Savior from Paul for the first time, left behind the various gods and goddesses of his culture, and now he was on fire for this “work of Christ.” I have a hard time identifying with that. I’ve been a Christian ever since I can remember. I grew up going to church every Sunday. I learned the stories, I memorized the passages, I passed the classes to become a member of a Lutheran Christian congregation at the age of 14. And now, of course, I’m a pastor. I’ve been reading my Bible regularly for decades. I’ve taken the courses, I’ve studied the languages, and I am immersed in its application every day. The gospel about Jesus isn’t new to me. It isn’t novel, it isn’t surprising. I see it every day. I read it every day. I work with it every day. And so I know that there are times when I become a little calloused to the effects of the gospel about Jesus. I’m not as amazed, I’m not as impressed, I’m not as moved as I should be about what Jesus has done. And so I get lazy – not doing what I should be doing. And I develop an attitude of indifference – not caring what could be done. And I get selfishly comfortable in my own little cubicle – not going out of my way to help other people, not sticking my neck out for the sake of someone’s soul, not bothering to do much of anything beyond what is absolutely necessary. Indispensable? Hardly. Anyone half as calloused as I am to God’s Word could do and would do much more for their Savior. How indispensable have you made yourself to be to your Lord? Would he be pleased with your efforts for his kingdom? Would he be completely satisfied with your attempts to follow his directions? Would he be happy with your absolute dedication to the Cause of helping other people see and hear and believe what Jesus has done? Or have you become almost as calloused to God’s powerful Word as I am? If you find yourself feeling just a little bit guilty, if you find yourself feeling like you simply don’t measure up, if you find yourself feeling like you are nowhere close to indispensable, allow me to let you in on a little secret, you are already indispensable to your Lord.

What God Made You to Be That might seem a little strange, but that’s exactly whom the Lord has made you to be. Your God chose you – he picked you! – before he ever created this world. Long before Adam and Eve, he wanted you. You are indispensable to him! He personally formed you in your mother’s womb. He handcrafted you specifically to look like and to be like who you are. You are indispensable to him! He protected you as you came into this world; he has provided for you year in and year out; he has poured out on you countless blessings throughout your life far above and beyond what you actually need. You are indispensable to him! And that’s not even the half of it. That’s not even close to the most important thing he has done. He thought so much of you that he put his enjoyment of heaven on hold for over three decades so that he could come down to this earth and live for you. He thought so much of you that he was willing to take the blame for what you have done, he was willing to take the heat for who you are, he was willing to take the death sentence for all of your guilt so that you would never have to worry about it again. You are indispensable to him! He allowed cruel and heartless soldiers (whom he could have simply brushed off with the back of his hand) rip his back open with scourges and he let them puncture his skull with thorns and he laid there as they ran his hands and feet through with nails. You are THAT indispensable to him! He hung there with you on his mind. He was abandoned by his Father there with you on his mind. He died there with you on his mind. You are THAT indispensable to him! And then he shook death off as only he could do. He opened the gates of Paradise to all who believe in him. He made it possible for you – even you! – to go to heaven in the wake of his victory because you are THAT indispensable to him! There should never be a doubt in your mind that you are the most valuable possession your Lord has because that’s what your Lord says: “I am he who blots out your transgressions… and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25). Or how about this: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). Or how about this: “Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you” (Isaiah 46:4). You are indispensable to your Lord! He does not want to live in heaven without you and he has done everything to make sure that one day you will be there with him forever.

What Will You Do?

This is the same gospel message that Paul preached. It’s the same gospel message that Epaphroditus believed. It’s the same gospel message that motivated both of them to risk their lives for the “work of Christ.” They knew they were indispensable to their Lord, not because of what they had done, but because of what Jesus had already done for them. And so they lived like it. How do you want to live as an indispensable child of God? There are no prescribed ways that you have to thank him. There are no requirements that you must meet to show him how much you appreciate what he has done. There are thousands of opportunities in your life to live in a way that honors your God and highlights his glory. It could be little things, like making sure you pay your taxes on time or helping your neighbor pull their weeds or reading a bedtime story to a child. It could be bigger things, like adjusting your entire schedule to better reflect your loyalty to your Lord and his Word or giving some nice things up in this life so that you can give more to your God. There are plenty of ways within this congregation of yours that you can do the work of Christ. Because you are not just indispensable to your Lord, you’re indispensable to us too! We need you! We aren’t the same without you here! We’re all in this together, after all. Don’t ever think that this is a place where you just have to show up every now and then. This is your congregation! This is your home! And so the thought should always be running through you mind: “What can I do to help out? What can I do to pitch in? What can I do to expand our ministry and promote what we offer and maintain all of these opportunities for people to hear the truth? What can I do to make myself indispensable? Not because I have to, but because why wouldn’t I want to? This is my family after all! This is where I hear and sing about and study that precious gospel about my forgiveness! All of this has to do with my eternal life and the eternity of everyone else around me. What can I do?” Whether you realized it before or not, you’re indispensable to this congregation, to me, and most importantly to your Lord. You are a special and unique child of God designed to contribute to the grand plans of your Savior within the sphere of your own life and within your own congregation. You may not be an apostle Paul; you don’t have to be. But you can certainly be an Epaphroditus: using whatever talents and skills you have, and utilizing the time and the opportunities God gives you to do the “work of Christ.” You are indispensable to him after all. And how exciting it is to think about how the Lord will use you next. Amen.

“May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the work of our hands.” – Psalm 90:17