Value in Trifles

Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: (Philippians 2: 29)

Who was Epaphroditus?

Looking at him from this verse, it is easy to assume that he was a mighty apostle or someone with a very high-sounding title if not a very senior leader of the church.

Yet who was he?

He was a simple servant (or something like that) sent by the Philippian church to minister to Paul in prison.

We can easily assume that he was a nobody of sorts, a lowly servant at best.

From the few verses we read, he had been sent to minister to the apostle in his hour of need. In the process of ministering, he had become sick, almost to the point of death.

Yet look at how Paul talks about him!

He was a minister mightily used of God and worthy of not only emulation but also utmost respect.

But he was just a servant, perhaps even a slave. At the most he was a menial servant who only did what he was ordered to do by his master, who happened to have been part of the Philippian church.

Yet in Paul’s opinion he was a respectable minister, a minister he was happy to have worked side by side with.

This brings out Christ’s instruction

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. (Luke 17:10)

The worth of a servant is in his faithfulness to his assignment.

No servant is gauged by how big his title is or how impactful his performance is.

It is gauged by how lowly he is with respect to his master, in Epaphroditus’ case Christ through whom the Philippian church had assigned him to minister to Paul.

His faithfulness had almost led to his death. That is what I think drove Paul to speak so strongly for him.

Imagine serving somebody in the name of somebody else whose connection is Christ!

All of us are servants of Christ; meaning that in the name (and eyes) of Christ we really are at the same level. That is the point I believe Paul is writing to the church that had sent this servant.

Remember the parable of the talents?

The servants who had done what was commanded both received the same commendation; good and faithful servant irrespective of how much profit each had brought.

It is the one who was probably most protective of his master’s resources who was punished. And I guess it was because he feared taking the kind of risk his master required was more dangerous than simply hiding that resource.

That because his master had not given him the assignment of ensuring that none of his money got lost

I am sure that had he reported that his money had reduced or even gotten lost in the process of his ‘occupying’, his master would not have been so angry with him since his order was to occupy.

It is in his zeal to ensure that his master not lose any of his money that he disobeyed him, or simply said, decided on the kind of order he would have preferred especially as he knew his master was on the tougher side.

What am I saying?

Epaphroditus had taken his assignment with both hands to the point of risking death.

Paul was saying what Christ will say to those who will remain faithful to His call irrespective of whether their bread is buttered, or even whether there is any bread at all or not.

It also takes me to James when he is talking about our fear of people of means as opposed to the Epaphras in our lives.

For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: (1Corinthians 1:26)

You see, means make very poor servants. But faithful servants eventually acquire those means since they prove to their masters (and of course God) that they can handle them.

Remember Abraham’s servant being entrusted with the task of looking for a wife for Isaac? Remember that Abraham himself had indicated in desperation that he would eventually be his heir as God was seemingly not giving him a son?

It is unimaginable to see a man of means standing watch over another’s means, even if that Other is God. It is beyond reason to see a rich person staying the whole night to watch over other people’s youth as they are making healthy and God-edifying merry in a church event. It is very difficult to see a person of means folding their clothes and crouching to clean the church building if they find that the cleaner was unable to do so probably because they were sick. In fact, it is very hard for them to be in church those early hours to even see the need for cleaning.

It is impossible to even imagine that Epaphras had left his enterprises to risk his life and neck to make an imprisoned apostle a bit more comfortable.

Yet his commendation from Paul is itself most commendable.

This is a very clear indication of heavenly commendation.

It gets me to the introductions of those apostles we want to identify with.

Without exception, they all identified themselves as servants or bond slaves of Jesus Christ.

The writer of Hebrews (I suspect it was Barnabas) did not even see the need to introduce himself, seeing the subject of his treatise as too lofty as could have been demeaned by this lowly slave’s name.

Remember even Jude felt unqualified to be called Jesus’ half-brother, only calling himself James’ brother.

Paul was therefore comparing Epaphras with himself on those terms when he wrote that commendation.

How do we look at those God sends to minister to us, especially those lowly and title less people who are assigned to us by their masters?

How do we view those insignificant and hidden people who slave to make our ministries most fruitful?

How do we view those hidden and unknown servants who are battling beasts in the spiritual realm so that we can get that breakthrough?

That is why I will never come to terms with ministers having their picture and that of their wife wherever the name of their church or ministry is posted.

That is why I call it blasphemy when a minister has a banner saying ‘with God all things are possible’ with a sidebar of sorts, with so and so.

We are slaves (which the word means in Greek)

Let us not forget that for a single moment.

We might be senior this or that but to God Epaphras is worthy of emulation when we could as well be trashed from the heavenly annals.

Titles say zero about us before God. Only our faithfulness to the assignment He has given us is of any value to God.

Remember He created everything and thus can use anything to fulfil His purpose.

He once used a donkey. Jesus said stones could have cried out had the children refrained from shouting His praises in the triumphal entry.

It is thus important to appreciate who we are from God’s view.

God does not tremble at those titles we have given ourselves. He actually does not know us by those titles.

He simply knows us by the assignment He has given us and the way we are carrying it out.

That is why ‘Good and Faithful servant’ is the only commendation we can expect from God when we get to heaven when we finish our course well.