Philippians 2:19 KJV
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
Philippians 2:25 KJV
Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
Paul worked with a number of very good men: Barnabas, Silas, Luke and Titus, among them. But among those that Paul worked with perhaps none were closer than the two mentioned here.
Epaphroditus
Besides those wonderful things Paul says of him in verse 25 he makes this statement concerning him in verse 30, "...for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life..." What a friend and what a servant of the Lord was this man!
It is interesting that Paul says the work of Christ was "to supply your lack of service toward me." There is a relationship between caring for a man of God and service for Christ.
Timotheus
Of all of those that served alongside Paul, none were quite like this one. Paul says of him,
Philippians 2:20 KJV
For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
There were some great men who had labored alongside him but of only this one could Paul say that he was likeminded. A preacher would be fortunate to have just one man like that his entire ministry. I have had several men who have surrendered to preach under my own ministry, but to date, I could say of none that they are likeminded. They are all good men, but they have gone their own ways. That is, with the exception of my own two sons; Bohannan has just begun to pastor a church and Caleb is just now taking the responsibilities of my assistant pastor. How I pray that, come the end of my life, I will be able to say even as I do now, that no one is as likeminded to me as they.
But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state.
Philippians 2:25 KJV
Yet I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
Paul worked with a number of very good men: Barnabas, Silas, Luke and Titus, among them. But among those that Paul worked with perhaps none were closer than the two mentioned here.
Epaphroditus
Besides those wonderful things Paul says of him in verse 25 he makes this statement concerning him in verse 30, "...for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life..." What a friend and what a servant of the Lord was this man!
It is interesting that Paul says the work of Christ was "to supply your lack of service toward me." There is a relationship between caring for a man of God and service for Christ.
Timotheus
Of all of those that served alongside Paul, none were quite like this one. Paul says of him,
Philippians 2:20 KJV
For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
There were some great men who had labored alongside him but of only this one could Paul say that he was likeminded. A preacher would be fortunate to have just one man like that his entire ministry. I have had several men who have surrendered to preach under my own ministry, but to date, I could say of none that they are likeminded. They are all good men, but they have gone their own ways. That is, with the exception of my own two sons; Bohannan has just begun to pastor a church and Caleb is just now taking the responsibilities of my assistant pastor. How I pray that, come the end of my life, I will be able to say even as I do now, that no one is as likeminded to me as they.
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