The Kind of People God Still Sends
A few years back a dad took his teenage son to a national-chain shoe store. He was tired. The traffic was bad. He had a lot to do. But he went. Why? Not because of shoes. This was father-son time. He loved his son more than he loved his own comfort. Philippians 2 is about this kind of service, service that genuinely puts people first.
In Philippians 2: 19–22 Paul says, “I am sending Timothy, who is my dear friend and a fellow worker for the gospel of Christ, to inform you of our situation. He will be genuinely concerned for your welfare, as all of you are for mine” Timothy had no social-media profile to build. He cared more about Christ’s people than he did about his own status. But Paul says, “Most people, when they do it, do it out of selfish ambition to gain advantage for themselves”. The emperor worshipers were the worst. The kingdom hucksters were everywhere. So in the middle of telling the Philippians not to be like that, Paul said he’s sending Timothy because Timothy cares more about the Philippians than he does about himself.
Paul saw all the fakes at the earliest stage of the gospel, before the church had settled in. He was already warning the Philippians that people had been coming and preaching Christ “from envy and rivalry” in order to get a bigger piece of the pie (Philippians 1:15–18). We see the same thing today. Everyone is an influencer or going to be an influencer. It’s everywhere. The sad thing is, some of it is inside the church. We are not immune from it. Our culture of Christian celebrity is so extreme, so in-your-face, it almost seems normal. Everybody thinks it. Right?
But God still produces Timothys. God still sends Timothys. They know the score: it’s not life-giving to reduce life to what you get from it. They are content to wait because they know God will finish the good work He’s begun (Philippians 1:6). They care about the things Christ cares about. They’re all-in with His mission. And that’s why they care about the people who are part of His mission. They’ve really learned what God means when He commands us to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:25-37). Timothys and Philipppas are glad and willing to help whenever God gives them the opportunity, with no expectation of applause. Paul was commending that kind of attitude in Philippians 2:20, and God still honors that kind of attitude today. Jesus said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26).
Paul also gives the example of Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25–30. Epaphroditus was a brother who was so close to Christ, he nearly died in the process of serving Christ. This is the kind of faith Paul describes: costly, sweaty, inconvenient. It’s not a social-media faith. But Paul says of such men, “Honor such men” (Philippians 2:29). God does not honor the glamorous, the popular, the famous. He honors the faithful. In a celebrity-obsessed world, God applauds humble, Jesus-fearing faithfulness. In Hebrews 6:10 we read that “God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints.”
Notice the tough turn Paul takes in Philippians 3:2–3: “Watch out for the dogs, watch out for the evil workers, watch out for those who mutilate the flesh. For we are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh.” The deception back then was all about ritual. It was these false teachers who were trying to add performance, offering, circumcision on top of the gospel. But the lies come in all shapes and sizes today. The trappings look different, but the danger is the same, any time you think it’s how you perform in public, not how you’ve been changed in private. Galatians 5: 6 says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”
Here’s the point: God is calling you to have a Timothy heart, not a self-centered heart. He’s calling you to have an Epaphroditus courage, willing to be almost killed serving Christ, just like he was. And He’s calling you to a Paul resolve, to allow no counterfeit into your life. Real greatness isn’t about applause. It’s about alignment. It’s not about how many people are following you; it’s about how closely you’re following Christ.
Where can I serve without applause today? Who can I encourage, as Paul is sending Timothy to encourage the Philippians? And where am I tempted to rely on my own “flesh”, my performance, my image, my power, my popularity, rather than glorying in Christ Jesus? “Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
Isaiah 62:6-65:25
Philippians 2:19-3:3
Psalm 73:1-28
Proverbs 24:13-14
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Old Testament: Psalm 73:1-28
When God Seems Silent but Evil Seems Loud
Do you ever look around and ask, Why is it that the ungodly prosper? The dishonest, how they get on high, live large, and laugh loud. And the people who really want to honor God, they can hardly pay their bills. You know, you are not the first person who has ever felt this way. Back in Psalm 73, in the Old Testament, there was a man named Asaph. He was a worship leader for the nation of Israel. And he was trying to lead worship for the people of Israel. And he was looking around. He was seeing the same thing we’re seeing. He says, “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2–3).
Isn’t that a great picture? I mean, the wicked look healthy. The wicked look wealthy. The wicked look unbothered. The wicked have pride for a necklace, violence for a coat. They curse God to His face and the people cheer. It’s amazing, it’s a great picture. And you know what? It’s enough to make a good saint give up. I don’t know about you, but when I look around, and I see that, I don’t want to live for God. Why should I? If this is all there is, what’s the point?
But then comes the punchline, the wakeup call: “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end” (Psalm 73:17). That’s the key word. “Until.” Notice the difference? Asaph got it right when he was in the presence of God. Until he got outside looking at what was going on around him, he was confused. He was bitter. He was jealous. But Asaph got it right, in other words, “until” he got under the Word of God. He got into God’s presence. He says, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end” (Psalm 73:17). He knew where the proud were going, that they were on “slippery places” (Psalm 73:18). They’re going to be “swept away utterly by terrors” (Psalm 73:19). Their strength, their success, their power, their privilege are all an illusion.
God’s Word always penetrates the mist, the confusion. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). This is so key. You know, the prosperity of the wicked, it’s like a dream that vanishes when you wake up. Don’t build your hope on that which passes away.
Instead, Asaph ends this Psalm, where we need to live, “Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:23–24). That is security. That is success. When you’re standing close to God, He steadies your feet. When you fix your eyes on Jesus, envy has no hold on you.
And then he sums it up with a declaration that each one of us needs to make. “Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever” (Psalm 73:25–26). In other words, quit measuring your life by what other people have and start measuring your life by Who holds you.
So, when you see the proud prance around and the wicked climbing higher and higher, don’t lose heart. Don’t let bitterness devour your joy. Get back into God’s presence. Let Him recalibrate your vision. Be a strength and portion to you now and your reward forever. “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works” (Psalm 73:28).
New Testament: Philippians 2:19-3:3
Summary: Timothy and Epaphroditus
For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
~ Philippians 2:20-21
Philippians 3:2 Look out for the dogs, look out for the evildoers, look out for those who mutilate the flesh.
evildoers. The Judaizers prided themselves on being workers of righteousness. Yet Paul described their works as evil, since any attempt to please God by one’s own efforts and draw attention away from Christ’s accomplished redemption is the worst kind of wickedness.
Overview: Philippians – Click Here
Dr. J. Vernon McGee – Thru the Bible
J Vernon Mcgee – Thru the Bible
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