A Lovely Servant

“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. For he longed after you all, and was full of heaviness, because that ye had heard that he had been sick. For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.” (Philippians 2:25–27, KJV)

There are certain people in the body of Christ who can be considered as lovely people. All should be this way, but a few stand out. Epaphroditus was one such believer. Interestingly, the Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon comments that the name Epaphroditus equals “lovely” (Strong, Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon G1891). Here Paul spoke of Epaphroditus in the fondest way and gives several statements to show why.

First, Epaphroditus was a trusted servant in the Philippian church. They sent him to bring gifts to Paul during his Roman imprisonment so that Paul would have what he needed to help him and support him in the ministry (Phil 4:18). They evidently established him as a trustworthy and faithful servant who would take the long and treacherous journey from Philippi to Paul with the gifts they were sending.

Second, from Paul’s own words, he called Epaphroditus his “brother, and companion in labour, and fellowsoldier.” These words were expressions of how highly Paul valued Epaphroditus in the gospel ministry. He was a fellow laborer and soldier in serving the Lord. Paul indicated that he, Epaphroditus, risked his life and nearly died in the mission he was assigned for the glory of God (Phil 2:30).

Third, Epaphroditus was a man with a heart of love for others. He cared for Paul during his visit by ministering to his needs. Yet he also cared very much for the parishioners in Philippi. When he understood that they heard of his severe illness that took him to the point of death, Epaphroditus was very concerned about their emotional state. He was concerned that they would worry about him.

I can understand this to some extent. As I have recently been diagnosed and treated for bladder cancer, I was concerned about how my wife and children would handle the news of this diagnosis rather than that of my own health. Why is this the case? It is because of my love for them.

We as believers ought to learn from Epaphroditus. According to Paul’s words, he was a faithful servant and soldier in the gospel ministry who cared about others more than himself. He was trusted by Paul and his fellow believers in Philippi. This level of trust is something that comes through the consistent demonstration of being a godly servant over time.