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Now, let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. It's great to have fellow soldiers who will say, Paul, I'm in this battle with you. I'll walk through this battle with you. I'll stand with you. And so when Paul wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2, verse 3, he writes, Endure suffering along with me as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
Now there's an obvious point to be made. And that is an effective Christian. will be a target of the devil. If somebody says, Well, you know, I really don't think about the devil much. He never bothers me, that's not a good sign.
Because the Bible says all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Paul was right up at the top of that list. And Paul was grateful to have Timothy and Epaphroditus. standing alongside of him in that battle. If you have Somebody in your life who stands with you when things get rough, when you're fighting a spiritual battle.
Would you please acknowledge them and thank them? Thank them for that. One of my favorite scenes in the movie The Gladiator is when the Roman soldiers We're in battle. And they're Shooting those fiery arrows out of the enemy, and the enemy's shooting the fiery arrows back at the Roman soldiers. But the Roman soldiers had a very unique practice of locking their shields together when the arrows are being lobbed at them.
So they would stand against the arrows and put their shields a little bit aimed at the sky where the arrows were falling, lock their shields together so it formed a protective wall. And then they would march forward singing songs. The songs were meant to encourage and bolster the courage of the. fellow soldiers, but they would advance singing, locking shields together. That's a good picture of how we ought to fight our battles.
There are some people who love to sing battle songs. but not get into the battle. Sing the songs, but then get into the battle and encourage one another, as Epaphroditus did for Paul. Paul acknowledges that. That's one of his strengths.
My brother, Fellow worker, fellow soldier. There's a fourth description, a fourth strength of epaphroditis. Verse 25. But your messenger Your messenger means your ambassador, your delegate. The word apostolon, we get the word apostle from that.
Somebody set out. On a task. Epaphroditus volunteered to be the guy set out by the Philippians to make a six-week eight hundred mile journey. Two serve Paul to be their messenger. There's something I'd like you to do.
Next time a missionary comes to town, and we have our missionaries from the field come back during the year, they set up a kiosk often in the foyer.
Sometimes we'll, on a Wednesday night, bring them up and pray for them and hear from them.
Next time you see, A missionary back home. Would you mind going up to them and just give them a good word? Word of encouragement. Thank them for going to the field on your behalf. You go, on my behalf, yes, on your behalf.
You're not there. You didn't go. I didn't go.
So they are sent out by us, from us. And they're out there in very difficult situations. And it's always great when somebody acknowledges that they did that. You thank them for that. My dad was a fisherman.
And I mean, he was into fishing, and he had his buddies, and he tried to get us into fishing. And it's like, whatever, I really wasn't into it. And sorry if you're a fisherman and you hear that, I've disappointed you, perhaps. But When they would talk about fishing, I mean Man, they were just so into where they would go hunting or fishing. And if I were to add, let's say you are a fisherman here, you're really good at it.
If I were to ask you, Okay, think of the best place you can think of in your mind right now, best place you've ever gone fishing. You probably won't say shady lakes. Over here. Although that's a great place for your family because they stock it full of fish. You can throw your little line in there and get fish any day of the week, but it's probably not your favorite.
I'm going to hear something probably like this: oh man. I know this place. But it's so far away and it's hard to get to. And once you get there, you got to hike in and camp out. And it's kind of difficult and dangerous, but man.
The fish. are hungry. That's missions. That's missions willing to go to another difficult place because the fish are hungry there.
So Treat your Ambassadors, your messengers. with respect and love.
Well, there's a fifth that Paul mentions about Epaphroditis. And that is Also in verse 25. The one who ministered to my need. Look at all five of them. Brother, fellow worker, fellow soldier, your messenger, and the one who ministered to my need.
Paul isn't just throwing that in. He's using a very particular term here for ministered to my need. The word he uses is the word leiturgas. We get the word liturgy from that. It speaks about a sacred duty, like a priest would perform a sacerdotal duty, a sacred duty of a priest.
So, what the Apostle Paul is doing with his friend and brother Epaphroditus is taking his service and elevating it to the performance of a sacred Task Now, I have a question for you. Have you done that with your occupation? Do you go to work and go, I hate my job? God, why do I have this job? Or do you go to the job and say, I am here by divine appointment?
God called me to this, and I am embracing this as a calling of God to discover what people He wants me to reach.
Okay. When I used to work in medicine and radiology, And I would share the Gospel with people when there were breaks, or we had time to have discussions. I remember one guy came up to me that I worked with, and he says, Skip. You ever think about getting out of this and getting into full-time ministry? And I remember I said to him, let me let you in on a little secret.
I am in full-time ministry right now. He said, What do you mean? I said, Well, I'm talking to you. I've invited you to church. You won't go to church, so I'm here.
Right now. Talking to you. And I see this as my full-time ministry. And I love that Paul does that with Epaphroditus, takes his service, his ministry. brings it up to the level of a sacred duty.
Like the housewife who had a sign above her sink that read, Divine service rendered here three times daily. She saw that as a calling from God to minister to her family, a sacred duty from the Lord. All said. learn to look at people through the lens Of their strengths. of their attributes, of their beneficial qualities.
don't always notice their faults. start noticing their strengths.
Now, I have to say something. This won't come naturally for some of us. For some of us, We have been conditioned to be so negative that if you put us in a situation or we meet new people, we immediately go negative. We pick out all the faults, all the problems, all the reasons it can't be done, blah, blah, blah.
So you need to be trained. By God's grace, and hopefully, this message will help a little bit.
So, start looking for positive traits because you can find. Positive traits. In the worst people.
So there was a woman who always complimented everyone. And it drove her friend nuts. And one day your friend said, you know, I think you would probably even compliment the devil. And she thought about that and said, well, you got to admit he is persistent.
So it can be done. And Paul did it. He acknowledged his strengths. Here's the second principle. In treating good but imperfect people, not only acknowledge their strengths, accept their shortcomings.
Accept their shortcomings.
Okay, let me tell you what's happening here because you read it. Epaphroditus makes 800-mile journey, six-week journey, comes to Rome. He gets sick. And the word is a very strong word. It's the same word used of Lazarus when he got sick and died.
Paul says Epaphroditus almost died.
So he comes and gets sick either on the journey or while he is in Rome. And Epaphroditis finds out. that the Philippians Found out. That he was sick.
So when they found out that he was sick, they got all distressed.
Well, when Epaphroditis found out. That they found out, and that when they found out, they got distressed. He's distressed because they're distressed. He's anxious 'cause they're anxious. He's concerned 'cause they're concerned.
Yeah. And so Watch this, verse 25. Yet I considered it necessary to send to you. Epaphroditis. Paphroditis came from Philippi.
He's sending him back to Philippi. Verse 26, since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you heard he was sick. Go down to verse 28. Therefore I sent him the more eagerly. that when you see him you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful.
Okay. Normally, when a guy gets sick and gets better, you just write a letter and say, he's better now. Don't worry yourselves, he's good, he's healthy, everything's great. What Paul does, he goes, I'm writing this letter. And you, Epaphroditis are taking it back.
I'm sending you back. You stay back home. Why? We'll look at verse 26 just once more time. He was longing for you all.
The word means a deep, intense longing, a deep desire, a yearning for.
So, the New English translation renders it, he greatly missed all of you. Here's what I think is happening. I think that not only did Epaphroditis get physically sick, he has a bad case of home sickness as well. You're listening to Connect with Skip-Heitzig. Every day, your generosity helps reach more people with God's Word, changing lives through clear, practical Bible teaching.
And this month, as you grow in your own faith and leadership, we want to thank you with a powerful new resource, The Making of a Biblical Leader, a Practical Guide to Leading Others by Robert L. Furrow. This inspiring book, featuring chapters from Skip and Lanya Heitzig, Gary Hamrick, Daniel Fusco, and others, shows how to lead with integrity, humility, and a servant's heart following Christ's example. Request your copy when you give $50 or more to support Connect with Skip Heidseg. Call 800-922-1888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer.
Now let's return to today's teaching. He's yearning for them. He misses them. He misses home. And now he hears that they're distressed, that he was distressed.
He goes, Oh, he's pining away.
So Paul says, You know. I found it necessary just to send him back home. I'm sending it back to you. He's coming back. Therefore, receive him.
Now, I see this. As Paul's gracious attitude in overlooking a young man's weakness. He's not making a big deal of it. He's honoring and building him up, but he's sending him back home. He's yearning for you.
I'm sending him back home.
Now follow me here. I believe Paul the Apostle himself has grown in grace a little bit. What do I mean?
Well, on his first missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas. Take a young man, Barnabas's nephew, named John Mark. John Mark gets homesick, runs back to Jerusalem. When they went to Pamphili, he goes, I'm out of here, goes back home.
So When the journey's done. And Paul says, you know, Barney. That's Barnabas. Uh We had to go back and visit all those places one more time. And see all those people who made their decisions to follow Christ.
And Barney goes, awesome. I'm going to take John, Mark, my nephew again. Paul goes, no, you're not. He left us the first trip. He flaked out one time.
He is not going back with us again.
Well, an argument broke out between Barney and Paul. And they went their separate ways. That was then, this is now.
Now we have Epaphroditis. who was longing for you all. And Paul says, I'm sending him back home, but he does it very graciously. He makes it easier for Epaphroditus to go back home. He does not say, I'm sending Epaphroditus the wimp.
Back to you, the weasel.
So he can stay with you in Philippi, the guy who couldn't cut it. He's very gracious with him. He makes it easy for him to go back home. There was a family, and the kids decided to give dad for his birthday. a genealogical record of his family history.
He'd always wanted to know who his relatives were in the past, where he had come from.
So the kids got together and said, let's give that gift to dad. They hired a biographer to. Look in the records and find out the different family tree.
Well, the biographer came to the family. Got the kids aside and said, well, we have a problem. It seems that in your family history, There's this uncle George, who down in Alabama killed somebody, he's a murderer. And he was sentenced to death by the electric chair. And they thought, oh man, that's a blot on our family record.
That's the black sheep of the family. We don't want that in there. At the same time, that's part of our history. You have to write about it.
So they said, just go ahead and include it.
Well When the biographer was done and presented the Journal of the Family Records, they were delighted in the way he treated Uncle George. He put it this way. Uncle George occupied a chair of electronics at an important government institution. He was attached to his position with the strongest of ties, and his death came as a real shock. Come on, you gotta hand it to the biographer.
For adding a little finesse and grace to the story of Uncle George. making the truth a little easier.
Now, you remember that Paul the Apostle calls the church by the title the body of Christ. And he said, the church is like a human body. There are parts of it that are noticeable. There are parts of it that you don't see, but are very vital. And so he writes this: 1 Corinthians 12: those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.
And those parts that we think are less honorable, we treat with special honor. See, everybody has strengths. And everybody has weaknesses. Everybody has assets. Everybody has deficits.
Everyone is gifted in some area. Everyone is not gifted in other areas. But friendship. flourishes at the fountain of forgiveness. And when you can overlook certain people's faults and foibles.
It goes a long way. That's how you treat good but imperfect people, acknowledge their strengths, and accept their shortcomings. Let me give you a, please go ahead, I'll let you respond, sorry. Yeah. Let me give you a third and we'll close.
Affirm. their sacrifice.
Now watch verse 27. Paul says, for indeed Or really, man, he was sick almost unto death. But God had mercy on him and not not only on him, but on me also. lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Verse 29, receive him therefore.
in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem. For because of the work of Christ, he became, or he came close to death, not regarding his life to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.
Now consider something for a moment. Paul The Apostle Says, I got a guy here with me who's working with me who's. who got really, really, really sick. And he almost died. Really?
A guy? With Paul? Got sick? Paul the Apostle, the one who moved in the miraculous, Paul the Apostle, the one the Bible says had sweatbands taken from him, laid on sick people, and they got better. Yeah.
How do you get somebody with Paul who's sick? Because Christians get sick. Don't ever think, well, if you're a child of God and you have faith in Jesus, you just get snapped on the forehead, hallelujah, and you're healed. That's just weird. Epaphroditus got sick and he almost died, Paul said.
He admitted it. And it wasn't just Epaphroditis, there was Timothy that Paul writes a letter to and says, Hey, I know you have a stomach problem, take some wine for it. Which was in antiquity medicine. Take some medicine for your stomach, not come to a healing service. If you have enough faith, you'll be healed.
Just take medicine.
So you got Epaphroditus and Timothy both got sick. Not only that, but Trophimus the Ephesian. It says in 2 Timothy chapter 4, Paul says, I left him at Miletus sick.
So, but not only was he sick, Paul left him sick. And walked away.
So, not only Timothy, not only Epaphroditus, not only Trophimus, but even Paul got sick. Paul talked about a thorn in the flesh, 2 Corinthians 12, an adversity, an infirmity that he had. He said, I prayed three times that the Lord would remove it. Effectively, God said, no. Because he said, My grace is all you need.
And so he said, I will then glory in my infirmity. I'll glory in my sickness. I won't glory only if I'm healed of it. But godly people can get sick too. It doesn't mean you lack faith.
Now, I will say I do not understand physical healing. I love when it happens. But if you ask me to give you a formula. I can't. And if you say, well, you ought to say, just have enough faith and you'll be healed, I won't, because that's not biblical.
I've prayed for people and I've watched them get healed. before my eyes on some occasions. I prayed for other people and they got worse. And died. on other occasions.
So this is what I know. God does want our faith and does engender our faith. But healing is according to God's sovereign plan and purpose. Period.
So he was sick. And he affirms that this guy sacrificed almost to the point of death.
So, verse 30, look at it. For the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life. The two words not regarding. is a word Para bolumini It's a Greek word that means to throw the dice. To gamble.
to bet on, to put all of the chances upon. He's saying Epaphroditis. Placed his very life in danger, risking it all, putting all of his chances on God. You might say, a gambler for God. And he made it all the way from Philippi to Rome, got sick.
I'm sending him home. But you've got. to affirm that he made a sacrifice. And so Paul says, therefore, receive him, verse 29, in the Lord. With all gladness.
Receive him like Jesus would receive him. And he says, Hold such men in esteem, those servants who sacrifice for the gospel. Respect them, admire them. 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul said, respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord, and who admonish you, hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. We have a little saying around here that we teach our staff about honor.
It goes like this, honor up, honor down, honor all around.
So we want Those above you to be honored, your supervisors, your bosses, the one who casts the vision. The one who hire you, you honor them. You honor spiritual leaders, but you also honor down. You don't say, I'm to be honored. You go, no, how can I honor and serve you?
Those that you give directions to, those who help out in a variety of ways, you honor them. You affirm them. Honor up, honor down, honor all around. A guest speaker. Honor the guest speaker.
A guest musician, honor the guest musician. Because it's so easy to overlook. Those who serve Ushers Those who take care of your kids in the Sunday school room, people who smile at the doors and walk you from the parking lot and. The VIP treatment. The security Thank them.
Don't cop an attitude. No, you can't look at my backpack. None of your business. Yes, it is when you bring a backpack into a group of people where you could hide something dangerous in it. May I please see it?
Don't don't don't cop an attitude. Thank them. Honor them. affirm their sacrifice. Listen, a pat on the back.
though only a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants. is miles ahead in results. A few more pats on the back for these volunteers, not kicks in the pants.
So learn to be a servant. Learn to bless a servant. And let me just end by saying to you. No matter If you're a lion. or a golden retriever Or an otter.
or a hard-working beaver. On behalf of heaven, Thank you. Thank you for serving God and serving God's people and being willing to take time. and give to them and help us all grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus. Uh Thanks for joining us today on Connect with Skip Heidzig.
Before we go, remember that your generosity helps share God's Word around the world, bringing truth and hope to people who need Jesus. And this month, we'll send you The Making of a Biblical Leader, a Practical Guide to Leading Others by Robert L. Furrow as our thanks for your gift. With chapters from Skip and Lanya Heitzig and other trusted pastors, this book will equip you to lead with integrity and purpose in 2026 and beyond. Give now at connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888.
Thanks for spending time with us today and we'll see you next time on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Make a connection, never foot. Of the crossing. Castle burning.
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