Our text today is in Philippians 2:19-24.
But before we go there, I want to process our current situation in America with you. I’ll begin with a couple of hypothetical situations as a backdrop for what I want to share with you.
What would you say if I told you that the Federal government has shut down one third of the churches in America? How would you respond if troops were sent into each city, and they padlocked one third of the church doors forbidding those people to worship? Take a moment an imagine the concern you would have over that kind of event.
Let’s consider another scenario. Suppose last year you were attending your church, and one Sunday you look around and one third of the people are no longer coming. That sometimes happens with a church split. How concerned would you be about that loss of one third of the congregation? Ponder that scenario for a moment.
Now let me tell you what has happened since the Covid-19 impact in March. One-third of the attenders have dropped out of church! I only got these statistics this week. However, in the last two messages I warned of this because I was sensing it in the Spirit. You may recall those exhortations to not forsake the assembling of yourselves. You may recall the warnings against drifting away. I believe God is sifting His church. We have worked hard to make it easy for people to go to church. But circumstances beyond our control are making it harder. Even today the city government has added the requirement to wear masks. It’s harder to breathe. It’s easier to stay home. It’s harder to sing. It’s encouraging to hear the voices of fellow believers singing I one accord. It’s just harder. And it may get even harder. The bottom-line question is: How bad do you want to do it. How bad to you want to worship? How bad do you want to obey the command in Hebrews 10 to not forsake the assembling of yourselves together? The increased obstacles test the resolve. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 tells us there will be a great falling away before the Tribulation Period. 2 Timothy 3 says perilous (difficult) times will come in the last days. One version says, “times of stress.” Sifting separates wheat from chaff. Refining separates gold from the residue. Jesus will not return for a lukewarm, half-hearted bride. Something will happen to prepare His bride. He will have a bride without spot or wrinkle. The times will live in is testing our resolve. “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back.” iWhat if more difficulties arise? What will you do? We now have more excuses for backing off. In the future we may have additional excuses. Excuses are of little value. They’re abundant. Resolve is valuable. Set your face like a flint to do the will of the Father no matter what happens.ii
So, this is already happening. One third of the Christians who were attending, are no longer attending! This is not just a subjective feeling I have about the situation. This is not a prophecy about what might happen. This is in fact what is happening!
In June the BARNA Group published their research on the state of the church. They measured the changes that have taken place since March. Here are some of their findings:
(1) “Half of Churched Adults Have Not Streamed a Church Service in the Past Four Weeks.” Ninety-six percent of churches are streaming their services, but 48% of the church did not attend the streamed service in May, and 32% have not streamed a service since the March shut down. That’s where we get the one-third figure.
(2) Fifteen Percent of Practicing Christians Multitask While Streaming Worship Services. So, some who are attending the streamed service are significantly distracted while doing so.
(3) Half of Practicing Christian Millennials Are Not Viewing Services Online. This was surprising to me because I assumed millennials would quickly adapt to streaming services. But the sense of accountability is lower in a streamed service than physically meeting together.
(4) Just 3 in 10 Churchgoers Have Had Contact with a Church Leader in the Last Month. Only 15% have attended a prayer meeting in the last four months. And only 12% have met with a Bible Study.iii I wish I could report to you that the hard times are causing Christians to press in more than ever. But the facts do not indicate that. I’m sure there are groups who are pressing in. These statistics indicate overall trends with a 95% confidence level.
I share this to alert you once again to the dangers of drifting during this time. It’s easier to do when you are not meeting physically in a location together. As is our custom we will get into the word this morning. We have been studying the book of Philippians. Last week we considered Paul’s exhortations in Philippians 2:12-18. The primary theme in that passage was New Testament obedience. Verses 12-13 provided general guidance for that: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”iv
In our text today Paul addresses practical issues about his communication with the Philippian church.v That communication will take place by sending Epaphroditus back with this letter and latter sending Timothy to them with news about his trial. In 2:19-30 Paul commends these two men as genuine ministers of Christ. In doing that Paul gives important characteristics we should look for in spiritual leaders. That’s the main insight we want to draw from our study this week and next week. Today we will learn from Paul’s commendation of Timothy in verses 19-24. Next week we will consider Paul’s words about Epaphroditus in verses 25-30. We will learn some characteristics to look for in God-approved ministers.
Timothy’s trip to them is discussed in Philippians 2:19-24:
“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you shortly, that I also may be encouraged when I know your state. 20 For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. 21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. 22 But you know his proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. 23 Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me. 24 But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.”
I. Paul’s objective in sending Timothy is two-fold.
(1) He wants Timothy to report to them the outcome of his trial. He states that purpose in verse 23: “Therefore I hope to send him at once, as soon as I see how it goes with me.” He is talking about the outcome of his trial. At a subjective level, Paul knows that he will be released (1:25). But when the trial is over, he is sending Timothy to them with the objective news of what happened. They are concerned about Paul’s wellbeing and are anxious to know that he is okay.
Communication in those days was much slower and difficult than it is now. Within minutes we can send an email to hundreds of people letting them know what’s happening. We have Facebook, facetime, zoom, telephones, and other ways to stay in touch. It’s easy to take all that for granted. But in Paul’s day the trip from Rome to Philippi could take a month or more. They had to work hard to stay connected.
(2) Paul also wants Timothy to come back and let him know how the Philippians are doing. That objective is stated in verse 19: “that I also may be encouraged when I know your state.” We have learned in our study this far that Paul is concerned about the conflicts in the congregation that are developing. In this letter he is telling them to get those resolved. He is concerned about how well they hold up to the persecution they’re experiencing. He writes to them about these concerns as well (1:28). Timothy will be able to tell him whether his advice is being heeded. A parent can understand what Paul is feeling. When our daughters went off to college, all three went to California while we lived in Missouri. We sent them all kinds of parental advice—more I’m sure, than they wanted. But there was always some apprehension in us that they might not follow that advice. We wanted everything to go well for them. That’s the kind of concern Paul had for his spiritual children in Philippi.
Paul is also planning to come to Philippi himself as soon as he is released from prison. He tells them that in verse 24: “But I trust in the Lord that I myself shall also come shortly.”
II. In his commendation of Timothy Paul makes two key points.
(1) Timothy has the same unselfish mindset that Paul has.
In 2:20 Paul writes, “For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.” Timothy is the exception to this. Paul is making a broad statement about others in general. He is not saying no one other than Timothy could be found that has his attitude of heart toward them. But, generally speaking, all the other ministers have their own selfish, hidden agendas. In verse 21 he follows up with this explanation: “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.”
Is it possible that people enter the ministry with selfish motives. According to Paul, it is not only possible, but probable. Most have mixed motives. Most have self-promoting, selfish agendas mixed into their service of Christ. They may be truly called, but not fully sanctified. It doesn’t mean they are evil people. Paul is not talking about false prophets or false teachers. He’s talking about genuine ministers who have not died to self.vi
I wish I could say that there were never any selfish motives driving my service to the Lord. I can say that my primary concern has been and is the glory of God and the well-being of his people. Along the way I have made decisions that cost me personally so the church could prosper. But there were also latent desires to succeed and look good in the eyes of people. God has dealt with me about those motives over the years. I believe progress has been made. But I am very aware of the potential for problems in this area for myself and for any other leader.
Good things done for the wrong reasons are wood, hay, and stubble. They do not endure the test at the Judgment Seat of Christ.vii Motive is essential. “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23 in the NLT says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do.” It’s a healthy thing to occasionally ask God to search your heart to see if there is any wicked thing driving the behavior. In Psalm 139:23-24 David prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Jesus pointed out the impure motives of religious leaders in His day. “Then He said to them in His teaching, ‘Beware of the scribes, who desire to go around in long robes, love greetings in the marketplaces, 39 the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts, 40 who devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation’” (Mark 12:38-40). They made long prayers, but it was done to be seen of men. They dressed the part in their long robes. In our culture it is not long robes. It is now cool, costly casual wear. Image is the thing. Look the part. Look good. They loved the popularity that they got out of their position. It gained them the best seats in the synagogues and feasts. People looked up to them and admired them, and they lived for that attention. Yet in secret they devoured widows’ houses. Behind the scenes they took advantages of others to get what they wanted.
I came face-to-face with these issues when I went into full-time ministry. I had been in the corporate world and seen some shady deals. I had seen executives lie and cheat to get ahead. It did not surprise me there. But when I began to serve with pastors and evangelists, I expected them to all be like Paul and Timothy. It blew me away when I got on the inside and encountered stuff I never expected to encounter.
The first shock was how pastors would compromise to keep the money and attendance flowing. When I preached the truth as a staff pastor, the word brought conviction to people who were big supporters. I expected the senior pastor to stand with me in the preaching of the word. But the senior pastor’s response was to pacify the guilty to keep everything looking good. As I encountered the lack of integrity in some ministers, I became very depressed—very depressed. My idealistic bubble had popped. I had seen more integrity is some atheists in the business world than in some of these ministers.
When we planted the church in Texas and outgrew our rented facility, we let it be known that we were looking for a larger facility for our congregation. A pastor approached me with a proposition. He offered to sell me the building where he previously pastored. I was familiar with the building. It was what we needed at a good price. But there was a congregation meeting there. So I asked what about Pastor So & So and the congregation he pastors there. The seller said, “That’s no problem; I’ll get him out!” I said, “What do you mean?” He said, “I put him in there when I took this other church. I’ll get him out. In fact, when I get him out you can have that congregation too.” I didn’t know exactly how he was going to de-throne that pastor. But by the secretive way he was proceeding, I knew it was not going to be pretty. When I inquired further, he said he had put the church in his name and now owned the building. The more I learned the dirtier it all sounded. I told him outright that I wanted nothing to do with all that. There are some dishonest people out there. Their true nature is not always obvious until you get on the inside and find out what’s going on behind closed doors. They may look good in the pulpit. The pastor trying to sell me that building was a very charismatic speaker. But behind the scenes he was devouring widows’ houses. He let the congregation pay for the building with their tithes and offering; then he took it as his own. The people in that congregation were not just being ripped off financially. They were also being ripped off spiritually as well. There is no way a man like that can properly feed a congregation from the word of God. He is not led by the voice of the Shepherd, but by his own fallen desires.
I don’t like to tell stories like this. But it helps you understand Paul’s statement in our text. Just because someone is wearing the cloth does not mean they’re the real deal. For me personally, much of what I just told you was offset by ministers who proved to be genuine, unselfish representatives of Christ. Like Paul, they gladly poured their lives out as a drink offering in the service of Christ and His people. They are many sincere, dedicated pastors out there.
But we have to be “wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”viii We have to be discerning, but not critical. Know what to look for in a minister of Christ. Ask God for leaders who are the real deal like Paul and Timothy.
In our culture of glitz and packaged marketing, people are easily fooled. Some select pastors and worship leaders who look good and act cool. In some cases they become very popular. Then, to everyone’s surprise, they renounce the faith or crash and burn morally. They were like the seed that fell on stony ground.ix They never were rooted and grounded in Christ. They do not serve out of consecration to Christ. They liked the popularity and the perks. They should have never been put into leadership in the first place.
Listen to what God says in Jeremiah 5:30-31: “An astonishing and horrible thing Has been committed in the land: 31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule by their own power; And My people love to have it so.” Then God asks this one question: “But what will you do in the end?” The church can choose their Sauls. They can get people who will prophesy to them smooth things.x “But what will you do in the end?” What will you do when those bad choices come home to haunt you? What will the selfish leaders do? But also what will the people do who chose to follow them? What will they do when the chickens come home to roost?
Notice how Paul’s comments in Philippians 2:20-21 continue the theme presented earlier in the chapter. In 2:3-4 Paul had said, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.” He then presented this humble, unselfish mindset in the example of Christ: “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” Paul has that mindset. His life is being poured out as a drink offering in service to others (2:17). Paul points to Timothy as an additional example and says in effect, “He has that mindset as well.” In the verses that follow he will also offer Epaphroditus as another with that same attitude of heart. These are examples that the Philippian believers should emulate and that we should follow as well.
(2) In verse 22 Paul also commends Timothy for his “proven character.”
He specifically pointed out how Timothy served Paul like an obedient son would serve his father. Timothy knew how to submit to authority. That was part of his qualification to be in authority. Anytime God is going to put a person in a place of spiritual authority, He will teach that person submission first. No one can function well in authority unless he or she can function under authority.xi That was something more highly esteemed in that culture than in ours. Timothy was with Paul when this church was founded. They knew him. They knew what kind of person he was. They knew his integrity.xii
People like Timothy are to be respected and supported. Paul told the church at Thessalonica: “And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake” (1
Thess. 5:12-13). The NIV translates it this way: “Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you.” Bottom line is this: Be discerning about who you follow. Look for character, rather than flare. Keep the standard high. Those who qualify should be respected for work they do.
Paul has focused on two qualities in Timothy that should be in every spiritual leader. First, he or she should have the same mindset that Jesus demonstrated in His incarnation. The mindset or attitude of heart should be one that humbly serves and puts the needs of other ahead of his or her own. Secondly, that leader should have “proven character.” That means he or she is not a novice. His or her character has been tested under the trials of life and proven to be reliable and consistent with the nature of God. Look for the fruit of the Spirit in the person’s life. You will know them by their fruit.
Be careful who you submit yourself to; it will have a significant impact on your spiritual wellbeing. Some people put more thought into the phone they buy than the spiritual leaders they follow. Look beyond the surface to the character of that leader. When you find people like Paul and Timothy, esteem them highly. The benefit you receive from them will depend on that.
Next week we will learn more about this when we examine Epaphroditus as a leader. Let’s close with a prayer asking for discernment and wisdom in these decisions.
ENDNOTES:
i Author Unknown, The Hymnal for Worship & Celebration, Tom Fettke, Sr. Ed. (Waco, TX: Word Music, 1986) 376.
ii See Isa. 50:7 and Luke 9:51.
iii “The statistics and data-based analyses in this study are derived from a national public opinion survey conducted by Barna among 1,000 U.S. adults. Responses were collected online between April 28-May 5, 2020, using a nationally representative panel. The rate of error for this data is +/- 2.2% at the 95% confidence level.” State of the Church 2020. Accessed 7/18/20 at https://www.barna.com/research/new-sunday-morning/ and https://www.barna.com/research/new-sunday-morning-part-2/.
iv All Scripture quotes, unless indicated otherwise, are from the New King James Version.
v Passages like these demonstrate how the Bible flows out of real-life situations. Scripture is full of theology, but it is theology done in the context of people’s lives. And it’s principles are not just something to be learned as theory but are to be applied to our daily lives.
vi Luke 9:23; Gal. 2:20; Phil. 1:17, 21.
vii 1 Cor. 3:12-15.
viii Matt. 10:16.
ix Matt. 13:20-21; 1 Tim. 3:6.
x Isa. 30:9-11; 1 Sam. 16:7.
xi Look at the training in submission David went through under the oppressive rule of King Saul. Anyone can be submission to kind, loving authority that puts our interests ahead of his own. But it tests our submission when we are under a selfish, difficult person in authority.
xii Even before meeting Paul, Timothy got training in the word from his mother and grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5; 3:15).
