So if you'll please turn in your Bibles to Philippians chapter two. In Philippians chapter two, starting in verse 25, the Apostle Paul writes, yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need, since he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick. For indeed he was sick, almost unto death, but God had mercy on him, and not only on him, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore, I sent him the more eagerly, that when you see him again, you may rejoice, and I may be less sorrowful. Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness, and hold such men in esteem, because for the work of Christ, he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service to me." So our study today is on a man named Epaphroditus. And what can we learn from this man, Epaphroditus? Well, perhaps you like many, as we have been reading in the book of Philippians, have come away with a sense of the theme of this book, which is joy in the midst of trial, in the midst of sorrow. And as we've been watching the current state of affairs in our world, perhaps at times you have heaviness of heart. Perhaps some of the events in our nation and across the world have troubled your soul. And there's reason for concern in the sense that perhaps sometime in the near future we will be faced with suffering unlike anything we've ever known. Suffering is not something we can assume happened only to Paul and happened only to other people in other countries. may come home as persecution, as the God of this world tends to, again, target Christians increasingly. However, persecution isn't bad. Persecution from without has a tendency to refine and to purify the church, and it has a tendency to unify those in the body of church. And that's what we'll see today in this illustration of Epaphroditus, is a unifying effect that this persecution has had starting with Paul in his writing from prison, as he uses first the example of Jesus Christ and his humility and suffering, then himself, then the Apostle Timothy, and finally, Epaphroditus. So our mindset is going to be on having church unity through suffering. And you'll excuse me if I need to turn around. I can't see this on my screen. In chapter two, Paul has been exhorting the Philippians to Christian unity through putting on the humble mind of Christ. And last week, Burt looked at the need of a team mindset. We need to be aware of the value of a team ministry as we focus together on a greater goal. Sometimes as we're close to each other, we see petty differences and we see things amongst ourselves that maybe trouble us or bother us. But as we're looking with the mind of Christ, we will see that we can have a unity. We can have a closeness in love and in perfection or moving on into the mind of Christ. We're on the same team. We're in the same family. And we're soldiers on the same battlefield. We have a common enemy. who would seek to destroy us. And in addition, we are each ambassadors. We're envoys of Jesus Christ. And we can shine as lights in this dark world. We can be a testimony as people see the love of Christ manifested in and amongst ourselves. And maybe you've seen that before, where there's a closeness. People help each other move. People help each other when they're ill. People help each other who need help. So this is the mindset that Paul would have us to have. And this is a mindset we see in this song. We are God's people. I'm just going to flow through the words quickly. I won't sing it for you. But just think of the mindset. And you can see it in just about every line of this verse. We are God's people, the chosen of the Lord. So is that how you think today? You're God's people. We're born of his spirit, established by his word. Our cornerstone is Christ alone. and strong in him we stand. Oh, let us live transparently and walk heart to heart and hand in hand. Speaking of unity here, we are God's loved ones, the bride of Christ our Lord. For we have known it, the love of God outpoured. Now let us learn how to return the gift of love once given. Oh, let us share each joy and care and live with a zeal that pleases heaven. We are the body of which the Lord is head, called to obey him, now risen from the dead. He wills us be a family, diverse yet truly one. Let us give our gifts to God, and so shall his work on earth be done. We're a temple, the spirit's dwelling place, formed in great weakness, a cup to hold God's grace. We die alone, for on its own each ember loses fire, yet joined in one, the flame burns on, to give warmth and light, and to inspire. So this is the mindset we're looking at today. And I'd like to point out this mindset at the start, because this message isn't so much about Epaphroditus. He's a wonderful illustration, and we're very thankful for him. And yet, the theme of this book is about the mind of Christ and how we can have this mind of Christ. And this is what Paul was driving at in Ephesians chapter 4, which we're familiar with as we've been studying. And Ephesians chapter 4, I'd use the highlighter, but it's not working right here. But Paul says, he, therefore a prisoner of the Lord, he beseeches you. He's appealing to our thinking to walk worthy of the calling with which you are called. So this is a mindset with all lowliness and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love, and endeavoring to keep or guard the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. So God highly values unity among believers, and so should we. And it's very important for us to keep, to guard this unity, this unity of the spirit. As in the Old Testament, God, again, says, places high value on unity among believers, and how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. And it's a wonderful thing to see when it happens, as Leonard Radke would say, and how rare it is to dwell. Now, our own pastor has pointed out that division from disunity and discord is a greater threat to our local church than persecution from without, because you expect that, persecution from without. Now, Paul's letter was written while he was imprisoned in Rome, and the church at Philippi was doing very well. He was encouraged, he was thrilled. Epaphroditus had brought him some good news, as we shall see. There was some discord, and he sought to nip this in the bud. There are a couple of ladies we'll see in a future study who were divisive, and he asked them to be of the same mind. Again, the same mind. So we want to get in tune with this. What is he talking about when he's talking about the same mind? And in today's lesson, Paul holds up Epaphroditus as a positive example of someone who truly was of the same mind. So there's someone who had a negative illustration. But in the introduction to our passage today, we'll start in Philippians 127. Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ. This is Paul's beginning to appeal to unity. This flow will go through chapter two. So that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit. Again, this appeal to unity with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel, for the common goal, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries. So the passage is setting the stage again for chapter two, in which God exhorts us to practical humility, which someone has described as, humility is the beginning of perfection, of for humility is to be very little, very small in oneself. To have a small mind, that's just the beginning. Next, to continue it further, is to increase in perfection. To grow in perfection is to be less, to be even less. You start off small and you be even less. And ultimately, the end of perfection is to be nothing at all, nothing. So as Paul said, Christ must increase and we must decrease. So in Philippians chapter two, verses one through four, God is exhorting us to practical unity, and just again, just going with the flow here as we're setting the stage for our study with Epaphroditus, if there's any consolation in Christ, any comfort of love or a fellowship in the spirit, if any affection and mercy, assuming these are all true, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord and of one mind, and let nothing, not one thing, be done through selfish ambition. Remember, the end of perfection is to be nothing. So instead of selfish ambition, instead of conceit, but in lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than ourselves, and let each of us look out not only for our own interest, but also for the interest of others. It's a passage we've been memorizing in our family, just enjoying. You can find a lot of application along the way, as we all tend to be, at times, looking out for our own interests, don't we? So anyway, whether at church or at home, humility doesn't come naturally. And I'm thinking of that line from a patch of pirate tape, maybe you remember it, where there's a play we saw a couple years ago, where one of the kids said to another one who was trying to get in line, and suddenly he had talked about getting cuts one time, he said, don't be selfish, let me go first. And isn't that the way that we often tend to think? But God wants to change how we think. And so we've seen that Christ is the ultimate example of service to others. As he humbled himself, he became obedient to the point of death. to be obedient to the point of death. And we'll see that Paul also was one who said, for me to live as Christ and to die as gain, the first slide that we saw. So when we're obedient to the point of death, as Christ was even the death of the cross, it's an attitude of humility and it pleased the Father who has in turn highly exalted him and given him a name above every other name. So Jesus Christ was not seeking his own interests. He died not for his sins. He died for your sins and for mine. So Paul, knew that his outcome could be the same. Paul said he didn't know if he was going to win or if he was going to live or die either. As he said, he believed he was going to be delivered because he was unjustly imprisoned. But hadn't Christ been unjustly imprisoned? And didn't Christ suffer a terrible death on the cross? Wasn't the court system unjust in the situation of Jesus Christ? And Paul said, that we should do all things, whether justly or unjustly treated, whether we think it's fair or not, whether it's our turn to do the dishes or not, do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless. Children of God, without fault, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, where we shine as lights in the world and hold fast the word of life, so that there may be rejoicing. So the Philippians and Paul could rejoice together in how the Philippians could shine in this dark world as they were to hold fast to the word of life. In other words, as they were to have the mind of Christ once again. So Paul said that it wasn't an issue to him whether he was to live or die. He'd already died. He said he's been crucified with Christ. And it's no longer him who lives, but Christ lives in him. And the life that he lives, he lives by faith in the Son of the God. Again, occupying himself with the Son of God, with the mind of Christ, who loved me and gave himself for me. And he says in Philippians earlier, chapter 1, that it doesn't matter to him whether he lives or dies. He wants Christ to be magnified in his life, like Christ was willing to die for someone else. He wants to be willing to die for Christ, that Christ be magnified in his body. Because to him, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. So Paul's concern was not for himself. the interests of others in mind. So we have seen that the mindset for Jesus Christ and the mindset for Paul reflected in the thinking of others. Then we see another example here, which would be Timothy. First off, we just want to see that this is a mindset that we also see in Romans 12, 1 and 2, where we see that I beseech you by the mercies of God, you present yourself a living sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service, and do not be conformed to this world, but have the mind of Christ. Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove that acceptable, good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So that's the mindset that Paul sought to convey here, as he now talked about Timothy. Timothy, who was a dear son, he described him as, And he says that, I rejoiced. I rejoiced in what? I rejoiced when I trusted the Lord. I rejoiced. Yeah, he trusts in the Lord his son, Timothy, that he may be encouraged when he knows your state, because he has no one like-minded who will sincerely care for your state, your spiritual state. How are you doing spiritually? He says, so there's only one that I can think of off the top of my head. There are very few. This is a small list. It's not exclusive. We'll see Epaphroditus was another, but all tend to seek their own and not the things of Jesus Christ. So Paul and Timothy, and as we'll see, Epaphroditus shared this mindset where they were being transformed by the renewing of our mind. And so, with those illustrations of Jesus Christ, and with Paul, and with Timothy, we next see an unknown, except for the book of Philippians, person. And his name is Epaphroditus. So, this is just Paul saying that he wasn't worried about this gifts that people sent him, but this is what we first know really about Epaphroditus, it's from later on in the book, it's in chapter four, is that the Philippians had generously supported Paul more than any other church. And so he was rejoicing, but you can see that he's rejoicing in what? It's in the mindset. They had sent him a gift, yes, but that's not what he was excited about. He was excited about your care for me. It's flourished again. So this is his thank you letter. though you did care, but you lacked opportunity. There's only so much you could do. I'm over there, you're over here. But now that I speak in regard to need in prison, for I've learned it, not that I speak, because he's saying, I'm content. Even in prison, I'm content and I'm thankful. He is rejoicing, as the book of Philippians said. He says, I know how to be a base and how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I've learned to be full and hungry, both to abound and suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. But you've done well that you shared in my distress. So now you Philippians know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving, but you only. For even in Thessalonica, you sent aid once and again for my necessities. But not that I seek your gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Remember the Lord Jesus says, it's better to give than to receive. And you look around right now, and it's very easy to get occupied, especially for some of the younger people. What am I going to get for Christmas? But here Paul is saying, you guys were interested in what you could give. Paul had ministered to them. Now they're ministering to him. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. I have all, and I abound, and I am full, and I'm having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice. So Epaphroditus, we know about Epaphroditus, that he had brought this gift, presumably a gift of money, maybe more than that. And so he had brought, on behalf of the Philippian church, which is a church that Paul is very much fond of, and they loved him very much, this man Epaphroditus. And his name, Epaphroditus, it means charming, and it means lovely. And he seems to be the kind of person that you would have liked to have around. He wasn't a teacher in the church. Maybe he wasn't quite at the, you know, ministering in some way. but he didn't seem to be one of the leaders. Someone, one of the examples or one of the sources I looked at indicated that a gambler would often say, Epaphroditus, which would be an indication he's favored Aphrodite, who many of the gamblers considered to be good luck, Alicia's goddess of love. Epaphroditus was a risk taker, be that as it may. He's a risk taker. He gambled his life, as we'll see, in order to be of service to the Apostle Paul. So he's mentioned only in this particular book. So we don't know anything about Epaphroditus' family, like Paul or Timothy's. We don't know anything about how he came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior. We don't know anything about his background, what he may have done for a living. So we know just this little bit from Paul's description. So it appears that Epaphroditus was not only going to deliver the gift to Paul, but as far as we can tell, he was going to stay there and minister indefinitely. However, the Apostle Paul determined it's going to be necessary to send Epaphroditus back to Philippi. Epaphroditus had gotten sick as he was in Rome, and he was still ministering. He didn't stop and take a sick day. He pushed on and he pushed on and he pushed on, probably some type of a fever. So he came very close to death. This news of his sickness traveled all the way back to Philippi. When I read these illustrations, I think of people that we send out, that our local church has, even as we think of Kurt and Bert, or Kurt and Sonny in Africa, or Pastor and Bert, and Joan and Lisa, and the many, many missions that they've been on, as well as Scott Johnson and others. We could just imagine if one of these was sick and they almost died, and we didn't know all of a sudden if they're going to come back, we might never see them again. Wouldn't your heart be heavy? And that's the way that these Philippians thought of Epaphroditus. So Paul's going to send Epaphroditus back. He says it's absolutely necessary. This is, as some youngsters might say, this is a no-brainer. It's time to send you back. You've recovered enough. You're going back. I can do okay without you Timothys here. Thank you very much. I'm going to send you back, and he's going to give some positive descriptions about Epaphroditus' various relationships. So there may have been reason to believe that some in the church, perhaps these two ladies we talked about, maybe they would question Epaphroditus' commitment. Maybe there'd be some hesitation as to if he quit, as John Market at one time then labeled a quitter. Paul wanted the Philippians to know that Epaphroditus had the humble mind of Christ, and he was serving the one and others, and that he is, first off, a brother. And when we say a brother, this is the first of the next three descriptions of ascending order. A fellow named Leitner says there's a common sympathy in being a brother, a common work, as we'll see, and a common danger. So we can conclude that as Paul calls Epaphroditus a brother, that he's a believer, but it goes beyond that. He puts him on the same ground. Paul, you would think, is this great exalted apostle. And then Timothy. And here's all these, coming from my background, you'd almost think of clergy, or they're the mediators. You get to God through them. And Paul's saying, no, we're all on equal footing. We're all in Christ. And we're all on the same plane here. We're in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. So there's no distinction, there's no haves and have-nots, there's no nobility in peasantry. So hopefully you are in Christ. Hopefully at some point in time you've seen that there's nothing you could do, that you are lost, you are in Adam, you are separated from God, but Jesus died on the cross. He humbled himself to the point of death for you. So that if you would simply trust in what he has done, that he died for you, and there's nothing you can add to it, you can know for sure that you're in the family of God and that you are saved. You're gonna spend eternity with Paul and with Timothy and Epaphroditus. So this is only the beginning. Now God desires for us to allow his word to make some changes in our thinking. And this will make some changes in our life. So next, God wants for us to plug in and begin to develop this mind of Christ. So we don't know anything about Epaphroditus's background, how he came to be saved. But I've observed over the years, sometimes you get a young person, or you get a college and up, and they come out, they hear the gospel somewhere, and their parents may discourage them from coming out to church. It's upsetting the system back at home. And yet, they make their own choice that this is important to them. 18, 19, 20 year olds, or whatever, and they're coming out, and nobody's making them. Sometimes even younger. And they become a part of the workings of the local church as they take in God's word and they spend time with believers that are enjoying the Lord. And they allow the Lord to transform their thinking. So again, part of this transformation involves becoming involved with the local church. So it's not just about going to church. We can go to church and still not see this body concept and still not have this mind of Christ. But there's a structure here. under the headship of Jesus Christ and under the leadership of the gifted leaders. And we put ourselves under this authority with a humble mindset, keeping in mind that we're, by nature, independent and rebellious. So I hope you see the value of having this ministry mindset and a humble attitude, because knowledge alone puffs up. You can come and learn and learn and learn, word of God. Epaphroditus wasn't trying to make a name for himself. He wasn't puffed up. And hopefully you see the value of being a humble laborer, as there are two kinds of people in the church, those who are doing the work and those who are letting them. And we want to make sure we focus not on the doing, but on the being, just to allow the Lord to change our thinking. And then as a result of that, as an overflow, maybe at some point, get involved with some type of ministry. It doesn't have to be official, although there's certainly needs in the nursery, and that's a humbling place. I've done a little bit of time in there along the way. And you're just off to the side. There's certainly nobody knowing what you're doing, so hopefully what you're doing is unto the Lord. Many, many other ways. But you get to know other believers as you labor alongside of them. few people that I got to know over the years that I was involved with the nursery that will always have that. And it's just other people sometimes travel together. Maybe they go to the fairs or maybe they go to another country. They might stay in some other believers houses in this state or in some other state, maybe even in Texas. So to what degree are you involved? Are you willing perhaps to be a part of this team to support those ones? Even if you don't go, are you thinking in terms of this being willing to be used and to have that same mind and to be praying. So we see that this is how the church is designed by God, is that there would be equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we come to the unity, again, of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God as we grow in perfection. So speak in the truth and love that we may grow up in all things into him who's the head from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies according to the effect of working by which every part does its share causes growth for the body for the edifying of itself in love. So this is God's will for you and for me is that we would seek to be usable and then he will certainly use us. So the question isn't so much what would Jesus do, but how would Jesus have us to think? How would Jesus have me to think? And again, as Paul had said, I've shown you in every way in Acts 20, 35, that by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he said, it's more blessed to give than to receive. So we've seen that Paul referred to Epaphroditus as a brother and as a fellow worker. So he worked alongside. And those are precious times when you work. Maybe it's on the church workdays here, painting, et cetera. Those were good times as we labored together. There's also the distinction or the description of Epaphroditus as a fellow soldier. So don't forget that we're on a battlefield, dear believer. We're not on a playground. So we need to know that we're in a battle. In 1 Peter 5.8, it says that, be sober and be vigilant, because your adversary, the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith. So when you're a soldier in the army, you've got a mindset that's shared. From the top commander on down, you have the same mind, you have the same goal, you have the same ambition, you're looking out for each other, and you're functioning as a team. So whether you're a soldier maybe going out on point in Vietnam, somebody people count on, they're trusting you, you're risking your own life, or perhaps there's a Israeli soldier here where they're getting bombed and he's seeking to protect his family, his country, or he's soldiers from Operation Desert Storm. They go out together. They function together. And they know that some of them may not come back. They know that they have to count on each other. And they know that they're in a battle. And we can forget that we're in a battle and pretty soon we start to bicker amongst ourselves. But we can be united even in our sufferings. We can stand fast. Satan wants to divide and to conquer us. And that can happen as we allow division to get a hold of our thinking. Sometimes people will turn against each other, believers. And it can happen, and it has happened, where someone you've labored and ministered along to for years has now become a tool of the adversary, very critical and divisive. So, when someone talks to you in a way that seeks to be divisive, do you defend and stand fast and loyal? with your team, or are you perceived as maybe you've got one foot in the camp and one foot without? Maybe you've got divided loyalties. And it's sad. Satan whispered to Eve, as God really said, and he wants to plant those doubts in our mind. And perhaps as Aaron and Miriam question Moses' role as a leader, you can question whether you should submit. And God wants you to have a humble mind and just trust him. even when someone who's previously been shooting with you begins to shoot at you. There's, again, an adversary out there, and we are to stand fast, be sober and vigilant, and resist him. And when there is someone who seeks to be divisive, just mark them and avoid them, and don't be sympathetic to them. And as I've applied this, it's been very helpful to me that there's no sense in fostering environment that would allow you to be critical and divisive yourself. So we are called to serve one another. So we want to love our neighbor as ourselves and don't be divisive. And any soldier is not going to get entangled with the world, but we are to, again, look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our fate, as we lay aside every weight. So Epaphroditus is a brother, he's a fellow labor, a fellow soldier, he's also an ambassador, which is an envoy, or he's a delegate. That means that he acts on behalf of an organization, and he's sent on a diplomatic mission. So Epaphroditus was an ambassador, and we as ambassadors of Christ have a ministry as well, and that we are here representing Jesus Christ with the gospel. So we are also ambassadors, And Epaphroditus also ministered to Paul. He had a mindset of ministry to the Apostle Paul. And he cared for the Apostle Paul. And he presented this offering as a sweet-smelling aroma. There were five relationships that Epaphroditus was in, but there are also five reasons that Paul now gives for sending Epaphroditus home. And that first reason here is that Epaphroditus was longing to return to Philippi. This is a contentious, a continuous yearning. It's the same word that Paul used as he said in Philippians chapter one, how God is my witness, how I greatly long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. So Epaphroditus was longing, continual yearning to return to Philippi. Also, Epaphroditus was distressed over the Philippians' concern. When he heard that some of the people there were wondering if they'd ever see him again and they were grieved, he was burdened. He wasn't thinking of his own self, he was thinking of their needs. And finally, Also, Paul says that Epaphroditus had nearly died. He had nearly died. So because Epaphroditus had nearly died and he was recuperating, he was alongside death's door, Paul praised the Lord for being merciful to Epaphroditus. We can be thankful when God shows us mercy. And we can overlook those. We can take it for granted. But people are sick all the time and don't recover. So we can be very thankful for God's mercy to both Epaphroditus, and Paul said he was also merciful to him. So God, Paul had praised God for his mercy in restoring him to health. We see next that the Philippians would also be glad. The Philippians would be rejoicing. And finally, another hena clause, so that the Philippians would be glad and the other is that Paul would be relieved of his own anxiety. Paul was not concerned about himself. He was concerned that people would not view Epaphroditus's... He wanted people to be relieved. But even though he is in prison, he also anticipates that some people are not going to be so thrilled about this. They're going to say, maybe Epaphroditus should have stayed. He now gives an appropriate response. Here's what you ought to think in terms of Epaphroditus coming home. You ought to first receive him. You should receive him in the Lord. They're all in the Lord. They're all in the body of Christ. And that's how you should receive him. Welcome home, your brother. And receive him with all gladness. So this is, again, an emphasis that Paul wants to make sure Epaphroditus is not misunderstood, and he wants to defend him. And hopefully you'll defend other believers, too, because that's a fruit of the Spirit. Love is a fruit of the Spirit, and it overlooks their faults. And in addition, you should also highly esteem him. And that means that we should prize, or he's very precious, and honor him. So believers who have the humble mind of Christ and are selfless and sacrificial, they wouldn't be jealous. They would be thankful that he came back and you could serve alongside each other once again. And the reason for this response is that Epaphroditus had served to the point of death. He'd gotten sick, and he kept pushing on. He didn't take a break. He didn't take a rest. He came close to death. Paul's saying, you've done enough. You've done it for the work of Christ. This is why Epaphroditus had pushed so hard. Because like Paul, he said, to live as Christ, And then this also without regard to his own life. He was gambling recklessly with his own life. To die is gain. So he had that same mindset. And the reason he was doing this again was because the Philippians were not able to do some things. They weren't able to visit Paul personally. Epaphroditus did. There are things that Epaphroditus could minister to Paul that the others back home couldn't. So he's not accusing the Philippians of not doing enough. He's saying simply, you did a lot. Thank you. That's wonderful. The whole tone is in joy and thanksgiving. However, Epaphroditus, as a representative, as an envoy of the church at Philippi, did above and beyond, even to the point of death. So where does this leave us at? First, we see Epaphroditus is the last of four examples of people. They had a humble mindset, like Christ, and like Paul, and like Timothy, Epaphroditus served Jesus Christ by serving others. It's an example of three individuals who to a large measure had achieved the mind of Christ as one description. So God wants for you and I to acknowledge that this is the desired mindset and to allow him to transform us by the renewing of our mind into this mind of Christ. This kind of thinking is helpful. It's essential in the church and for the work of the ministry. Secondly, we as believers need to recognize and esteem those who've been willing to disregard their own lives. You should consider very highly those who have been in countries that we'll never see, taking risks that we'll never know about, and dangers like Paul and Timothy and Epaphroditus, where Nero was the ruler, and you know how he treated Christians, even torturing them and burning them. So when someone like this comes home, we should be very glad to see them, and we should be praying for them until they do come home, so they can work themselves to exhaustion, illness, even death. And we need to be loyal, we need to defend them. Sometimes people, again, try to find fault and sow discord. So God desires for you and for me to have this mind of Epaphroditus. this mind of Timothy, this mind of Paul, which is the mind of Christ, one of humility, and one of submission, and one of sacrifice, because the way up is the way down, and this is how we serve Jesus Christ as we serve others. Let's close with a word of prayer.