The Cost of Discipleship

The Cost of Discipleship – Seen through the Character of Epaphroditus

(Philippians 2:25-30 )

· Background

Epaphroditus was one of the lay members of the Philippian Church. He was the messenger of the Philippian Church through whom the Church (at Philippi) sent their material offerings to Paul (Php 4:18). Also, he was sent by the Church as a person dedicated to be with him (i.e. Paul) in Rome to help him during his confinement.

Epaphroditus became dangerously ill while his stay in Rome and was almost to the point of death.

· The Cost of Answering God’s Call However Tough it May Seem

Epaphroditus must have been a young man when chosen by the Church to be a helper to Paul. Epaphroditus was very brave to have accepted the call of helping out and be associated with Paul, who was accused of a capital crime (for stirring up trouble among the Jews and allegedly saying things against Caesar since he was proclaiming Christ as King). This reason itself would have been sufficient for most to stay away from Paul. However, Epaphroditus, bravely faced this fact, traveled all the way from Philippi to Rome (distance!) and stayed in Rome to help Paul.

Appn:

Am I willing to answer God’s call if he moves me to associate with people in distant lands like the North East, North India etc.? Would I be willing to come out of my comfort zones?

· The Cost of Fulfilling Your Responsibility

Epaphroditus fell dangerously ill. This may not have been immediate but nevertheless must have come during a prime time of serving God. Even though Epaphroditus became seriously ill, he did not immediately return to Philippi ("he was ill" - verse 27). This could have been a very justifiable pretext for him to leave Paul. But he did not do that. What does this show? This shows that Epaphroditus took his call seriously and willing to shoulder the responsibility that came with it. He did not leave Paul because he knew that God who called him for this responsibility would also give him grace to fulfill it. The cost that Epaphroditus paid here was to suffer a dangerous illness which almost made him die.

Appn:

Do I think about fulfilling my EU EGF responsibilities even when things are not going well in my personal life? Or do I just forget and take a break?

In a personal context, would I be able to think about others even when I am severely ill?

· The Cost of Facing the Test of Faith

Let us look at this incident in one more way to understand another important lesson of discipleship. When illness struck Epaphroditus even after he had taken such a brave decision to serve the Lord along with Paul in Rome, his trust in God's love for him must have been tested. He must have been tempted to think - Is it for this illness that God has called him so far to Rome? I am almost about to die, does God love me? But Epaphroditus passed the test by staying the course in Rome and continuing his work for the Lord. And God graciously healed him.

It shows two things:

a) God can strike us with unexpected things to test our faith.

b) God after testing also heals us and brings us peace and joy. (verse 27, 1 Pet 5:10)

1Pe 5:10 And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

Epaphroditus on his return must have had a blessed time with the home Church after his time of testing.

Appn:

Am I patient during a time of testing?

Can I accept unexpected things that happen to me as God's will?

· The Cost of Facing Persecutions for the Lord

In order to understand this, let us look at the titles given to Epaphroditus by Paul.

My Brother: Epaphroditus was a true brother, who loved Paul more than his life

My Fellow Worker: Epaphroditus was not just an attendant of Paul. But he also worked like Paul to spread the Gospel during his tenure in Rome(Paul was confined in the Prison, but Epaproditus must have gone out on Paul’s behalf to meet people). His stay with Paul gave him valuable experience on how to spread the Gospel. In the context of Discipleship we can also learn from Paul that he did not resist from delegating responsibilities to Church laymen just because he was an Apostle and the others were not. Paul was not haughty. In fact he built them up to such an extent that they could work the same way as he did. Paul was a great leader who brought out the best in people. (KJV mentions "fellow-worker" as a "Companion in Labor") . That is the way to disciple.

My Fellow Soldier: It assumes great significance that Paul should call Epaphroditus a fellow soldier. This is because a soldier is one who is on duty under constant danger. This term seeks to emphasize that Epaphroditus worked with Paul, shoulder-to-shoulder, in carrying out the work of the Lord and was ready to face the dangers that came with it. (Remember The Way ran contrary to the Roman culture and hence the situation for any Christian worker would have been hostile). So Epaphroditus must have been in danger of being imprisoned himself while working in Rome.

Appn:

These 3 titles may be looked as 3 stages to which God calls us during our discipleship.

Am I willing to be also a soldier and not just a brother or a fellow worker? Am I willing to work for the Lord in places where I may be insulted and persecuted mentally, physically? Is say, serving the Lord in places like, Morocco, Afghanistan, unthinkable for me?

Epaphroditus possessed all the qualities of an ideal disciple even though he was not one of the prominent figures of the early Church. Let us learn from him and be faithful disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.