READ: PHILIPPIANS 2:25-30
Who was Epaphroditus? The scripture is very complimentary of him. The truth is we don’t know anything about Epaphroditus, his background, his career, or his family. The only thing we know for sure was that he was a follower of Jesus. He was apparently very well thought of by his Christian peers. My hunch is that he would have been described as a godly man. Have you ever thought about what that phrase means? I hear people say ‘he or she is a godly person.’ Sometimes we relate godliness to the performance of religious duties, going to church, saying our prayers, tithing, quoting the Bible, but none of those attributes are mentioned about Epaphroditus. What is mentioned is that he was so devoted to Jesus and held in such high regard by his fellow Christians, that they sent him to care for Paul when Paul was in prison. We see that he was a humble servant with a caring heart. He was a courageous witness willing to risk his life for the work of Jesus. So maybe a godly person is not a person who performs all the religious duties but is a person whose life has been transformed by Jesus, a life marked by humility, courage, service, love, and devotion.
Who was Epaphroditus? The scripture is very complimentary of him. The truth is we don’t know anything about Epaphroditus, his background, his career, or his family. The only thing we know for sure was that he was a follower of Jesus. He was apparently very well thought of by his Christian peers. My hunch is that he would have been described as a godly man. Have you ever thought about what that phrase means? I hear people say ‘he or she is a godly person.’ Sometimes we relate godliness to the performance of religious duties, going to church, saying our prayers, tithing, quoting the Bible, but none of those attributes are mentioned about Epaphroditus. What is mentioned is that he was so devoted to Jesus and held in such high regard by his fellow Christians, that they sent him to care for Paul when Paul was in prison. We see that he was a humble servant with a caring heart. He was a courageous witness willing to risk his life for the work of Jesus. So maybe a godly person is not a person who performs all the religious duties but is a person whose life has been transformed by Jesus, a life marked by humility, courage, service, love, and devotion.
– Dr. Tim Thompson