“But I trust in the Lord Jesus
to send Timotheus shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I
know your state. For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your
state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s. But ye
know the proof of him, that, as a son with the father, he hath served with me in
the gospel. Him therefore I hope to send presently, so soon as I shall see how
it will go with me. But I trust in the Lord that I also myself shall come
shortly” (Philippians 2:19-24).
Introduction
This passage reveals that the
apostle Paul had a pastor’s heart, for he was deeply concerned about all the
members of and matters within the Philippian church. He chose the best man he
knew for the job of leading and encouraging the believers in Philippi.
The
genuine
Timothy was sent both to minister to
the Philippians and to receive a firsthand report from them. Paul saw him as
someone who was genuinely committed to the Lord and the welfare of God’s
people. The word “naturally” means ‘genuine’ which infers that Timothy
was without guile, selfishness or duplicity. His only motive was to serve God in
all things. “I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall
feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jeremiah 3:15)
… “I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and
they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith
the LORD” (Jeremiah 23:4). Timothy was the type of person God wants to see
leading His local churches. “Feed the flock of God which is among you,
taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy
lucre, but of a ready mind; Neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but
being ensamples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2-3).
No wonder then that Paul described
Timothy as “likeminded”, for he had devoted himself to preaching, teaching
and ministering to the believers. The margin of the Bible translates
“likeminded” as “so dear to me”. He was Paul’s faithful companion and
co-worker who was willing to serve rather than be served. This in itself proves
that being in first place does not mean we are in the best position for God to
use us. “If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and
servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Timothy was, so to speak, obsessed with
serving Christ. He possessed a kindred and brotherly spirit in caring for
others, and in the apostle’s eyes there was no one to equal him. High praise
indeed! He was also an eager and obedient student of God’s word (2 Timothy
3:15), a persevering and worthy servant of Christ (1 Thessalonians 3:2), a man
of good reputation (1 Corinthians 4:17), genuinely concerned for others
(Philippians 2:20), dependable (2 Timothy 4:9, 21) and devoted to Paul and the
gospel (Romans 16:21).
Timothy was a valuable asset both to
Paul and the church, for he had travelled extensively with him during his
missionary journeys. He had previously accompanied Paul to Philippi (Acts 16),
Thessalonica and Berea (Acts 17), Corinth (Acts 18), Ephesus (Acts 19) and now
to Rome (Colossians 1, Philippians 1). He also assisted the apostle with his
letters to the Thessalonians, Colossians and Corinthians. Therefore Paul knew
him well enough to know that he was a trustworthy, solid and uncompromising
workers for the Lord.
The
greedy
Like today there were many preachers
and teachers that simply used the ministry to serve themselves and feather their
own nests back in Paul’s day. They certainly were not ‘Timothys’. They
were self-seekers who had no concept of self-sacrifice. They were ambitious
self-promoters that were unconcerned with the growth of the church unless it
brought in the revenue. They were all that Jesus warned His disciples not to be,
“Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not
in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). The
prophet Ezekiel describes all such prosperity promoting preachers exceedingly
well, “And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before
thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with
their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their
covetousness” (Ezekiel 33:31). No wonder then that Timothy was so special
to Paul.
Regardless of what spin modern-day
prosperity preachers put on their desire for wealth at the expense of the
church, they are not true ministers of God, but are in fact false prophets. “For
such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the
apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an
angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to
their worksFor such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming
themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his
ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall
be according to their works” (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Notice how deeply
the false teachers had dug themselves in, for Paul says, “All seek their
own” rather than “the things which are Jesus Christ’s”. The word
“all” should be seen as nothing more than a figure of speech, for we are
reading of faithful Timothy and soon about another trustworthy man named
Epaphroditus (Philippians 2:25-30). This reveals that spiritual corruption had
already gained a strong foothold in the early church. It is interesting to note
that when Paul was incarcerated many forsook him, “At my first answer no
man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to
their charge” (2 Timothy 4:16), and one seemed to have hurt him the most,
“Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world … At my first
answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not
be laid to their charge” (2 Timothy 4:10, 16). At best we could say that
these other preachers had put Christ second in their lives, below themselves.
Maybe they conveniently forgot that each one of us have to give an account of
ourselves before the Judgement Seat. “For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (2 Corinthians
5:10).
Conclusion
Though Paul was going to send
Timothy to Philippi as his representative, his true desire was to be with the
church himself. He wanted freedom from his chains so that he could personally
minister the great truths of God’s word to them. He was awaiting the call to
appear before Caesar, but he had a greater calling still and was eager to get
back to it. Paul’s closing remarks once again reveals his belief that God
still has work for him to do outside of the prison walls.
We need more like Timothy in the
church today, for he is a great example of godly living. His life and ministry
challenges our hearts to faithfulness. Are we willing to take a lower position
and serve others the way God intended? “Therefore,
my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of
the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord”
(1 Corinthians 15:58) … “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good
soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs
of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier”
(2 Timothy 2:3-4).
