Verse by Verse Devotional on Philippians by Pastor Jack #120

Epaphroditus, my Brother


2:25 But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need;


OK. So Paul says a lot of nice things about Epaphroditus. Now let’s look at the substance of what he says.


The most profound description Paul applies to Epaphroditus is "my brother."


In calling Epaphroditus "my brother" Paul is making use of a very rich term but so common that we take it for granted. Christians are brothers and sisters because we have a common Father. Since we have each been adopted as children of God, we have become spiritual siblings of each other. Every believer, no matter what age, race, language or location, is my brother or sister in Christ.


There are three distinctives of a brother-to-brother relationship I would like to mention here. One is that "brother" implies a certain equality. And even though there are legitimate roles of authority that exist in the body of Christ (e.g. leader/member, parent/child, husband/wife), at the deepest level we are all on the same plane as children of God. Though Paul was clearly Epaphroditus’ superior in terms of church authority, Paul boasts not in this but in their relationship as brothers in Christ. Paul is very reserved in his use of apostolic authority and very big on relating to his fellow Christians on this deeper and more important basis.


The second distinctive is that the sibling relationship is generally the longest and most enduring relationship that people have. There is no relationship that outlasts it. It starts at birth (or very close to birth), and it usually ends at or near the end of life. It is usually longer than a marriage relationship, a parent/child relationship or a friendship. And yet our spiritual relationship as siblings lasts even longer; our brother/sister relationships with our fellow Christians are forever. They endure through thick and thin here on the earth and then continue on into eternity.


The third distinctive is that the sibling relationship is the one relationship that is unbreakable. Husbands and wives can get divorced, and parents and children can have their relationship legally severed. But society has no mechanism whereby a person can be divorced from a brother or sister. And so it is that as long as someone is a child of my Father, I cannot separate myself from him. We are inextricably connected through our new birth. We may not like each other, we may have problems getting along. But the solution is never divorce.


Let us be quick to call fellow Christians "brother" or "sister" and to treat them as such, even if they are under our authority. And, in this day of mobilization and isolation, let us work hard to cultivate and maintain our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, not letting them fall into disrepair.


Dear Father, I thank You that all through my Christian life You have blessed me with good brothers and sisters in Christ. What a treasury of friendships I have in a day when so many live in isolation from others! Forgive me for not appreciating this enough. Forgive me for the selfishness which has caused me to lose touch with so many Christian friends. Forgive me for letting so many go unprayed-for over the years. Teach me to be a good brother to each of Your children that I have contact with. Help me remember that these are eternal relationships.