"Home is the nicest word there is." ~ Laura Ingalls Wilder
In love with Jesus. Wife to my best friend & man I love more than life. Mama to 4 amazing God given blessings. Proud Homemaker & Homeschooler. Living life with it's ups and downs and blogging about it!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Philippians 2:19-30 (FINALLY!)

News About Timothy and Epaphroditus


19I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon. I will be happy to learn how you are. 20I have no other person like Timothy. He truly cares for you. 21Other people are interested only in their own lives. They are not interested in the work of Christ Jesus. 22You know the kind of person Timothy is. You know that he has served with me in telling the Good News F14 like a son serves his father. 23I plan to send him to you quickly. I will send him when I know what will happen to me. 24I am sure that the Lord will help me to come to you soon.
25Epaphroditus is my brother in Christ. He works and serves with me in the army of Christ. When I needed help, you sent him to me. I think now that I must send him back to you. 26I send him because he wants very much to see all of you. He is worried because you heard that he was sick. 27He was sick and was near death. But God helped him and me too, so that I would not have more sadness. 28So I want very much to send him to you. When you see him, you can be happy. And I can stop worrying about you. 29Welcome him in the Lord with much joy. Give honor to people like Epaphroditus. 30He should be honored because he almost died for the work of Christ. He put his life in danger so that he could help me. This was help that you could not give me.


vs 19- Timothy was with Paul in Rome when Paul wrote this letter. He traveled with Paul on his second missionary journey when the church at Phillipi was begun.

vs. 20- Timothy genuinely cared for others welfare. If only this could be said of us 100% of the time!

vs. 21- We are often extremely preoccupied with our own needs and we forget that there are others who are hurting and those that need Christ. Often we become over scheduled and over concerned in our own lives and forget to reach out to others.

vs. 22- Paul was preparing Timothy to carry on in preaching the Gospel. Who are we preparing to do this great and wondrous thing?

vs. 23- Paul was in prison for preaching about Christ. He was telling the Philippians that when he learned of the decision of his fate, he would send Timothy to them with the news. He was very accepting of whatever would come to pass.This is very hard for me, to give my circumstances up to the Lord, but I know that I MUST! I must trust Him, as my life is not my own.

vs. 25-28: Epaphroditus delivered money from the Phillippians to Paul; then he returned with the thank you letter to Philippi. Epaphroditus may have been an elder in Philippi (2:25-30; 4:18) who, while staying with Paul, became ill(2:27,30) After Epaphroditus recovered, he returned home. He is mentioned only in Philippians (NLT study bible notes on Epaphroditus)

vs. 29-30: The world honors those who are intelligent, beautiful, rich and powerful. What kind of people should we honor, as the church? Paul preaches that we should honor those who give their lives for Christ, going where we cannot go ourselves. Missionaries are one aspect of this but also we should honor anyone who is willing to take a stand for Christ; to even give their life. Such as those who are martyred every day for Christianity in different parts of the world and maybe someday soon in America.

This was not as hard as I was making it out to be. I just kept procrastinating as I got behind after the problems we had a few weeks ago.. I got depressed and just let things get in the way of my bible study. I admit this and am asking for your prayers for my family as we are going through a tough time even now. I hope to finish Chapter 3 all at once. Give me a couple of days and I hope to post on Chapter 3 on Sunday or Monday all at once. Thank you so much for those who continue to do this study with me and who asked me to keep it going. Even if you aren't commenting, I am grateful that you are at least trying to follow along and thank you for the emails. You can certainly do it that way as well if you don't feel comfortable posting your thoughts.

Have a Great Weekend everyone!

Love and Prayers,

Julie


2 comments:

Denise said...

It is best with us, when our duty becomes natural to us. Naturally, that is, sincerely, and not in pretence only; with a willing heart and upright views. We are apt to prefer our own credit, ease, and safety, before truth, holiness, and duty; but Timothy did not so. Paul desired liberty, not that he might take pleasure, but that he might do good. Epaphroditus was willing to go to the Philippians, that he might be comforted with those who had sorrowed for him when he was sick. It seems, his illness was caused by the work of God. The apostle urges them to love him the more on that account. It is doubly pleasant to have our mercies restored by God, after great danger of their removal; and this should make them more valued. What is given in answer to prayer, should be received with great thankfulness and joy.

In Light of the Truth... said...

I liked the comment for vs 22 Who are we preparing to do this great and wondrous thing? [carry on in preaching the Gospel]

It made me realize that it's something I want to remember in raising up our children. To not only pray and hope they live in Christ for the benefit of their own lives, but to have such excitement that they too SHARE the Gospel throughout their lives. And that I help prepare them for such a great mission!

(Thanks so much for leading this study for us, Julie!)

If we don't find Him in the small things, how will we ever find Him in the big ones? ~Elisabeth Elliot