QUALITIES OF AN ENCOURAGER

Part III

(Philippians 2:25-30)

(Philippians 4:18)

(Philippians 2:4)

YOUR MESSENGER (Philippians 2:25)

Reference: (I Corinthians 8:23)

(Philippians 2:12-16)

Messengers:  Ahimaaz/ Cushi

(I Samuel 18)

MINISTERED TO MY WANTS  (Philippians 2:25)

(2:17) “yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all.”

(Philippians 2:1-4)

“the Church was likeminded”

Ministers of want:  David’s men

(II Samuel 23:14-17)

QUALITIES OF AN ENCOURAGER

Part III

The final two qualities of Epaphroditus may be the most impressive to those of us who try

and serve the Lord and please Him.  He was seen as a Messenger of the Church and a person who Ministered to Paul. 

If you read closely and know anything about the Offerings of the Old Testament,

you will see that Epaphroditus made sacrifices for the Church to be their Messenger

and in turn he was able to take the sacrifices made by the Church to Minister to Paul. 

The sacrifices evidently were more than needed to the point that Paul wrote to the Church and said he fulfilled my wants. 

In the last chapter of Philippians, Paul wrote that the gift given by Epaphroditus

was an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 

If you are a born-again Christian at some point in your Christian Walk,

you would like to think that you did that which was wellpleasing to God, but have we? 

We have asked the question: “What is your calling?” 

followed by: “Are you engaged in the Battle?”. 

Today we ask these two questions: “Are you a Messenger for Mathis Chapel?”  and “are you or have you Ministered to someone else outside the Church the way he did?

It was said in a show I was watching of an old timer who was a craftsman, someone nobody would know except those who he blessed and worked for.  “He is a legend, and when he is gone, we are all out of legends with no one looking to take his place.”  I wonder if any of us are willing to be an Encourager to the point that Epaphroditus was?  He made a sacrifice almost to the point of death for the work of Christ, and he was wellpleasing to God. 

Does anybody desire to be that anymore?