V19 – Paul first mentions Timothy, which he mentions at the beginning of the letter – We talked about this week one, but it is clear that Paul has both confidence and affection for Timothy – in fact, Timothy is a partner in ministry – Paul gives credit or at least mentions Timothy in 7 of his letters, and wrote two letters to him that are in the Bible (1 and 2 Timothy) – If you remember, according to Acts 16, Timothy along with Silas, help plant the church in Philippi, so the Philippians know him well – here, Paul tells them that he hopes to send Timothy to them soon.

V20 - “I have no one else like him…” – those are strong words from Paul – we know that he traveled with Silas, Barnabus, and we’ll see later in this passage Epaphroditus, but Timothy held a special place in Paul’s heart – Timothy was his protégé, and Paul clearly trusted him – in a time of need, Timothy was his go-to.

V21 – Paul reveals here how alone he often feels – “Everyone looks out for their own interests…” – he has mentioned this earlier in this letter – in chapter 1:19, he talked about the preachers who were preaching from envy, rivalry and selfish ambition, making things worse for him while he was in prison, and then, more generally, earlier in this chapter, 2:4, telling the Philippians to look out for the needs of others more than themselves – Clearly Paul sees that the trend is that everyone is generally looking out for themselves above all else, especially when Jesus comes into play –

Contextually, remember, following Jesus in that culture would ultimately cost you your life, and apparently people were self-exalting and self-protective – and while following Jesus in America is not life-threatening, there is still a sense that people tend to be self-focused, self-protective, wanting to preserve and advance their own kingdom above the Kingdom of God.

V22 – But look at Timothy – he had proven himself as a trustworthy partner in ministry – in fact, Paul says, “Timothy is like a son to me” –

Illus – I talk a lot about my relationship with Jeff Wells, but I feel a father/son relationship with him – Jeff brought me to The Woodlands in 1997 to be the worship pastor at WoodsEdge, and for almost 14 years, we worked side-by-side building the church together – and December 2010, Jeff did some of his greatest mentoring in my life by removing me from staff because of deep compromise in my life – but he also continued to walk with me, nursed me back to spiritual health, believed in me, and eventually rehired me in June 2014 to plant what is now Restoration – I remember in our first home meeting, he placed his hand on my shoulder and told the room that I was the right guy to pastor this church – He put his name and influence on the line by aligning himself with me Jeff is a great friend and mentor, but even more, he is like a father to me.

V23-24 – Paul is telling the Philippians that he needs Timothy with him right now – “I don’t know yet how this going to turn out, and until I know for sure, I need him with me” – do you have someone in your life that you don’t want to go into battle without, someone who you know has your back, no matter what?

Illus – Brian Jenkins has been that guy for me over the last 12 years – in 2010, it was Brian who called me out when I was neck deep in compromise – he was the one who said to me, “you tell or I tell” – He was also the guy who stood in the gap for me, who counseled me and Yvonne, who was a friend and confidant while I was healing from a broken past, who hired me to consult his staff when he was pastoring Riverstone in 2012, encouraged me to pastor in 2013, put resources behind me as we planted Restoration in 2014, served alongside as an elder from 2017-2019, and continues to be on my short-list when I need someone to process life – to say, “I need him with me” is an understatement

V25-30 - Then there is Epaphroditus – he refers to him as “my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier” – part of his band of brothers – while he wasn’t like a son to Paul, he was definitely in his inner circle – Epaphroditus was sent with a gift from the Philippian church (4:18) and became seriously ill on his trip and nearly died – so, Paul is sending this letter back with Epaphroditus and telling the church to honor him for his death-defying service on their behalf – this speaks to the ministry of the unnoticed, those who are constantly putting their lives on the line for the sake of the Kingdom, but may not get the notoriety that the front line people get.

Illus – For me, I think of people like Rich Garcia and Damon Collins – This weekend, Rich and Damon spent the weekend serving men at MA by keeping snacks, coffee and water stocked – I think of Andy Davis who showed up on Friday morning and set up AV even though he couldn’t physically be a part of the weekend – Zach Morrow, Tim Burke and Michael Wells who ran tech all weekend – but daily, people like Josh Agnew, Gavin Carrier, Ted Seago, Leann Francis, so many others that faithfully serve, doing the little things, and some big things, that would be missed if they didn’t happen.

Last night, David Hill talked about Emmitt Smith who was inducted into the HOF in 2010 – He is the all-time leading rusher in NFL history – but in his acceptance speech, he acknowledged Darryl “Moose” Johnston, who was his fullback and lead blocker during his career – he did the dirty work, getting beat up over the course of his career and definitely risked his own health to lead block for Smith – spinal fusion surgery, and many other post-football inconveniences to help make Emmitt great – Darryl will likely be forgotten over time, but Emmitt knew he was only as good as those around him.

This obscure, seemingly disconnected passage in this letter underscores this point: we need each other – Paul gives us insight into his inner circle by affirming both his MVP in Timothy, and his brother and fellow soldier in Epaphroditus – they were both instrumental in Paul’s ministry.

Who is in your inner circle? Who are you depending on to see the gospel advanced in your life? And who is depending on you? Who is your mentor, and who are you mentoring? Who is your brother, your fellow soldier?

Remember, we all have an Ephesians 2:10 calling – your calling may be to be the next Emmitt Smith, to be a generational voice like Paul – or it may be a supportive, right-hand role like Timothy, or a role in a key moment like Epaphroditus – but most importantly, YOU NEED AN INNER CIRCLE – you were not meant to live life alone, and in the KOG, you were not meant to live in isolation.

Close:

1. Identify your inner circle.

2. Find a mentor.

3. Discover and live into your E210 calling.

4. We are ALL needed in the KOG!