Philippians 2:25, 28-30 NLT
[25] “Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need…
[28] So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you. [29] Welcome him in the Lord’s love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve. [30] For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn’t do from far away.”

Epaphroditus…another name on God’s honour roll!

Despite his incarceration, Paul had loyal friends and partners who gladly extended his presence where he could not go. Epaphroditus, a member of the Philippian church, was one such partner. He was, to Paul, a representative of the whole congregation of believers in Philippi.

Since his name is of pagan origin derived from “Apaphrodite”, a prominent pagan goddess, Epaphroditus must have been born into and born again out of a pagan background. By God’s grace, he had been rescued from his old life and transformed into a loyal and loving partner in Christ whom Paul called, “a brother, co-worker and soldier”.

Epaphroditus had undertaken the arduous journey from Philippi to Rome with the contribution of money from the Philippian church that Paul so greatly valued. Paul saw their gift as much more than financial assistance. Their gift was a sacrifice, a fragrant offering to the Lord.

Somehow, somewhere, Epaphroditis contracted an illness that almost took his life, possibly a fever that was prevalent at that time. To Paul’s great relief, he survived and recovered from his near-death sickness.

Despite the dangers of travel in the Roman empire in those days, Paul had fellow believers who accompanied him on his missionary journeys, or travelled back and forth as fellow missionaries or messengers to keep the churches in contact with one another. They brought news to encourage, pray and support each other in the face of opposition and persecution.

It amazes me how Paul had such a network of helpers across the churches that he knew personally and valued as fellow workers in his labour for God’s kingdom. Time and again, he greeted them in his letters and expressed his appreciation for their work in helping him to spread the gospel.

Through the “glue” Paul supplied in his relationship to the churches, he linked each fellowship to the others until the church of the Lord Jesus in the Roman empire became a network of believers who functioned as a unit in a very hostile world.

As individuals moved around, the churches were encouraged to welcome and receive them, to offer them hospitality and protection from the outside world, and to pray for them, as members of one big family.

This may seem like an impossible model to follow in a known world much bigger than Paul’s world today. However, we have a tool which is both relatively new and unheard of in Paul’s day, the internet, which has opened up unimaginable avenues of interconnection. We may not see or know each other by name, but we can connect with true believers around the world to encourage and support one another in an ever-increasingly hostile environment.

We all have access to the internet in one way or another, and we have search engines that can direct us towards those who are true followers of Jesus. We can form groups of fellow believers who encourage and support on another in prayer through a simple device called a cellphone. The Holy Spirit, who is our divine Helper, will give us the discernment, through our knowledge of the Word, to recognise and follow truth in the midst of deception.

Yes, unfortunately, the church of the Lord Jesus is hidden inside a false system that masquerades as His bride. Their teachings are shot through with false doctrines, additions, subtractions, mistranslations and misinterpretations that give us the clue to its identity. This part of the “church” is the apostate church, the great prostitute, the scarlet woman of Revelation, made up of those who willingly follow deception for the sake of convenience.

We have the assurance that the true church belongs to Jesus. He knows His sheep and they know Him. They follow Him and He preserves and protects them. He gives them eternal life and they will never perish.

John 10:27-30 NLT
[27] “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, [29] for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. [30] The Father and I are one.”

Jesus told a story to illustrate that true believers and pseudo believers will exist side by side until judgment day when their fruit will reveal their nature.

Matthew 13:24-30 NLT
[24] “Here is another story Jesus told: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. [25] But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. [26] When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew. [27] “The farmer’s workers went to him and said, ‘Sir, the field where you planted that good seed is full of weeds! Where did they come from?’ [28] “‘An enemy has done this!’ the farmer exclaimed. “‘Should we pull out the weeds?’ they asked. [29] “‘No,’ he replied, ‘you’ll uproot the wheat if you do. [30] Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn.’”

So, we who remain true to the Word of God, preserving and protecting its integrity, passing it on to the next generation, and living by its instructions, are part of a vast network of family members around the globe. Let’s recognise our connection beyond ourselves, let’s love and pray for one another, partnering where we can as helpers and fellow workers in growing God’s glorious kingdom on earth.