I LOVE YOU, MAN!

Read Philippians 2:19 - 30

“I have no one else like him (Timothy), who takes a genuine interest
in your welfare.” Philippians 2:20 NIV


Paul loved Timothy! He was a spiritual father to this young pastor and invested much time in Timothy’s spiritual formation and growth. Likewise, we find in this passage, that Paul had a great deal of appreciation for Epaphroditus. He commends them both for their service both to him and to the church. But Paul did not lump them together – he recognized each of them for the specific ways they had proven themselves useful to God. One commentary said, “Timothy models serving the gospel by caring for the needs of others; Epaphroditus models the suffering that accompanies serving the gospel.” It is important that we understand how important different gifts are in the leadership of the church.

Have you ever noticed how different every member of our church staff is? Each one of our pastoral staff is completely different in almost every way. Each of these men has his own strengths and weaknesses. Each of them brings a different perspective to ministry and to our church. And each of them is equally called and used by God to accomplish His purpose.

It is important for us to be like Paul and be encouragers to those who are in leadership. Paul recognized something very important about how a church needs to function in order to be all that God desires for it to be – that leaders need encouragement. Paul probably had shared with both Timothy and Epaphroditus individually how much he appreciated what they did and how they served the Lord. And yet, in the midst of his letter to the church at Philippi, he again shares how important a role each of these men played in furthering the gospel of Christ.

What a powerful example for us as church members! We need to be visible encouragers to the pastors and leadership of our church. We must be defenders of their integrity, their love for Christ, and their service in our church and community. Paul models that encouraging spirit for us. We must affirm their leadership and giftedness, but we must also share how they have personally ministered to each of us.

The goal for today is ENCOURAGEMENT. Take time today to pray for each of our pastors. Lift up their families and pray for wholeness in their lives. Ask God to bless their ministries and their lives. Pray that the Holy Spirit will lead you in ways to encourage these men – both in their ministry and in how they live their lives. Commit to being an encourager of our church staff.

Pastor Tim, Senior Pastor
Pastor Scott, Associate Pastor
Pastor John, Children’s Pastor
Pastor Jessie, Student Pastor
Pastor David, Missions Pastor
Pastor Bob, Pastoral Ministries