December 28, 2022
Epaphroditus
Meanwhile, I (Paul) 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. I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. (Philippians 2:25-27)
Precious one there is so much to learn from Epaphroditus. He was a retired veteran, a battle-tested soldier, who gambled his life for the sake of the gospel. He became a believer in Philippi and was a veteran of the Roman Legion, and very possibly of the Praetorian Guard. Imagine Paul in prison sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, chained to the Praetorian Guard. Then most importantly Epaphroditus became a messenger for Paul to the church at Philippi and Lydia. I would suspect the Praetorian Guard could be compared to the Marines and there is an adage about being in the Marines once a Marine, always a Marine. You can take the man out of the Marines, but you can’t take the Marines out of the man. Why? They are well-disciplined in every area of their lives 30, 40, and even 50 years later, and didn’t react to danger but responded.
Remember Captain Sully the pilot of US Air flight #1549, in the airspace over New York City in January 2009. He was a former US Air Force pilot and trained other pilots in emergency landings. When geese clogged up and shut down both engines on his plane, he did not stop and think, “Oh my, we have a problem, what am I going to do now?” No, he calmly reacted, based on his many hours of training, and safely landed the plane on the Hudson River. Likewise, as a well-trained former soldier, Epaphroditus reverted to his military training and put his life in danger for the sake of the gospel and the Apostle Paul.
Can you imagine the conversation between the Philippian jailer and Epaphroditus sharing with him Paul’s condition and state of mind? Even though he was under house arrest and in chains, he rejoiced because the Praetorian Guards were chained to him, and he had a captive audience to share the gospel with them. Epaphroditus started to share some of the conversations that Paul had with the soldiers in the Philippi and Lydia Church.
He said, ‘Remember sergeant Felix? A muffled laugh was given out by some of the retired Praetorian guards. One man spoke up: ‘Yeah, we remember him well. He was the meanest, nastiest, hardest boozer womanizer in the whole Praetorian guard. He had a mouth as filthy as the muddy Tiber River in Rome!’ There were chuckles and snickers from the audience until Epaphroditus said: ‘Brother Paul shared the gospel with him and Felix trusted Christ as his Savior!’ Stunned silence in the audience, then an audible gasp. ‘Him?’ He is the last person we would have thought would trust Christ as his Savior.’
Epaphroditus reminded the people of the power of the gospel to penetrate the heart of a sinner and convict them of their sin of unbelief so they could trust the Lord Jesus as Savior. ‘Yes, Felix was now a believer in the Lord Jesus and a trophy of God’s grace.
Who do you have as a captive audience to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with? Are you sharing the gospel with them?
