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Category Archives: Leadership

Resident Aliens

07 Feb
Resident Aliens

In my last post I started a new series in 1 Peter. We are now continuing through this book.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
1 Peter 1:1-2 NIV

Peter wrote to the churches that he was in relationship with. His desire was that they experience God’s grace and peace in abundance. As I said in my last post, the desire of the Holy Spirit was to use these writings to raise up godly leadership in the church.

The question is; how do we walk in this? In this verse Peter shows us the foundation. It’s how we view our walk with God. The first thing he mentions is that we are strangers in this world. The word strangers literally means aliens alongside, resident foreigners. There’s a verse in the book of Hebrews that said almost the same thing.

All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth.
Hebrews 11:13 NIV

These saints confessed that they were aliens in this world. We need to pick up this same mindset. I do not belong to this world. I live by a different set of rules. I live on a different level.

You may not know this about me, but I’m a Sci-Fi geek. I love TV shows and movies with a Science Fiction theme. One of the major types of shows revolves around aliens.

There are two kinds. The first involves aliens that try to take over by force. That’s not what I’m talking about. The second is the group of aliens that infiltrate society and look just like the humans around them. They hold down a job, go to school, and act like all the humans they come in contact with.

But there’s more to their story. They have a different agenda. They have a goal that’s bigger than society around them. Their goals were set by a government that’s not of our world. Why am I talking about all this Science Fiction stuff?

The answer is simple. As Christians we’re supposed to be living it. We belong to a government – a kingdom – that’s not a part of this world. We have an agenda that’s so much bigger than just getting the highest paying job that we can. It’s more than getting degrees and fame.

We’re to be preparing society for the biggest takeover that could ever be imagined. Jesus Christ is returning to establish His kingdom. It’s up to us to get everything ready for that day.

Our priorities should be different than the rest of the world. Who’s in power, the economy, the weather; all these things interest me and I need to understand them, but they don’t determine what I do. It’s the Holy Spirit that I ultimately answer to.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
James 4:4 NIV

Scripture makes it clear that our loyalties are above. We are to live as aliens and strangers to this world system. Only then will we see the grace and peace of God working abundantly in our lives.

Question: In what ways have you experienced an “alien lifestyle”?

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 7, 2025 in Leadership, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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1 Peter Begins

05 Feb
1 Peter Begins

Those who follow my blog know that I’ve been systematically going through the New Testament in the order that the Holy Spirit revealed it to the church.

I started a few years ago, with the four foundational books – James, First Thessalonians, Galatians and Mark.

The next thing on the Holy Spirit’s agenda was to inspire books that dealt with our personal walk with the Lord. These books include Second Thessalonians, First and Second Corinthians, Romans, and Luke.

After that, the Lord gave us books dealing with our corporate walk. We need to understand life as a church. These epistles are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

In my last post, we finished Philemon. We’ll now transition to the next series of letters given to us by the Holy Spirit. They center around raising up mature Christian leadership.

These books are (in the the order they were revealed to the church): 1 Peter, Jude, 1 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, Acts, 2 Peter, 2 Timothy, and Matthew.

So, today we’ll begin with Peter’s first letter to the church.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia…

1 Peter 1:1-2 NIV

This is Peter’s opening statement. He’s not writing to one particular church or person. This is an open letter to the church at large.

However, there are some important things to see in this sentence that usually get overlooked. As a matter of fact, you may not like some of the things I’m about to say. So please keep an open mind and allow the Word of God to speak to you.

As one of the original 12 apostles, Peter was tasked with making sure the foundation of Christianity was solid. That was a very important role in the early church.

As I said in the beginning of this post, this is where the Holy Spirit makes a transition to the training of church leadership. That’s abundantly evident from Peter’s opening statement.

He clearly says that He’s writing to God’s elect. One of the problems with modern preaching and teaching is the idea that every book in the Bible is written to and about every believer. That’s just not the case.

This word, elect, is important for us to understand. It literally means that Peter is writing to those who are chosen.

Of course, if you listen to many modern preachers, they’ll tell you that we’re all chosen. That’s not what Jesus taught.

“For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 22:14 NKJV

We are all called to serve in a ministry and to lead others. However, there’s a training and maturing process that we have to go through to be chosen for that place of service.

Unfortunately, in much of the church these days this truth is glossed over. We equate calling with choosing.

Actually, there’s a great difference between calling and choosing. As we continue through these books of leadership, this will become more and more clear to you.

Question: How have you seen the difference between calling and choosing in your life?

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 5, 2025 in Leadership

 

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Do Good from the Heart

31 Jan
Do Good from the Heart

We’re continuing our look at the epistle to Philemon. Paul is writing on behalf of his spiritual son, Onesimus.

Onesimus was an escaped slave from his former master, Philemon. Now that both have become Christians, it makes for a new dynamic.

In my last post, Paul tells Philemon that he looked at Onesimus as his replacement working along side of the apostle. He wants Philemon to see this young man in a new light.

Paul’s goal is for Philemon to accept him no longer as a slave, but as a brother in Christ.

But I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that any favor you do will be spontaneous and not forced.

Philemon 14 NIV

This is an important Scripture, not only for those it was written to, but for all believers as well. It concerns the issue of why we do what we do for the Lord.

It’s unfortunate, but there are many church ministries that have leadership who rule with an ”iron hand”. That’s not what the Lord taught His disciples. He exemplified what servant leadership was all about.

No one should feel compelled to do anything for God because of threats or guilt. That’s not God’s desire for His people.

The word spontaneous, above, means not forced or constrained. It’s used elsewhere in Scripture. Paul uses it in regard to making an offering.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV

Sad to say, I’ve been in church services where they were taking up an offering for a special project. When the amount needed didn’t come in, they prolonged the service with more appeals and more offerings until the goal was reached. I can tell you that by the end of the service, many of the givers were not cheerful!

Our acts of kindness should come from the overflow of our hearts. They should be a show of our gratefulness to God.

That’s even the case for why we serve in leadership positions. Many times, I’ve seen leaders who were recruited by making them feel guilty.

“You must do this. We have no one else capable. God needs you.”

That’s definitely not how Paul views the ministry. As a matter of fact, Peter agrees with him as he uses the same two words in this verse when he talks to the elders.

Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve…

1 Peter 5:2 NIV

So, as Paul continues this letter, he’s instructing Philemon on the need to free this former slave. Not because of Paul’s authority, but because it’s the right thing to do before God.

That speaks to us. Do we regularly examine our motives in our service to God? We should endeavor to keep our hearts right before Him.

Question: How easy or hard is it to serve God with pure motives?

© 2025 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on January 31, 2025 in Leadership, Ministry

 

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Pray Before Speaking

12 Feb
Pray Before Speaking

As we go through the book of Colossians, we’ve come to chapter 4. This is the final chapter of this short letter. You may want to read this chapter before continuing with this post.

In Colossians, chapter 4, Paul is giving some final exhortations and then he greets a number of people who will be receiving this. His first statement is about prayer.

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Colossians 4:2 NIV

Paul first gives us a general call to prayer. He gives us three important aspects of prayer. Devotion, watchfulness, and thankfulness. This is what our prayer times should look like.

The word, devote, means to be diligent. Prayer is not something to be neglected. It’s the most important part of your day, as a believer.

The Creator of the universe has given us total access to His throne. How can we neglect that great gift.

But, more than that, we need to be watchful, awake and alert. Our Lord is not simply a God who listens. He wants to speak to us as well. We need to be attentive for His voice in our spirit.

Finally, the apostle talks about thankfulness. That must be our overall attitude towards God. So often we stress over the little stuff. We get upset because we didn’t get a good parking space at the mall.

Don’t let that carryover into your times with the Lord. Come with a grateful attitude for the grace He has bestowed on you.

And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.

Colossians 4:3-4 NIV

Then Paul exhorts them to pray for him. Specifically, so that he can proclaim Christ effectively. That’s important.

Instead of criticizing what church leadership says and does, we need to be praying for them. Pray for open doors of ministry. Pray for the effectiveness of what they say and do. Pray that they have clear direction and wisdom from God.

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:5-6 NIV

In this final part, Paul doesn’t specifically mention prayer, but I think it’s implied. How else can we walk in wisdom? James tells us that it comes through prayer (James 1:5).

If we start in the place of prayer, then we have the wisdom and grace that Paul talks about. Too often we answer out of our own thoughts or emotions. That usually causes more problems than it solves.

This is the best advice Paul could give us. Prayer first. When we prepare our hearts with prayer, the day goes a lot smoother.

In the final part of Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he greets a number of people. In part of his encouragement, he mentions their pastor again.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

Colossians 4:12 NIV

Prayer changes things. We need to be diligent to see all of God’s will accomplished in us. So, the book of Colossians closes with a clear call to prayer.

Question: How consistent is your prayer life?

© 2024 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on February 12, 2024 in Leadership, Ministry, Prayer, Prayer in the Spirit

 

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Cult-Like Christians

08 Jan
Cult-Like Christians

We’ve been going through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church. He’s dealing with believers who have been infiltrated by those of the Gnostic cult.

Here’s the problem we face, even in our generation. There are many Christians who, even though they don’t leave and join a cult, they start acting very cult-like. They seem to make our walk with God more about actions and less about relationship with the Father.

Paul explains.

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.

Colossians 2:18 NIV

I’m sure you’ve been around believers who make their walk more about their experiences than their intimacy with Christ and His Word. The phrase, false humility, means putting yourself down without thinking about what you’re doing.

But, the biggest problem for many Christians is the second part. Paul talks about the worship of angels. I don’t believe that he’s talking about the spiritual beings that we call angels.

That word, angel, is actually the word, messenger, in the Greek language. We should only use it for the celestial beings when it’s obvious – like when the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary.

Elsewhere in Scripture, this word refers to messengers of the Word of God. I’m talking about pastors and evangelists. (Notice that the word “angel” is part of this word.)

Too often I see the worship of man in the body of Christ. We follow a person’s teaching without ever questioning whether it agrees with the Word of God or not. It’s very healthy to fact-check what you’re listening to.

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Acts 17:11 NIV

These Berean Christians were called, noble. They even fact-checked Paul to make sure he was speaking the truth of God’s Word.

The unfortunate thing is that cult-like believers will follow a man closer than they are following Christ. The result can be catastrophic to your spiritual walk.

He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.

Colossians 2:19 NIV

Paul says that this type of man-worship can cause you to lose connection with the Head – Christ. But it’s our connection with Christ that causes our growth. If you’re simply following a man’s teaching, then your spiritual growth will be stunted. That’s where many find themselves in this generation.

We need to take inventory of our spiritual lives. What am I doing to maintain growth in the spirit? Am I developing more intimacy with Christ? Am I getting more of His Word in my heart?

My answer to these questions will make all the difference. Don’t get caught-up in a cult-like Christian experience.

Question: How do you maintain your spiritual growth?

© 2024 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on January 8, 2024 in Leadership, Legalism, Ministry, Spiritual Walk, Word of God

 

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In the Arena

08 Dec
In the Arena

We’re continuing our walk through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church. If you remember, this is a church that Paul never visited personally. It was established by his spiritual son, Epaphras.

In my last post, Paul talked about his desire to see all believers rise up to their full potential in Christ. The last verse we looked at in chapter 1 actually ties in to the first verse of chapter 2.

To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

I want you to know how much I am struggling for you and for those at Laodicea, and for all who have not met me personally.

Colossians 1:29-2:1 NIV

In both of these verses, he talks about how he is struggling. That’s an important word. Unfortunately, in the English language there are many kinds of struggling.

You could be struggling, climbing a mountain. You could be a soldier in a war against a bitter enemy. There are so many different ways you could interpret this.

The Greek language, however, gives us a clear picture of what Paul is referring to. This word, struggling, comes from a root word that means a gathering place, such as an arena.

So, this is a struggle that would take place in an arena. It’s a public spectacle like a boxing match or a race. It’s about struggling for a prize.

So, what’s the prize that Paul is struggling for? I’m glad you asked! It’s what every church leader should be striving toward. And, actually, it may take me a couple of posts to explain it.

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:2-3 NIV

This passage is full of important truth. Let’s start with the phrase, encouraged in heart and united in love. These are not two separate things – there’s no “and” between them in the original Greek verse.

The word, encouraged, means to be called together. It’s an invitation to join a group. They’re being called to one place, for one purpose.

There’s a clear reason for this call. The original says that it’s for their hearts to be united in love. Again, this needs an explanation in the English language.

The words that Paul uses literally mean that he wants their hearts to be compacted or coalesced together. He wants them mixed together in such a way that they form one whole.

Think of it this way. If you’re making a cake, you get many different ingredients. You have flour, milk, eggs, oil, and flavoring. But then, you have to blend them all together until they coalesce into one finished bakery item.

That’s what Paul is looking to accomplish in the church. Trust me, anyone in church leadership can tell you that this process is a struggle. It requires all the people involved to submit themselves to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

And this is only the first part of the prize Paul is aiming for. In my next post, I’ll continue with this thought.

Question: How well is your heart united with your fellow believers?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 8, 2023 in Leadership, Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk, The Church

 

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Spiritual Maturity

06 Dec
Spiritual Maturity

I have been posting a series about the letter to the Colossian church. The Apostle Paul has been talking about his ministry to the body of Christ. His goal is the maturity of all believers.

Paul understood this aspect of his work as an apostle of Christ.

We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me.

Colossians 1:28-29 NIV

That’s the goal of the ministry. All who are in leadership are here to present everyone – not just a select few – perfect and mature in Christ. This requires supernatural strength and wisdom.

We cannot hope to perform this on a merely human level. As a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, I need to yield to the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this great task.

The belief that this is impossible to achieve in our lifetime only serves to undermine the Lord’s goal for us. We need to recognize where He’s leading us to and cooperate with the Lord’s program for our development. After all, He’s bringing us on an incredible spiritual journey.

That’s exactly what the Lord taught His disciples.

Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Matthew 5:48 NIV

This word, perfect, also means to be mature and complete. This is God’s desire for His people. That we attain to the same level of maturity as Christ.

The unfortunate thing is that many teach that this is impossible. Over and over, we are told that to walk like Jesus is beyond our reach. I don’t buy into this type of reasoning.

When I see the lives of the Apostles in the book of Acts, I don’t get the idea that they’re immature. I see the same signs and wonders that were performed by the Lord. I see thousands of people drawn to, and changed by, the Word of God. If it was possible for them, then the same is true for us – if we’re willing to walk the same road they walked to get there.

One of the key ingredients to us reaching this level is the ministry gifts God has given to the body of Christ. In talking about apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, Paul said that they were given as gifts to the church. They have a very clear purpose.

…to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:12-13 NIV

The goal of the five-fold ministry is the maturing of the saints. The level of that maturity is beyond question. It is that we would live and minister as the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Why would the Holy Spirit inspire Paul to write these words if it were not possible? We need to stop making excuses and start working towards the walk of maturity.

Question: What would the ministry of a spiritually mature believer look like?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 6, 2023 in Leadership, Ministry, Revival, Spiritual Walk

 

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Passion and Pressure

04 Dec
Passion and Pressure

I’m continuing with my walk through Paul’s letter to the Colossian church. In my last post, I talked about faithfulness. Now Paul shares his passion for the church.

Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.

Colossians 1:24 NIV

Here we see the heart of Paul for the people of God. He rejoices in his suffering for the church. But we really need to understand that word.

The apostle is not talking about a physical hurt. This is an emotion type of suffering. It’s the passion he has to see these believers walking in their true potential.

Then he goes on to describe another thing that he’s feeling. Paul lives under the pressure of seeing what’s lacking in God’s children. That’s what the word affliction means in this verse.

This combination of passion and pressure is what drives him forward. It’s something that we need to learn in our ministries today. Do I feel the passion and pressure to advance the church of Jesus Christ?

This is what’s needed for effective ministry. Unfortunately, there are too many times when we look for the easy way forward. We shy away from any kind of emotional hardship.

I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness – the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints.

Colossians 1:25-26 NIV

It’s through the passion and pressure that Paul has become a servant in the body of Christ. The word, commissioned, in the above verse is a Greek word from which we get our English word, economy.

In God’s economy, Paul has become a servant to those he ministers to. That’s one of the problems we have with Christian “lingo”. The word, minister, actually means a servant. Somehow, we’ve elevated it in church circles to mean the person in charge.

Yes, it does speak of leading. But it’s a servant leadership. The kind of leadership exemplified by Christ Himself.

According to Paul, it’s this kind of service that brings God’s Word to light. He wants to see this Word fulfilled in the lives of God’s people.

Until that time there was a great mystery. What was this mystery? The fact that God was going to call Gentiles into His kingdom. Jesus Christ came to seek and save all of lost humanity.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27 NIV

Until this time, God’s glory was reserved only for the Jewish people. Now, all of mankind can be a part of the glorious kingdom.

This is where the passion and pressure come from. Knowing that we have the answer to what the world is hungering for. That should drive us forward to bring the message of Christ to the world.

Let the Gospel consume you. Let the world see the glory of God in you.

Question: How strong do you feel the passion and pressure of the Gospel?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on December 4, 2023 in Leadership, Ministry, Revival, The Gospel, Word of God

 

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God Working Among You

30 Oct
God Working Among You

As we continue through Paul’s letter to the Philippian church, he’s now coming to the final part. This verse is the last of his teaching section. We need to take it to heart.

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Philippians 4:9 NIV

This is a final exhortation, and a promise that goes with it. To really understand what Paul is saying here, you need to know that everything in this verse is plural. That means he’s speaking to the church as a whole. It’s not about one single person.

We have to come to grips with this truth. God wants to work through the church as a whole. WE are the body of Christ. It’s not a one-man or one-woman show.

He tells us the result of all this is the God of peace being seen among us. That’s what we should all be striving for in our churches. For that to happen, we need to go through the progression that the apostle puts forth.

I think that the best way to understand it is to go in reverse order from how it’s laid out in this verse. That will show how our maturity can increase by following the example of those who are more experienced in the things of God.

First, there are the things that they saw in Paul. When we look at a mature believer, we see certain characteristics. We see how they follow Christ, their attitudes and actions. We should be taking mental notes on how that portrays Christ to us.

But, that’s not enough. We need to know how to apply what we’ve seen. Now you have to get in a position to hear from them. We need to listen to what they say.

Too often, mature believers are ignored because we think that they’re too strict. They follow Christ too closely. But, that’s the kind of walk we need to think about. We need to hear about what they learned and the struggles they went through to get where they are.

The next step is to receive from them. Actually, this Greek word means to receive near them. This requires us to be more intentional. It means that we start associating with these mature Christians. You have to realize that you become like the people you associate with.

That’s true whether you associate with strong believers or ungodly sinners. The more you hang with them, the more you pick up their attitudes; good or bad.

So, the best resource is to find someone who is strong in the Lord. Then, start to spend time with them. Allow their attitudes to work a change in you.

That sets you up for the next step. Once you’ve adopted the same attitudes, you can truly say that you learned how to live for Christ in maturity. That’s why we’re called to be disciples – not students. A student simply wants to learn what the teacher knows. A disciple wants to become what the teacher is.

That’s why, usually, a mature Christian walk is “caught not taught”. We learn maturity through our association with strong believers.

This is the reason Paul ended the sentence by saying to put these things into practice. That means doing them repeatedly, over and over again. Just because I help someone once, doesn’t mean I’m helpful. Helpful means that I habitually help others.

It’s the same in our walk with Christ. One act of godliness doesn’t make me godly. Godliness is a lifestyle. It’s picked up and carried on through an entire life of service to the Lord.

That’s how Paul ends the teaching portion of his letter to this church. We should understand the importance of this and follow through with it.

Question: How far along the journey to maturity do you see yourself?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on October 30, 2023 in Leadership, Ministry, Relationships, Spiritual Walk

 

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An Example of Christian Service

25 Sep
An Example of Christian Service

We’re going to continue our study of the book of Philippians. Paul has been talking about his ministry. Now he gives them insight into a man named Epaphroditus.

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.

Philippians 2:25 NIV

First, let’s find out a little about who he is. We know that he came from the church at Philippi in order to bring a monetary donation to Paul’s ministry (Philippians 4:18). However, it’s obvious from Paul’s description, that they knew each other very well.

He uses three words of increasing intimacy. He starts by calling him a brother, sharing a common heritage. But, more than that, a fellow worker. They labor together in God’s work.

Then, there’s an even deeper bond. Paul calls him a fellow soldier. They’ve been on the front lines together. There’s a connection that’s forged in the fires of battle. It doesn’t matter whether the conflict is natural or spiritual. They have faced the same enemy together and came out victorious.

Then there’s a word Paul uses that I need to take some time to explain. He calls Epaphroditus their messenger. That’s an interesting translation. The actual word Paul uses is, apostle.

I believe this is because there are denominations that feel the office of Apostle ended with the early church. So, the translators didn’t want to offend some of their readers. The fact is, the Apostle Paul called Epaphroditus a fellow Apostle.

That causes me to believe that Epaphroditus was the pastor of the Philippian church. He had wanted to deliver the offering to Paul personally. But, while he was there, a problem arose.

For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

Philippians 2:26-30 NIV

While he was with Paul, Epaphroditus became sick, and almost died. It’s very important that we see the heart of this man.

At some point, Paul sent a message to the Philippian church that they needed to be praying for his healing. We can see the true heart of a pastor and apostle when we see Epaphroditus’ response. He was greatly distressed – not because he was sick – but because his church found out and was burdened for him.

That’s what the Bible talks about, in putting others ahead of ourselves. He was more concerned about the church than he was of his own condition. Then, God’s healing power was manifest in his life.

This is why Paul exhorts the church to receive him back with joy and to honor people like him. He was willing to lay his life down for the cause of Christ. That’s the true heart of ministry.

He needs to be an example to us, especially to those of us in Christian leadership. It’s not about us. We are to lead God’s people knowing that we’re called to serve. We are to seek to be a blessing.

That’s what Jesus taught His disciples.

“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew 20:26-28 NIV

We need to follow in the footsteps of great men and women for God, like Epaphroditus.

Question: How do you personally fulfill the call to servant leadership?

© 2023 Nick Zaccardi

 
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Posted by on September 25, 2023 in Leadership, Ministry, Spiritual Walk

 

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