Introduction

A. A Focus on Results

Next month, Italy will once again host the winter games. You all know specifically which winter games, but I’m going to avoid using the trademarked name to avoid legal issues. I remember as a kid, just how much it thrilled me to see the most accomplished athletes in the world do their very best to win glory for their country. Especially if that country was our country. The games celebrate what people accomplish: How fast can they ski down that mountain or skate around a track? How gracefully can you do that triple axel? How many hockey games can you win without losing? Being judged an exceptional skater, skier or luger is about the results.

In the church, we can also get very focused on results. Often, we look to heads of large churches as people worthy of imitation. But it’s their accomplishments that often give celebrity pastors, authors and ministry leaders credibility. For example, I looked up some well-known megachurch pastors on LinkedIn and looked at their bios. What did they emphasize?

Steven Furtick is the lead pastor at Elevation Church. His bio reads:

Steven Furtick is a pastor, GRAMMY® Award-winning songwriter and producer, and New York Times best-selling author. As founder and lead pastor, he has helped grow the multi-site Elevation Church into a global ministry through online streaming, television, and the music of Elevation Worship.

Craig Groeshel is the pastor at Life.Church, currently the biggest church in the US. His bio says,

As an influential leader in the Church, Craig Groeschel speaks frequently at many of the top leadership events and conferences in the world. He is a New York Times best-selling author with books on topics such as purpose, direction, church leadership, dating and marriage, social media, and more. Craig is also the founding and senior pastor of Life.Church, a multisite church with locations around the United States and globally at Life.Church Online.

Now I don’t want to besmirch these pastors. They are certainly very accomplished men. And LinkedIn is the kind of platform where people feel the need to ‘play the game’ and lay out their accomplishments. A person can certainly be both accomplished and a person of character. But they don’t always go together.

The people we elevate to such positions are always people of great ability, but not always people of deep character. That’s one of the reasons for the never-ending stream of scandals among megachurch pastors and major ministry leaders. We can easily recognize and quantify accomplishment, but not so much with character. A friend of mine once shared an insight a mentor had told him that is very applicable to church life in our technocratic culture: If we can’t quantify what is important, we’ll tend to make important what we can quantify.

B. The Importance of Character

But our Lord Jesus sets a different example. Of course, we can see Jesus’ accomplishments from a post-easter perspective, and he looks impressive. Jesus defeated death and sin and sat down at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. Now that is an accomplishment. But if they had LinkedIn back then, what would Jesus’ profile look like just prior to his arrest?

Jesus: rumoured illegitimate child. Educated in carpentry. Three years ago, Jesus began Jesus-bar-Jospeh ministries and has grown it to twelve men. Alienated most of his followers by talking about eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Wanted for blasphemy by the Sanhedrin.

No one would find Jesus’ biography compelling because he didn’t have all the right accomplishments. But what Jesus did have was unimpeachable character: the only person to ever perfectly live their life as a continuous ‘yes’ to God. So instead of pursuing the perfect resume of accomplishment, Jesus humbled himself and served.

In last week’s section of Philippians, Paul urged the Philippians to find unity by humbly serving together, following Jesus’ example. In this week’s section, he’s going to apply that same standard of success to people the Philippian believers know, helping them understand, practically, what it looks like to be a praiseworthy Christian. Spoiler alert: it’s not the people with the most accomplishments:

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father, he has served with me in the work of the gospel. I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me. And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon. 

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. 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. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me (Philippians 2:19–30, NIV).

Paul lifts up the examples of Timothy and Epaphroditus, illustrating how in God’s kingdom, we praise different things.

I. Timothy’s Selfless Concern

A. Timothy’s Goodness

Timothy is a familiar character to readers of the New Testament. Paul meets him during a stop in Lystra during his second missionary journey (The same town where, during Paul’s first missionary journey, Paul was stoned and left for dead). He becomes Paul’s assistant and a surrogate son of sorts. And he often serves as Paul’s envoy. When Paul is writing Philippians, Timothy is by his side in Rome, but when it becomes clear how Paul’s case will go, Paul plans to dispatch him with news, and then Timothy will return to Paul with tidings from Philippi.

Paul speaks very highly of Timothy, but notice what kinds of things Paul doesn’t say. He doesn’t say, “I’m sending you Timothy because he’s really grown as a gifted preacher and you guys really need some great sermons right now,” or “I’m going to send Timothy because he’s brilliant at organizational leadership and he can help you get your ministry back on track.” It’s not that there’s anything wrong with these gifts, but for Paul, they aren’t as important as character.

When Paul compliments Timothy, it has to do with his character, not his accomplishments. He shows genuine concern for the welfare of the Philippian believers. Paul explains that while most people look out for their own interests, instead of Jesus’ (a callback to the selfishly motivated preachers from chapter 1, perhaps?) Timothy is the rare exception to the rule. Paul says he has proved himself like a faithful son. In that culture, an ideal son showed filial loyalty to his father. He looked out for his father’s business, submitted to his authority, and behaved in such a way that his conduct was a credit to his father’s reputation. This is what Timothy is doing by faithfully engaging in the work of the gospel. Last week, we looked at how Paul says not to grumble or complain while serving each other. I’d bet Timothy meets this threshold.

If Paul were writing the letter today, he would be commending Timothy for his selfless service and dedication to Jesus; he wouldn’t say it’s because he’s grown a church faster than others, nor because he’s racked up a ton of YouTube subscribers or Twitter followers. nor because he gets invited to speak at the most prestigious conferences. Timothy’s standing in the eyes of the gatekeepers and taste-makers is irrelevant. Because he seeks to please God, not people.

Timothy has followed the direction Paul gave earlier in chapter 2 to be a humble servant. “Have the same mindset as Christ Jesus,” Paul said in verse 5. Timothy has shown that in spades by selflessly working in the difficult and dangerous work of a first-century Apostle of Christ. He has accepted ridicule, danger and hardship so he can serve alongside Paul. He cares more for the Philippian believers than he does for himself.

B. Affirming Goodness.

Paul’s assessment of Timothy was counter-cultural in his day as it is in ours. First-century Greeks liked stories of heroes just like we do, but Paul isn’t impressed by the hero, but by the servant. In light of this, in our lives, we need to rethink what we affirm and what we aspire to be.

We validate what we affirm. By this, I mean when we express admiration for something, we are voting to make it ‘cool’. If enough people express admiration for something, it becomes cool. If lots of people demonstrate that they like the way an influencer dresses by imitating them, then that influencer is seen as stylish. If enough people talk about how much they like this or that band, then the band becomes cool. Coolness is a collective affirmation.

In the church its the same thing. If we really must read the latest book by this or that pastor, or watch their latest sermon, or like or retweet their social media posts, we are communicating value. But often we are affirming what we don’t fully understand. That pastor might be a wonderfully Godly person, or they might be really good at imitating one to people observing them from a distance. So when we affirm people like that, we may be setting ourselves up for the disillusionment that comes when the people we admire turn out not to be admirable.

Now I realize that pastors in small churches can and do surprise their congregations in bad ways. The stereotypical church scandal of the pastor running away with the secretary became a stereotype because it’s happened lots of times. But when we have a chance to observe someone in regular contact, we are more likely to see the strength or weakness of their character.

And character is not something we should look for only in our leaders, but in each other. We can spend our time expressing admiration for people, whom we aren’t really sure are admirable, or we can affirm the people around us (like Paul does) who demonstrate the kind of humble love that Jesus and Timothy lived out. When we do this, we create a culture that prizes and rewards the right sort of character.

C. Aspiring to Goodness

So it’s helpful to affirm people for demonstrating Godly character. But it’s also crucially important for us to pursue Godly character above accomplishment. There may be times when we have to choose between accomplishment and character. At work, you might cut corners to achieve short-term results that make you look good to others. Or you choose to do things with integrity, even if it means that the accomplishments seem lesser.

A truck driver could get their loads to places fast if they drive faster than is legal or safe, and flout rest requirements. They look more accomplished, but that accomplishment comes at a cost: they increase the risk for others on the road, so it expresses a lack of character. Or a high school athlete aiming at an athletic scholarship to a university might be tempted to take performance-enhancing drugs. They know that running faster or jumping higher will make the difference between those who get the scholarship and those who don’t. But these drugs are banned, and taking them would be competing dishonestly, so the person of character would refuse to take them and pay the price, even though that would come with a personal cost. 

Sometimes it’s not about choosing character over accomplishment, but just a question of where we invest our efforts. We all feel like we have too much to do and too little time to do it in. Do we take the time to focus on things that build character (praying, reading the bible, practicing small acts of kindness), or are we just too busy?

Paul affirms Timothy because of his selfless concern for the Philippian believers. What might that look like if he were the pastor in our church today? He has to choose between spending time doing some unseen, seemingly unimportant task to bless his people (like visiting, calling or texting people to check up on them) with the things that ‘look’ more productive (like making that slick new Instagram Reel)? In the battle between priorities, what wins out, the things that help people, or the things that get noticed? If we pursue goodness, we may look less impressive in the eyes of other people, but God sees, and he is impressed by our love more than by our external accomplishments.

II. Epaphroditus

In the second part of the passage, Paul explains why he’s sending Epaphroditus back to Philippi. Epaphroditus was sent to deliver the Philippians’ financial gift to Paul, but he was also intended to stay on with Paul for some time to help provide for his needs. Some scholars speculate that perhaps he was a lawyer who could aid in Paul’s legal defence. Or maybe he was there as a gopher since Paul—under house arrest—couldn’t get out to provide for his own needs. But the plan isn’t working out as intended.

Somewhere along the line—whether en route to Rome or after arriving—Epaphroditus became seriously ill and almost died. To make matters worse, word of his serious illness (but apparently not his recovery) has gotten back to Philippi. So Paul confirms that Epaphroditus survived his illness. But it seems he may be too weak or sick to continue to serve Paul, so Paul is sending him back to Philippi; however, Paul challenges the way the church may view Epaphroditus’s trip.

An accomplishment-focused church might see Epaphroditus’ trip as a failure. We have a strong connection to Cuba. Many people from this church have gone there on mission trips in the last fifteen years or so. What if we decide to send a full-time missionary there? They spend a significant time learning to speak conversational Spanish, and then they leave for Cuba to begin a five-year term of service. But three months later, they have a health crisis and have to return home, without any real expectation of going back. Of course, we would be disappointed. We might question whether we had discerned God’s will properly. We might wonder if we should have picked a different person to go. In the final estimation, we would likely judge the whole business to be a failure. This is basically the situation for Epaphroditus and the church that sent him.

But Paul doesn’t want them to see Epaphroditus’ service this way. Rather than focusing on the things that Epaphroditus did, he focuses on what was in his heart. He was willing to put his life on the line to faithfully deliver the gift that would supply Paul’s need. Travelling between Philippi and Rome wasn’t as simple as jumping on a quick flight. It involved weeks of dangerous travel. If he came to serve Paul in Rome, he’d potentially be putting himself on the radar of government authorities that aren’t very sympathetic to Christianity. Whether or not Epaphroditus accomplished what the Philippian church sent him to do, he had demonstrated a praiseworthy commitment to the Lord’s work and so should be honoured for that commitment. This is why Paul speaks so highly of Epaphroditus, calling him his brother, co-worker and fellow soldier. Epaphroditus can return home with his head held high. His fellow Philippians should receive him with joy, not with embarrassment. If they are embarrassed, they need to recalibrate their understanding of success to focus on character instead of accomplishments.

III. The Celebration of Character

As I mentioned in my introduction, the games are a celebration of accomplishment, not character. We hope that strong character aids the athletes in their quest for victory. To be a successful athlete certainly requires determination and self-discipline, but it doesn’t always mean people are praiseworthy in other areas of their lives. You might remember the drama in 1994 when American figure skater Tonya Harding arranged for her rival, Nancy Kerrigan, to be assaulted so she would be unable to compete. Or there is Logan Campbell,l the Kiwi taekwondo athlete who, after missing out on the Podium in 2008, tried to finance his trip to the 2012 games by opening a brothel. Or we might think of how Ryan Wedding, who represented Canada at the 2002 games in Salt Lake City, is now one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives for allegedly running a major drug ring. So, yeah, it seems accomplishment and character don’t always go together.

But what might it look at for us to give out medals for Godly character? Paul certainly gives us a glimpse of what it looks like. He honours Timothy because Timothy selflessly loves others rather than pursuing what is in his own interest. He honours Epaphroditus for being willing to risk his life for to aid Paul in his missionary work.

In the same way, we should celebrate the Godly character when we see it in the people we know.

As a joke, I designed a T-shirt that says “Please Take this Opportunity to Tell me how great I am. I’m just too humble to do it myself. Thank you”. Obviously, wearing that shirt wouldn’t speak highly of your character (unless, I suppose, you were wearing it ironically), but it does remind us that really humble people don’t flaunt their Godliness.

So we need to keep our eyes open to recognize praiseworthy character when we see it in action. Maybe it’s that person who is always looking to encourage others. Maybe it’s the person who, without any fuss, sees something that needs doing and does it, not expected to be noticed and recognized. Maybe it’s the person who manages to be patient with others when most people would lose their cool. Maybe the person who overflows with thanksgiving, even in the face of difficult circumstances. When we see a godly, selfless character on display, we should affirm it in others.

At the same time, Paul’s example challenges the way that we evaluate ourselves. When we focus on our character instead of our accomplishments, we may consider our successes and failures differently. Some people, they use their accomplishments to justify their poor character. Plenty of Fortune 500 CEOs are horrible people to work for: abusive, mercurial and vain people. But these character flaws are minimized, and they are celebrated because they make the company a lot of money. A character-focused evaluation of such a person would question that definition of success. If I excuse my behaviour that is hurtful towards others because of the results I achieve, then I have a distorted vision of what it looks like to be truly human and to live in a way that honours God.

On the other hand, maybe you’re the kind of person who can’t cite their many accomplishments, but you love others and try to live in a posture of humble receptivity to God’s spirit. Such a person is highly successful in God’s eyes, even if they can’t run a profitable business, or excel in sports, or win ‘employee of the month’ at work.

Conclusion

So here’s where all of this leaves us. One day, every system of evaluation will be retired. The resumes we meticulously built won’t matter anymore, the metrics we tracked will be irrelevant, and the applause we chased will all fall silent. There will be no podiums, no LinkedIn profiles, no medals handed out for efficiency, popularity, or visibility. There will only be lives laid open before God. And the question will not be, “What did you accomplish?” But “who did you become?”

Paul helps us see that clearly. Timothy did not win awards, but he loved people with Jesus’ love. Epaphroditus did not complete the assignment as planned, but he offered himself without reserve to Christ’s work. And Paul says, honour people like this. Not because they succeeded by worldly standards, but because their lives echoed the self-giving pattern of Jesus himself. That means some of the most praiseworthy people in God’s kingdom will never be featured, platformed, or noticed. They are faithful in small things. They show up. They keep loving. They keep serving. They keep saying yes to God when no one is watching. Their lives look ordinary, but heaven sees something Praiseworthy.

And that also means we don’t have to live crushed under the pressure to impress. We are free to choose faithfulness over flash, humility over hype. We are free to measure our lives not by how visible we are, but by how closely we resemble Christ.

So this week, maybe the most faithful thing you can do is something that will never be applauded. Maybe it’s a quiet act of care. Maybe it’s choosing integrity when it costs you. Maybe it’s continuing to serve when the outcome is uncertain. Take heart. God sees. And in his kingdom, that kind of life is not a failure. It is a victory. Because in the end, the greatest honour is not standing on a podium, but hearing the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”