Philippians 2:19-30

This passage seems strange. Why is this in the New Testament? Why do we need to read about these small details of Paul's entourage?

First of all, we learn a lot about Paul. This passage shows us that Paul has people he cares about. This really humanises him. It's really important to see Paup as a real person - not as some 1st century superhero. He was a normal human being who experienced the same ups and downs that we do.

We can also learn a bit about the early church. Firstly, we see their great resilience. They were prepared and used to having problems like their leaders being imprisoned, and not being able to meet together in large groups. These churches worked as networks of believers, using close relationships to share with each other. Timothy is a great example of this. Paul taught Timothy everything he knew about the gospel, and sharing it with others. Similar relationships would exist all across the early church, resulting in a resilient network of family networks of teaching and praying and discipling.

The characteristics of Timothy and Epaphroditus are that they don't look after their own interests, but are wholly invested in Christ and His church. What a great example to us!