I have been studying the man mentioned in Paul’s letter to the Philippians: Epaphroditus. Paul had an amazing way of speaking about others and we can learn how to be Christ like by looking at the example of others in their character description.
25 But I considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus—my brother, coworker, and fellow soldier, as well as your messenger and minister to my need— Philippians 2:25 CSB
Yesterday we looked at God’s Word for understanding what it means to be a brother and sister in Christ. Today I want to look at that description, coworker.
coworker
Paul was in not doubt a humble man. Paul never elevated himself as a CEO of the gospel. He’s a fellow worker alongside other servants of Christ despite the uniqueness of his position in the early church. What does he mean that we are to be coworkers? How do we put on the attitude and heart of being a coworker with Christ?
6 Working together with him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive the grace of God in vain.” 2 Corinthians 6:1 CSB
There are many wonderful titles we can use to give to those who are servants of God’s work: servant, decon, pastor, elders, teacher, etc. But Paul gives us a wonderful title: workers together with him.
Paul did not use the word “I”, he wrote “we”. Paul not only considered himself as a coworker, be considered all of us as coworkers. God did not need Paul, nor does he need us. Instead he invites us to be a coworker with our Savior in doing His good works, preaching the gospel, and speaking through Christ to others.
With God
Minister and ministry are derived from the latin word minister. It literally means to serve. The greek work, diakonos, is the word in which we get waiter. We are called by God to be in service to Christ. To serve the needs of others through Christ. Paul’s two letters to the church in Corinth speak in great detail about how we are to serve others in God’s works.
Many of the people in the church had begun to challenge Paul’s authority and legitimacy, and he had a lot to say to them about ministry and his own calling of ministry. The church at Corinth had begun to draw division lines based off of personal opinion and they had made their opinions preference. Paul’s message to them was that their relationship with the Lord was to be different than their relationship to Apollos or himself. Christian leaders were not to be political partisans bullying their way to defeating opposition to the gospel or someone challenging their authority or legitimacy.
Paul spoke to them and explained they were missing the point all together. Paul often used vivid word pictures to explain his point.
9 For we are God’s coworkers.[a] You are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:9
Pauls says, the church (all the believers who have received Christ) represent a field of many workers, who are like minded (2:13-17), cooperating to reap a harvest. Church are a lot like a building, where it takes many workers to work in cooperation to raise the walls. If we are God’s field, then our job must be to grow, not to quarrel with each other.
The body of Christ is to be fellow coworkers with God to work together in unity to achieve what God desires and be apart of the building up of the church, building up of others. Our emphasis should be focused on what Paul focused on, the God’s ministry and the sharing of the Gospel with others.
How do we become COworkers?
Paul tells us in the opening letter to the church in Philippi that to live in Christ. He then encourages the believers to become one mind. This is the transformation of Christ in our heart. It is only through transformation can a body of believers become one mind. Christ transforms us into a new creation, and he transforms us to have His heart and His mind.
We need to allow Christ to transform how we see the work of God. The work of God is not seeing the need to do something for God and doing it, rather it is first allowing Christ to work HImself into us and make a home in our hearts.
7 I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. Ephesians 3:7
By allowing HIm to make HIs home in our hearts, He grows in us and fills our inner being with HImself so we can have His ears to hear, His eyes to see, His mind to act in His ways. The only real way to becoming one, a coworker with Him, is to let Him work completely through us.
As Christ begins to grow in us, we are transformed into His image.
18 We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 CSB
Christ begins to allow a flowing river of living water from us for others to drink and be satisfied.
37 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.”
John 7:37-38
We become coworkers when we decide to take our discipleship serious. When we lay our lives at the feet of Jesus and say Thy will be done, not mine. When we get serious and make a real commitment to allow Christ complete access to our heart and mind. When we look into our mirror and allow Him to transform our heart and mind to his heart and mind.
Be a plant!
I love how Paul was inspired to use a field as a word picture. God has planted us in a mighty field among other plants (believers). He uses His Word to feed and water us. He nourishes and fertilizes us with His love, grace, mercy, and truth. When weeds sprout around us, He points them out to us and plucks them out of our hearts. God planted us to grow! He purposed in our lives to grow! Otherwise there is no point to planting something that has no intention on growing.
As long as we are alive, as long as we have breath, we can grow in life and we need to be desperate to grow in life.
Be the Materials!
When we drive by fields we only really see the plants. Rows, upon rows of plants growing. We rarely ever see the precious materials that come from those plants. As we begin to grow, we daily enjoy spending time with our master gardener by allowing Him to wash us and cleanse us daily, eating his food by studying and meditating upon His Word, and seeking Him in prayer and through fellowship with him and others he transforms us into a precious material.
That precious material is then used for God’s building. When we experience our Heavenly Father’s divine nature through His promises and experiencing the true Character of who he is, we begin to enjoy our redemption and experience the transforming power of the Holy Spirit day, by day. We become the gold, silver, and precious stones fit for God’s building.
4 By these he has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desire. 2 Peter 1:4 CSB
The process of transformation is growth in our lives to eliminate the natural man the world’s way of doing things. A real transformation is a complete, radical and dramatic transplant of our heart and mind. If we want to be coworkers with Christ, we need to allow Him to transform us so that we can truly be like minded with other saints to allow God to accomplish His work in us.
19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you. 20 For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; 21 all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father. Philippians 2:19-22
Paul reveals that through Timothy, being a coworker with Christ is to be like minded with Christ. I believe that this is key to not just sewing up division within the body of Christ, but in all relationships. Until we surrender completely to God through Christ, we will not have the mind of Christ or be a vessel for God to use us as ministers to His work.
It Starts Small 
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